Contract ending soon - next steps?

Rob5342

I've used both I.D. Mobile and Smarty and have been pleased with both. Smarty do an unlimited data plan and all their plans have unlimited calls. I'd never use O2 as their data speed has always been horrendously slow on the previous occasions I've used them, 2mbit or less when I.D. and Smarty have been 40mbit+

ForumUser7

savergrant said:

ForumUser7 said:

My phone contract with EE is ending shortly. I will of course try to negotiate again with EE, but their contracts are now nearly double the cost of some of the opposition. I’m not against leaving EE due to a recent poor customer service experience with them.

I was after some advice on the following please:

• I recently turned 18 and have no credit products (other than current accounts, but no ODs) in my name, I also have no salaried income. I think it would likely be a waste of time to try and apply for the contract in my own name and should instead get my parents to organise it in one of their names. Does this sound about right, or are mobile providers less strict than credit card companies about lending please?
• How have people found signal with cheaper providers like iD please? I used to be with them, but moved to EE a few years ago after finding signal poor. Which network/MVNO do you think would be best to try re network, but at a reasonable price? Any to steer clear of?
• Anyone found customer service particularly good at any providers, and any particularly bad?
• Is it a bad idea to use third party stores such as ‘affordable mobiles’ that appear on comparison sites?
• Apart from EE and BT, are there any other providers with UK based call centres only please?

Thank you

ForumUser7

Are you looking to replace your phone? If so do you know what you want?
Do you know how much data you need and whether that could change soon? Do you plan to use your phone abroad, and if so where and for how long?
Your answers will dictate what is a good deal and what isn't.

Replace phone? I’m not really sure - I would like a new phone, but my handset works ok, and I know it isn’t MoneySaving but I really like new technology and don’t bother with other niceties such as designer clothing and products.
What with? iPhone 14 (the smallest normal variant, not pro or plus) - if I did decide to replace it. I recognise there are a few key things to work out before I can even start looking for a plan, such as whether or not to get the device and whether or not to buy the handset and plan separately.
Data? I have unlimited currently through EE due to a promotion for BT Broadband holders we could get it as a free add on on my plan
Could it change? I’ve not been using much recently, but I’ve been on study leave during exams. When I go to university this year, my usage may increase if they don’t offer decent WiFi.
Abroad? No, not planning any holidays currently.

lohr500

We switched our 12 month contracts from Voda to ID Mobile in April this year.

ID Mobile use the 3 network, so use the 3 coverage checker to see if you have a good signal in your area.
So far no problems at all. And free roaming in the EU and a few other countries.

If you can get a contract and decide on Vodafone or ID Mobile, take a look at the prices on Mobiles.co.uk.

A sim only on ID Mobile through Mobiles.co.uk with 120Gb data, unlimited calla and texts cost £7.00 per month after cashback.
The unused data rolls forward, but it isn't cumulative.
If you need less data then there are some even lower prices.

You do need to submit the cashback claims to Mobiles.co.uk five times a year by attaching an electronic download of your bill through their portal. We have done this for two previous years when we took out Voda contracts though mobiles.co.uk and it has worked flawlessly. The only down side is they send you a cheques for the cashback which I find antiquated in this day and age!!

Peppa537

If you switch to a 30 day rolling sim only plan then you can change the data bundle easily from month to month, my daughters are on GiffGaff and can do this (O2 network though which has had 3 outages this year), I've recently moved to 1pmobile and can do this. 1pmobile also use the full EE 5g network and have 4g/Wifi calling. This is why I moved to them from Sky mobile. 1pmobile won't be as cheap as other providers but you know your signal will be ok and you can easily move again as not tied in. If you want a phone on a contract then I'm not sure this is available with rolling sim providers although GiffGaff do have some, and you wouldn't need the sim from them. However obviously a credit check would be done for this. It worked out cheaper for my eldest to just buy her iphone 13 outright then have a sim only than a contract for everything. Amazon sometimes have iphones on interest free 12 monthly payments. You do occasionally hear stories in the news of people who've received an empty box though. This year I lent my daughter some of the money for the iphone 13, it was on offer at Carphone Warehouse, and she's paying us back monthly instead. I've now decided to stay with a rolling 30 day sim for the foreseeable, simply because if I do have any cs issues from a provider I can easily leave rather than being stuck with them. If you leave EE then you can text to get the PAC, when this is given to the new provider it will end your contract with EE. However please check it also ends the contract for the phone, and not just the sim. 

