Carphone Warehouse: What You Need To Know About The Retailer
When it comes to buying a phone or SIM card in the UK, there’s a lot of choice out there. It probably goes without saying but Carphone Warehouse or as some people call it, Carphonewarehouse or Car Phone Warehouse, is a very popular place to rely on for your mobile needs. We take a look at all things Carphone Warehouse, including how to locate your nearest store, what they have on offer, whether or not they offer unlocked phones and discuss how to sell your phone to the company. Read on for all you need to know.
Carphone Warehouse UK
Carphone Warehouse is one of the biggest names in the UK mobile market, and if you’ve been in the UK a long time, you’ve no doubt heard of them. The name Carphone Warehouse comes from when the company was co-founded in 1989 and in the days when most portable phones were too bulky to carry and were therefore called car phones. The company that owns Carphone Warehouse also owns Currys, PC World and Team Knowhow.
Are Carphone Warehouse phones unlocked?
If you’re hoping to get an unlocked mobile phone from Carphone Warehouse then you can certainly do so. Most of the phones that Carphone Warehouse sell are not locked to a mobile network, including their SIM free phones. If you do happen to purchase a locked phone through Carphone Warehouse then don’t fret, just check out our guide to switching mobile phone providers for all you need to know on the matter.
Looking to switch mobile phone providers?We recommend taking a look at our handy guide to switching mobile phone providers before you proceed as the rules about switching providers have changed in recent years to make things easier.
Do Carphone Warehouse buy phones?
Yes, yes they do. In fact, if you’re looking to trade in your mobile phone then Carphone Warehouse is arguably one of the best places in the UK to do so, and they even tend to price match if you find a better deal elsewhere. When you sell your phone to Carphone Warehouse you will receive payment to your nominated bank account within 3-5 business days. You can even trade your device in if it's broken or damaged. It is worth noting here that Carphone Warehouse are aiming to be environmentally friendly, having adopted 100% recyclable trade in postage packages.
Why you should recycle your phonePhones take up the most space in landfills of all technological devices, and with people updating their smartphones often, it’s not surprising. The best thing you can do is to buy a phone second hand, refurbished or donate your old phone to a charity like Oxfam. For more on recycling mobile phones, look no further than our recycling mobile phones guide.
Shop near me: Find your local store
Are you sold on the virtues of Carphone Warehouse and want to find your nearest store? Great! You can use the store locator on Carphone Warehouses’ website by entering your postcode or area in the search bar and pressing enter. Your results will show all of your closest stores on a map, including the address and distance of each one from your location.
Looking for a new mobile phone?If you’re in need of a new mobile phone or UK SIM card then why not read through our guide to getting a UK SIM or phone for all you need to know.
Carphone Warehouse SIMs
So what can you expect when you purchase a SIM card through Carphone warehouse? Well, if you’re bringing your own phone to the table you can certainly save money on your monthly bill and you’ll have a wide range of mobile phone networks to choose from in order to ensure you get the best deal. SIM cards or plans with O2, EE, ID, Virgin or Vodafone can be purchased through Carphone Warehouse, which gives you a huge amount of different data, call and text packages to choose from.
Carphone Warehouse have a range of pay monthly or pay as you go options to choose from, so whatever your budget and needs, Carphone Warehouse could be a one stop shop for your mobile requirements. In fact, Carphone Warehouse can be considered a tech-hub with TV-broadband and tablet deals also on offer in store or online.
Looking for the best battery life phone?To learn more about smartphones and their battery life we recommend checking out our article on mobile phone battery life. It includes loads of help tips and tricks that may save you some precious phone battery somewhere along the line.
Mobile.co.uk
Who are mobile.co.uk? Well, they are technically one of Carphone Warehouses’ competitors, offering customers the chance to sell their phone. You can also opt for a SIM only deal, purchase handsets or purchase accessories from them. If you have a particular budget in mind then you can actually search by budget on their website. Those looking for a face to face in store sales experience however, will most likely prefer one of Carphone Warehouses many shops over the mobile.co.uk website, which is of course a more digital experience.
Are you after the best possible mobile coverage?Learn more about mobile network coverage among the main UK mobile carriers and see how they compare in our dedicated coverage guide.
E2save
E2save is much like Carphone Warehouse and mobile.co.uk, offering similar services. E2save offers a range of EE, ID, Vodafone or O2 SIM only deals as well as lots of different devices. You can find phones from Apple, Google, Samsung and Huawei among others on their website. If you’re looking for a great deal on a mobile phone or SIM then we always recommend shopping around among providers or retailers. Why not compare e2save, mobile.co.uk and Carphone Warehouse and see who comes out on top?
Choosing between an Android or an Apple phoneThe term iOS refers to the operating system that all Apple mobile phones run on. Android phones like Huawei or Samsung run on the Android operating system. The two operating systems are quite different and it’s worth keeping in mind that if you switch from one to the other it may take some getting used to.