Business mobile phone contracts

What a business mobile phone contract is

A business mobile phone contract is held in the name of a business, not a person. That one difference changes a lot: the business passes the credit check, owns the numbers, receives one bill for every line and decides who can use each phone. Staff come and go; the account and the numbers stay with you.

What the contract covers on each line is the plan, often called airtime: the minutes, texts, data and services the line can use each month, plus any add-ons such as roaming. The phones, tablets and routers that use those lines are a separate decision.

Our sister site also covers business SIM only plans, and everything on this page applies to them too.

Airtime first, phones bought separately

We focus on getting your airtime costs down. With the airtime sorted, companies can buy their mobile phones separately, outright or through their usual procurement, which can save them a lot of money and gives them the flexibility to refresh devices when it suits them rather than when a contract ends.

Keeping the two apart also helps day to day:

• The right phone for each role: choose devices on their merits for office staff, field teams and frontline workers
• Phones that last: keep phones in use for as long as they still receive security updates
• Refresh on your timetable: replace devices by role, by age or all at once, whenever it suits the business
• Clear costs: see exactly what the airtime costs, line by line

Our guide to mobile phones for business helps you decide which devices to use in the first place.

Contract length, credit checks and the business account

Business contracts run for a fixed minimum term set by the network and plan. The options depend on the network and plan, and we confirm them at quote. Leaving before the end of the term usually means early exit charges.

Before opening an account, the network carries out a business credit check. Limited companies and LLPs give their Companies House registration details; sole traders and partnerships without a company number may be asked for personal details as well. The outcome can affect how many lines the network will approve at first. Our step-by-step guide to how to get a business mobile phone contract covers what to have ready.

Once open, the account has an administrator who can order, change and cancel lines. Networks also give business customers online account tools, such as Mobile Manager from EE Business, so you can see usage by line, manage spend caps and order changes.

Multi-line accounts, adding and removing lines

Most business accounts hold several lines, and the account is built to change over time:

• Adding lines: new starters can be added to the existing account, usually on a term of their own
• Removing lines: a line ended early may carry early exit charges for its remaining term
• Moving people between plans: changing a heavy data user to a larger plan, or a light user to a smaller one, within the network's rules
• Shared or pooled data: some networks let lines share data, which can suit teams whose usage varies
• Spend caps and bars: limit charges beyond the plan, bar premium numbers or international calls and set alerts

For larger fleets, our pages on company mobile phones and mobile device management software cover the joiner and leaver process and how to keep devices secure.

Switching networks and keeping your numbers

You can move to another network and keep your numbers. The process is the same for every UK network:

1. From each number, text PAC to 65075 to get a Porting Authorisation Code. It is valid for 30 days. On business accounts the account holder or an authorised contact may need to request the codes.
2. To check any charges for ending the current contract first, text INFO to 85075.
3. Give the codes to the new network or to us when you order. The receiving network normally completes the switch within one working day of the request.
4. If you want to leave without keeping a number, text STAC to 75075 instead.

Ending a contract early with your current network may mean early exit charges, so we look at your end dates before suggesting a switch date.

The end of the term

What happens when a contract reaches the end of its minimum term is worth understanding before you sign. In general you can:

• Renew the airtime on a new term, ideally after reviewing each line's usage
• Move the line to another network, keeping the number with a PAC
• End the line if the person or device no longer needs it

Because your phones are bought separately, none of these choices forces a device change: you refresh phones when it suits you.

Lines on a multi-line account rarely all end on the same date, because people join at different times. Keeping a simple list of each line's end date makes it much easier to plan a network move for the whole team. We can help you build that list from your current bills.

Lines also tend to drift over time: a leaver's SIM is not cancelled, or a plan chosen years ago no longer matches how someone works. A periodic review of usage against plans is one of the easiest ways to keep costs under control.

Common mistakes to avoid

These are the problems that come up most often when businesses arrange mobiles themselves:

• Choosing on price before coverage: a cheaper plan on a network with weak signal at your site costs more in lost calls and frustration
• Comparing prices with and without VAT: business prices are usually shown excluding VAT, personal prices including it
• Phones in employees' names: the number belongs to the person, not the business, and the tax treatment can change
• Oversized or undersized data: guessing data needs instead of checking usage
• No spend controls: roaming or premium numbers without caps or bars
• Missed end dates: lines rolling on long after the minimum term, or a switch planned before contracts end
• No device management: lost phones with company email and no way to wipe them

Each of these is easy to avoid with a little planning, and helping you avoid them is part of what we do.

Price changes and the small print

Business mobile prices are usually shown excluding VAT. Networks set out in their terms whether and how monthly charges can change during the contract, for example an annual change on a set date. Read that wording before you sign, along with the rules on fair use, roaming and early exit charges. We point you to the relevant terms for whichever network you choose.

Small businesses have slightly different priorities from large organisations, so we have separate guides to small business mobile contracts and corporate mobile phone contracts. If you are unsure whether a business contract is right for you at all, see business vs personal mobile contracts.

Forever Group also has pages on EE Business contracts if EE Business is the network you are considering. Pricing depends on the network, the number of lines and the term, so ask us for a quote. Contact us to start.