Millions of mobile customers urged to send text message which can cut bills by £200
MILLIONS of mobile customers can save hundreds of pounds a year by sending one quick text.
Switching to a better deal if you are out of contract can help you cut your costs dramatically.
To find out of you're out of contract, text "INFO" and your date of birth in the format DDMMYY to 85075 and wait for a response.
The latest data from Ofcom suggests around 37% of all pay monthly mobile customers are out of contract.
Once a contract finishes, your provider will put you on a new tariff, but these are usually worse value for money.
Luckily, you can switch providers and save around £200, according to Confused.com.
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If you don't send a text to 85075, don't worry as you should receive an end-of-contract (ECN) notification from your phone provider between 10 to 40 days before your current contract ends.
The ECN, which is sent by text, email or letter, must include the date your contract ends.
It will also include the price you've been paying and what this will change to when your contract is up.
Bear in mind, if you text INFO to 85075 and find out you're still in contract, you can switch provider, but may have to pay an exit fee.
This won't apply if you're within 30 days of the contract end date and you give 30 days' notice.
You can also switch providers penalty-free in the first 14 days of your contract, although you will have to pay for any chargeable calls, texts or data used.
The nifty text trick could come in handy with millions of mobile phone customers bracing for bill hikes.
BT, Vodafone, Three and O2 are all raising contract prices over the coming months.
Meanwhile, Sky Mobile hiked bills for around one million customers yesterday, with those out of contract seeing prices rise by £18.
It comes after a major change to the way phone providers have to display mid-contract price increase since January 17.
All telecom firms are now required by regulator Ofcom to show any rises in pounds and pence.
Under the new rules, the maximum permissible price rises will be capped at between £1 and £3 per month.
But this will only apply to contracts taken out after a certain date, which varies between provider.
Those with contracts that started before will still have inflation-linked bill hikes applied.
How much will my bill increase by?
BT
BT, which also owns EE and Plusnet, said that from March 2025, the price of mobile contracts will rise by £1.50 a month (SIM-only) or £4 (handset plans).
The pounds and pence rise will apply to contracts taken out from April 10, 2024.
For those who took out a deal before this, a 6.4% rise will apply (3.9% and December's inflation rate, which was 2.5%).
Vodafone
Vodafone mobile phone customers will see their bills rise by £1.80 a month.
These pounds and pence rises will apply to contracts taken out after July 2, 2024.
For bills prior to this date an inflation linked price rise of 3.9% plus January's inflation figure will apply. This rate is due to be announced on February 19.
The new prices will apply from April 1.
Three
Three has said mobile price increases will be capped between £1 and £1.50 depending on the data allowance.
The pounds and pence rises will apply for contracts taken out after September 8, 2024.
How to avoid the mobile hike
HERE'S what action you can take to try to avoid mobile price rises:
If you're in contract - haggle your price down
If you're still in contract you unfortunately won't be allowed to leave your contract penalty free as a result of the increase.
Mobile users can typically only cancel their contract if an increase is what regulator Ofcom deems is "of material detriment" to them, and an inflation linked increase is unlikely to fit this bill.
So your best option will be to haggle your price down. Use a mobile comparison site, such as Billmonitor to see if you could save by switching elsewhere.
Then take this to your provider and argue that cheaper prices elsewhere, alongside a price hike, mean you're not happy with the service provided.
If you're out of contract and want to stay - also haggle
Again, compare prices elsewhere and then come armed with the facts when you're talking to a customer services rep.
If it won't budge on price, see if you could get extra minutes, texts, data or freebies such as Spotify or Apple Music chucked in.
Switch to a Sim-only deal if you're out of contract
If you're out of contract, check if you can save by switching elsewhere.
You can either take out a new contract or, if you now own the handset outright, consider getting a cheap rolling Sim-only tariff.
These can start from around just £5 a month.
For those before rises are set at 6.4% (3.9% and December's inflation rate, which was 2.5%).
02
Customers of 02 mobile will pay £1.80 more on contracts started after January 9, 2025.
For those taken out before, an inflation linked price rise of 3.9% plus January's inflation figure will apply.
Tesco Mobile
Tesco Mobile said someone on a £14.99 a month a deal would see their monthly contract price increase by 90p in April.
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Meanwhile, customers on a £30 a month deal will see their basic monthly price increase by £1.80.
That's for contracts taken out after December 17, 2024. On those before this date, prices will rise 6.4% (3.9% and December's inflation rate, which was 2.5%).
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.
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