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Martin Lewis tells iPhone and Android users text 4 letter word now

In the UK around 14 million people are still paying 'too much'

Personal finance expert Martin Lewis has told anyone with an iPhone or Android mobile to text a four-letter word. In a new video on Youtube, the ITV and BBC star said millions of people continue paying sky-high prices on contracts which are no longer binding.

He said that in the UK around 14 million people are still paying too much - often for deals which got them a new handset - and can save hundreds. People were told to check their contract status by texting INFO for free to 85075.

Mr Lewis explained: Theres a way to find out if you can save on your mobile bill just by typing five digits into your phone. All you got to do is text the word info info to 85075. This is a service the regulator mandates mobile phone networks to offer. Its totally free. They then have to reply with whether you have any early termination or early cancellation charges.

If it says you dont, so 0 early termination, it means one of 14 million people who are out of contract and youre therefore free to ditch and switch and the vast majority of people who are out of contract are seriously overpaying on their phones. So what do you then do? Well, just go on to a comparison site like money-saving experts cheap simfinder and see whats available.

Couple of quick notes. If youre on three smarty or ID mobile, then when you do the text, it will reply back asking you for your date of birth, which is just an ID check. And I should Also note if youre on a multiple phone contract like couple of different handsets on the contact on the contract it cant do this. So then simple rule of thumb if youve been on the same deal for more than two years youre almost certainly out of contract. Do check it out.

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If the Early Termination or Cancellation Charge reads 0, meaning your contract has run out, the MoneySavingExpert founder said, go to a cheap SIM comparison site, where a selection of suppliers will offer the same SIM allowance for a fraction of the price.

If youre on a multiple-phone contract, you wont be able to do this, he added.

He has previously explained how the cost of getting a new SIM has plunged - meaning people could get the full service on their handset for a lot less. He said previously: Prices have been going up and up. At the same time the cost of new customer SIM deals have been plummeting. For 50gb two years ago youd have been paying 9. Now you can get it as cheap as about 3 a month.

Pointing to a diagram on screen Mr Lewis said: Look at that dispersal - youve got existing customers going up and up and up and new customers going down and down and down.

Mr Lewis went on to explain his three steps for mobile customers to cut costs. He said: 14 million people are out of contract on their mobile phone bill which means you are free to switch.

He said there is an easy way to find out if you are one of those out of contract. Mr Lewis explained: You text info for free to 85075 to check. He added that people on Three would need to then enter their date of birth. He said that those in contract would still have to pay a termination fee, but otherwise people are free to switch: Youre a free agent - you can go and get the cheapest deals, you can cut your costs.

He added that once people decide to switch if they want to keep their number, all they have to do is text PAC (Porting Authorisation Code) to 85075 and give that code to your new provider which will than be able to take the number. According to the MSE founder, the best deals arent found by going directly to the big operators - instead he said that if someone is out of contract they should go to comparison sites.

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