Upgrade 3 months early on Orange?

[sm1979]

I'm 14 months into an 18 month contract with Orange and heard I can upgrade 3 months before my contract expires. Firstly, is this true?

This is my first ever contract with Orange as have always been with O2 in the past. With O2, obviously you can call them with exactly 30 days remaining of your contract, and if you don't thrash out a deal, you can immediately give them your notice to end your contract. With Orange however, I would hazard a guess that with three months remaining, the contract offer would be quite paltry with no real haggling tool like say a cancellation. They know they still got you for 90 days at least. So, second question is: Has anyone had anything that you personally would consider a successful upgrade, with 3 months remaining or slightly under?

Thanks very much

 

[D-U-R-X]

I'm 14 months into an 18 month contract with Orange and heard I can upgrade 3 months before my contract expires. Firstly, is this true?

This is my first ever contract with Orange as have always been with O2 in the past. With O2, obviously you can call them with exactly 30 days remaining of your contract, and if you don't thrash out a deal, you can immediately give them your notice to end your contract. With Orange however, I would hazard a guess that with three months remaining, the contract offer would be quite paltry with no real haggling tool like say a cancellation. They know they still got you for 90 days at least. So, second question is: Has anyone had anything that you personally would consider a successful upgrade, with 3 months remaining or slightly under?

Thanks very much

Welcome to the forums!

My wife has been on Orange for many years and has just said that she thinks that you can upgrade with 3 months remaining.

I would have thought that they wouldn't really have a problem with you doing that, however the new contract would only come in to effect once the old one has run out... as in, if the deal was better, then it would only come in to effect once the old one was up... therefore you would end up with a new phone 3 months early... this would mean that you would end up with the new phone (assuming that you go on an 18 month contract again) for 21 months (3 months on the old contract and then 18 months on the new one), although you would have thought that you would be able to do the same again 3 months before the end of your new contract.

The thing to do would be either go in to a store or call up and ask them to explain their stance.

 

[sm1979]

Thanks for that mate. Interesting point about staying with your old contract for the final 3 months before moving onto the newly agreed contract, never thought of that.

I just wonder though if anyone got good deals 3 months before the end of the contract, ie managed to haggle a cheap contract and free phone etc.

 

[El Presidente]

Thanks for that mate. Interesting point about staying with your old contract for the final 3 months before moving onto the newly agreed contract, never thought of that.

I just wonder though if anyone got good deals 3 months before the end of the contract, ie managed to haggle a cheap contract and free phone etc.

It also depends on how long you've been with them and what sort of contract you're on. If you've only been with them for one term and your monthly spend is quite low, they won't bend over backwards to keep you/they won't offer you the best deal.

I've been with Orange for years and have always been quite a heavy user and I'm at the stage where they won't actually tack those 3 months on if you upgrade early.

They aren't the cheapest, but they're certainly good to you if you show a bit of loyalty towards them.

 

[Edbanger]

I have been with them ages. When I wanted to do my last upgrade, they wanted to charge me 100 QUID for my new phone. I told them, they give the phone for free to new customers, so I want the same deal. They said no. I told them, fine I will leave when my contract ends and finished the conversation. 10min later, phone rings, and the bloke says I just spoke to my supervisor, we will.do it for free and give you more min and data for the same price I was paying....so make sure you haggle, and don't back down. I had no intention of leaving Orange, but make them think your going elsewhere....if they can't be loyal to existing cusomers, why should I be loyal to them....what do you have to loose. Also if you look at your account online, go to upgrade, it will have an upgrade date on their. I rang them on the day stated, and got my phone within 2 days....I was chuffed...

 

[D-U-R-X]

It also depends on how long you've been with them and what sort of contract you're on. If you've only been with them for one term and your monthly spend is quite low, they won't bend over backwards to keep you/they won't offer you the best deal.

I've been with Orange for years and have always been quite a heavy user and I'm at the stage where they won't actually tack those 3 months on if you upgrade early.

That's a very good point actually... I've only been with Orange since March, but my wife's been with them for years.

They aren't the cheapest, but they're certainly good to you if you show a bit of loyalty towards them.

I moved to Orange, from O2 (as O2 didn't do the DHD on contract and I really wanted it - could have got it through Carphone Warehouse, but wanted to dela direct with a network, as I know people who've had issues with Carphone Warehouse).

I did want to stay with O2 (was with them since they were "U" prepay, through Cellnet, right up till they became O2, but they made no effort to keep me and didn't offer the phone I wanted... I've been pretty happy with the change in networks, given that I read quite a bit about how Orange can be a bit rubbish on customer service (haven't had any issues with them myself - yet... touch wood)!

 

[D-U-R-X]

I have been with them ages. When I wanted to do my last upgrade, they wanted to charge me 100 QUID for my new phone. I told them, they give the phone for free to new customers, so I want the same deal. They said no. I told them, fine I will leave when my contract ends and finished the conversation. 10min later, phone rings, and the bloke says I just spoke to my supervisor, we will.do it for free and give you more min and data for the same price I was paying....so make sure you haggle, and don't back down. I had no intention of leaving Orange, but make them think your going elsewhere....if they can't be loyal to existing cusomers, why should I be loyal to them....what do you have to loose. Also if you look at your account online, go to upgrade, it will have an upgrade date on their. I rang them on the day stated, and got my phone within 2 days....I was chuffed...

