Can't escape from EE without paying big fees

JJAYLEEDS

My data contract with EE ended Feb 6 2026. My device contract ends Feb 2027. I want to move to Sim only ideally with a cheaper provider. However, EE have said I will have to pay early exit fees for the Device And for the Contract with them – amounting to about £100. I am sick of dealing with EE. If I set up a SIM only deal with them, it will be a 24 month contract. With the same inability to escape from EE. Should I just leave EE and pay their extortionate fees? I have put in 3 complaints with them so far but no reply other than a girl from sales phoning. I do not want to speak to them. I cannot bear dealing with them. I do not want another 24 month contract with EE. I asked the sales girl from EE to put the communications into an email but they have not done that.

Woodstok2000

So you're still under contract for both data and device? Unless they increase their fees, you wont be able to leave early without paying fees - it's only a few weeks until your data contract is up and you can move to a sim only deal so maybe just wait. Once youve done that you shouldn't have to deal with them much for the device, just keep making the payments until the contract is up.

oldernonethewiser

You want to cancel your contracts before the minimum terms have ended and EE want to charge you a fee for doing so.

Not sure what the issue is here. 

Emmia

JJAYLEEDS said:

My data contract with EE ended Feb 6 2026. My device contract ends Feb 2027. I want to move to Sim only ideally with a cheaper provider. However, EE have said I will have to pay early exit fees for the Device And for the Contract with them – amounting to about £100. I am sick of dealing with EE. If I set up a SIM only deal with them, it will be a 24 month contract. With the same inability to escape from EE. Should I just leave EE and pay their extortionate fees? I have put in 3 complaints with them so far but no reply other than a girl from sales phoning. I do not want to speak to them. I cannot bear dealing with them. I do not want another 24 month contract with EE. I asked the sales girl from EE to put the communications into an email but they have not done that.

You're still under contract for both as it's not February 2026 yet. You can probably switch to a cheaper SIM only deal and just carry on paying off the handset for the remaining term...

Or pay the exit fee.

DiamondLil

I moved from EE to sim only with Labara. I was still in contract and decided that the early exit fee of around £100 would be worth paying to get out. I was so fed up with the abysmal service and ever increasing prices from EE.

However, when I looked at the numbers (I moved the broadband from EE to Vodafone at the same time) I'd actually saved more than the EE exit fee by the third month with Lebara and Vodafone combined.

Keep_pedalling

Your device contract is a credit arrangement, they provide you with a phone and you pay for it over time, no different to buying something on HP, so I don’t see how you think you should be able to end the contract without a final payment. If you really want to be free of this just pay the £100.

flaneurs_lobster

Emmia said:

JJAYLEEDS said:

My data contract with EE ended Feb 6 2026. My device contract ends Feb 2027. I want to move to Sim only ideally with a cheaper provider. However, EE have said I will have to pay early exit fees for the Device And for the Contract with them – amounting to about £100. I am sick of dealing with EE. If I set up a SIM only deal with them, it will be a 24 month contract. With the same inability to escape from EE. Should I just leave EE and pay their extortionate fees? I have put in 3 complaints with them so far but no reply other than a girl from sales phoning. I do not want to speak to them. I cannot bear dealing with them. I do not want another 24 month contract with EE. I asked the sales girl from EE to put the communications into an email but they have not done that.

You're still under contract for both as it's not February 2026 yet. You can probably switch to a cheaper SIM only deal and just carry on paying off the handset for the remaining term...

Or pay the exit fee.

Exactly this, wait until Feb 6 then move your mobile service to wherever you can get a deal you are happy with. 

Frozen_up_north

I am not sure what the OP is complaining about, it looks like a contract to supply some sort of device (I guess a mobile router as they mention a data contract), and a separate one for a SIM.

I have mobile data SIMs on EE for data, the SIMs came from Scancom and work perfectly. These are used at two properties in TP-Link NX200 5G routers (bought from Amazon). In addition, I use a 1p Mobile SIM in a phone. On the odd occasion that the local EE site is down (very rare as it seems well engineered), I have contacted EE who have been very helpful and even say exactly what they are doing at the local site... even though I am not directly a customer of theirs.

d123

JJAYLEEDS said:

My data contract with EE ended Feb 6 2026. My device contract ends Feb 2027. I want to move to Sim only ideally with a cheaper provider. However, EE have said I will have to pay early exit fees for the Device And for the Contract with them – amounting to about £100. I am sick of dealing with EE. If I set up a SIM only deal with them, it will be a 24 month contract. With the same inability to escape from EE. Should I just leave EE and pay their extortionate fees?

What extortionate fees? 

Do you mean the balance of the monthly payments you agreed to pay when you signed the contract with them?

iniltous

Surely the obvious solution is to end the data contract when it expires Feb 2026 (not that far off ) , so no fee you quit the data deal at that point  , get a sim only deal with whoever it is you do want to use , putting that sim in your EE supplied phone , and in Feb 2027 when the phone is paid off , your association with EE is finished, if you want to end either ‘contract’ any earlier than specified when you took the contract out , and don’t expect a financial penalty but there is one , that’s not EE punishing you , it’s what you agreed .