Switch24 is a handset financing proposition available to eligible customers shopping on AO.com. It enables purchases through AO Finance with flexible payment options and a guaranteed trade-in value – which we call a Value Lock – so long as your handset is in ‘Good Condition’ when it is returned and the Redemption Criteria are met.

See below for what we mean by ‘Value Lock’, ‘Good Condition’ and ‘Redemption Criteria’

Eligibility

To participate in Switch24:

You must be an AO Five Star member.

You must hold an AO Finance account.

Related Contract Terms

These Terms & Conditions are specific to Switch24. The following related contract terms also apply when using Switch24:

• AO Five Star Terms & Conditions. These apply to your membership contract with AO.
• AO.com General Terms & Conditions. These apply to all goods purchased via AO.com, including when buying a handset using Switch24 financing.
• AO Finance credit agreement. See further the AO Finance section below.

See also our Switch24 FAQs 

AO Finance is our flexible finance account provided by NewDay Ltd. Switch24 is one of the flexible payment options available via AO Finance. Credit is available only to UK residents aged 18 and over. Subject to status. Terms apply. 

Switch24 comprises two repayment plans, displayed separately on your monthly statements and in your AO Finance online account manager:

• A 24-month interest-free instalment plan for part of your handset cost (if you add AO Five Star membership to the basket, the membership fee will also be included in your 24-month instalment plan); and
• A Buy Now, Pay Later plan covering your Value Lock amount, with nothing to pay in months 1-24.

To explain how the repayment plans work, here’s a worked example, imagining you are eligible to buy a handset from AO.com using Switch24 which costs £900 and a Value Lock of £400.

• Your Switch24 plan begins on the purchase date, not the handset delivery date. The first payment toward the interest free instalment plan will be on the date shown on your AO Finance statement.
• Month 1’ of your Switch24 plan is the month beginning on the purchase date; ‘month 24’ follows accordingly.
• Your annual AO Five Star membership will renew at least once during the Switch24 term. If you paid for your first subscription via AO Finance, the renewal will automatically be charged to your AO Finance account so you will need to make sure there is sufficient available credit.  Interest will apply to the renewal fee from the renewal date at your standard purchase rate. 

Month 24 Options

The Value Lock amount is held on a Buy Now, Pay Later plan, with no payments due on this element in months 1-24.  At month 24 you have 3 options:

Important When Switching:

Your ability to upgrade and take out a fresh Switch24 plan is subject to availability and eligibility criteria applicable at the time of upgrade.

Your AO Finance account must have sufficient available credit to cover both the balance on your initial Switch24 handset purchase, if any, plus the value of the upgrade handset after the upfront payment has been made.

You can wait until you have received your upgrade to send back your original handset. It is therefore likely you will have to make payments towards both Switch24 plans in month 24 and/or month 25.

Important when Switching or Returning:

If you’re Switching or Returning your phone but it is not eligible for the full Value Lock amount you’ll be responsible for paying-off the remaining Switch24 balance on your AO Finance account. Interest will apply at your standard purchase rate from month 25. See further the Value Lock Exceptions section below.

Important definitions

Value Lock

When you buy a handset using Switch24, the Value Lock is a fixed trade-in value which you will receive so long as the handset is in Good Condition when you trade-in at month 24. The Value Lock amount is determined by AO and is confirmed to you onsite before purchase and shown in your Order Confirmation. 

You won’t make payments towards the Value Lock amount in months 1-24, only towards the 24-month interest free instalment plan covering the rest of the phone’s value.

Around month 23 we will email you with trade-in instructions and deadlines so please keep contact details up to date. You will need to confirm to us by no later than the start of month 24 if you intend to return or switch your phone, or of course you can keep it.

Redemption Criteria for the Full Value Lock:

• You must be an AO Five Star member and have an active AO Finance account at the point of trade-in.
• The handset must reach our trade-in partner in Good Condition and Accessible by no later than day 14 of month 24. A reminder, that month 24 begins exactly 24 months from when you purchased your handset using your Switch24 plan.

Good Condition

• Good Condition means the device still works exactly as it should.
• For example, there should be no cracks, chips, dents or screen defects such as dead pixels. Some minor signs of wear on the screen or body are acceptable, but there should be nothing that affects performance e.g. the touchscreen needs to be responsive, and all parts and ports still fully functional. 

Accessible

• Your handset must be Accessible by our trade-in partner upon receipt.
• For the handset to be Accessible you need to complete any reasonable pre-trade-in steps communicated to you. As a minimum this will include removing personal data, factory reset, disabling security features (e.g. passcodes, Find My iPhone, linked accounts). Please remember to save any files or data you want to keep before sending us your device. We don’t offer data recovery services, and we can’t be responsible for any lost files if you haven’t backed them up or removed them before sending back your phone to us.
• Further details of Good Condition and Accessible can be found here:

Value Lock Exceptions:

• If the handset is not in Good Condition a Damage Fee will be deducted from the Value Lock If you accept the reduced Value Lock amount, this will be paid towards your Switch24 balance and you will be responsible for paying off the rest on your AO Finance Account – interest will apply at your standard purchase rate from month 25. 
• The Damage Fee will represent a reasonable reduction and will vary based on the device and level of damage. You will be notified of the applicable deduction and, if you are not happy with the Damage Fee, you can opt to have the handset returned to the address associated with your AO Finance account. Then the ‘Keep your phone’ option applies.
• If your handset is not Accessible when it is received by our trade-in partner it will not be eligible for return or switch. We will send it back to you to unlock and resubmit – please note that the rules on Late handsets will then apply (see below). If you change your mind and decide to keep the handset instead that’s fine.

