{"id":1167,"date":"2025-06-11T10:30:43","date_gmt":"2025-06-11T10:30:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.vecimasupport.com\/?p=1167"},"modified":"2025-06-17T00:20:26","modified_gmt":"2025-06-17T00:20:26","slug":"martin-lewis-warns-everyone-with-a-mobile-phone-contract-to-check-now-for-dodgy-trick","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.vecimasupport.com\/index.php\/2025\/06\/11\/martin-lewis-warns-everyone-with-a-mobile-phone-contract-to-check-now-for-dodgy-trick\/","title":{"rendered":"Martin Lewis warns everyone with a mobile phone contract to check now for \u2018dodgy trick\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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According to MSE, up to 14 million Brits could be paying over the odds (Picture: Getty\/Rex)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If you’re one of the 83 million Brits with a mobile phone<\/a> contract, Martin Lewis<\/a> claims you may be the victim of a ‘dodgy trick’ used by certain networks<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In the latest edition of his Money Saving Expert (MSE) newsletter, the financial guru warns: ‘People are often shocked by the huge savings<\/a> reported into my TV show on mobiles. Yet it’s often as they’ve fallen for the same catch, and it’s one everyone needs be aware of.’<\/p>\n

According to Martin, many sign up to all-in-one deals with higher bills<\/a> to pay for the new phone on top of the monthly tariff.<\/p>\n

‘Yet once the contract ends and the handset’s cost is repaid, some firms<\/a> – often the big ones – disgracefully don’t drop the cost,’ he explains. ‘So you pay the same amount each month, even though the vast bulk of the cost was handset repayment.’<\/p>\n

Although he argues this ‘should be banned’, it unfortunately isn’t.<\/p>\n

And as a result, it’s vital you ‘self-police’ to avoid being overcharged<\/a>, as well as checking on any vulnerable people you know.<\/p>\n

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It’s easy to check if you’re still tied to a contract (Picture: Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

MSE estimates that around 14 million people are ‘out of contract and being ripped off’ \u2014 and could save \u00a3100s with a simple check.<\/p>\n

Your provider is required to send you an out-of-contract notification at the end of your term, but if you’re not sure if you’ve missed this, a free Ofcom service makes it easy to find out.<\/p>\n

All you need to do is text INFO to 85075 and you’ll receive an automatic response from your phone company with further details.<\/p>\n

To confirm you’re free to go elsewhere, MSE says: ‘You’re looking to see something along the lines of “a \u00a30 early termination\/cancellation charge”.’<\/p>\n

If so, you can then shop around for a better price, whether that’s with a new network or by negotiating with your current one.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\tKeep your number when switching network\t\t\t<\/h2>\n
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Some people put off switching networks to avoid the hassle of a new number, but it’s surprisingly easy to keep hold of your old one.<\/p>\n

Text PAC to 65075 to get a Porting Authorisation Code you can send to your new provider, which will transfer your existing number in just one working day. Job done.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

As long as you’re happy with your handset, a Sim-only plan will likely cut your monthly costs \u2014 especially since ‘data’s dirt-cheap right now’, with providers offering 35GB data, unlimited UK calls and texts, and free EU roaming for as little as \u00a33 a month.<\/p>\n

Check comparison sites for the best available deals (MSE’s ‘cheap mobile finder’<\/a> also helps you work out how much data you actually need) and either make the switch or use these as a haggling tool, asking your existing network to beat or match the price others are offering.<\/p>\n

The same advice applies if you want to upgrade your handset<\/a>. Just make sure to sell or trade in the old one, and don’t forget to consider refurbished models as they can be cheaper.<\/p>\n

And even if you’re still locked into a contract, all is not lost. Make note of when it ends – perhaps set yourself a calendar reminder – and you can take action as soon as possible, ensuring you never pay more than absolutely necessary.<\/p>\n

Do you have a story to share?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

According to MSE, up to 14 million Brits could be paying over the odds (Picture: Getty\/Rex) If you’re one of the 83 million Brits with a mobile phone contract, Martin Lewis claims you may be the victim of a ‘dodgy trick’ used by certain networks. In the latest edition of his Money Saving Expert (MSE) […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1169,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[12],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vecimasupport.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1167"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vecimasupport.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vecimasupport.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vecimasupport.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vecimasupport.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1167"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.vecimasupport.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1167\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1172,"href":"http:\/\/www.vecimasupport.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1167\/revisions\/1172"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vecimasupport.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1169"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vecimasupport.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1167"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vecimasupport.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1167"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vecimasupport.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1167"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}