Martin Lewis: Pay more than £10/mth on your mobile phone bill? You're probs burning through cash

Former_MSE_Sophie

Mobile phone users are likely to be burning through cash if they pay more than £10 a month on their bill, MoneySavingExpert.com (MSE) founder Martin Lewis has warned. 

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Martin Lewis: Pay more than £10/mth on your mobile phone bill? You're probs burning through cash 

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ginger_chocolate

Personally I've always found trying to switch to a Sim-only deal with a new provider a colossal pain in the behind. Last time I ended up on the phone and webchat for ages being told conflicting and confusing information about various locking and unlocking codes, being passed like a ping pong ball between network provider and phone manufacturer, being instructed to do a factory reset, losing all my contacts etc, before finally being told that using my old handset with a new Sim was impossible. Not worth the hassle.

username

ginger_chocolate said:

Personally I've always found trying to switch to a Sim-only deal with a new provider a colossal pain in the behind. Last time I ended up on the phone and webchat for ages being told conflicting and confusing information about various locking and unlocking codes, being passed like a ping pong ball between network provider and phone manufacturer, being instructed to do a factory reset, losing all my contacts etc, before finally being told that using my old handset with a new Sim was impossible. Not worth the hassle.

I'm sorry to hear that the experience was a pain.

No idea why any company has asked you to do a factory reset and lose the contents of your phone?! Completely unnecessary, and poor advice from some script reader on the phone.

1) Firstly, are you happy with the current network's service, in terms of coverage, speed etc? If you are, get on the phone or live chat and negotiate a lower rate. That's one of the easiest ways to cut the cost of your line rental, without needing to change network.

2) Before venturing down the path of getting a SIM contract from another network check your phone is unlocked first and foremost.

If it isn't then make it so - if you're out of contract, then approach your existing network and ask for an unlock code (if it's not an iphone).  Iphones do not need unlocking codes, but can be unlocked remotely by the original provider but need them to submit the request to Apple on their side. Iphones bought directly from Apple are unlocked.

If you've bought an Android phone from a dealer (Fonehouse, Carphone Warehouse, Chitterchatter, Mobilephonesdirect etc) then these tend to be unlocked. Usually if the phone has dual sim or is sourced from EU will be unlocked than not.

If you have bought an Android phone from a network (EE, Vodafone etc) then it could very well be locked - big clue is if there is a network branded screen or apps preloaded to the phone from said network. If you've bought from 3 or O2 the phone will be unlocked.

Legislation dictates that all phones from December 2021 should be unlocked.

3) Don't change to another SIM in the meantime, scout the options tariff-wise.

Also, if it's important you get reception at work/home etc get a pay as you go sim card from the network you're interested in changing to (if it is different from yours) and stick it in old phone.

Carry it with you and check it at where the places you use your existing phone - after all, there is no point having a lower tariff on a different network, but you get zero coverage at home, or at work and no one can contact you.

If this is the case, go back to first point, and negotiate a new rate with your current network. Or get sim from a virtual network which piggybacks off your current network - https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/mobiles/piggybacking/

4) With the phone unlocked, reception checked and tariff checked, make your decision. Let's for example say you are leaving O2 for Smarty (who run on 3 network). Order your Smarty sim from their website, allow a few days for it to be posted.

In the meantime, get your PAC from O2 - you can text PAC to 65075 and it'll be sent to your O2 SIM. Keep this safe somewhere note it down.

Give this PAC together with your existing number to Smarty. There's usually a form on the website if you don't want to talk to anyone. Allow 24-48h for the number to change across to the new Smarty SIM.

You'll know when this is complete when you lose service on the O2 SIM and going forward, you should use the Smarty SIM. Your number should now be on there, if not, reboot the phone and it should be picked up.

5) Once the PAC is applied to your new sim you'll get a final bill from your previous company.

Also, the supposition from Martin that if you're paying over £10 is wasting money is a very broad generalisation.

It's all down to what you actually use and find value in on your tariff. For example, I have a sim from 3, unlimited data, 600 mins, unlimited texts.

I pay about ~£11.54ish for it per month, the unlimited data (as I am a mobile worker) is very useful as I have secure internet wherever I am, and don't have to worry about how much I use. I don't have to sign my life story away scrabbling for free wifi, nor leave my communications open in the clear, since most free wifi is unencrypted.

That is worth the extra few quid each month. I tend to use around 75-100GB per month, it can vary.

I could save a few quid per month if I took Martin's £10 30GB SIM but for me what I would lose (unlimited data) isn't worth the cost of a coffee over.

The unlimited calls would have no value, I barely talk on the phone, so 600 minutes is plenty! I would actually be wasting more money, as no doubt the 30GB that comes would be eaten up quickly.

alonehiker

I used to pay around £55 each for my wife and I's phone per month. The best thing I ever did was go sim-only, and I even got my parents a sim-only deal on my family account too. All four sims sharing 200GB of data for £42.50.

DougWeller

A_Lone_Hiker said:

I used to pay around £55 each for my wife and I's phone per month. The best thing I ever did was go sim-only, and I even got my parents a sim-only deal on my family account too. All four sims sharing 200GB of data for £42.50.

What provider?

marlot

I saw an advert recently for a three business tariff.

Unlimited data, calls and texts for £7.50 a month + VAT.  Minimum order 10 SIMs.

I was tempted.

alonehiker

DougWeller said:

A_Lone_Hiker said:

I used to pay around £55 each for my wife and I's phone per month. The best thing I ever did was go sim-only, and I even got my parents a sim-only deal on my family account too. All four sims sharing 200GB of data for £42.50.

What provider?

EE.

My sim is 200GB at around £17 but all others are roughly £7.50 with 250MB.  I just share my data.