Are you the type who gets bored with your phone easily? Do you lust after new technology month after month? If the answer to both is yes then EE has just launched a scheme which it hopes will scratch your new phone itch.
Dubbed EE Swap, the service allows customers to upgrade their phone after 6 months of being into a contract, for a fee of course. EE says that fees start at £49 and rise depending on the phone you want to switch to – you’re not going to be able to pay the base fee and upgrade to the latest iPhone or Galaxy S, naturally.
The idea mimics O2’s Refresh plans in a way, although with O2 the customer pays for the phone and the tariff separately each month. With EE’s Swap the customer just pays a fee, which depends on the remaining length of contract and the phone in question, and upgrades whilst carrying on with the same contract as normal. The fee for upgrading also depends on your monthly payment, as lower tariffs will be balanced out by higher upgrade costs, just as with new upgrades.
Lately these types of contract have become quite popular as the big name phone manufacturers have carved out annual phone updates which prove wildly popular – Apple and Samsung are excellent examples. For those who simply must have the latest model or are easily tempted by the latest tech, EE’s package looks to be ideal.
As an example, being on the £51 per month tariff will incur a £49 one-off payment for upgrading. On the other hand, you’ll be laying out £249 to upgrade if you’re on the £36 per month tariff – swings and roundabouts.
Of course, being EE, all of the phones will be 4G compatible to boot. With 4G coverage in over 50 towns and cities to date, they offer the best 4G coverage in the country right now, with O2 and Vodafone hot on their heels.