Martin Lewis has shared how to slash your phone bill in three easy steps as the Cost of Living crisis continues. The BBC and ITV star has spoken out over how to reduce your monthly outgoings to your mobile phone company or provider.
Money Saving Expert, the site founded by the 52-year-old star, explained: “Mobile phone tariff costs have plummeted for new customer deals – while almost five years ago 50GB monthly data would’ve cost £13 a month, now it’s just £3 a month.
“Yet existing customer costs have risen rapidly due to hefty 10 per cent plus mid-contract rises each April – so inaction is costly.” Firstly you need to check if your mobile phone contract is up, meaning you can change your tariff. To do so you can text the word “INFO” for free to 85075.
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MSE said: “The first thing to do is to check if you’re one of the 14 million people who are out of contract on their mobile and therefore free to cut costs by moving to a far cheaper deal. Ofcom forces firms to tell you this via a free text. Most get an instant response, though if you’re with Three, Smarty or iD Mobile, you’ll need to reply with your date of birth to prove identity.”
“Some firms write their text to try and persuade you to stay, but if there’s no termination charge, you’re free to leave,” MSE added. You should also explore changing your SIM card, with MSE adding: “A SIM is just the (sometimes virtual) chip in the back of your phone that gives it its identity, so switch it to a cheaper one to save.
“Thinking, ‘But I like my signal, I’m worried about switching?’ There are only four networks in the UK: Vodafone, Three, O2 and EE – all others piggyback on their signal. So you can just use the filters in our Cheap SIMS tool to find out which is the cheapest deal that stays on your existing signal (though if you rely on 5G, Wi-Fi calling or 4G calling, do check it does that).”
Lastly, you need to send another text message which will allow you to stick on the same number. MSE added: “To keep your number, text ‘PAC’ to 65075. Then you get a code to send to your new provider, which will transfer it over, usually in one working day.”