NEW THREAD: Cheapest iPhones article

Quave · 23 February 2012 at 4:26PM

Another variation on all this but could do with help - my upgrade with Orange was due at the end of last year and I got a 4S 32Gb which I've been getting along with fine until I fell for a very old scam in a pub and had it stolen. The last time I lost a phone - over 10 years ago - I had to pay something but I got a new phone in a few days. Orange say they still do something similar for most phones but not the 4S - if I want a replacement I have to go buy one and they seem to be retailing for well over £600 which I can't begin to afford. My home insurance doesn't cover this and I didn't insure the phone because I didn't realise the consequences would be this extreme.
Any suggestions or is the only solution to keep paying Orange for having a 4S phone for the remainder of my contract but make do with something more basic?

grumbler · 23 February 2012 at 4:54PM

Quave wrote: »

...they seem to be retailing for well over £600

£599 at http://store.apple.com/uk/browse/home/shop_iphone/family/iphone/iphone4s
However, beggars can't be choosers. 16Gb costs £499.

Any suggestions or is the only solution to keep paying Orange for having a 4S phone for the remainder of my contract but make do with something more basic?

Very good Android phones are available for about £100 and apparently a Windows Phone Nokia under £100 is coming: Best cheap android phone ?
You are likely to need a cheap adapter for a micro sim if you don't ask Orange to send you a normal replacement sim card instead.

choother · 23 February 2012 at 6:03PM

Ben1386 wrote: »

i finally got a iphone 4s contract from '3' didn't think I would, cos of my poor credit history, you can see the deal here. http://store.three.co.uk/view/product/ql_catalog/threecatdevice/2327

i got this, thanks

lollol · 28 February 2012 at 3:07PM

Can someone please help me. I am looking for a pay monthly 12 month contract for an iphone 4s 16gb black.

Any pointers as to which one is cheapest would be great. TIA

thegoodman · 28 February 2012 at 4:33PM

lollol wrote: »

Can someone please help me. I am looking for a pay monthly 12 month contract for an iphone 4s 16gb black.

Any pointers as to which one is cheapest would be great. TIA

Try this

http://www.moneysupermarket.com/mobile-phones/brands/apple/iphone-4s-16gb-black/

Kat2 · 5 March 2012 at 4:55PM

All,

I'm a regular browser of MSE but have not contributed in some time, so please accept my apologies if I have posted this on the wrong thread.

After reading the 'cheap iphones' article, I have come up with several options for getting a new iPhone 4S 16gb.

I am currently on O2, am 6 months out of contract, have an iPhone 3gs 8gb which I want to upgrade. I have worked out I have paid way too much (£90 over 6 months) since my contract ended for 600 mins, unlimited texts and 500mb data on O2. My usual monthly usage is around 200 - 300 mins, however there have been 3 months when I have used 379, 537 and 378 mins respectively (usually when ill in hospital). Data and texts sufficient for my needs.

I need some impartial advice as to the best deal out of:

Option 1 - Buy the phone outright for £499 (I can afford to do this) and get a 12-month Tesco mobile SIM only contract for either £10.00 or £12.50 per month. First needs me to cut the SIM to size (it's not a micro sim), offers 750 mins, 3k texts and 1gb data. Second is a micro sim offering 500 mins, 3k texts and 1gb data plus unlimited BT openzone wi-fi.

I have looked at GiffGaff but they don't offer quite enough minutes. Does anyone have any experience with Tesco mobile? Apparently they use the O2 network, only fly in the ointment being they don't offer visual voicemail or call forwarding (which I use to prevent being billed for calls whilst abroad). Quidco have I think 2% cashback on Apple iPhones so that's approx £10.

Total cost = £499 + (12 x 10.00) - £10 = £609
or £499 + (12 x 12.50) - £10 = £639

http://phone-shop.tesco.com/tesco-mobile/sims/

If assuming I can't get a cheaper SIM only deal after 12 months, then cost for 24 months works out at:

£499 + (24 x 10.00) - £10 = £729
or £499 + (24 x 12.50) - £10 = £789

Option 2 - 24 month contract with O2 via Tesco Phone shop. 300 mins, 3k texts, 500mb data + 20 free mms for £32 per month. Phone is 'free'. Quidco doing £60 cashback.

Total cost = (£32 x 24) - £60 = £708

http://phone-shop.tesco.com/mobile-phones-and-sim-cards/pay-monthly-phones/O2-Apple-iPhone-4S-16GB-Black-1d51443e-71fb-4959-9e61-3a5df33ab25f

The downsides of this deal are that 300 mins might not always be enough and I assume charges will be high if I go over my inclusive minutes. Also 24 months is a long contract and I'm worried about the phone going wrong when it's out of 12 months warranty and being stuck paying for it for another year.... However I feel there is some security in having the phone linked to the contract as they would replace it immediately, especially if it was within the first 12 months.

