What you need to know to avoid ‘bill shock’ if you’re swapping a sim card
Technology moves fast and updating handsets is an important part of enabling employees to do more and more of what makes your business tick without the need for them to be at a desk. But it’s not always as simple as plugging an old sim card into a new device.
We’ve helped countless clients to upgrade in recent years, particularly to ‘smart’ devices such as tablets and smartphones, which are more reliant on data services than older mobile phones. And there are two main things to be aware of to avoid an unexpected bill.
Often, sim cards carry the old network settings and are not set up correctly for a new device. Whilst the handset will still perform core functions, the user might incur substantial costs for services they previously received at a better rate as part of their service agreement. This is because of two main issues;
- There is no pre-existing data bolt-on – this is often the case when people have upgraded from a traditional talk and text phone to a Smartphone. Network providers offer bundles of data at considerably cheaper rates than you could ever hope to achieve without one. For example 500MB of data at a rate of 2.5pp/mb would be £12.50 whereas a typical equivalent bolt-on could be as low as just £5.
- The bolt-on may not be compatible with the new handset. This is often the case when a user is moving from one brand of handset to another, particularly older Blackberry models. Handsets can require different types of data depending on their individual specifications.
To avoid ‘bill shock’ any time you upgrade a mobile device, contact your account manager and inform them of the change to your handset. They will then be able to advise you as to what needs to be done to ensure your handset is operating at the lowest cost possible.