Upgrading Contract before end?

BoomAM · 7 Jan 2007 at 21:48

Hi.
Im currentely on a £32 a month contract with Orange, i 200mins (which i almost never use), and 1000txts (which im frequentely going over).
My contract is up in September, but ive been offered a contract upgrade in June.
What i want to know is, does anyone know if its possible to upgrade the contract early. Not the phone, the contract. It was quoted that in June i could get the £35/month Dolphin deal, where i'd get unlimited txts & 550mins.
Would Orange let me upgrade the contract now do you think?

I've been trying to ring them all evening, but i cant get through, hence why im asking here.

##EDIT##
Ive had a cracking idea!
Orange charge £30 for an extra 1000 txts a month. Im due to save £30 a month in a weeks time from something else, so i could get that extra 1000 and not really 'notice' the extra missing.
Still wouldnt mind an answer to the main question though.

Scream · 7 Jan 2007 at 22:12

I don't think you will have any problems if you are just moving up a tariff and it might not even be classed as an upgrade, but just a change in tariff.

You can't downgrade your tariff within 12-months but you can up the tariff to a more expensive one but I heard somewhere that you have to be 3 months into your contract.

Don't quote me on this but I expect someone on here to confirm.

garyh · 7 Jan 2007 at 22:19

BoomAM said:
Hi.
Im currentely on a £32 a month contract with Orange, i 200mins (which i almost never use), and 1000txts (which im frequentely going over).
My contract is up in September, but ive been offered a contract upgrade in June.
What i want to know is, does anyone know if its possible to upgrade the contract early. Not the phone, the contract. It was quoted that in June i could get the £35/month Dolphin deal, where i'd get unlimited txts & 550mins.
Would Orange let me upgrade the contract now do you think?

I've been trying to ring them all evening, but i cant get through, hence why im asking here.

##EDIT##
Ive had a cracking idea!
Orange charge £30 for an extra 1000 txts a month. Im due to save £30 a month in a weeks time from something else, so i could get that extra 1000 and not really 'notice' the extra missing.
Still wouldnt mind an answer to the main question though.

Sounds to me like youre on a Student package, if this is the case, you are currently on the highest minutes package available and thus would not be able to 'gain' more minutes by increasing your tariff (there is no tariff higher on the student core plans)

However, in June you may be entitled to an 'early' upgrade, at which point you could switch to the animal core plans, and gain more minutes and texts this way.

Hope this helps...

BoomAM · 7 Jan 2007 at 23:06

Yes im on a student package.

So basically theres no chance at all of me upgrading my tariff to a different one until June?

garyh · 7 Jan 2007 at 23:27

BoomAM said:
Yes im on a student package.

So basically theres no chance at all of me upgrading my tariff to a different one until June?

Nope, not unless you paid an early upgrade fee which will be based on your average monthly spend and how many months you have left..

BoomAM · 8 Jan 2007 at 02:11

Thats a bit of a kick in the teeth really. As they'd be getting more money out of me!

I'll try ringing them again tomorrow, see what i can find out in regards to costs.

PinkPig · 8 Jan 2007 at 10:07

garyh said:
Nope, not unless you paid an early upgrade fee which will be based on your average monthly spend and how many months you have left..

That's completely wrong, an early upgrade fee is for people who want a new phone before the end of the contract. Some contracts have the condition that you can't change the contract down during the minimum term, but I'm fairly sure that any will let you increase the tariff without penalty - after all, it gives them more guaranteed income, and they only have a tariff on offer if it's a deal they are prepared to make. Bear in mind they might have a few promotional tariffs that won't be available to you.

If I were you I'd phone up and say you'd like to increase your tariff. Make sure you don't refer to it as an upgrade (because "upgrade" almost exclusively refers to extending your contract and getting a new phone or deal), but just say you like to change the tariff option on your account, and explicitly check with them that your contract won't be extended. (As with all these things, if you're at all concerned that the person on the phone doesn't understand what you mean, send a request for the details in writing or at least record the date and time of the call and the name of the person you spoke to)

garyh · 8 Jan 2007 at 11:29

PinkPig said:
That's completely wrong, an early upgrade fee is for people who want a new phone before the end of the contract. Some contracts have the condition that you can't change the contract down during the minimum term, but I'm fairly sure that any will let you increase the tariff without penalty

I'm sorry, but YOURE wrong. He cannot change from a student core package to an animal core package as they are two entirely different things.

For one, the package he is referring to wanting to change to is an 18 month package where as the student package he is likely to be on is a 12 month package, it just wouldn't add up (although I am aware Orange now do 18 month student packages too).

It can't be done before he is due an upgrade, at which point he could switch to an 18 month contract, and benefit from the extended animal plans.

If he was on a lower student package he could have highered that at any point, but he is already on the highest student minutes package available.