How do I do an upgrade on the fly?

Barebear

I am currently with Orange and have been for a number of years. I have kept my number since my first phone and I really can't afford to lose my number.

I am on month 11 of an 18 month contract. So I still have four months before I can upgrade to the phone I want. (going for an 18 month contract was stupid on my part).

Can I:

1. Start a new, seperate contract with Orange from an independant retailer?
2. Use my existing sim card in my new phone?
3. Cancel my existing contract in 4 months and port my number to the new contract at that point?
4. Carry on using my existing number for the remaining 5 months before getting another free upgrade?


If the above scenario was possible, I could start a new contract at as low a rate as possible while using my existing contract's sim. This would save me money in the long run instead of upgrading now or buying a new handset.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

gjchester

Barebear wrote: »

I am currently with Orange and have been for a number of years. I have kept my number since my first phone and I really can't afford to lose my number.

I am on month 11 of an 18 month contract. So I still have four months before I can upgrade to the phone I want. (going for an 18 month contract was stupid on my part).

Can I:

1. Start a new, seperate contract with Orange from an independant retailer?
2. Use my existing sim card in my new phone?
3. Cancel my existing contract in 4 months and port my number to the new contract at that point?
4. Carry on using my existing number for the remaining 5 months before getting another free upgrade?


If the above scenario was possible, I could start a new contract at as low a rate as possible while using my existing contract's sim. This would save me money in the long run instead of upgrading now or buying a new handset.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

1, Yes, or even directly from Orange, you can have more than one phone on your account.

2. Assuming the new phone is not locked (or locked to orange) usually yes. If it's locked you can always get it unlocked. Some newer phones won't accept older sim cards but that should not be an issue as most simcards issues over the last few years are the latest types anyway.

Note a lot of the box shifters (Mobile outlet, cool new mobile etc) often supply unlocked phones as they just stock one generic phone to sent out not the networks (usually borked / crippled firmware) variant. Doesn't always apply but usually works out that way.

3. In theory yes, in practice it depends who you go with, You can't port it to another orange contract and o2 in my experience only allow porting in the first month of the contract.

Also you have to let the contract hit the 18 months and then port, and your old contract has to be still running when the port happens. Once the contract is cancelled the phone number is not portable.

4. Yes, but (IMHO) you'd probably be better getting a new contract and porting, as you'll get a better deal than staying with orange and upgrading. Last upgrade time Orange wanted £100 for a phone I could get as a new customer free.

Unfortunatly Upgrades won't talk sense until your in the last month of your contract, otherwise it will be silly money for a new phone.

Bear in mind cheaper contracts have less money available for the retailer to subsidise the phone you get, and read the T&C carefully, IIRC Orange or T-mobile were locking the contracts so you couldn't change up or down for 6 months.

Something else to consider is call Orange, if your a high spender they may do a deal as long as you sign up again for a new contract (although maybe not as you've 5 months to go) or look at the phone on PAYT. Cheapest contract these days is £20 or so so you'd be paying an extra £100 to have 2 contracts running for a while, migt be better to get the phone on PAYT if you can and then when y9ou come to get the next one flog the phone.