Time for a windfall tax on cable/phone companies ?

[Bletchleyite]

That's just capitalism. Very easy to buy a SIM free device and a SIM only plan, then keep as long as you want without fuss.

The best approach is just to draw up a spreadsheet and compare the two. Sometimes the plans are good value (but make sure you turn to a SIM only plan after 2 years when the contract ends) but sometimes they're not. It varies depending on what offers are on. Though if buying a budget phone the contract is pretty much always more expensive; it's more commonly good value with higher-end phones.

 

[jon0844]

Yes, of course you should check for specific promotions (either on plans, or handsets that might be a little older and the network wants rid of - right now, that might be on phones from Oppo and OnePlus which are unlikely to release any new phones in UK/Europe for a while due to patent issues). As new Android phones increasingly come with 3 or 4 years of updates now, older phones have more 'value' over a longer period than before.

Definitely remember when your minimum term is up though and don't be scared to change network, or at least give notice to indicate to your current provider that you're willing. Even a month or two before, call up and see what they might offer - the retentions department can and often will do some great deals. EE even has an add-on to remove the price increase, so they can in certain cases prevent the CPI+3.9% increase - and is one of the many things you can try haggling for.

If you don't want to play that game, just go with Voxi, Giffgaff, Smarty etc.