I've had mates with similar experience to that... always worth telling them that you'll leave - they usually cave in and offer you a better deal!

 

[sm1979]

I have been with them ages. When I wanted to do my last upgrade, they wanted to charge me 100 QUID for my new phone. I told them, they give the phone for free to new customers, so I want the same deal. They said no. I told them, fine I will leave when my contract ends and finished the conversation. 10min later, phone rings, and the bloke says I just spoke to my supervisor, we will.do it for free and give you more min and data for the same price I was paying....so make sure you haggle, and don't back down. I had no intention of leaving Orange, but make them think your going elsewhere....if they can't be loyal to existing cusomers, why should I be loyal to them....what do you have to loose. Also if you look at your account online, go to upgrade, it will have an upgrade date on their. I rang them on the day stated, and got my phone within 2 days....I was chuffed...

FANTASTIC MATE!! Exactly the response I was after! So glad you got what you wanted, but if mine goes along the same lines then i'll be happy with that! Cheers mate

 

[milesbennetdyson]

Okay, this isn't entirely relevant but I just thought I'd chuck my tuppence in.

In a similar vein to EdBanger I rang up to cancel my contract with Orange a few months ago. I'd been on it for a few years (it was just rolling monthly by then) and the prices had gone up and I never really bothered about it, then when I noticed the amount being taken out of my acconut I rang up to cancel. Unlike Mr Banger I did intend to leave as my girlfriend was on another network.

He immediately offered me a choice of a new phone (nothing amazing, but they were all smartphones which is a vast improvement on what I had) and 200 or 300 minutes, unlimited texts and and "unlimited" data. Of course, I played it cool and rang back the next day, desperate to snap his hand off. I used that time to check reviews of the phones he'd mentioned. For all that I now pay less than

 

[D-U-R-X]

I played it cool and rang back the next day, desperate to snap his hand off. I used that time to check reviews of the phones he'd mentioned. For all that I now pay less than

 

[ffaldau]

going to try it now cos I need a new phone and tochange my plan to cover email usage! will let you know how it goes!

 

[dnapro]

Hi All

I'll try and give some definitive info around Orange early upgrades and loyalty offers.

3 Month Early Upgrade

Orange will allow you to upgrade when you enter the last 3 months of your current contract however, you will have any remaining months/days that are left added on to this next contract. Loyalty offers from retentions etc wouldn't normally be discussed early in this period, you can normally start haggling in the last 30 days and beyond!

Loyalty Offers

Loyalty offers can be very lucrative if you have historically been a good spender using voice, sms and data services regularly. For high users you may get unlimited mins/sms but they normally carry a fair use of 3000 of either. Offers are generally tailored to your usage history over 6 months and offers are built using a system which calculates points based on a number of variables.

Data bundles generally come with a maximum fair use of 3Gb but always ask as, data isn't unlimited anymore like the early iphone data plans. Managers do have discretion around the truly unlimited aspect though! Some plans only carry 500Mb. 1Gb limit etc and then once that runs out your daily cap would kick in. (

 

[milesbennetdyson]

I was just wondering about loyalty offers...as I mentioned in an earlier post, when I rang to cancel they offered me 200 mins (100 of which are loyalty mins) and unlimited text/data for less than a tenner a month, which I duly accepted.

My contract is up in the next couple of months I think, and I wouldn't mind a new, free (or cheapish) phone. I'm not bothered about spending a few hundred on the lastest SG3 or whatever. So would my contract stay the same, or would they try and wangle out of it? I'm guessing they'd try and offer me more mins or data for more money, but this is fine for me. I'm guessing if I wanted to upgrade my phone I'd have to sign a new contract, which isn't a problem.

Also, is upgrading early worth it? It says on their website they give you 33% discount on your remaining monthly payments. So say I upgraded early on a 2-year contract, would they add the remaining 2 months on to it with 33% off those 2 months?

 

[dnapro]

Hi thorahird

So would my contract stay the same, or would they try and wangle out of it? I'm guessing they'd try and offer me more mins or data for more money, but this is fine for me. I'm guessing if I wanted to upgrade my phone I'd have to sign a new contract, which isn't a problem.

Once your current contract term ends you would have to renegotiate anyway, any loyalty products have an end date to coincide with your contract length. If you upgrade your phone you will have to enter a new contract.

Also, is upgrading early worth it? It says on their website they give you 33% discount on your remaining monthly payments. So say I upgraded early on a 2-year contract, would they add the remaining 2 months on to it with 33% off those 2 months?

There are 2 types of early upgrade:

You can upgrade and pay an upfront fee which is calculated by the remaining amount payable to finish your contract with a 33% discount, this is payable by credit or debit card or on the next months bill. You wouldn't have any months added on to your new contract because you paid the fee.

If you upgrade in the last 3 months and avoid the fee then you would have any remaining months/weeks added on to your next contract.

Hope that helps.

 

[milesbennetdyson]

That's great, thanks!