The student guide to mobile phones

Once those boxes are packed and loaded into the car, you’ve been driven to your new University and your Mum and Dad have said a tearful goodbye (or not) you’ll be left to integrate into student life, but will still want to call home every now and then to hear a familiar voice.

You’ve probably taken a mobile phone along with you, but now every penny counts and if you want to avoid a diet that consists of baked beans then it’s a good idea to look into saving some money on your phone.

Keep track of what you are spending with a prepaid Pay As You Go SIM card, which lets you top up only what you need and will never result in costly charges. A Pay As You Go service also works out to be five times cheaper than a contract - if you already have a handset.

It can also help you budget properly throughout the month and understand the true value of using technology to communicate. Instead of texting your flat mate down the hall you might actually get up to speak to them, to save a bit of money.

Data is the main expense when it comes to using your phone and to tackle this we offer some great deals on 30 day bundles, such as 500 minutes, 1000 texts and unlimited data for just £15. Just grab a free SIM, you can even keep your old mobile number!

However, if you do use up all your credit you can top up online and receive an extra 10% credit. You also get free voicemails and calls to our customer service, which many network providers charge for.

If you are an overseas student take a look at our International bundles, which allow you to make huge savings when phoning home. You can buy bundles for a range of countries, featuring a set amount of minutes which allow you to speak to friends and family overseas for a reduced cost. For example, for just £10 you get 300 minutes to call people over in the USA.

It might be tempting to get your hands on that new iPhone 6 plus but let’s be realistic, lots of partying plus an expensive (large) phone aren’t going to end well. Plus you’ll be looking at a contract that could cost you £40 a month over 2 years, with the fun added bonus of an upfront cost for the handset.

If you shop around for the ideal contract and you should end up with a decent phone that gives you a good amount of minutes, data and texts but you’ll save a lot more money (which means more nights out) if you buy a cheaper handset and opt for a Pay As You Go service.