INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
more than a comparable SIM-Only (SIMO) tariff.A customer with one of these tariffs will stop paying the handset component of their contract
upon the expiration of their minimum term and only pay for the airtime component.Such tariffs have been marketed by several operators,
including Sky, Tesco Mobile, Virgin Media and O2 with O2 Refresh, as a way of controlling cost or to allow customers to upgrade early to a
new device by paying off their existing phone.Flexi tariffsuSwitch looked at tariffs for the iPhone 8 and Samsung Galaxy S9 from four
networks and found that customers would pay less if they moved to a comparable SIMO deal
Indeed, they could save as much as 38 per cent on average if they took out the cheapest SIMO tariff.However some of the flexi tariffs are
comparable with the SIMO deals, while customers can also choose to end their contract at any time as the minimum period has expired.Instead,
uSwitch wants mobile customers to be notified when they are out of contract, bringing the industry in line with the insurance and utilities
often are paying a significant premium compared to similar SIM-only deals and this is before you consider that this deal was likely taken
It is very clear that providers should be doing much more to let consumers know when they are about to drop out of contract
Ofcom is soon due to consult on how providers need to tell customers when their deals are coming to an end - with one in six mobile users
Virgin Media spokesperson told TheIndianSubcontinent Pro
"From flexible Freestyle plans to great SIM Only deals, we always try to provide the best value possible.When permitted, we will contact our
