O2 Offers Free iPhone 3G with Certain Plans

[MacRumors]

http://www.macrumors.com/images/macrumorsthreadlogo.gif (http://www.macrumors.com)

O2 announced (http://www.o2.co.uk/iphone/paymonthly) their plans for the iPhone 3G yesterday, revealing that the iPhone 3G will be fully subsidized (free) for certain rate plans:*Best of all, the new 8GB iPhone won't cost you a penny on our £45 and £75 tariffs. And it's just £99 on our £35 tariff and new £30 tariff.
All tariffs include unlimited browsing, free Wi-Fi, visual voicemail and require an 18 month contract. For existing iPhone owners who wish to upgrade, the 18 month contract replaces your current contract rather than adding onto it.

Article Link (http://www.macrumors.com/iphone/2008/06/10/o2-offers-free-iphone-3g-with-certain-plans/)

[BufferOverflow]

I got my iPhone on day one so feel I've had my £269 out of it, an upgrade to 3G, GPS and 16Gb for £159 seems a bargain to me (£35 tariff). Friend who got iPhone in February isn't impressed, but then again the new features aren't killer for her.

I think it's reasonable. Upgrade terms for existing O2 users seem harsh, there will be a lot of people unable to upgrade until the end of their current contract.

In the UK market that is already over saturated with subscribers O2 have made a very good business decision - I think there will be a lot of customers switching considering the new price point.

P.S £30 tariff? Why bother you get nothing for your money.

[Fuzzy14]

They also offer the iPhone on Pay & Go (i.e. pre-pay as you go) but they don't mention a price.

I've been a big skeptic of the iPhone and never really liked the endless threads in here about it, but it's becoming too compelling now....

[Mixalis]

The new O2 prices seem reasonable enough to me, particularly bearing in mind they include unlimited wifi on BT and The Cloud. As someone else here said, you get nothing much for the new £30 contract, but the £35 version gives a reasonable 600 minutes and 500 texts. But on both these you have to pay £99/£159 for the phone. However, unless you are definitely going to use the 1200 minutes of the £45 contract, costing £180 extra over the 18 months, it's cheaper to buy the phone and stick with the £35 contract.

I was also interested to see that the data roaming charge in Europe at £3 per MB is not excessive at the moment, and there are 20MB and 50MB bundles for roaming, which is something I haven't seen from other providers.

[captain kaos]

Firstly, thank the lord for an actual UK based thread!

Secondly as i mention in another one, i cant upgrade my phone till october, some im basically prying the 02 PAYG price isnt going to be to mental, then its old sim card in and im sorted!:):)

Any ideas/guesses on the price....start your bids!

[bigmc6000]

I wonder how long it is until someone complains about this. As someone who's in the US I'm totally jealous! My rate plan is going to run me $90+tax and I still have to pay the full price for my iPhone. My only hope is that they'll allow the corporate discounts again (+$10 for 3G - $10 for corporate discount).

I am glad to see that Apple's foreign customers aren't getting screwed by their carriers like we are here in states this time around (yeah, I know for the 1.0 all the non-US people got the short end of the stick but this more than makes up for it I think)

[un3creation]

i know is a bit off-topics..but since this is kind of UK-related thread...
just out of interest...
is there anyone who has the contract attempt to ask o2 to unlock their 1st gen iPhone ?

Just like other locked phone on the market....usually if u ask your operator to unlock after 3 months with a reason(of coz u can make up one...such as u need to use it in other country's carriers...etc...)....they would usually do it for u..

Notice that the questions above is only applied for those of you who has an O2 contract with 1gen iPhone....many thx^^..

[Mixalis]

The PAYG card from O2 is very interesting. I will be unusual because PAYG cards don't usually include data (unless I'm well out of touch). I have previously tried to buy PAYG SIMs in Germany and other countries (from Vodafone, T-Mobile, etc but NOT for iPhone) and have been unsuccessful. All I could get were voice/SMS cards. I look forward to finding out the rates for both data and voice.

The fact that PAYG is now allowed raises another interesting question. If I have a UK-registered iPhone, can I take it to an Apple retailer in another European country and buy a PAYG card? I cannot believe it is possible, but then PAYG is a sort of ad hoc arrangement anyway.

[jldreyer]

I'll be one to complain here. It's certainly not fair that they don't do this kind of thing here in the states. But I guess that's what you get for living here.:mad:

[Jowl]

I think the O2 deal is pretty good - and is better than the US and even the recent European tarrifs.

I'll certainly be switching and my other half will upgrade her current O2 deal to the iPhone.

