That age-old question that we have to deal with at the end of each phone contract.
Upgrade with my current network or switch networks? We’ve all had to answer that question. Well, we’ve compiled this guide to hopefully make it a bit easier to decide.
It essentially comes down to three important considerations:
- What upgrade deal is my current network offering me?
- Am I happy with the network coverage?
- Am I happy with the customer service?
- What deals do the other networks have?
- Do I need a new phone or can I keep this one and move to SIM only?
You then have three choices to make:
- Upgrade with your current network
- Switch to a new network
- Keep your phone and switch to a SIM only plan with your current network or a new one
Upgrade with you current network
This is usually the quickest option as can be done online or in store, and if you’re paying your bills on time, you’re unlikely to need a full credit check as you would if you were switching networks.
You also get to keep your number.
The downside of this option? You’re unlikely to get as a good a deal as you would if you were to switch networks. Well, initially at least.
You likely joined the network you’re on thanks to a great deal you found, but that’s the ‘new customer offer’. Upgrade deals are rarely as good (unless you’re just looking at SIM only plans).
You may need to call you network and haggle a bit for a better deal, show them some examples of other deals you’ve spotted and see if they’ll match.
If they want to keep you as a customer, they may well offer a discount but not always.
Our advice, compare network deals for the phone you want, then call you current network and see what they’ll offer you.
Of course, if you love the service from your current network, you may be happy to pay a bit more per month but don’t upgrade your phone without comparing first what other deals are available.
Switch to a new network
The advantage of this option is you can take advantage of all the tempting new customer deals that networks and retailers offer to encourage customers to switch.
We’ve seen deals up to £300 cheaper on a new contract versus an upgrade.
The downside is a new credit check will be required and you’ll need to port your phone number over to the new network if you want to keep it (although this is now a really simple text message process).
You may also want to switch to a new network to benefit from better coverage or faster data speeds.
Our advice as always is to compare the mobile deals available at the time and work out the total cost of ownership: amount paid upfront + (monthly plan amount x length of contract).
Keep your phone and switch to SIM only
If you’re happy with your current phone and it will last you a bit longer, then switch to a SIM only plan. You can do this with your current network or a new network if you find a better deal. Compare plans first.
The advantage of switching to SIM only? It’s likely to reduce your monthly phone bill if you were on a phone contract before.
So there you have it, hopefully this guide makes it a bit easier for you to decide what to do at the end of you mobile phone contract. The im
Hope that helps. Feel free to tweet us on Twitter with any questions.
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