Don't despair if you have bad credit history or have been declined a mobile phone or SIM only contract recently, read our step by step guide on your next options.
There are lots of bogus companies who will claim to be able to guarantee you a mobile phone contract.
If it seems to be good to be true. It probably is.
SIM Sherpa cannot advise giving your confidential financial information to any company other than a trusted mobile network.
There are some basic conditions everyone who wants a mobile contract has to meet. Check you if you fall under any of these categories:
If you do fall into these categories: It’s still possible to get a mobile deal. Use pre-paid (pay as you go) 30-day SIM only bundles. These don’t need you to be over 18 or have a fixed UK address.
You can see SIM only deals with no credit check here.
Your strategy will need to change depending on whether you want to get a phone contract or SIM only contract.
To skip to the right section of the guide, choose which product you want:
SIM Sherpa stresses that you should not make multiple attempts to get credit with mobile networks.
This could leave a mark on your credit file that could make it even harder to get a mobile contract or other financial product in future.
In general there are 3 approaches to getting a phone contract if you’ve already been declined. Be sure to read the detail on each of these before you decide which is right for you:
Again, SIM Sherpa does not recommend that you ‘try your luck’ with multiple networks and products. This can damage your credit profile and make it even harder to get a contract with any network or other financial products.
Did you try for a pay monthly phone contract with any of these networks?
If no skip to option 2. Otherwise read on:
SIM Sherpa’s industry insight suggests the types of contracts these networks offer could make it harder to be accepted for a mobile phone.
Important: SIM Sherpa does not hold specific information on the credit policies of UK mobile providers.
Explanation: these mobile phone contracts work effectively like loans. This is known as ‘handset financing’. There are tighter government regulations on financial products than regular mobile contracts so SIM Sherpa expects that it may be tougher to get accepted for these deals.
Your options:
Consider networks that offer conventional mobile phone contracts instead of handset financing.
All these networks offer phone contracts on standard mobile contract terms:
Did you originally try for an expensive phone model? Particularly one that you may not have been able to buy outright yourself. Examples might include:
SIM Sherpa’s industry insight suggests that mobile phone providers are likely to have varying credit requirements based on the value of the phone you want. It may be easier to get accepted for phones with a lower value.
Important: SIM Sherpa does not hold specific information on the credit policies of UK mobile providers.
Explanation: the higher the cost of a phone, the higher the risk for a mobile network if a customer does not continue to pay their bills. Lower-cost phones offer lower risk. So mobile providers may be more lenient about who they give contracts to on cheaper phones.
Your options:
Consider a mobile contract for a lower value phone than your original choice
Approximate starting prices (per month) for cheaper phones with these networks:
Have you already tried either of these approaches to get a contract that gives you a mobile phone without success?
SIM Sherpa’s industry insight suggests mobile networks may still be willing to take customers on SIM only contracts, even if they have been declined for phone contracts before.
You may be able to prove your value as a reliable customer by first taking a SIM only contract and trying for a phone contract at a later date.
Important: SIM Sherpa does not hold specific information on the credit policies of UK mobile providers. We cannot guarantee that taking a SIM only contract with any network will allow you to be accepted for future mobile phone contracts.
Explanation: With SIM only contracts, you don’t receive a new mobile phone from your mobile network. No phone means lower risk for providers if people don’t pay. As a result, they may allow customers to take a SIM only contract that they would not allow to take a phone.
Your options:
Consider a SIM only contract for now and prove yourself to be a reliable, paying customer.
Approximate starting prices for SIM only contracts with these networks:
If you have tried other options to get a phone contract in your own name with no success, there is another option:
You can ask a trusted family member or friend with good credit standing to take out a contract themselves and then give you the phone. Many parents do this for their children.
Very important: Never place an order yourself using someone else's details to sign up for a mobile contract. Legally, this is fraud, even if they are a close friend or family member! They must place the order themselves.
Downsides: Your friend or family member will not be able to transfer the contract over to you once they have signed up. Nor can a Direct Debit be set up to come from your bank account to the mobile company. You'll always have to manage your account via your friend or family member.
When a contract is in someone else's name, you won't be building your credit rating with mobile phone companies, so you may end up still being declined later down the line, when you come to apply for a phone contract again for yourself.
Risks: By taking out a mobile phone contract themselves, your friend or family will need to undergo a credit check. They will also be liable to pay all bills for the phone and will remain the legal owner of the phone. You will need to trust each other to avoid potential issues that non-payment by either of you could bring.
SIM Sherpa stresses that you should not make multiple attempts to get credit with mobile networks.
This could leave a mark on your credit file that could make it even harder to get a SIM only contract or other financial product in future.
In general, if you've been declined for a SIM only contract, it's worth considering a network or deal, where you pre-pay for your monthly minutes, texts and data.
This can work out as equally good value as a SIM only contract if you find the right deal.
Explanation: when you pay up front, there is no risk for a mobile network that you can run up a large bill and not pay. For this reason, they do not need to credit check customers on these types of deals.
See SIM Sherpa's guide to no credit check SIM only deals or follow links below to see deals with no credit checks directly on mobile providers' websites.
All SIM only deals at these networks never have a credit check:
Only the pre-paid (Pay As You Go) deals with these networks have no credit check: