With immediate effect, Sunrise is offering an optional Flex Upgrade Option for all phones and tablets sold at Sunrise outlets, over the Sunrise hotline, and in the Sunrise online store.
The option costs between 7.50 francs and 20 francs per month. In order to use this option, you have to also subscribe to a mobile device plan, meaning you have to buy a device from Sunrise using an installment plan. To explain the new option in simple terms, you pay a monthly subscription fee and in exchange, you get to use a mobile device. The fee you pay covers a bundle of different services, but not the cost of the phone itself. You can terminate the option at any time.
What does the Flex Upgrade Option give you?
The new Flex Upgrade Option from Sunrise includes these services:
- Exchange your phone at any time: With this option, you can exchange your phone or tablet for a different model at any time. As long as your device is in good condition, you do not have to pay anything extra when you exchange it. If your device has been damaged or stolen, Sunrise charges you a markup of 50 to 150 francs for the new device.
- Have your phone repaired: You can submit your device for repairs at any time. You have to pay a contribution of between 50 and 150 francs for the repair.
- Mobile phone insurance: Your device is insured against theft, and against damages caused by unavoidable hazards which are not caused by you. Sunrise specifies pressure, falling, fire, water, humidity, and heat as examples of such hazards. You pay an insurance deductible of between 50 and 150 francs per insurance claim for a damaged or stolen device.
If you get the Flex Upgrade Option with an Apple iPhone, then these additional services are also included:
- Apple Care services: Ongoing repair or replacement of the iPhone at any of the 500 Apple Stores or by any of the 5000 Apple service providers worldwide. Other services include same-day screen replacements, and expedited device or battery replacement if the battery life falls below 80 percent of its original length.
- Apple iCloud+: The new Sunrise option also gives you 50 gigabytes of storage space on Apple’s cloud service.
What does the Flex Upgrade Option from Sunrise cost?
The monthly price of the option varies based on the price of the device you want. The monthly fee you pay if you use iPhones is higher than the fee for Android-based devices from all other service providers.
| Device cost |
Monthly fee for Flex Upgrade
Option with iPhone |
Monthly fee for Flex Upgrade
Option with Android |
| Up to CHF 899 |
CHF 10.00 |
CHF 7.50 |
| Up to CHF 1399 |
CHF 15.00 |
CHF 12.50 |
| Up to CHF 2500 |
CHF 20.00 |
CHF 17.50 |
For the sake of comparison, the regular mobile phone insurance from Sunrise costs between 6 and 21 francs. That is similar to what you pay for the new Flex Upgrade Option, which includes more benefits.
How high are the insurance deductible and markup on exchanges?
Depending on the price of the device you get, the insurance deductible and the markup both range between 50 and 150 francs. The insurance deductible applies to theft and repairs, while the markup applies when you exchange a device that is in poor condition.
| Device cost |
Insurance deductible or markup for
exchanging a damaged device |
| Up to CHF 899 |
CHF 50.00 |
| Up to CHF 1399 |
CHF 100.00 |
| Up to CHF 2500 |
CHF 150.00 |
Which special conditions apply to iPhones?
The benefits included in the new Sunrise option are broader for iPhones than for other devices, but iPhone users also pay 2.50 francs more per month.
On the other hand, you can also choose to add the Smart Upgrade option, which lowers the monthly installment payments for your iPhone somewhat. However, when you use that option, you have to return the device to Sunrise after two years, or make a final payment equal to 12 monthly installment payments in order to keep the phone. But when you combine Smart Upgrade with the Flex Upgrade Option, you are able to upgrade to a new device at any time.
Where can I get the Flex Upgrade Option?
You can subscribe to the new option at any Sunrise branch store, over the Sunrise telephone hotline, or on Sunrise.ch. In order to subscribe to the option, you must buy a phone using an installment plan.
The option is not available from third-party dealers like Mobilezone, Interdiscount, or Fust.
Sunrise subsidiaries like Aldi-Suisse Mobile, Lebara, and Yallo do not offer this option.
What should I consider before getting the Flex Upgrade Option?
The biggest pitfall is that, if you forget to turn in your old phone within 14 days of receiving a new one, Sunrise will charge you the difference between the installments you have already paid, and the cost of the device.
Verdict by telecom expert Ralf Beyeler
The new option from Sunrise enables you to upgrade to a new device or repaid your existing device at a relatively low cost. That flexibility, and the security provided by the insurance, has its price: The cost of using this option over a two-year period ranges between 180 and 480 francs.
But the fees charged for the Flex Upgrade Option are not the only cost to consider. Mobile plans from Sunrise are relatively expensive, as are the prices it charges for many phone models, compared to other dealers.
My view of the new option is rather skeptical. For many consumers, the new Flex Upgrade Option most likely would not pay off.
But if you would use mobile phone insurance anyway, and you like the idea of being able to upgrade to a new device or have your phone repaired at any time, then getting the Flex Upgrade Option can be worth it.
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