New Contract and SIM - When will first DD be?

[JackJackJack]

I have ordered my new phone and contract today but my question is, when will my first DD be? I still have a month and a bit left on my old phone and contract so ideally I would activate my new SIM once that has ended and start my new phone and bill then to save paying for 2 at the same time. I have read conflicting information online so looking for a bit of guidance.

[XRaySpeX]

It is not a matter of when you 1st activate your SIM, You pay from the start of your contract on or about when you receive your SIM. You will get your 1st bill a few days after that. You will be billed a month in advance + those few days from start of contract. Your DD will taken about 1 week later.

[JackJackJack]

If it's an eSIM though I get that near enough straight away but with no phone until that is delivered. 

Someone told me this - With EE, your first direct debit doesn’t come out immediately when you buy the phone or receive the SIM/eSIM.

Here’s how it usually works:

Billing starts when your plan is activated (so if it’s an eSIM, it begins once you download/activate it on your phone; for a physical SIM, once you put it in and it connects to the network).

EE will generate your first bill within a few days of activation.

That bill covers charges from the day you activated up to your billing date.

Your direct debit payment is normally taken about 14 days after the bill is produced.

👉 So if you delay activating your eSIM, your billing and first direct debit will also be delayed.

[XRaySpeX]

My 1st reply was on the assumption that your old phone and contract was not with EE. However if it was with EE & you did an upgrade then your DD date won't change. Just that your bills will be pro-rated between the old & new contracts.

[JackJackJack]

No, you were right, I'm moving from O2 to EE. i am still confused though because of my eSim and email I've received about payment date. The email received states - Estimated bill date 03/10/2025

Estimated payment due 11/10/2025

Chosen payment method Direct Debit

Then I have found this from a friend - How EE handles eSIM Pay Monthly plans

1. Contract start date vs. billing start date

For physical SIMs, Pay Monthly contracts usually start immediately when EE sets up your account, and billing begins straight away.

For eSIMs, EE does not start billing until you download and activate the eSIM, because your account isn’t fully active until that happens.

2. Your situation

You have an eSIM Pay Monthly contract.

EE has set your first estimated bill for 3 Oct, with Direct Debit due 11 Oct.

This means billing has been delayed until your eSIM setup is complete.

[Christopher_G · Accepted solution]

Hi @JackJackJack 

Welcome to the community.

Just to clear things up for you, the account will be set up with a physical SIM card or you'll be sent a QR code to scan and download. At the point that the account is set up, that's when the bill cycle is created (within 1-4 days after placing your order). 

If you've been sent a physical SIM, you can replace the physical SIM with an eSIM.

So, regardless of when you scan and activate the eSIM, there's still an active account. 

Our 'understanding your first bill' help page explains a bit more around bill dates and payment dates.

Hope this helps.

Chris