Your phone contract is ending.

A message arrives offering a shiny new handset.

Your current phone, meanwhile, is sitting in your hand doing absolutely everything you've asked it to do.

This is the moment Sally from Sally's Savers would suggest asking a slightly less exciting question:

Do you actually need a new phone?

If the answer is no, switching to a SIM-only deal could cut your monthly bill considerably.

But don't simply compare “£9 a month” with “£44 a month”.

Mobile deals have become complicated enough that the monthly figure doesn't always tell you what you're really committing to.

Here's what Peterborough customers should check before upgrading.

First: is there actually anything wrong with your phone?

This sounds obvious.

It isn't.

We're remarkably good at convincing ourselves a perfectly functional phone has become ancient because a newer one has three cameras arranged slightly differently.

Ask yourself:

• Does the battery still comfortably get you through the day?

• Is the screen and handset in reasonable condition?

• Does it run the apps you actually use?

• Is it still receiving the software and security updates you need?

•  

If you're answering yes, SIM-only deserves a serious look.

A SIM-only contract gives you your calls, texts and mobile data without including the cost of another handset.

Current deals show just how large the difference can be.

Three, for example, currently advertises SIM-only deals starting from single-digit monthly prices during promotional periods, while Tesco Mobile also offers lower-cost plans at different data levels, including discounted Clubcard prices.

The precise offers will change.

The important point won't:

If you already own the phone, you're only shopping for the mobile service.

If you want a new phone, find its actual price

Here's where Sally would reach for the calculator.

A new handset contract might be advertised at something like:

£44 a month.

Fine.

But how much of that is paying for the phone?

How much is airtime?

How long does each part last?

And is there an upfront payment?

Some mobile contracts now separate the device plan the money you're paying for the physical phone from the airtime plan, which covers calls, texts and data.

Those two agreements don't necessarily finish together.

For example, Three currently shows an iPhone 17 example with a stated device cost of £966, paid through a 36-month phone plan with an upfront payment.

Its airtime element runs on a different contract period.

That means reaching the end of the airtime term doesn't necessarily mean you've finished paying for the phone.

It's a detail that's remarkably easy to miss when the large print is shouting about the monthly price.

£44 a month doesn't tell you enough

Suppose you're choosing between keeping your phone with a relatively cheap SIM and taking a £44-a-month handset package.

It would be tempting to say:

“SIM-only wins.”

It probably does if you don't need another phone.

But to compare properly, Sally would want four numbers:

1. Total handset cost — including anything you pay upfront.

2. Total airtime cost — calls, texts and mobile data.

3. Contract lengths — particularly if the device and airtime finish on different dates.

4. Future price changes — not merely the introductory monthly amount.

That turns an advert into something you can actually compare.

And occasionally it produces a rather sobering number.

Tesco Mobile, for example, currently lists some premium phone-and-watch bundles with stated device costs running well beyond £1,000.

That doesn't automatically make them poor deals.

You might genuinely want the devices and be perfectly comfortable with the cost.

But “I want to spend £1,200+ on these devices” is a much clearer decision than “£47.49 a month doesn't sound too bad.”

That's the number Sally wants you to notice.

How much data do you really use?

Then there's data.

It's easy to think more must be better.

100GB sounds better than 25GB.

Unlimited sounds better than both.

But if you use 8GB every month, you're comparing allowances rather than benefits.

Check your existing account and find your normal monthly data usage.

If you're usually connected to Wi-Fi at home and work, you may need considerably less mobile data than you think.

Equally, if you stream video, tether a laptop or spend a lot of time away from Wi-Fi, don't choose a tiny allowance purely because it's cheap.

Buy the data you realistically need, with a little breathing room not the biggest number in the advert.

Check Peterborough coverage too

Price means very little if you can't get a decent signal.

Before moving network, check its coverage for the places where you actually use your phone.

That might include home, work and your normal commute, as well as surrounding villages if you regularly travel outside Peterborough.

Coverage maps are useful, but they are predictions rather than a guarantee of exactly what you'll experience indoors.

If you've got friends, relatives or colleagues using the network in the same area, their experience can be useful too.

Saving £4 a month loses some of its charm when every phone call involves standing next to the upstairs window.

Watch introductory and membership prices

The first price you see isn't necessarily the price you'll pay throughout the contract.

Some deals have promotional periods followed by increases.

Others depend on membership or loyalty schemes.

Tesco Mobile, for example, advertises some different prices for Clubcard customers, while other providers may show promotional prices or scheduled increases.

So don't write down:

£7 a month.

Write down:

£7 until X date, then £14.

That's the actual deal you're considering.

Don't ignore the end-of-contract message

Ofcom requires providers to warn customers when their minimum contract period is coming to an end.

That message can easily become one of those texts you glance at and promise yourself you'll deal with later.

Deal with it.

It's a useful reminder to compare three choices:

Keep your current phone and switch to SIM-only.

Buy or finance a new handset and choose suitable airtime.

Stay with your existing provider after checking what you'll pay next.

Don't assume upgrading is the default.

Your existing phone doesn't spontaneously become useless because you've made the final contract payment.

Quite the opposite.

You've finally finished paying for the thing.

It might be nice to enjoy that for a while.

Sally's upgrade rule

Before accepting a phone upgrade, forget the exciting new camera for five minutes and ask:

What's wrong with the phone I've already got?

If the answer is “not much”, price up SIM-only first.

If the answer is “quite a lot, actually”, then look for a replacement  but compare the total handset price, airtime cost, contract length, future price increases, data allowance and coverage.

Because £40-something a month can sound manageable.

Multiply it across two or three years and suddenly it's a proper financial decision.

And that's the number worth comparing.

What should Sally compare next?

Have you recently decided between SIM-only and a new handset?

What changed your mind the total phone price, contract length, data allowance, signal around Peterborough or something buried in the small print?

Tell us below, but don't post your phone number, account details, home address or other private information.

The things Peterborough customers are actually getting caught out by could shape Sally's next money-saving information.