Martin Lewis has warned that millions of people are quietly paying far more for their mobile phone than they should be, and most have no idea it is happening.
The founder of MoneySavingExpert.com says existing customer deals have been creeping up while new deals have been getting cheaper, creating a gap that is costing people significantly.
In a clip shared to his ITV show's official TikTok, he explained exactly what to check, what to do and how to make the switch without losing your number.
The Scale of the Problem
Martin explained: "This is a massive warning for the 14 million people who are out of contract on their mobile phones. Many of them are paying four times more than they need to."
He added: "What's happened is those existing customer deals have gone up and up and up, but yet at the same time the cheapest deals have got cheaper and cheaper and cheaper."
How to Check Your Status
He advised: "Get your mobile out now. Send info to 85075. It's a free text." The reply will show early termination or cancellation fees and confirm whether you are free to switch.
He noted that customers with Three, ID Mobile or Smarty may be asked for their date of birth as ID. For those on family contracts who cannot use the text service, Martin offered a simpler rule of thumb: "If you haven't done anything in the last 18 months or two years, you probably are out of contract."
Potential Savings
Martin said: "At the moment you can get unlimited minutes, unlimited texts and unlimited data for £10 a month. Well there are people paying £20, £30 a month. What's the point?"
For anyone who has already paid off their handset, the savings go even further. "You can get 50 gig of data for around £4 a month all in," he added.
Where to Find the Best Deals
Martin directed people away from going directly to providers for these deals. "Those cheapest deals are available on comparison sites. They tend not to be direct from providers," he said. "Get yourself onto a comparison site that lists all the deals and you will be able to find whatever those short lived deals are at the moment and save a fortune."
For anyone worried about losing their number in the process, Martin was reassuring. "There's no problem in keeping your number. You just get your PAC code and you give that to the new provider. Don't worry about keeping the number when you do this," he said.
Expert Advice on Comparison Sites
A spokesperson for financial assistance experts Vettory said: "Martin's advice here is well worth acting on, and the savings available are very real. One thing worth keeping in mind when searching comparison sites is to make sure the site being used is reputable and well known.
"There are fraudulent sites out there designed to look like legitimate comparison tools, so sticking to recognised names is always the safer option. A genuine comparison site will never ask for unnecessary personal details upfront, so if something feels off it is worth double checking before proceeding."
