Phone companies have become as silly as insurance ones!

[Ethicaldebacle]

I was looking to upgrade my "contract" (in quotes because it's a £7 rolling SIM only contract).

I'm toying with the idea of getting an iPhone 16pro, and my current provider shows as the best deal.

Long story short, as I'm a sim only customer I cannot upgrade. So I either have to cancel and open a new contract (as a new customer) or cancel and get a contract in DHs name or cancel and with a competitor :/

Find it completely bonkers!

YABU.

A SIMO deal is very different than a iPhone deal, its not surprising you'd have to take on a new contract for it. New phones run about 1k, so in effect youre asking them to give you a brand new phone (at cost to them) with no guarantee (new contract) that you'll stay with them.

Your other option is to buy the phone outright and stay in your SIMO.

You're not upgrading though, you're swapping from one kind of contract to another.

They're happy to give me a pixel 9 pro which has a similar value though

I was happy to swap give a down payment, etc..

They can offer other phones (with a £2 difference in the monthly payment) but not the one I want