Contract start date

bevvy

here is a copy of part of a chat i had with someone on live chat at o2, hope this helps answer your original question:

You: ok and lastly this will be for a xmas present, can i delay the start date or does the contract start as soon as i take the contract out
Peter: You can defer this order by 30 days, the first bill payment is around 18 days after you receive the phone

Wintermute

I'd by extremely wary of taking out a contract for anybody except maybe a long term spouse that you already share finances with, have a look around this forum and you'll find tons of horror stories about bills being run up and credit ratings trashed. Keep in mind that if you do take a contract out for somebody else it's going to be you who's liable for all and any costs that are incurred on that phone and it's going to be your credit rating it'll effect and it could very easily put a strain on your relationship with that person.

Networks will only change the owner of an account in very extreme circumstances (think terminal) so when the contract is up they wont be able to benefit from any of the upgrade offers without keeping the contract in your name.

It may be more expensive in the short term, but it's easier all round in the long term if you go the PAYG or handset only route.