But July 11th.....that so long to wait :D

[Jowl]

I'll be one to complain here. It's certainly not fair that they don't do this kind of thing here in the states. But I guess that's what you get for living here.:mad:

It's not normally as good as this. The normal 'tech$ exchange rate is 1:1 !!

As for PAYG phones, I presume they'll offer some sort of Data 'bolt-on' - maybe £10 a month ?

[ksolano]

whats the life time of this o2 exclusive contract with apple?
Will see a open iphone 3g on all networks anytime soon? if so i'll wait. But then again, my contract ends in october so i could pick up a iphone for free. any ideas?

[sananda]

As for PAYG phones, I presume they'll offer some sort of Data 'bolt-on' - maybe £10 a month ?

the pay and go data bolt on is £7.50. i wonder if they'll just let people use that. that bolt on doesn't allow email though so it's not really suitable at present.

[LukeHarrison]

It's not normally as good as this. The normal 'tech$ exchange rate is 1:1 !!

As for PAYG phones, I presume they'll offer some sort of Data 'bolt-on' - maybe £10 a month ?

They already offer a £7.50 a month O2Web bolt on. I use it now with my iPhone.

[Mixalis]

I wonder how long it is until someone complains about this. As someone who's in the US I'm totally jealous! My rate plan is going to run me $90+tax and I still have to pay the full price for my iPhone. My only hope is that they'll allow the corporate discounts again (+$10 for 3G - $10 for corporate discount).

I am glad to see that Apple's foreign customers aren't getting screwed by their carriers like we are here in states this time around (yeah, I know for the 1.0 all the non-US people got the short end of the stick but this more than makes up for it I think)

I cannot believe anything is cheaper here in Europe than in the States! Maybe you will have a pleasant surprise.

Today I was chatting with an assistant in the Apple Store in Regent Street and he said that the phone price (free/£99/£159, depending on contract) would be standard throughout Europe and, possibly, throughout the world. So I cannot see you having to pay full price for the phone. In some countries such as UK the discounted price is quoted. In other locations the price may be higher and the rebate will be on registration.

[jimexplore]

hmmmm, i'm wondering whether o2 will allow me to convert my current o2 N95 8GB £35 p/month contract into an iphone contract? I wouldn't mind paying the £159 for the 16gb if they'd allow it. any ideas?

[nick9191]

It's not normally as good as this. The normal 'tech$ exchange rate is 1:1 !!

Not for phones it isn't.

I've decided I'm going to forget my plans about getting an Apple TV and get this new iPhone, now that its at a great price, with great contracts in the UK. :)

[jmmo20]

The PAYG card from O2 is very interesting. I will be unusual because PAYG cards don't usually include data (unless I'm well out of touch). I have previously tried to buy PAYG SIMs in Germany and other countries (from Vodafone, T-Mobile, etc but NOT for iPhone) and have been unsuccessful. All I could get were voice/SMS cards. I look forward to finding out the rates for both data and voice.

The fact that PAYG is now allowed raises another interesting question. If I have a UK-registered iPhone, can I take it to an Apple retailer in another European country and buy a PAYG card? I cannot believe it is possible, but then PAYG is a sort of ad hoc arrangement anyway.


in 2001 there used to be a "virtual" or whatever operator called Genie that had unlimited WAP.. and cheap SMS or something like that, I don't really remember. WAP back then was pretty useless tho.

[Dan1990]

Firstly, thank the lord for an actual UK based thread!

Secondly as i mention in another one, i cant upgrade my phone till october, some im basically prying the 02 PAYG price isnt going to be to mental, then its old sim card in and im sorted!:):)

Any ideas/guesses on the price....start your bids!

I would check in at an O2 store, a friend of mine is getting on the iphone train and the guy in store told him of an offer by where they actually buy you out of your existing contract, not sure of the exact details but its worth checking it out.

Personally, i cant wait till 11/07, (thats 07/11 for the americans!) I'm on the £45 deal at the moment and think that £50 for an upgrade to the 16GB iPhone 3G'll be worth it - especially considering that ill have to make room for some new apps.

[Mixalis]

whats the life time of this o2 exclusive contract with apple?
This we'll see a open iphone 3g on all networks anytime soon? if so i'll wait. But then again, my contract ends in october so i could pick up a iphone for free. any ideas?

This is a very good question. In my (very humble) opinion, the idea of locking in to one company in one country was a marketing mistake and potentially disastrous in Europe. Apple have now partially rectified it by offering incentives for contracts, but they are presumably still locked into their contracts with O2, AT&T and so forth.

