EE Upgrade Deals for Existing Customers – Where’d they go?
Existing Customer EE Upgrade Deals – Vanished? 🧐
If you are an EE customer looking to upgrade to a new phone you may be a little confused as to why you cannot find any EE upgrade deals on any of the price comparison websites.
Historically, we’ve helped EE customers compare the cheapest upgrade deals from all of the retailers, however these have become fewer and fewer over the years.
The most notable was when Carphone Warehouse stopped offering EE contract and upgrade deals which left just a handful of retailers in the market.
This small number of outlets were all owned by one company; A1 Comms, and included brands like BuyMobiles.net and AffordableMobiles.co.uk.
That company has also now parted ways with EE meaning no UK retailers currently offer any EE upgrade deals and there’s only one place to go if you need to stay on EE and keep your number … EE direct!
You can compare EE’s latest upgrade offers, here
If you’ve already checked out EE’s upgrade offers and decided they are way too expensive then read on…
Alternative Options
EE are not the first UK network to only offer upgrade deals directly, Three and others have operated this way for some time.
Many customers simply switch (port) their number between their two favourite networks every time their contract finishes in order to take advantage of the cheapest deals which are offered to ‘new’ customers.
This is called ‘number porting’ and it’s as easy as asking for your PAC code from your old network, giving to your new one and they switch you over the next working day.
The issue is that if only one network works in your area then you might think that you only have the option to pay EE’s quoted upgrade price.
Savvy customers are aware of another way of keeping their number AND taking advantage of EE’s lower priced contract deals that they offer to ‘new’ customers.
This alternative way of keeping your number and getting the best deal on your new phone is called ‘double porting’.
What is Double Porting?
Porting is a service that allows you to easily keep your number and switch networks, double porting is simply switching ‘out’ and back again.
The trick is to use a Pay As You GO SIM card on another network so you are not committed and the whole process can be completed within 48 hours.
(Networks will tell you the only way to take advantage of a cheaper ‘new customer’ deal and keep your number is to switch your SIM card to Pay As You Go and wait for 30 days, double porting cuts this time down to just 48 hours!)
How Do I Double Port?
1: Text the word PAC to 65075 and EE will send back your PAC code within 60 seconds (or call 151 from your phone and ask for your PAC).
2: Order your new EE phone deal and after next day delivery make sure you are happy with it.
3: Pick up a Pay As You Go SIM card on another network from a local shop, call the network and give them your PAC, they’ll transfer your number across for you the next working day.
4: Once your number has been ported to your Pay As You Go SIM card (usually between 11am and 12 noon), call the network again and ask for your PAC code.
5: Call EE and give them your PAC code, they’ll transfer your number back across to your new contract the next working day.
You can find full details with a step by step guide to double porting, here.
Will I Be Offline When Switching?
You only lose network signal at the actual time your number is switching networks.
Porting takes place after 11am and usually only takes around 20 – 30 minutes (networks advise it can take up to 2 hours).
Once you’ve lost signal, simply turn off your phone, insert your new SIM card and power up again to pick up the new network signal.
As a side note, some networks are actively trying to advise against double porting by claiming that you cannot switch your number from their Pay As You Go SIM card for at least 30 days.
We only know this through customer feedback but in most cases the customer has stood firm and demanded their PAC code which they have then received.
