What is Sky Swap? Explained - Swap12 and Swap24

Sky Swap is a type of contract offered by Sky Mobile, that allows you to swap your phone for a new phone at any time during your contract. You will be able to swap your phone every 31 days.

When you sign up for a Sky Swap contract, you are taking out a credit agreement (interest free loan) for the phone, and a separate tariff contract (the SIM card) for the data, minutes and texts.

Currently, Sky offer Swap12 (24 month agreement) and Swap24 (36 month agreement) for phones.

With Swap12 and Swap24, you can swap and upgrade every 31 days.

When you wish to upgrade, Sky will send you your new phone, including a pre-paid returns envelope to send back your old phone. Sky will value your old phone, which will vary depending on the condition and current retail price. The value of your old phone will be used towards paying off your previous credit agreement - if the value of your old phone is not enough, you must pay the difference to settle the debt.

If you choose to upgrade at 12 months and you currently have a Swap12 plan, or 24 months with a Swap24 plan, your old phone will be able to cover the whole remaining amount on your previous credit agreement as long as the device is in a good working condition.

How does Sky Swap work?

Whenever you sign up for a new Sky Mobile contract, you will be subscribing to a 12 month contract for the tariff (essentially your SIM card which includes data, minutes and texts) and a separate credit agreement for your phone: 24 months (Swap12) or 36 months (Swap24).

The credit agreement for your phone is an interest free loan (0%) and is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

You can choose to upgrade and swap every 31 days, but you must pay off your previous loan early.

When you wish to upgrade, Sky will send you your new phone, including a pre-paid returns envelope to send back your old phone. Sky will value your old phone, which will vary depending on the condition and current RRP (recommended retail price) of the phone. The value of your old phone will be used towards paying off your previous credit agreement - if the value of your old phone is not enough, you must pay the difference to settle the debt.

If you upgrade and swap after 12 months and you currently have a Swap12 plan, or after 24 months with a Swap24 plan, then the value of your old phone will cover the whole remaining balance of your loan, as long as it's in a good working condition. This essentially allows you to upgrade for free.

If you swap before the free swap date or your phone is not in a good condition, the credit you receive may not be enough to cover the remaining balance of your loan. If this is the case, you will have the option to pay the remaining balance upfront, or have it automatically added to your next monthly bill.

It is important to understand that whenever you swap and upgrade, you will be taking out a new Swap12 (24 months) or Swap24 (36 months) credit agreement for the new phone.

If you upgrade but you don't send back your old phone (which is completely fine), you will be paying for 2 loans at the same time - one for your old phone, and one for your new phone. However, you will only ever have one SIM contract at a time.

If you bought your phone upfront by paying for its value in full when you initially took out your contract with Sky Mobile, then you will not have a loan for your device. You can still swap, but the credit you receive will be used towards your next monthly bill(s), instead of paying the remaining loan balance of your previous device.

Can I swap for a new phone for free?

Yes, you can swap for a new phone for free, as long as your phone is in good condition and you swap after the free swap date:

• Swap12 - swap for free after 12 months
• Swap24 - swap for free after 24 months

You will receive credit for your phone when you send it back, which will be enough to cover the remaining loan balance.

If Sky does not think your phone is in a good condition, they will tell you the adjusted amount you will be credited. This amount may not be enough to cover the remaining balance for your phone loan.

If you accept the adjusted amount and there's a remaining balance, you can pay for your loan upfront, or wait for it to be automatically added to your next monthly bill.

Can I upgrade and keep my old phone, without swapping?

Yes, you can upgrade to a new phone and keep your old phone.

However, you will have to pay two loans at once:

1. The monthly loan payments for the remaining length of your old phone
2. The monthly loan payments for you new phone

Can I swap my phone if it's in a bad condition or not working?

Yes, you can still swap your phone, regardless of the condition.

However, the amount you receive in credit will be reduced, depending on the condition.

Before you send back your old phone, Sky will ask you about the condition of your device and give you an estimated quote.

Once Sky have inspected your phone and agree that the condition is the same as you have described, you will receive the valued amount, which will be used towards paying off your previous loan.

If Sky thinks the condition is different from what you have described, they will give you a new valuation. If you do not agree with the new valuation, your old phone will be sent back to you.

The credit you will receive will be applied to the balance on your previous loan, however the amount will likely not be enough to pay off the whole remaining balance. You can choose to pay the remaining balance upfront, or wait for it to be automatically added to your next monthly bill.

Can I swap or upgrade at any time?

Yes, Sky swap allows you to upgrade at any time, as long as it is 31 days after your contract start date and at least 31 days since your last upgrade.

There are no limits on how many times you can upgrade.

When upgrading, you have the option to keep your old phone, or send it back for a valuation.

If you swap, you will receive credit for your old phone, which will partially cover the remaining balance of your previous loan.

Do I need a data plan for the duration of my Swap contract?

No, you will only require a data plan (also know as a SIM contract) for a minimum of 12 months.

After 12 months, you can choose to cancel or renew your data plan. Since all phones sold by Sky are unlocked, you can use a SIM card from any network once your data plan comes to an end.

Remember, with Sky Swap, you have two separate plans: a loan agreement for the phone, and a separate monthly contract for the data plan.

If you cancel your data plan after 12 months, you will still be required to pay the remaining monthly payments for your loan agreement (24 months with Swap12 and 36 months with Swap24).

What happens when I’m ready to swap?

Once you’ve decided you’re ready to swap, you will need to pick a new phone.

You will need to send back your old phone using the prepaid postage labels.

Make sure to include the original box of your old phone, as well as included accessories and charger. You should also remove your iCloud account if you have an iPhone, and remove your Google account if you have an Android phone.

1. Choose a new phone: Login to your Sky Mobile account and choose a new phone that you wish to upgrade too.

2. Send back your old phone: When you receive your new phone, you must send your old phone back within 14 days, using the included prepaid postage label. If you choose not to send back your old phone, you will not receive any credit towards your remaining loan balance.

You must send your old phone back within 14 days. For every month you do not send back your old phone, the valuation will decrease. You will also have to continue the regular monthly loan payments for your old phone until it is paid off in full, on top of the new monthly loan payments for your new phone.

How can I get a Sky Swap contract?

We compare a range of Sky Mobile phone contracts and Sky Mobile SIM only deals. We will only show you the best and cheapest deals that Sky have to offer.

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