Can someone explain the logic on early upgrades | iD Mobile Community
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Can someone explain the logic on early upgrades

  • January 9, 2026
  • 2 replies
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L
New Contributor

I’ve been trying to get an answer from ID mobile but they just keep repeating terms and conditions/copy & paste type replies. This is just a question about upgrading before the standard upgrade date. 

Scenario 1:

I’ve been on a 24 month contract and I’m a few months off my upgrade date but I want to upgrade today (this is all theoretical). If I want to I can move to a different provider, get a new phone, transfer my phone number and pay the early-exit/contract-termination fee. Say, for example, £100. 

In this scenario ID Mobile have received £100 and lost a customer.

Scenario 2:

As above but I ask ID Mobile if I can pay the early-exit fee (£100), stay with them and upgrade my phone.

In this scenario ID Mobile have received £100 and kept a customer.

Of either of those scenarios, scenario 2 is clearly better from a business perspective for ID Mobile.

But - they don’t allow scenario 2. When I asked them to explain the logic behind this they just kept telling me “those are the terms” and “it’s a matter of principle” which don’t really address the issue. This isn’t a complaint and I do genuinely think ID are great but it’s just odd that a company would be unwilling to take a customer’s money and allow them to stay with them rather than lose that customer to another provider.

Can someone explain to me how this benefits ID Mobile or the customer in any way whatsoever?

Best answer by WelshPaul

There is nothing to explain. It’s not a policy unique to iD Mobile. Many of the UK networks won’t allow you to pay off any remaining months in order to upgrade early. What you can do is take out a whole new contract with iD Mobile, port out the existing number to another network and then port it back to the new contract. You will, of course, get a final bill which will include an early termination fee of £100.

    2 replies

    WelshPaul
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    • WelshPaul
    • Platinum 
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    • Answer
    • January 9, 2026

    There is nothing to explain. It’s not a policy unique to iD Mobile. Many of the UK networks won’t allow you to pay off any remaining months in order to upgrade early. What you can do is take out a whole new contract with iD Mobile, port out the existing number to another network and then port it back to the new contract. You will, of course, get a final bill which will include an early termination fee of £100.

    I have no affiliation whatsoever with iD Mobile or any subsidiary companies. Comments posted are entirely of my own opinion. Did my comment help answer your question? If so, don't forget to mark the response as the Most Helpful Answer.
      L
      New Contributor
      • loydall
      • Author
      • New Contributor
      • January 9, 2026

      There is nothing to explain. It’s not a policy unique to iD Mobile. Many of the UK networks won’t allow you to pay off any remaining months in order to upgrade early. What you can do is take out a whole new contract with iD Mobile, port out the existing number to another network and then port it back to the new contract. You will, of course, get a final bill which will include an early termination fee of £100.

      Yeah - it’s really not a complaint, just a question and seems like they’re missing a trick by not allowing it. What is there for them to lose? 

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