Carphone Warehouse

About Carphone Warehouse

Visit Carphone Warehouse the UK’s largest mobile phone seller and browse the very latest mobile handsets. They work with four main network providers O2, EE, Vodafone and their own network iD Mobile. Competitive tariffs are on offer but you will have to do your homework to compare contracts. They sell a full range of mobile telephones from all the big manufacturers including Apple iPhone and Samsung. Whatever phone you desire, or mobile network you favour, the staff at Carfone Warehouse might be irritating but they will try and find a good deal for you.
Visit CW Now
Carphone Warehouse store
Carphone shop bargains

UK Shopping Deals For Mobile Phones

There are two basic options when buying your mobile phone. Direct with the network like o2 or Vodaphone these companies run their own mobile networks. The other option is at a shop or online through the likes of carephone warehouse and Tesco. Although these examples now have their own network coverage. Choosing to buy from a third-party retailer like Carphone Warehouse is the most popular choice. They will do all the comparing for you and be able to offer the best phones and network deals across the board. So, the shop will sell you the phone and you will be contracted to the network. CarphoneWarehouse.com will make a commission from the network for bringing your custom.
carphone mobiles
Mobiles.co.uk is the only online subsidiary owned by Dixons Carphone
More phone stores

Similar UK Mobile Phone Shops

o2 mobiles

O2 Mobiles

The official O2 Mobile shop for offers on iPhone and Huawei phones. Go direct to o2 mobile for pay monthly contracts or sim only contracts. Even buy your next pay and go handset with an O2 deal.

For Value
4.6/5
Visit O2 Mobiles
giffgaff phone contracts

giffgaff

GiffGaff the value for money mobile network with a difference costing you lots less than other mobile networks. This is an online based sim only business lots cheaper buying monthly goodybags.

For Value
4.6/5
Visit giffgaff
Fonehouse

Fone House

Fonehouse is a reputable mobile phone seller on the internet and the high street with 49 shops in the UK and NI. They are an authorised network reseller and offer the latest shiny new mobiles.

For Value
4.8/5
Visit fonehouse
A Little About

History of Carphone Warehouse

The company was started in 1989 when mobile phones were the size and weight of a brick. It all begins with Charles Dunstone who sold mobile phones from his flat on the Marylebone Road in London. He then founded The Carphone Warehouse with Julian Brownlie combining savings of £6000 for initial finance. Julian Brownlie left carphone wearhouse under vague circumstances we are not aware of. He is now property investor in Asia. A little later David Ross joined the business, he was an old school friend of Dunstone’s who described him as his secret weapon. Another partner was invited onboard Guy Johnson, later becoming the logistics and distribution director. Guy was described as the Ringo Starr of Carphone Warehouse for being in the right place at the right time. In 2001 at the age of 37 he sold the majority of his shares and benifited in the region of £140 million. He went to live in Portugal with his family but is believed to be back in the UK now. In 1996 Carphone Warehouse moved into the European phone market where they are trading as Phone House. Carphone Warehouse Group are now a subsidiary of Dixons Carphone. They trade under a number of brands in the UK and continental Europe. Their shopping brands include Dixons Travel, PC World, Currys and Team Knowhow not to forget iD Mobile their very own 4G mobile network. Dixons Carphone was created when Dixons the electrical retailer merged with Carphone Warehouse Group in 2014, they are headquartered in London.
Questions Asked

When they first started out mobiles were big and cumbersome and often fitted to a mount in your car. They stuck with the Carphone name because they believe it to be a trusted well known brand.

Yes, The Carphone Warehouse acquired Mobiles.co.uk in 2007 combining Carphone’s strength in the market

Yes, they buy old phones and tablets, your device must be in a certain condition but not expected to be pristine. Even broken and phones that are not working can be excepted.

Buying direct from a network gives some advantages but you will not necessarily get the best deal. The retailer may sometimes be able to offer cheaper deals on phones. The phone will probably be open to other networks so not just fixed to the network operator you have chosen.

At Carphone Warehouse they offer four networks to choose from. O2 the best network for customer satisfaction has awarded by Ofcom. Vodafone the best network for roaming coverage. EE voted best overall network performance by RootMetrics®. iD is Carphone Warehouses own new 4G mobile network.

New Mobile Phone 🙂

Choosing the right mobile and contract

Buying a new mobile phone and contract is a big purchase. The ongoing debits out of your account for 12, 24 or 36 months is damaging to your finances. Whatever length contract you get wrapped up into take the time to check out the right one.
If you can afford to lay out for an unlocked smartphone, do it. This often works out a lot cheaper and gives you the option of shopping around for a good contract deal. Choosing a cheap SIM only contract deal is empowering. You can even go for a web-based network like giffgaff and stick to a £10 per month goodybag.
You basically have three options when buying a mobile phone. Get a phone and contract sim deal together. This is usually a 24-month contract but you can go for longer or shorter if you can afford to pay off quicker. The next option is acquiring a phone outright yourself and signing up to a SIM only contract plan. Final choice is to again buy your own handset and go for the pay-as-you-go SIM deal.
There used to be lots of mobile phone stores for instance Phones 4u, The Link mobile phone shop and Dialaphone to name a few. They all appear to have gone out of business or absorbed into other telecom companies. Carphone wharehouse is still going strong at the moment.
On the rare occasion you have a problem with your mobile phone provider and you cannot resolve mutually. There is another avenue you can try, the communications ombudsman services approved by Ofcom.

A deeper look at UK shops

Our reviewed shops provide a brief history and breakdown of what they sell. If you would like a shop added to our review section please contact us with suggestions UK Shopping Guide.