PAYG and SIM-free

devils_nose

Hi

I'm looking to move from my (rubbish) T-mobile contract to Simplicity on O2 and get a Blackberry to replace my HTC Hero - which has given up the ghost following the software update earlier this year.

I think I have decided on the Blackberry Curve 3G which is £240 from Carphone Warehouse but I just noticed that the PAYG version of the same phone is £40 cheaper.

My question is.. is there something about a PAYG phone that would prevent me putting a Simplicity SIM card into it and making use of the benefits of paying monthly? I appreciate it would probably be locked to O2, unlike the SIM-free version, but since I want to use it on O2 anyway is it just the same phone??

Does that make sense?

Any feedback appreciated - I've never owned a PAYG phone so am a bit ignorant, I'm afraid

Thanks

jayme1

nope phones are locked to network not contract, so any o2 phone will work with any o2 sim (same for any other network)

what you may notice is that phones sold at CPW are usually sim free even when bought on PAYG or contract

devils_nose

.. for your swift reply!!

In that case I will grab myself a cheaper PAYG phone and then sort myself out the Simplicity contract after Xmas.

Why would anyone buy the SIM-free version?

Weird.

:T

MjW5

I currently have a sim-free HTC Desire HD. There were two reasons behind this:

1. I wanted the freedom of changing network providers and being able use a different network when abroad. I know I could have paid to have it unlocked but...

2. Sim-free handsets lack the 'bloatware' which network providers add such as network specific apps and trial games. Orange are notorious for this in particular. Also sim-free handsets that are not network branded receive system updates much faster. As a bit of a geek this was a huge pro for me, particularly with Android. For example, the sim-free Nexus One received the Android 2.2 update months ago while the Vodafone branded version is receiving the update this week.

I also went sim-free as my current phone broke (HTC Hero) and I needed a phone. I also resented getting a 24 Month contract and plan on putting PAYG sim in when my contract runs out.

Hope this helps!

devils_nose

Yeah, my Hero broke too!!

If, as jayme1 says, the carphone warehouse PAYG phone is likely to be a SIM-free model anyway, then all your points should apply to it too, no? Or am I misunderstanding?

Thanks

MjW5

devils_nose wrote: »

Yeah, my Hero broke too!!

If, as jayme1 says, the carphone warehouse PAYG phone is likely to be a SIM-free model anyway, then all your points should apply to it too, no? Or am I misunderstanding?

I actually really liked by HTC Hero but Orange really crippled it with bloatware and took ages to release Android 2.1!

Yes Carphone Warehouse do give out sim-free handsets. Problem is they won't normally sell newer handsets on anything other than contract as it's not worth their while. When I was trying to get a Desire HD I rang around multiple Carphone Warehouse and Phones4U stores and they flat out refused to sell me one sim-free or on PAYG. It was the phone I'd set my sights on so got it sim-free from another supplier.

If you can get it PAYG from Carphone Warehouse and the packaging is not networked branded then go for it!

deady

The lady in the O2 shop where I live said all of O2's phones are unlocked anyway (except iPhones, which you have to ask them to unlock).
However, you will have to buy £10 credit if you buy it on PAYG.

MjW5

deady wrote: »

The lady in the O2 shop where I live said all of O2's phones are unlocked anyway (except iPhones, which you have to ask them to unlock).
However, you will have to buy £10 credit if you buy it on PAYG.

She's (partially) telling fibs! Nearly all O2 PAYG handsets are network locked. However, it appears that most O2 contract phones are unlocked. Bizarre, but a way of preventing people buying network subsidised O2 handsets and moving to another network.