Contract upgrade???

dumbofan

Hi all

I am currently in contract with t mobile, due for an early upgrade on 23rd feb, I've had a call from dial a phone today after I had put my details in P4U website to find out about early upgrade.

The guy suggested I go to Vodafone as they have the best deal and they would buy me out of my contract, he wanted my card details which I was unsure of giving incase of a credit check as my credit is shocking but it's getting better.

My friend said it's not a credit check but only an ID check can anybody confirm or deny? Also if I waited until my upgrade date and went through tmobile would they do a credit check as I'm an existing customer? Please advise. Thanks.

grumbler

It is a full credit check for a new contract with a new provider, but the credit card has nothing to do with this and will be probably used just to prove your ID.

And beware, all 'early upgrades' are usually of very poor value. You can do much better if you wait until the end of the minimum term. Basically, you can get/save the amount that d-a-p are paying now to buy you out.

a_hnau

Grumbler is correct; to take out a new contract (rather than upgrade with your existing provider) you will be fully credit checked. If you're concerned that your credit score is poor, you may be better off staying with your existing network, as they'll use your payment history with them, not your credit score, to judge whether they'll accept you for an upgrade. Usually three clear monthly payments will do; however, some networks will give you poorer upgrade offers if you are on a low tariff and/or don't spend anything over and above your monthly line rental.

You might not know that SIM-only contracts can offer much better value, so consider moving to SIMO with your existing provider, or even to a new network and port your number to them. (Credit check for SIMO can also be less strict). Obviously then to get a new phone you have to fork out (or borrow/put on credit card) the full handset price, but eBay is a great option, and you'll save money in the long run as you won't be paying the network over the odds for them to supply your handset.