mobile phone contract/upgrade advice

urbanlegend11

I need some advice on mine and my wifes mobile which are both due this month to finish. We have both always upgraded our phones when the contracts have finished but this time were looking to go sim only as they do not seem to give any price incentives to stay as we have had in the past.
My contract is with talkmobile(through mobiles.co.uk) with a Galaxy S2 on a 12 month contract. I am holding out for the Galaxy Note 2 which is due out September supposedly.
My wifes is direct with 3 with a iPhone 4 on a 24month contract. She is interested in the Galaxy S3 but is willing to wait a few months for the price to drop or look at the iPhone 5 if its not ridiculasly expensive.
We were looking to go sim only on rolling month which looks to be the best option while we wait. I was going to cancel my contract and go on a £10 rolling month Giff Gaff or stay with talk mobile on a £12 month rolling contract. Im unsure about pac codes as I've never dealt with it before. If i ask for pac code and say go to giff gaff sim when i do look into a new phone contract do i need another pace code from gift gaff or does the pac code stay the same? Im also presuming that because i bought from mobiles.co.uk the phone will be unlocked?
My wife had a call from 3 and they offered her the same contract as new customers with an S3 but with a 2 year warranty (thought samsung did 2 year warranty anyway) and a magic box which he said was worth £150 but can't find any details on it when i search. Is my wife best to go on a 3 sim only monthly contract while she waits for a good s3 deal or is it easy to unlock her phone and go the gift gaff route as i haven't a clue how to go about unlocking it.
Sorry for the essay but both these contracts have come to an end at the same time and my head is spinning with all the options available !Im wondering if anyone has any better options?

urbanlegend11

Ill take a look at that thanks

latecomer

PAC codes are unique for each switch.

Cant help on the unlocking the phones from 3 but have a quick search on here/google

smartphone

If you're staying on the same network, you won't need a PAC code. You'll only need a PAC code for when you actually move. For example, if you're waiting for a certain handset to be released or come down in price, then you can just stay on your existing contract until that time, then ask for the PAC code which is giving your current provider 30 days notice. Personally, if you're going to SIM only, I'd go for the shorter time period like rolling 30 days, it gives you more flexibility (although granted the deal won't be quite as competitive).

buscape

urbanlegend11 wrote: »

Im also presuming that because i bought from mobiles.co.uk the phone will be unlocked?

Yes it will be.

My wife had a call from 3 and they offered her the same contract as new customers with an S3 but with a 2 year warranty (thought samsung did 2 year warranty anyway) and a magic box which he said was worth £150 but can't find any details on it when i search.

This is likely to be Home Signal box so you have coverage inside the house. Only necessary if you have problems with the signal inside the house.

Is my wife best to go on a 3 sim only monthly contract while she waits for a good s3 deal or is it easy to unlock her phone and go the gift gaff route as i haven't a clue how to go about unlocking it. Sorry for the essay but both these contracts have come to an end at the same time and my head is spinning with all the options available !Im wondering if anyone has any better options?

The sim only/giffgaff route makes sense as it's likely to be cheaper. Find out how much minutes texts and data she's using and go with whichever network fits that need for the least money.