Similarly, with iPhone 1.0 they told us 3G wasn't necessary/drained the battery/you can always use wifi. It may not have been necessary in the US, but it is definitely necessary in Europe and the rest of the world. Why they couldn't have foreseen this is a great mystery to me. Meanwhile, we've all suffered...

[memesmith]

whats the life time of this o2 exclusive contract with apple?
This we'll see a open iphone 3g on all networks anytime soon? if so i'll wait. But then again, my contract ends in october so i could pick up a iphone for free. any ideas?

Five years. Don't wait.

Me though ... Hmm ...

I had decided prior to yesterday, not to upgrade. And yesterday didn't change my mind. I LOVE my iphone so much. I love its form factor, and the metal back. And the new one, just ain't as pretty. But a new one for just £99, hmmmm that's tempting.

[badgerman]

Checkout the O2 and Carphone Warehouse sites... you can preregister your interest and find out first (or with everyone that registers) how to get her on the day. I believe O2 will do it online and the stores, but just called up and they couldnt confirm until nearer the time... Have already booked the day off just in case. ;)

[notsofatjames]

I think its good they're allowing iPhone users to upgrade. I wonder if o2 will notice if I upgrade my plan to the 55 for one month then downgrade it to the 35 plan. Get a free iPhone out of it... If not I'll end up paying twice as much!

Edit:

Just reading through the t&cs it says that you can change between iPhone plans at any time, though you sacrafice your remaining months alowance by the look of things. I wonder if they'll change this for 3G. I would copy and paste the quotes of the conditions, but I'm on my iPhone... ;)

[garethpeate]

in 2001 there used to be a "virtual" or whatever operator called Genie that had unlimited WAP.. and cheap SMS or something like that, I don't really remember. WAP back then was pretty useless tho.

I remember Genie. Unlimited WAP, and unlimited SMS (fair use - about 2000/month, I think). They eventually became the online arm of O2 (which is why O2 stores are reluctant to help if you purchased your phone from their website).

Happy days..

[yogi477]

I think its good they're allowing iPhone users to upgrade. I wonder if o2 will notice if I upgrade my plan to the 55 for one month then downgrade it to the 35 plan. Get a free iPhone out of it... If not I'll end up paying twice as much!

Edit:

Just reading through the t&cs it says that you can change between iPhone plans at any time, though you sacrafice your remaining months alowance by the look of things. I wonder if they'll change this for 3G. I would copy and paste the quotes of the conditions, but I'm on my iPhone... ;)

I've done that before with other phones as they often have a sliding scale of prices for the different tariffs. I've never tried it the month after though, I think they would probably try to make you pay the extra in that case but if you waited 3 months or so you might be ok.

Might be worth asking what would happen if the plan "didn't wok out for you" and if you would be able to change without penalty.

[Willis]

I got my iPhone on day one so feel I've had my £269 out of it, an upgrade to 3G, GPS and 16Gb for £159 seems a bargain to me (£35 tariff). Friend who got iPhone in February isn't impressed, but then again the new features aren't killer for her.

I think it's reasonable. Upgrade terms for existing O2 users seem harsh, there will be a lot of people unable to upgrade until the end of their current contract.

You're friend has upto October to upgrade... depends if she likes the idea of it then or not.

I dont understand the second comment though. If you pay the new price, all you do is sign upto a new 18 month contract. How is that harsh? no Penalties of anything.

Then, sell of your first iPhone to family or friend. Win-Win

[LondonMacs]

It looks like you are able to trade in your iPhone 1g to get some money off the 3G iPhone :) It is shown on the Pay As You Go page on the O2 website that if you trade it in you get the value off the new one. I hope it applies to the contract paying customers... :confused:

[johnnyjibbs]

You're friend has upto October to upgrade... depends if she likes the idea of it then or not.

I dont understand the second comment though. If you pay the new price, all you do is sign upto a new 18 month contract. How is that harsh? no Penalties of anything.

Then, sell of your first iPhone to family or friend. Win-Win
Exisiting 2G iPhone users get to upgrade for the same price as new customers, despite being only halfway through their contracts.

On the other hand, non-iPhone O2 customers cannot break out of their contract if they have yet to pass out of the minimum term (usually 12-18 months). This is what the poster was talking about in his second comment.

I strongly suspect, however, that they would allow non-iPhone O2 customers to upgrade if they ask, even though this would violate the terms of the contract (you may have to return the original phone). Surely an iPhone customer is better for them than not as they are likely to be spending more a month.