I have accidental damage and 'all risks personal possessions on my home insurance, so I assume any handset I buy outright will be covered. I am just a bit nervous about getting it stolen and not having it replaced quickly as it's not linked to a contract.

Incidentally I have called O2 retentions twice and they could not offer me a better deal than the Tesco contract deal, despite some persistence on my part. Best they offered was:

£32 a month, 300 mins + 200 extra mins, 3k text and 500mb data plus £76 for phone, 24 months contract

Total cost = £76 + (32 x 24) = £844

or

£37 a month, 900 mins, 3k text and 1gb data, 24 month contract and free phone

Total cost = 37 x 24 = £888

Rubbish deals compared to what I have found myself.

Anyway, I am sick of browsing and just want to make up my mind. I'd be really, really grateful if someone could cast an impartial eye!

Many thanks,

Kat x

csymeonides · 12 March 2012 at 10:33PM

Just wanted to describe my experience with Tesco Mobile. I thought I was getting a great deal but I didn't realise just how appalling their service is.

After my initial 12-month iPhone 4 contract expired, I decided to stick with them but get the £12.50 SIM-only 1-month contract. Great deal, right? What I didn't realise was that they have the following policy: if in the space of a month you incur charges that add up to 3 times your monthly contract (i.e. £37.50) then your phone will be blocked (i.e. you cannot make any calls, send texts, or browse).

Fair enough, this could prove useful to prevent fraud etc. However, as soon as I received a text informing me that I had exceeded the limit and my phone would be blocked, I rang customer services and explained that I had knowingly made several calls to a premium-rate number (nothing dodgy in case you're wondering...) and I asked them to not block my phone. They said that I need to "top up". I told them that I'm not on pay-as-you-go. They said that I need to make a payment otherwise my phone would be blocked. I said that this is ridiculous, I'm on direct debit and whatever charges I've incurred will be paid at the end of the month. They kept on repeating the same rubbish. I told them that if they block my phone I will quite simply end my contract.

A few hours later I tried to make a call and got the message "the number you dialled has not been recognised". Which is of course not accurate, but I soon realise what had happened. I grudgingly made a payment on their website, tried to make the call again, still the same message. Waited a few minutes, tried again, nothing. Rang customer services and they said I need to wait up to 6 hours!!!!! I said this is absolutely ridiculous and I want it sorted immediately. They said there's nothing they can do, "it's the system", all the usual crap. I explained again, in no uncertain terms, that I will take my business elsewhere unless they sort out this mess, and it's completely absurd that they've blocked my phone even after I explained that I had made those calls (and passed a security check). They just continued spouting the same rubbish, so I hung up. It has now been almost 2 hours and I'm still unable to make any calls. As you can imagine, I'm fuming.

So the lesson is: you pay peanuts, you get monkeys! Buyer beware...

lukey105 · 14 March 2012 at 3:45PM

Hi all......

So I have a killer little sim only deal with Vodafone - £10/month 600mins 500mb unltd txt

I want to get an iphone.
I go to vodafone - but they refuse to let me upgrade early even though in theory im prepared to pay substantially more (£41) per month and give them money for the handset and commit to 24month contract !

What is that about? Spoken to advisors and people instore- no way I can do it without paying £100+ to buy out of my existing deal !

Looks like my best option is to buy a handset from apple store through quidco - iphone 3s new would come in at £308

Anyone got a better suggestion?
Or know where to get hold of sim free iphones cheap?

Thanks all

Tim_Walken · 14 March 2012 at 6:21PM

Best advice I can give is to ask friends!

I picked up an iPhone 3GS from a mate who had upgraded for just £50, and put the SIM from my contract in there.

The phone is much better than my Nokia N8 and I'm sure it'll last a long time so I won't need to upgrade.

I realise I was very lucky to pick one up for such a low price but if you beat the price that places like Mazuma offer people for old phones then you can pick up a phone at a decent enough price.

Skeenfleent · 28 March 2012 at 8:00AM

How on earth are you all tripping so hard as to think an iphone is worth the money and hassle trying to find a good contract?! It's only a 2000-era computer with a touchscreen, artificially crippled by Apple to make them and mobile networks more money, when it could have REALLY been a game-changer, by changing the exploitation and artificial, bullying/forcing business model, which I for one find really distasteful. I think good design, good business models sell themselves and don't require deluding / duping the customer whilst spending loads of that customers money on a marketing budget that could instead make things more accessible. It comes down to freedom of information for all as an ethic, it's far cooler than some flash status symbol.

Now, a paltry 8GB (my mp3 collection alone is at least 120GB to put it in context) or even 16GB (still poor storage capacity for an expensive device) old, refurbished iphone still costing what, a mandatory spend of £300 or so, whilst getting less mobile network service per month than £5 from GiffGaff will get you, kind of takes the p___ doesn't it?
Stay sheep-like, people. I'm sure those of us still ethical will need someone to exploit if we change our minds in the near future! :rotfl:

NEW THREAD: Cheapest iPhones article

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