Mobile phone contract with less than 2 years' UK residency?

PlatinumChaos

Hi. I'm a returning UK expat and have only been back in the UK since December 2019. As I'd been abroad for 27 years, I'm now trying to improve my lean credit history. Taking out a mobile phone contract seems to be one good way of doing this but I'm having trouble finding a provider who'll accept only 15-ish months of UK residency. Does anybody know of a provider who'll accept this? Will any provider accept two years' residency, or is three years minimum the standard? I'm currently on a monthly SIM-only deal with Lebara as they didn't need to do a credit check when I first landed back in the UK and their value for money and service are actually pretty good. Thanks in advance.

[Deleted User]

 Maybe try with whoever you have your broadband with if they offer it. They know if you pay your bills on time 

PlatinumChaos

Thanks for your suggestion but "unfortunately" I don't pay for the broadband. I'm currently living with my mum and she pays for it. I might eventually suggest taking over the broadband from her, but I just thought I'd sound out people's thoughts first.

Cisco001

Get a credit card?
Take over some utility bill from your mum?
Water bill probably be relatively easier one?

PlatinumChaos

Good point about the water bill, I hadn't thought of that. Thanks. 

eDicky

Try the cheapest SIM-only plan with Virgin Mobile, they accepted my daughter for one when she had zero credit history. Later they let her move to a higher value contract.

J_B

Confused dot com

You say <<I'm currently on a monthly SIM-only deal with Lebara>>

Is that not a contract?

Farway

J_B said:

Confused dot com

You say <<I'm currently on a monthly SIM-only deal with Lebara>>

Is that not a contract?

It's rolling monthly, pay up front, don't pay & you're cut off and cancelled, so no credit is given by Lebara and you don't owe them money as paid up front, from a credit card in my case

PlatinumChaos

Thanks for explaining that, Farway. Yes, it's a double-edged sword for me. They didn't need to do a credit check on me when I first landed back in the UK, but they also don't report to the CRAs, so I don't benefit in terms of building up my credit history.
@eDicky: Thanks. I've had a look at Virgin Mobile and they have some reasonable offers, but their ratings on Trustpilot are absolutely horrendous! Does anybody have anything positive to say about them? Are they really that bad? Tesco Mobile seem to be good but they need addresses for the past three years, which is where I always come unstuck.

pmduk

Do Lebara offer a credit deal you could apply for? They might be more lenient knowing your payment history.

tinker411

Do you have a credit or debit card (issued by a UK provider)? If so you'll get something from somewhere, on sim only, albeit not Tesco Mobile as you've discovered.

Normally I'd suggest Sky Mobile sim only for this, they seem to accept quite freely, however as you're looking for something that reports to the CRAs they may not be the most suitable for you here (though that may be an issue with my account rather than a Sky thing, but that's for a different thread).

As for Virgin Mobile - don't do it to yourself, their customer service is notorious and has been for some time. Talkmobile may be a better bet, if you've got a suitable payment card, and it runs on Vodafone as well so you know what the coverage is like.