When purchasing a cell phone, you can choose between a public subsidy that provides a discount on the monthly device cost and an optional contract that provides a 25% discount on the monthly plan. Among these, for the optional contract, the rate discount ends when the contract period expires, so you must apply for an extension. However, more people than expected do not extend the contract even when the period has expired, or do not sign up for the optional contract even though they can sign up for it, so they can benefit from the rate discount. are not enjoying it.
Optional contract discount system
The hand of a person operating a cell phone
What is the optional contract discount system?
The optional contract discount system is a system that allows you to receive a 25% discount on the basic telecommunication fee instead of the publicly announced subsidy.
Even if you received a public subsidy, if you are using the same device even after 24 months, you can apply for an optional contract and receive a 25% discount on your monthly cell phone bill. Additionally, you can apply for an optional contract even if you did not receive a public subsidy when purchasing a terminal at an agency or store, purchased the terminal directly from a specialty store, on the Internet, or overseas, or purchased a self-sufficient phone.
Subject
User whose contract has ended
Users purchasing a new terminal
Used terminal users
As of March 2021, the number of users signing up for the optional contract is estimated to be approximately 27.65 million, but among used or self-sufficient phone users or users whose existing contracts have expired, they do not sign up because they do not know that they can sign up for the optional contract. The number of users is estimated at approximately 12 million.
How to view
If you want to check whether you can sign up for an optional contract, you can do so using the terminal you are using or a PC, even if you do not visit the dealership in person. Here’s how:
1. Go to the mobile phone terminal self-sufficiency website.
Mobile phone-terminal-self-sufficiency-homepage-screen
Mobile phone terminal self-sufficiency homepage screen
2. Enter the IMEI number of your cell phone and search.
3. Check the results of your cell phone’s rate discount (optional contract).
How to check IMEI
You can check by entering *#06# on the terminal keypad. For detailed instructions, please refer here.
How to sign up
If you are eligible for an optional contract, you can sign up by visiting the dealership, online, through the mobile customer center, or directly over the phone. Among these, the method of signing up for an optional contract over the phone is as follows.
Call the phone number to apply for an optional contract for each telecommunication company.
Follow the instructions and enter the terminal phone number and pound sign (#).
Enter the subscriber’s date of birth.
You can sign up for an optional contract after hearing availability and instructions.
Optional contract application phone number for each telecommunication company
SK: 080-8960-114
KT: 080-2320-114
LG: 080-8500-130
The customer center is only open on weekdays, so you must call and apply on weekdays.
Early termination penalty
You can sign up for an optional contract of 12 or 24 months, and a penalty may apply if you cancel early. The penalty that accrues here is the amount that would have been incurred if you had not applied for the contract anyway, as it is for the discounted rate through the optional contract.
You can easily check the remaining penalty period and penalty amount for the terminal you are using on your mobile phone. Please refer to the link below.
Check my terminal penalty
Also, these days, even if you change devices during the optional contract, they say they will defer the penalty if you keep the same carrier, so you can inquire at your dealer. However, in this case, rather than paying a penalty, the support received for the new terminal is detached and blocked, so the support received for the new terminal is bound to decrease. Therefore, rather than choosing a two-year contract, it may be better to choose a one-year contract.
So far, we have learned how to receive a 25% discount on cell phone bills using the optional contract discount system.