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Original poster

Anyone recently upgraded their phone? A moan!

88 replies

Youngmumss · 04/10/2023 18:06

I’m on EE since 2000 ( One2One, T-Mobile and all that)
Im at the end of my two yr contact and I was looking forward to a new upgrade and to get a new shiny phone Samsung however I’m bit confused as all the new upgrades seemed to be containing two contracts, one is the price of the handset and the second one is the monthly fee of the airtime.
So if the phone I’d like is £38 per month and then on the top of it it’s the airtime contract of another £28.
Before it used to be just one payment.
Anyone had this?
The prices are shocking anyway.
I pay now £42 per month ( the price was originally £31 but increased)
Even if I choose the Sim only it’s still £33 and no new phone.
Again before for that £33 I had a new flagship phone.
not sure what to do.

OP posts:
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Chasingsquirrels · 04/10/2023 18:08

Keep your existing phone, move to a SIM only elsewhere is they want £33pm.

I've currently got unlimited minutes, texts & 50gb data for £6.95pm.

Bromptotoo · 04/10/2023 18:08

What on earth do get SIM only for that sort of money?

BloodandGlitter · 04/10/2023 18:11

Ouch! I just upgraded with iD mobile and got unlimited minutes, texts and 8gb of date with a samsung A54 for £28.

User174085934 · 04/10/2023 18:12

Probably the two separate charges is so when the phone is payed for it stops, it used to be a bit scammy with phone contracts as people were carrying on paying for the phone long after it had been paid for.

User174085934 · 04/10/2023 18:15

The main carriers are always more expensive, you are better to go through a piggyback one as they are cheaper

Original poster
Youngmumss · 04/10/2023 18:42

Is there piggy back for EE?
It used to be Virgin but they moved to Vodafone..
yes it says SIM only £32/£33 for 12 month’s contract.
This is the Sim only as per image on my ee account.
This would be cheaper on 24 months for £19 but then I would be strapped to 2 years contract of not option to upgrade to new phone if my current phone goes ( battery is really bad now)
DH was once on Sim only for 12 month contract and when his phone went he couldn’t upgrade until his Sim contract was up.
So I’m a bit vary of Sim only contract.

Anyone recently upgraded their phone? A moan!
OP posts:
Chasingsquirrels · 04/10/2023 18:47

How much data do you actually use a month?

I'd never do a 12m SIM nowadays, all ours are 30 day ones.

Festivalmitch · 04/10/2023 18:50

I know with Apple you can buy the phone from them direct - 2 years interest free payments and then get a Sim separately. I’ve got a Lebara sim for £6 per month - it runs off Vodaphone and is brilliant, saves a fortune

Chasingsquirrels · 04/10/2023 18:50

Check MSE for prices

Anyone recently upgraded their phone? A moan!
Anyone recently upgraded their phone? A moan!
Cookerhood · 04/10/2023 18:51

Look at iD mobile SIMs. I pay £7/month for 10GB, Ithink it would be £6 on a yearly contract.
The word upgrade always makes me laugh. Pay for the phone for 2 years & then as soon as it's yours "upgrade" to a new & more expensive phone & start all over again.We always buy the phones & have a SIM only contract, then keep the phone until it packs up/runs out of storage or whatever.

MadeForThis · 04/10/2023 18:52

Bt mobile, lyca and Plusnet.

Most handsets are unlocked now so you could use another network if coverage is good. You can check online.

Original poster
Youngmumss · 04/10/2023 18:53

@Chasingsquirrels i have currently 40gb on my current plan but use about 5 gb.
so I don’t need all this high gb but that’s all they have starting on 25gb.
I just want the same plan I have now with a new phone.
When I last time upgraded in November 2023 my plan was £31 with the new & latest Samsung.
Now for the less data they want £60-68 on 36 months contract apprx and the phones are not even latest or top range they offer.

OP posts:
Phleghm · 04/10/2023 18:53

Look at giffgaff. So good and a lot cheaper to just buy a handset.

Totaly · 04/10/2023 18:53

I’ve had my second had phone for 4 years - sim only.

What top features do you actually use?

Original poster
Youngmumss · 04/10/2023 18:53

*november2021 I meant.

OP posts:
MinnieMouse0 · 04/10/2023 18:54

The separate contracts has been in place for a few years now I think!

If your phone is fine, shop around to get a better sim only deal. It’s very easy to take your number with you. You can then just buy a new phone when you actually need it.

Phleghm · 04/10/2023 18:54

Also, giffgaff will email you monthly to say if the plan you're on is more expensive than what you actually need.

Oakbeam · 04/10/2023 18:54

Bt mobile, lyca and Plusnet

Only Lyca exists for new customers now.

AlltheFs · 04/10/2023 18:55

I agree that EE is extortionate at the moment and there is no piggyback available. We can only have EE where I live as it is rural and everyone else doesn’t offer signal. DH got swayed by a Sky mobile contract and I literally can’t hear him 80% of the time when he is making calls. Vodafone and O2 are basically hopeless where we are and all the other carriers use one of them.

My phone is coming to the end of life so I need to change it and I am looking at north of £50 for phone and separate SIM.

Zippedydoodahday · 04/10/2023 18:56

I actually prefer it as the repayment for the phone is fixed and would be increased by reference to inflation during the course of the contract unlike the airtime element.

Also the phone is interest free, so I've spread mine over 3 years and will put the money in a high interest savings account. Better it sat in my account than theirs.

Oakbeam · 04/10/2023 18:56

I agree that EE is extortionate at the moment and there is no piggyback available

There are several.

modgepodge · 04/10/2023 18:58

I found prices had gone through the roof when I looked about 6m ago OP. I think like you it was annoying as I couldn’t find much with less than 25gb but I only need about 4/5. I found the best thing to do was buy the phone outright/get finance for it (Apple certainly used to offer 0% finance) then get a sim only contract. This way I found I could get the phone for £30pm plus however much for a sim only contract (often under £10). Or in the end I used ID mobile and at paying about £35pm for 2 years, all in.

Avoid the main carriers, even their sim only plans are super expensive. There’s so many cheaper deals to be had with smaller companies, and coverage is fine as they piggyback on the main networks.

Somanycats · 04/10/2023 18:58

10 gig of data, everything else unlimited with 02. £11. I'm just about to upgrade my pixel, which I will buy myself, and keep the same package.

Somanycats · 04/10/2023 18:59

No, I lie, its £11.78.