Mobile SIM Contract Haggling

richardman

Just want share another "once a year" mobile contract haggling experience.

I've just renewed another 12 months sim-only contract with EE. Deal I get this year is:

£13.99/month, 12 Month SIM, 4GEE MAX plan, 12GB data, Unlimited mins/txt.

Over the past 4 years, plans I got were always between 12GB~18GB, and 600~unlimited mins, always unlimited txt. My average data usage is around 10GB. My monthly bills have dropped from £20 to £18 then £16 and now £14 over the past 4 years. I never understand what "contract PRI increases every year" is all about!

EE (and I guess every other provides) always have these hidden "exclusive deals" so you just have to call them (or live chat) to get them.

My only trick (or may be just a common sense by MSE standard) on haggling with EE is: If one agent does not give you plan you are happy with, then try again later with another agent. Different agents seem have "different power" to give you different deals. This year, one agent kept selling me broadband+mobile package. Just walk away and go back later to talk to another agent.

This year I decided to stay with EE again (for at least another 12 months anyway) as I still believe they provide "better" 4g services based on the the fact that EE still has the most frequency bandwidth allocation in UK (google these links as I'm not allow to post them):

g-frequencies-uk-need-know
List_of_LTE_networks_in_Europe - wiki

Services you will receive of course can be geographically dependent. In my family we have O2/Three monthly/payg contacts. Services can vary from location to time, but generally for me EE works most of time at home/work and places I go, and most of time 4G data are very very fast (~4xMbps most of time I check randomly) and consistent. Few months ago swtiched my wife's plan from EE to three (£12/month - 8GB data, unlimited min/txt, same Three plan still on MSE website, but if you call them they will* throw in the unlimited mins instead of standard 600 mins.) because I failed to haggle with EE this year for a better deal with data/mins/txt that suit better to my wife. To me, Three data is noticeably slower than EE (my wife also has a better phone than me) but to my wife its fine.

There are lots of very tempting SIM deals from MVNOs in the past year or two, but consider the fact that they only get a portion of services and bandwidths from their provider, I didn't have good experience (e.g. no 4G, wifi calling, slow 4g, etc) with them (Giffgaff/Virgin/Tesco) years ago, so for now I still would not consider going back, as they are not offering deals marginally better than I get with main carriers when taking "discounted services" into account.

Can't wait to play this haggling game again next year!

Frozen_up_north

That “deal” is the same as Three offer anyone, so it’s the going rate...

AndyPK

but its on the EE network. :cool:

Kernel_Sanders

AndyPK wrote: »

but its on the EE network. :cool:

Yep, it's horses for courses. While it suits the OP, where I live the 3 signal is much better than EE.
BTW 3 have the deal for £12 now, and that doesn't take account of the potential £60 cashback.
https://www.topcashback.co.uk/3-mobile/