How telcos are letting you shop through your phone plan

I noticed an interesting billboard yesterday. Apparently Beats Pop headphones could be mine "for $17 a month with a new eligible mobile plan" with Optus.

I knew you could pay off a new phone or tablet in instalments with a plan but didn't realise you could do the same with headphones and other accessories.

Other providers have similar offers. Vodafone's website, for example, says you can apply for an "accessories payment plan" that lets you pay off new accessories, such as cases, chargers and headphones, in instalments over 12, 24 or 36 months on your Vodafone bill interest free.

I guess it's a little like Afterpay but instead of paying off in four instalments you do have a little longer.

The advantage, of course, is that you won't pay interest and you won't pay any more for the accessories than you would if you were to buy them outright from, say, Optus or Vodafone.

This might sound great in theory but there are a few things to watch out for:

• Are you actually getting the best price for the headphones or charger? Optus, for example, was offering Beats Studio Wireless Over-Ear Headphones Beats Studio Wireless Over-Ear HeadphonesBeats Studio Wireless Over-Ear headphones for $20 a month over 24 months with the $45 My Plan Plus. So you'd be paying $480 for the headphones over that period. Myer had that same set of headphones on sale for just $350. Do you really want to pay an extra $130 to pay it off in instalments? Make sure you really are getting a great price.
• What happens if you cancel your plan and want to move to a different provider? Both Optus and Vodafone say you'll need to pay the remaining balance.

It's also worth noting that the provider will do a credit check but this is generally done when you apply for a plan anyway.

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