savergrant

Peppa537 said:
 If you leave EE then you can text to get the PAC, when this is given to the new provider it will end your contract with EE. However please check it also ends the contract for the phone, and not just the sim. 

Generally I would expect either a fee to settle the contract sent with the pac or on split tariffs the monthly repayment for the phone to end automatically.
One option mooted on other threads is to buy the phone on finance direct from apple, then just choose the best sim only deal to suit you. Obviously that only applies to iphones but could work for you.

Brie

I'd suggest going for something low cost to get the deal in your name rather than your parents'.  And the easiest way to do that is with sim only. 

Maybe go for a 1 year contract so you have a bit of credit history being built up so that if you find next year that you have the money you might be able to buy a new phone outright or on contract if necessary.  iPhone will no doubt have upgraded at least once before then so you can get something even fancier than what is currently available.   Register to vote too asap so that's on your credit history as well when you need to apply for more credit. (also means you can get photo card voter id which may be handy as spare id in your wallet.)

ForumUser7

savergrant said:

Peppa537 said:
 If you leave EE then you can text to get the PAC, when this is given to the new provider it will end your contract with EE. However please check it also ends the contract for the phone, and not just the sim. 

Generally I would expect either a fee to settle the contract sent with the pac or on split tariffs the monthly repayment for the phone to end automatically.
One option mooted on other threads is to buy the phone on finance direct from apple, then just choose the best sim only deal to suit you. Obviously that only applies to iphones but could work for you.

There should be no fee to settle the contract, other than a pro-rata bill for the final month. My contract ends in less than 2 weeks so we would wait before giving the PAC to a new provider.

Good idea - although it'd probably have to be in my parents name - I feel like I probably wouldn't be eligible for Barclays interest free finance yet.

Brie said:

I'd suggest going for something low cost to get the deal in your name rather than your parents'.  And the easiest way to do that is with sim only. 

Maybe go for a 1 year contract so you have a bit of credit history being built up so that if you find next year that you have the money you might be able to buy a new phone outright or on contract if necessary.  iPhone will no doubt have upgraded at least once before then so you can get something even fancier than what is currently available.   Register to vote too asap so that's on your credit history as well when you need to apply for more credit. (also means you can get photo card voter id which may be handy as spare id in your wallet.)

Credit history build-up is certainly a good point - currently, I have several 'credit agreements' but these are only current accounts without overdrafts - so lenders would hardly be willing to lend to me IMO. Fortunately, as I have saved almost all the money I've been given throughout my life, I am able to buy the phone outright - but if I am able to find a 0% interest deal that may suit better as I can 'stooze' the money in the meantime.

I'm registered on the electoral roll and I have a passport and licence etc. but no voter ID card yet - from what I can find, I may not need one of these based on the ID I already have.

flaneurs_lobster

Brie said:

Register to vote too asap so that's on your credit history as well when you need to apply for more credit. (also means you can get photo card voter id which may be handy as spare id in your wallet.)

Unfortunately the "photo card voter id" is actually a sheet of A4. Rubbish for carrying in wallet.

eDicky

I would recommend that you try to get a mobile contact in your own name, which would serve to kick-start your credit history.

My daughter in her teens had her mobile phone on a contract in my name and had zero credit history at 18, so attempts to convert it to her name failed. The breakthrough came when she was accepted by Virgin Mobile on their cheapest and lowest data allowance rolling monthly SIM-only plan (she had home WiFi to use), then a few months later she applied to convert it to a higher value plan and after some hesitation Virgin complied. You may find that this kind of strategy works for you, and it's possible to port your current number from the contract in your parent's name to yours.