Device plan ongoing. Airtime Contract Ended

[Jokeshop2026]

Hi. Airtime contract ended Nov 2025. Device plan ends Nov 2026. You would therefore assume it would be really easy to change my airtime contract  to a cheaper one? (Current one is ridiculously expensive!!)
Well, i have found it impossible, nothing on app, nothing on web browser. It should be easy seeing as though contract ended for airtime. I should be able to easily unlock my phone to any network and take custom elsewhere! 
Call me cynical, but is this purposely made difficult!!…….

I said i wasnt happy on webchat and was getting politicians answers on everything. Agent had stated he had raised a complaint on my behalf. I did receive official complaint notification. A few weeks later my complaint notification stated issue resolved?!! Is it? No one has contacted me and guess what, i am still paying a fortune on airtime!! Wondered if others had a similar experience too? Thanks in advance. 

[Chris_B · Accepted solution]

@Jokeshop2026  to upgrade your Airtime contract to a Sim only contract you call customer Support to do this you cannot do it online or via the EE app. your device isn’t network locked

you’ll also continue paying for the device as your Airtime contract is now up if you were to change networks. 

[bristolian]

A few bits in here.

Firstly phones sold in the UK since approx Dec 2021 have been unlocked statutorily, so no unlocking should be necessary.

I'm not sure what your basis is, for calling your current plan "ridiculously expensive", but you presumably chose it at the time of last re-contracting so it would be interesting to know what's changed in the intervening time.

If you're already on FlexPay, then your airtime plan is broadly equivalent to a SIM-only. Have you found a newer SIM-only plan that you would prefer to change to? You mention your airtime plan having ended, but this would only happen if you've given disconnection notice - have you? If not, then all that's happened is the minimum-term has ended - it otherwise continues on the exact same basis it has done.

[Jokeshop2026]

Thanks for the info. Its just annoying that no one told me this when speaking to ee. I Used to change my plan/contract online, but feel now its purposely made more difficult to keep you ‘locked in longer’ Understand i’ll still be paying for device no matter where i go as still have one year left on this. Thanks again. 👍

[Jokeshop2026]

Hi. Thanks for the info. I based my ‘ridiculously expensive’ comment on the fact i had a perk and this has since gone and i cannot renew. I therefore now consider it ‘expensive’  (in my opinion vs whats out there currently). Hence my reason for wanting to ‘shop around’. 
My annoyance is the difficulty of being able to change my contract. Contract for airtime out= i want to shop around to save money (naturally).
I liaised with customer services and didnt get told once all i needed to do was phone ( i used to change contract online ). 

[bristolian]

FYI you have a short time after posting to edit, negating the need to post multiple replies.

Loss of a discount would certainly change value judgements I agree. Again though, you've mentioned "contract for airtime out" - but in the context of a FlexPay, it doesn't include any device loan so you already have a SIM-only in all but name. Unless a newer plan is cheaper than the plan you're on, I don't see how you hope to gain. The publicity around "change plan after contract to save money" is based around your hardware loan or element having been repaid, which is not applicable in this scenario.

You may be able to change your airtime plan by following the "upgrade now" option within your myEE, but I'm unsure how this sits when you have 2 elements of a FlexPay plan, both still running.

[Chris_B]

@bristolian . With a flex tariff you cannot upgrade via online or the EE app once the airtime contract has ended.  You have to call customer support to request an upgrade for the airtime contract.   Something about flex pay prevents you doing this online/EE app as it states you’re still paying off the device so it’ll not let you upgrade the airtime part of the contract.     It’s a call to customer support to do this.     As seen on my account via the app 

[Colstalex]

Just text “INFO” to number 85075 if the response is £0.00 to terminate you can then request a PAC by texting PAC to 65075 and go elsewhere

[Chris_B]

@Colstalex Why do that when the OP has clearly stated the airtime contract has reach its minimum term back in November 2025.  The OP knows exactly when the airtime ended but didn’t know it’s not possible to upgrade to a sim only online or by the EE app.   

[Colstalex]

So he was reassured that there was no cost.