Late handsets:  If your Good Condition handset reaches our trade in partner in Accessible form later than day 14 of month 24 it means you have not fully complied with the Redemption Criteria. It will impact the Value Lock amount and your AO Finance account as follows: 

Note: We’ll email you as you’re approaching the Switch window to help you send the handset back to us in time to be eligible for the full Value Lock amount and have this applied to your Switch24 balance before interest begins to accrue at your standard purchase rate in month 25.

Please note that any queries related to the payment of the Value Lock or the Damage Fee should be directed to AO. NewDay, the provider of your AO Finance account, is not responsible for the trade-in process and is not able to assist with related queries.

Other Important Information

Ownership: You will own your phone, this is not a rental or hire purchase agreement. You are buying the handset/upgrade using credit from your AO Finance account, meaning you are responsible for paying off your account in full and on time. At the end of the Switch24 period if you decide to Return or Switch your handset, you’ll be handing ownership back to us at the Value Lock amount (less any Damage Fee which may be applied).

Early Payment: You can pay off your Switch24 balance in less than 24 months with no early repayment charges via your AO Finance Online Account Manager. If you have other balances on your AO Finance account which are not interest free, your early payment will be applied to those other balances first, before they reduce your Switch24 balance. This is because NewDay, the lender, is required to apply your payments to the balance with the highest interest rate first, to keep your costs low. If you repay early, you will still be able to claim the Value Lock amount for your handset after 24 months if it is in Good Condition and all other Redemption Criteria are met. The Value Lock amount will be paid to your AO Finance account and, if there is no Switch24 balance remaining, it will be applied to any other balances on your AO Finance account. If you have no other balances, you can request that NewDay make a ‘credit balance refund’ to send the money to your bank account.

Missed Payments: If you don’t keep up to date with your payments on your AO Finance account, your Switch24 interest-free instalment and Buy Now, Pay Later plans will be cancelled and you’ll start to be charged interest at your standard purchase rate. If your AO Finance account goes overlimit, your Switch24 Buy Now, Pay Later plan will be cancelled but your instalment plan will continue. This means that you will start to be charged interest at your standard purchase rate on the Value Lock amount held on the Buy Now Pay Later balance but you will keep the interest free instalments. You will, however, still be able to claim the Value Lock amount for your handset after 24 months if it is in Good Condition and all other Redemption Criteria are met, even if you are not up to date with your AO Finance payments or your account is overlimit.

AO Finance account closure: If you no longer have an AO Finance account, you can still claim the Value Lock amount after month 24 but AO’s trade in partner will make the payment to another account of your choosing. You will not be able to upgrade and set up a new Switch24 plan without an active AO Finance account.

Lost Phones: If you lose a handset purchased using Switch24, including if it is stolen, you are still responsible for paying off your AO Finance account in full, including any interest that applies after 24 months. Without a phone to send back, you will not be able to redeem the Value Lock amount at the end of the Switch24 period. The ‘Keep your phone’ option therefore applies. You may wish to consider insuring your phone.

Credit is provided by NewDay Ltd, 7 Handyside Street, London, N1C 4DA. AO Retail Limited acts as a credit broker for NewDay Ltd on an exclusive basis and is not a lender. NewDay Ltd and AO Retail Limited are each authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

If AO is unable to complete the trade-in process including paying the Value Lock amount either in full or in part, NewDay won’t be liable to cover any outstanding value or benefits on AO’s behalf. In such a case, you’ll still be responsible for paying any remaining balance on your AO Finance account at the end of the Switch24 period, along with any interest that may apply.

Returns Policy
100 day returns: As an AO Five Star member you benefit from an extended returns period. Therefore, if you change your mind within 100 days of delivery, return the handset unopened and unused with security labels and screen protectors intact for a full refund. Partial refunds may apply for non-resaleable handsets, including where data has begun to be downloaded. Further details can be found at Point 4 in the AO Five Star Terms & Conditions

Faulty goods: If your handset is faulty, we’re sorry. The AO.com General Terms & Conditions explain how to report your faulty item and the remedies available to you.

Refunds for returned handsets will be credited to the Switch24 balance on your AO Finance account. If you receive only a partial refund your Switch24 plans will continue until repaid in full. You will be responsible for paying the rest, including any interest charged after 24 months.
Amendments to Our Terms
We reserve the right to make amendments to our propositions and associated Terms & Conditions from time to time, including availability of upgrades/Switch24 finance options and eligibility criteria. Making a subsequent purchase will be considered acceptance of any amendment(s) made since the first purchase.

Complaints
Handset-related complaints and complaints related to the Value Lock amount paid, Damage Fees and the upgrades process should be directed to AO. 0161 235 0563.

Finance-related complaints should be directed to NewDay. 0333 220 2598.