Insurance is no guarantee

Mobile insurance is not cheap – especially if you live in a mobile phone theft hotspot like London (where thefts of laptops and tablets account for a third of all reported crime). Choosing to insure your phone may seem sensible, but it can add significantly to your annual phone costs – particularly if you own the latest iPhone.

What’s more, the devil is in the detail with mobile insurance policies – on close inspection of the small print, you may find that your contract doesn’t actually provide the cover you thought it did. For instance, according to figures released by consumer group Which?, 85 per cent of insurers do not cover mobile owners against theft or loss resulting from a phone being left unattended in a public place.

One money saving solution could be to set aside the money you would spend on insurance every month, and add it to a mobile ‘kitty’. This way, you can quickly and relatively painlessly replace your phone if it’s lost or stolen yourself.

If you are dead-set on taking out mobile insurance policy, ensure you read the terms and conditions in full, and fully understand where you are and aren’t covered.

Minutes + Texts

According to figures published by Billmonitor.com, almost 70 per cent of mobile users don’t use their full quotient of minutes and texts monthly.

If you’re one of them, you needn’t fret – chances are, you’ll be able to convert your contract so you only pay for what you need. Most providers allow users who’ve been with them for over three months to renegotiate terms – to see whether you qualify, drop them a line.

In any event, it is best practice when choosing a new phone contract to study your past bills and see how many minutes, texts and data you really need – then, select the tariff that best reflects your monthly usage. While massive allowance packages can seem attractive due to the apparent freedom they provide, if you don’t use the allowance you are paying over the odds.

 ‘Unlimited’ data – unlimited danger

According to research released by comparison website uSwitch.com, 23 per cent of Brits regularly exceed their data allowances, paying on average an extra £91.20 on their bills annually.

Much of this overspend stems from using a mobile’s internet connection to stream music, download apps or watch online videos. Watching 30 minutes of video content on your mobile can cost two gigabytes of data if you use your mobile’s internet connection, but is effectively free of charge is you use Wifi instead – bear this in mind if you ever feel tempted to use your phone for data-hungry activities.

Furthermore, few mobiles come equipped with a resource for monitoring their data usage, so it’s advisable to download one, and keep a keen eye on it throughout the month.

Appsberg dead ahead

Just as 90 per cent of an iceberg is hidden beneath the surface, apps can damage your data allowance in unseen ways – even when they’re not open. Certain apps use location services, or update without warning or direct consent, or send you updates – all of these things can tear sizeable chunks out of your monthly data allowance.

Different mobile models and brands have different interfaces, but generally you can stop apps from behaving this way by altering your phone’s settings so they don’t download content (unless you’re connected to Wifi). Disabling location services unless they’re vitally necessary is also highly advisable.