Downgrading or upgrading your mobile contract during your contract period
February 22nd, 2010
If you’re currently stuck in a 18-month contract or a 24-month contract which gives you too little airtime or too much airtime, you might be able to take advantage of a special clause in your operator’s terms and conditions to change your contract and airtime allowance, even if you are currently in the middle of a contract. Most networks will allow you to upgrade your contract at any time to get more inclusive airtime; O2, Orange and Vodafone also allow you to downgrade to a cheaper contract after 9 months.
photo: Lordcolus
Why might I want to do this?
- If you regularly exceed your airtime allowance and have to pay for extra calls/texts, you may find it cheaper to upgrade to a more expensive contract which comes with more airtime. 3, O2, Orange and Vodafone would allow you to upgrade to a more expensive contract.
- If you find yourself not using the full airtime allowance, you will save money by moving down to a cheaper price plan. O2, Orange and Vodafone allow you to do this after the first 9 months of your contract.
- The network may launch a new tariff (of the same or higher price) which is more attractive to you. 3 would allow you to switch to this new tariff (although you can’t move to a Mix & Match plans).
Sometimes it is possible to find loopholes: for example you could sign up for an expensive contract to get a free/cheaper phone and then downgrade your contract after 9 months to something cheaper. This would be cheaper than signing up for the cheaper contract to start off with.
photo: jesse.millan
Does upgrading or downgrading extend my contract length?
No. This is not a new contract – simply a change of your old contract. Your contract will expire at the same time that it was originally set to end. As this is not a new contract, you will not recieve a phone when you upgrade or downgrade your contract – the only thing that changes is your airtime allowance.
What if I have come to the end of my mobile contract?
See our guide to SIM only tariffs or SIM-only tariffs for smartphones. Typically you will save about £180/yr. by switching to one of these plans. However, they are only available to people who are not locked into a contract.
What does your network allow you to do?
In the following section, we discuss whether your network allows you to upgrade or downgrade your contract. As usual, please treat this as a guide – the terms and conditions that apply to your contract may be slightly different and you should read it carefully before asking to upgrade/downgrade.
3 (Three)
3 allow customers to move to an equally expensive or a more expensive contract at any time. 3 does not allow you to switch to a cheaper tariff:
Call us on 333 free from your 3 mobile and we’ll tell you about the options available to you.
If you decide you want to change your price plan, we’ll need to know at least 24 hours before your bill date to make sure the change takes place from your next bill. For example, if your bills are dated the 4th of each month, we’ll need to know about your request by the 2nd. Any later than that, and the change won’t take place until the following month.
O2
O2 allows you to either upgrade to a more expensive contract at any time or even to downgrade your contract after 9 months. You can change contract no more than once a month and if you are downgrading, you can only move down to the next lowest price tariff.
Point 5.16 from the O2 Pay Monthly Terms and Conditions (January 2009) reads:
If you are a Consumer Customer who has selected a tariff with a Minimum Period, you may not move to a tariff which offers a lower rate monthly subscription for the first 9 months of your Minimum Period. After 9 months, you may only move down one tariff, per month, to the next lower priced tariff unless you pay us the difference between the monthly subscription on your original tariff and the lower rate tariff we agree that you may move to. Where you have notified us you wish to move to the next lower tariff, unless we advise otherwise, your new tariff will commence at the start of your next billing cycle.
Orange
Like O2, Orange also allows customers on the Animal plans to switch to a more expensive contract at any time and to downgrade after 9 months. You can change contract up to once a month.
From the Orange Animal Pay Monthly Terms and Conditions (April 2009):
Switching service plan – You may switch to another SIM only service plan after your first billing date. Only one change per month. If you do wish to switch you must give us not less than 10 days notice before your billing date. Changes will take effect from your next bill date. You must complete 3 months on your SIM only service plan before you may migrate to a pay monthly service plan.
T-Mobile
If you are on a T-Mobile contract with a flexible booster (contracts since February 2010), you are able to change this once a month. This would not change the amount you pay but would change the free allowances you receive.
For everybody else, unfortunately T-Mobile do not allow customers to change price plans. Point 2.7 in their terms and conditions (May 2009) state:
2.7. We don’t have to allow You to change Price Plan.
However, there is a good chance they would allow you to upgrade your contract if you call them – after all, you’re giving them more money…
Vodafone
Vodafone allow you to upgrade your contract at any time. Point 4 of their terms and conditions reads:
4. You may change your price plan to one with a higher monthly line rental charge at any time. You cannot do this more than once a month. If you change your price plan any unused minutes, texts or data included in your price plan will be lost.
According to a post on the Vodafone forum, you can downgrade your contract after 9 months in £5 monthly steps. However:
Your Plan, iPhone Price Plans and a few very old price plans cannot be downgraded for the length of your contract.
About the Author: Hi! I'm Ken. I've been using mobiles for over 10 years and technology for a lot longer! I'd love to hear from you.
Full disclosure: Article updated on 6/3/10 with information that you can downgrade on Vodafone