Contract Phones For Bad Credit

By Author: Donny Jenkins
Total Articles: 202
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When it comes to mobile phone contracts for those with bad credit, there are a couple of other points to consider. First of all, all networks use their own individual credit scoring systems, just because you may have been refused by one service provider, this does not mean you can’t get a Smartphone from another network or provider. Those offering credit terms will have a scoring system based on their own interpretation of the "perfect customer". In addition, the total amount of credit applied for can have an impact on the decision, for example you may not get approved for a mega 3000 minutes per month deal on the latest expensive Smartphone, but you may get approved on a basic £10 per month plan on a useful, but not state of the art handset! So credit scoring systems not only differ from lender to lender, they differ from product to product, most importantly, despite popular urban myths, there's no such thing as a credit blacklist!

If you are having trouble getting a decent mobile contract, try not to take it personally, remember that mobile phone contract applications run into millions, and networks prefer ...
... to refuse a few good quality applicants with a standard one size fits all credit check, rather than spend more using personalised vetting systems for individual applicants, you may just be one of those that fall outside their criteria, even if you have no history of credit problems.

You may have read elsewhere that some companies are easier than others in terms of approving mobile phone contracts with bad credit; however it's not quite as simple as that! As stated previously the networks all have their own version of an ideal customer, so some individuals may be refused by O2 and Vodafone, but accepted by Orange, whereas the next applicant may be turned down by O2 and Three, but accepted by Virgin and T-mobile! There is no easy company (or for that matter no "hard" company) in terms of mobile phone credit scoring, they are just slightly different, so applicants for mobile contracts with different circumstances, will have different results in terms of approval.

However, there are certain aspects of a mobile applications that are consistent across all phone retailers, whether on or offline. The more expensive the handset and the higher the monthly line rental cost (i.e. the higher the total amount of credit), the harder the credit scoring will be. Pay monthly contracts work exactly like a loan - the more you want to borrow, the harder it will be to get approved. If you have experienced problems being accepted for credit in the past, the chances of getting hold of the latest IPhone on a £50 a month 24 month contract are slim! However, applying for a more basic handset on a cheaper monthly tariff will greatly improve your chances of being accepted on a pay monthly contract with poor credit.

Another option is to consider a SIM only contract, these are contracts where you simply pay for the network service and usage, with no phone being supplied and therefore less risk for the retailer, the credit scoring requirements are generally much easier. Of course to use this option you will need to already have, or buy a suitable mobile phone, so the up-front costs will be higher, though not as high in the long term as a straight Pay-as-you-go deal. The other advantage of SIM only contracts is that over time you build up a relationship with the network, after a period of timely payments on a SIM only plan, it is not unusual for them to offer an upgrade to a monthly contract deal at standard rates.

So if you have you been turned down for a mobile contract due to a bad financial period in your past, the most effective way forward is to improve your credit score with the suggestions above, and perhaps to lower your expectations in terms of which mobile phone handset and deal you require, or even get on the first rung of the ladder using a SIM only contract until you have built up some trust with the network. You will find a huge number of low to mid range handsets on this site along with full reviews and a choice of contracts with various networks. Most of these phones are suitable for those with credit problems, but stick to lower priced plans to improve the chances of approval!

Get contract phones for bad credit