Phone Tariffs - Who Understands Them?

[Prudie]

Can anyone help me understand the difference in this scenario:
Carphone warehouse, know the phone, know the network.

Under pay monthly tab it's £21pm no upfront
Under upgrade tab it's £26pm and £100 upfront

What's the difference between pay monthly and upgrade?

[ubasses]

With upgrade you usually get a new phone.

[PankySmooch]

Upgrade you get an upgrade, monthly you don't

[Prudie]

Well you get a phone with both obviously??
So is the pay monthly a cheaper deal just for new users, a bit like car insurance?

[ubasses]

Not obviously we got sim only contract.

[Zacs-Master]

'pay monthly is based on new connections on selected networks on 4G tariffs.'

[Prudie]

With my examples you obviously get a new phone.
So Zacs are you saying that for the vast majority who already have a phone contract then pay monthly tariffs are irrelevant - unless you switch network??

[Zacs-Master]

note the New Connections bit. Which I think answers your 'new customer' assumption.

[Zacs-Master]

Have you used the upgrade checker?
http://www.carphonewarehouse.com/upgrade

[sunny-dave]

Like car insewerance - always call them for a 'negotiation' when an existing contract period ends.

At worst you'll get the best of the current monthly or upgrade tariffs, at best you'll get something better - particularly if you don't want/need a new handset.