Is there a time restriction on a second phone

Hi @Cptnicko,

Welcome to the Community!

All iD Mobile contracts are subject to a credit check.

I would advise making at least 3 on time payments or 90 days whichever is greater before applying again.

Kash

I applied for a second Samsung S24 Ultra with unlimited data for my partner with ID Mobile on 30 April 2023, through Carphone Warehouse, which I believe is associated with Currys.

I called Carphone Warehouse on 1 May for an update and spoke to one of the representatives.

He informed me that a credit check had yet to be completed, and after my explanation, he advised me that ID Mobile does not allow a second mobile phone without a three-month gap.

He advised that he complete the credit check and submit it to ID Mobile to see what their reaction would be. The representative completed the credit check, which was OK, and then submitted it to the ID Mobile company.

An hour later, he called back and said that ID Mobile had rejected my request. The representative advised me to wait  three months and apply again.

The next day I received an email from Carphone Warehouse business that said the following:

Your Carphone Warehouse Order Update - REF: 

Order number 


Hi Mr xxxxx.

The order you placed through www.carphonewarehouse.com has been declined and is now cancelled.

This was due to you failing the credit check criteria required by the network you selected.

I have checked my credit score using Martin’s Money Tips’ free credit check, and it was rated good. I then double-checked through Experian, who also rated it good with a score of 948 out of 999, so the email from Carphone Warehouse is completely wrong. I can only assume they used a generic email template, which in my opinion is unprofessional.


This brings me to my second observation/concern. I checked the web for further information regarding what the representative said. I could not find anything related to waiting three months before applying for a second phone with ID Mobile. The only information I could find was that when applying for a second phone, it must be on a different email address, as two contract accounts cannot be on the same email.

ID Mobile kindly replied:

Welcome to the Community!

All iD Mobile contracts are subject to a credit check.

I would advise making at least 3 on time payments or 90 days whichever is greater before applying again.

.........

I did use the same email as my present ID Mobile account so I'm bemused at what is going on. I can only accept what the ID Mobile advises and wait three payments or 90 days and use a different email account.

Okay @Cptnicko, getting a credit check score from one of the credit reference agencies is usually just one part of the process companies use to evaluate risk before entering into a new customer contract. 

Most companies won’t explain their validation processes, in order to prevent bad actors exploiting any weaknesses. 

Perhaps the best option in this situation is looking elsewhere instead of iD.

Samsung sell the S24 SIM free online with a 0% APR 24-month loan, or use Samsung Flex option (i.e. 10% upfront, balance over 26-months at 0% APR).