Have any of your friends ever gotten a mobile phone completely free of charge, not just the handset itself, but the line rental too? Well, some of mine have, and here is how they do it!

First off, what does a free line rental deal give you? Well, as the name suggests, a free line rental mobile gives you a free mobile phone handset, and free line rental, and free text messages. That means that your entire contract will not cost you a penny!

Sound too good to be true, well, to a point it is, it is not easy to get a free line rental mobile phone, but, it is possible. There are people who do this year in year out and never pay a penny for their mobile!

So, here is where it gets complex! With a free line rental deal you actually have to pay your phone bill as normal for the first 6 months or so. So, at this point it is not 12 months free line rental at all!

Later on in the contract, the retailer will give you the chance to make a claim for cash back from them. This cash back is what actually covers the cost of the mobile phone contract. Once you get that money back from the phone retailer, you will have got your phone cost free for 12 months.

So how do the retailers make money? Surely retailers lose money on free line rental deals? Absolutely, but, only if the customer successfully makes their claim for cashback! If the customer forgets to make that claim, then they end up paying their line rental as normal, and the retailer makes their money. You see, it is a battle of wits!

They insist that you make your claim on a specified date (which you may forget) and insist that you produce documentation and phone bills (which you may lose). The retailers ensure that only a minority of people who take out a free line rental deal actually get the cash back.

So, in many respects a free line rental deal is too good to be true. But, they are genuine. 12 month free line deals are legitimate and legal. It is possible to get a free mobile phone for 12 months if you are smart, and prepared to play the retailers at their own game!

If you opt for a free line rental deal you would be well advised to organise yourself. Make sure you have the relevant dates and documentation to hand so that when you make your claim it all goes smoothly, and you get your free line rental deal!