Cheapest iPhone discussion

Encantador

rubberbullet wrote: »

I've just looked into Zanity Man's calculations and they all stack up (except for a 4% Apple store Quidco - can't sniff at £16 or so quid!).

What's the downside? You're paying the same amount with no attachment to a contract, and if you buy online, you get a great deal more texts than under the iPhone contracts?

I don't see why this loophole hasn't been closed!

Are iphones sold by CW unlocked? If they are, is buying PAYG there an option with a better sim only deal from wherever?

austin

rubberbullet wrote: »

I've just looked into Zanity Man's calculations and they all stack up (except for a 4% Apple store Quidco - can't sniff at £16 or so quid!).

What's the downside? You're paying the same amount with no attachment to a contract, and if you buy online, you get a great deal more texts than under the iPhone contracts?

I don't see why this loophole hasn't been closed!

...also you can use quidco to buy a simplicity 12/18 month tariff on the o2 store and get £35 cashback and the double texts at the same time seeing as you'll be buying online.

Mobile_man_3

Encantador wrote: »

Are iphones sold by CW unlocked? If they are, is buying PAYG there an option with a better sim only deal from wherever?

You will not be able to buy a Unlocked Iphone, you can jailbreak them but this is illegal in the UK, also voids your warranty.... now that was a rumour circulating a few month back that Tmobile were gonna start trading the iphone, total red herring, 02 exclusivly hold the license to retial the iphone, as CPW as there Retail partner...

my advise only buy direct from 02 or Cpw, avoid ebay iphones at all costs, cos they will end up costing you...

For example you take your jailbroken or ebay iphone to be repaired cos you have chipped the screen, now customer damage is not covered under the Apple warranty, come to that nither is water damage, cost for replacing the iphone screen...... £157-00, and if its a blag iphone, repairers are empowered to seize your iphone and not return it..

just a word of warning..

Oh one more thing.... Did you know that in 11 days, Carphone warehouse sold 17,700 of the 3gs Iphone.......:T, nice one charles, now sort out you broadband, lol

Encantador

Mobile_man wrote: »

and if its a blag iphone, repairers are empowered to seize your iphone and not return it..

Can`t see how they can if you buy it outright (payg).

Cactus_Jack

rubberbullet wrote: »

I've just looked into Zanity Man's calculations and they all stack up (except for a 4% Apple store Quidco - can't sniff at £16 or so quid!).

What's the downside? You're paying the same amount with no attachment to a contract, and if you buy online, you get a great deal more texts than under the iPhone contracts?

I don't see why this loophole hasn't been closed!

The big downside for me is the sheer value of the handset that I'd be carrying around. If I lost it or broke it I'd be raging! Whereas if I bought the contract at least I'd only have lost the £170 or so the phone costs.

How much do O2 charge for a replacement iPhone if you lose it/break it during your contract?

mrochester

Cactus_Jack wrote: »

The big downside for me is the sheer value of the handset that I'd be carrying around. If I lost it or broke it I'd be raging! Whereas if I bought the contract at least I'd only have lost the £170 or so the phone costs.

How much do O2 charge for a replacement iPhone if you lose it/break it during your contract?

Full price, i.e., PAYG price. You'd need an insurance policy to be able to get a replacement for cheap.

fiish

Zanity_Man wrote: »

Unless O2 drastically change their pricing structure for upgrades, this, to me, seems as cheap a way as any - with the advantage of not being in a long contract (30 days).

Sign up to a simplicity £19 a month tariff, with free mobile internet bolt on, and not only do you save a tenner over the 18 months, you can bail out with 30 days notice. Only thing is, the phone is £440 (so, if o2 suddenly give away free phones this wont work...)

anyway, here are the costs as I see them:

3GS on 18 month tariff:
600min 500txt
£185 (3Gs 16GB)
£34.26 tariff (£616)
total £801

3GS on 18 month simplicity (18 months for comparison, you can bail after 30 days)
600min 600txt
£440 (3Gs 16GB)
£19.58 tariff (£352)
total £792

A similar calculation for the 32GB version:

3GS on 18 month tariff:
600min 500txt
£275 (3Gs 32GB)
£35 tariff (£630)
total £905

3GS on 18 month 'MSE Switch' approach:
1200min 500txt for 9 months, then 600min 500txt
£176 (3GS 32GB)
£45 tariff for 9 months (£405)
£35 tariff for 9 months (£315)
total £896

3GS on 18 month simplicity (18 months for comparison, you can bail after 30 days)
600min 600txt
£538 (3Gs 16GB)
£20 tariff (£360)
total £898

It's a lot closer when you consider the 32GB version, and if you don't send a lot of texts and can make use of the unlimited Wi-Fi I'd say the contract's not a bad deal at all. And the switcheroo approach is actually the cheapest of the three possibilities. Of course that relies on you making the tariff downgrade at exactly the right time!

Note that I have calculated the tariffs based on a 17.5% VAT, because the 15% rate is only until December this year (and it could possibly rise beyond 17.5% but I shan't speculate on that).

Mobile_man_3

wouldnt be putting a BT3g Sim in an iphone and be surfing the net, get hammered on data charges

Mobile_man_3

Encantador wrote: »

Can`t see how they can if you buy it outright (payg).

Simple, Encantador, your breaching the terms of the sale, these Jail Broken Phones are Illegal in the UK, you breach the warranty, and Apple have the right to reserve the phone as grey / blacklisted goods...

I dont make the rules, by the way:beer:

Encantador

Mobile_man wrote: »

Simple, Encantador, your breaching the terms of the sale, these Jail Broken Phones are Illegal in the UK, you breach the warranty, and Apple have the right to reserve the phone as grey / blacklisted goods...

I dont make the rules, by the way:beer:

I purchased a 2g iphone some time ago, signed nothing and wasn`t presented with any terms and conditions.

i appreciate that that was how the 2g was sold. If you walk into o2 and/or CW today and buy a payg iphone, are you asked to sign anything?