Page 1 of BA: Two cracking contract mobile deals with cashback AND a free PSP giga pack

Hi guys,

This is just a quick heads-up on two cracking deals that I really can`t believe are available - infact, I suspect that they will be extremely short-lived deals.

E2Save are currently offering two cracking deals on the 3 network, both with a free PSP Giga pack (currently worth about £185), where the overall cost to the customer (after the value of the cashback and the free gift is taken into account) is at or near zero. This is the first time ever that a package with a free gift has rivalled a straight cashback deal in terms of value and I dare say that they will sell out very fast once word gets around.

As an added bonus, it looks like E2Save will automatically send out the PSP Giga pack 28 days after the start of the contract so you won`t even have to submit a claim for it. That`s like getting a £185 cashback automatically after only one month...Fantastic!

The deals are as follows:

LG U8330
Three Video Talk & Text 700 (12 months) @ £35/month
7 months free line rental + free PSP Giga pack
Cashback: £64.17 claimable after 4, 8 & 12 months
Network Discount: 1/2 price for 3 months (worth £52.50)
PSP sent out 28 days after contract commences

Outlays = (35 * 12) - 52.50 = £367.50
Cashback = 3 * 64.17 = £192.51
Cost after cashback = 367.50 - 192.51 = £175
minus the value of the gift = £175 - £185 = MINUS £10

NON-affiliate link

============

LG U880
Three Video Talk & Text 700 (12 months) @ £35/month
6 months free line rental + free PSP Giga pack
Cashback: £10 (auto) after 2 months + £49.17 after 4, 8 & 12 months
Network Discount: 1/2 price for 3 months (worth £52.50)
PSP sent out 28 days after contract commences

Outlays = (35 * 12) - 52.50 = £367.50
Cashback = 10 + (3 * 49.17) = £157.51
Cost after cashback = 367.50 - 157.51 = £210
minus the value of the gift = £210 - £185 = £25

NON-affiliate link

You can use the non-affiliate links provided above, go via a cashback site for a little extra sweetener or (only if you`re happy to do so) you can also go via my site (URL in the sigline below) and help support the further maintenance and development of an ethically-minded information resource. The choice is entirely yours.

Note to Mods: The final purchase option has been included above because forum members have demanded it in the past - if the Mods disagree then I have absolutely no problem with the sigline being removed.

HtH
Reestit Mutton
--
www.reestitmutton.co.uk

This item was edited on Wednesday, 21st June 2006, 17:20

Thank you for the post. :) I went for the 18 month option on U880 (as you pay very little in first year, and virtually nothing in first few months, once you take into account cash back - next year is so far away!)

I`ve used e2save before and have had no problems with cash back - they even text you to let you know that they are sending your cheques.

This really is a much better offer than any free PSP ones I`ve seen before, especially as it is actually quite a good handset.

Thanks again

Hi Reesit - I wonder if you can help. I`ve posted this in the PC & Mobiles forum but not sure if you venture over there...

My mobile contract with "3" runs it`s 18mth course in August...

I know how easy it is to get a PAC code, give my notice and get a new contract elsewhere with a great new phone and probably an ipod or psp too.... I`m afraid that`s not an option though due to my credit rating at the moment...

I`ll qualify for a free handset upgrade direct with "3" for continuing with them after August and assume to get this I`ll have to sign up for another minimum term although it should be straightforward as I`m already with them...

So my question is - is there any third party/mobile shop/website I can simply handset upgrade/contract extend through with "3" to get the goodies available like the new contracts? Also, will I get a greater choice of handset that way or will I still be limited to what 3 actually provide?

Hope that all makes sense, apologies for the thread hijack!


julianf

No - I`m afraid that your best bet is to phone the customer services number on your bill and threaten to leave the network and take your number with you to see what you can get Three to offer you to stay with them.

Any upgrade through a third party store/website will only earn that outlet whatever the network offers them for upgrades which is often pitifully small compared with a new contract signup commission. For this reason, you will probably get the WORST deal going by doing it that way.

As for getting the best value out of Three you will need to give them a good story as to why a different network would suit your needs better than what they have to offer. I imagine that you can moan about the way that calls always get dropped when handing over from 3G to 2G which doesn`t happen on other networks. They will almost certainly tell you that this will soon be a thing of the past (as they will shortly be moving from O2 to Orange for their 2G coverage, with seamless handover one of the benefits of teh new arrangement) but you can simply tell them that if you are to continue to put up with the current status quo for any length of time until the changeover happens they will have to make it worth your while.

As for persuading Three that there are similarly good value tariffs available elsewhere that you could possibly be interested in moving to, I would mention either O2 (1000 xnet mins & 150 texts for £35/month) or T-Mobile`s FlexT 35 (900 minutes OR 1800 texts for £35/month). The T-Mobile deals in particular come with up to 12 months free line rental from some retailers at the moment, albeit with low-end handsets.

I should say at this point that you are unlikely to get a deal quite as good as the best new customer deals currently available by hardballing your service provider but, if you play your cards right, you could still get a reasonably good value deal (in terms of discounted line rental) with a free top-end handset. The BIG benefit of doing it this way, however, is that any discount that you secure will be directly applied to your bill with no need to jump through any hoops to claim it. In many ways, some people are prepared to pay extra for the simplicity and certainty of a network-applied discount.

Incidentally, in the context of the above scenario, a very good use for my site would be to simply use it to find an alternative deal to throw at your service provider as an example deal for them to match. However, I don`t currently cover packages on either of the abovementioned O2/T-Mobile tariffs at the moment. That said, I will soon be commencing coverage of a range of the cheapest FlexT deals currently available as I have more-or-less finished amending my search mechanism to properly account for the flexibility of these tariffs.

HtH
RM

This item was edited on Thursday, 22nd June 2006, 23:26

That`s great - thanks for your time Reesit, top advice/info as always :D

julianf

:/

Sorry to be a kill joy, but in essence your still paying for the PSP albeit over time. I`d rather a free phone on a 12 month claw back tariff.

I suppose it depends on how much you want a psp. Also you would probably have to settle for a poorer handset if you wanted all twelve months to be free