I'm lucky - I'm an existing O2 customer on a pay-monthly contract but I hit my minimum 12 month contract a couple of months ago and therefore have bought my W850i phone (it was free at the time). That means I'm free to grab the iPhone 16GB 45/month the moment it gets released :D

[bigmc6000]

I cannot believe anything is cheaper here in Europe than in the States! Maybe you will have a pleasant surprise.

Today I was chatting with an assistant in the Apple Store in Regent Street and he said that the phone price (free/£99/£159, depending on contract) would be standard throughout Europe and, possibly, throughout the world. So I cannot see you having to pay full price for the phone. In some countries such as UK the discounted price is quoted. In other locations the price may be higher and the rebate will be on registration.

I think it would be fairly close comparing my phone plan to the 45 GBP plan (no, I still don't know where the GBP sign is). 450 mins (that a min), 3G access, and unlimited texts. After all the taxes that'll be over $100 a month (now that I think about that - D@MN - that's a lot of money!!)

The only difference is that O2 actually wants you to get the more expensive plan - AT&T doesn't give a crap because they know they are going to make an @ss load off of you no matter what plan you get so there's no reason for them to discount it anymore to get you on a more expensive plan.

Also, here in the states it's fairly common for people to change their plans in the middle of their service contracts so I'm not sure it really works out the same. We sign 2 years to be with the carrier - not 2 years to have the same plan.

So - all in all I'd say given the current exchange rate (1.95:1) it's a bit cheaper. Does that 45 include taxes? If so it's noticeably cheaper ($10-$15 a month + the initial cost of the phone).

[johnnyjibbs]

So - all in all I'd say given the current exchange rate (1.95:1) it's a bit cheaper. Does that 45 include taxes? If so it's noticeably cheaper ($10-$15 a month + the initial cost of the phone).
All the UK prices quoted are including taxes :cool:

[bushido]

u guys r lucky, we in germany still have no clue what the new plans r cuz crappy t-mobile cant come up as usual with anything good on time. I bet they wait for their june 30 offer of the old model to run out before they release the new plans. I hope there will be something less then 50 euro

[cdfpaul]

I've only had my iPhone a few months so £160 for just 3G is totally pointless - I'm sticking with my 2G. I had a 3G motorola before and coverage was patchy to say the least. Rather use wi-fi.

Apple and O2 seem to be publicising how great the new prices are but they leave the actual detail like £160 to replace your 16GB phone to the small print.

Even the call plan is rubbish. £35 for just 500 txt messages. Lots of contracts have unlimited these days or 1000 messsages. And O2 doesn't even let you carry over unused text messages or voice minutes from one month to the next.

Having said that I totally love my iphone and o2 coverage has been great and my number got ported from vodafone with no probs atall. :)

[wwe2008]

it dosent mention the 16 gb iPhone ok the o2 or cpw website. how much will it cost?

[badgerman]

And O2 doesn't even let you carry over unused text messages or voice minutes from one month to the next.

I didnt realise that having been alternating from Orange to Vodafone for the last 9 years.

A bit of a shame. :(

On another note, being a N95 user about to end contract for a 16gb, how long is the UK power cable? Is it just the USB to dock white cable you get with ipods? My plug is on the other side of the bed. Also anyone know how much extra the doc will be in UK?

[notsofatjames]

I've done that before with other phones as they often have a sliding scale of prices for the different tariffs. I've never tried it the month after though, I think they would probably try to make you pay the extra in that case but if you waited 3 months or so you might be ok.

Might be worth asking what would happen if the plan "didn't wok out for you" and if you would be able to change without penalty.

yeh i might give it ago.. if i upgrade from 35 to 45, and if they say i need to pay the £99 to downgrade, ill have to pay. Better to upgrade to 45 than 75 though... that could cost me a fortune if they refuse to downgrade.

[badgerman]

it dosent mention the 16 gb iPhone ok the o2 or cpw website. how much will it cost?

eh? off o2 site...;)

Monthly Charge £30 £35 £45 £75
Cost of 8GB iPhone £99 £99 Free Free
Cost of 16GB iPhone £159 £159 £59 Free
Minutes 75 600 1200 3000
Texts 125 500 500 500
Unlimited Data & Wi-Fi Yes Yes Yes Yes
Visual Voicemail Yes Yes Yes Yes
Reduced Roaming Rates Yes Yes Yes Yes
Minimum contract length 18 months 18 months 18 months 18 months

[notsofatjames]

it dosent mention the 16 gb iPhone ok the o2 or cpw website. how much will it cost?
EDIT, beaten too it!
£159 (£30pm, £35pm) , £59 (£45pm), or free (£75pm), depending on the tariff you choose. Its on the O2 iPhone Tariff page.

[m4rc]

it dosent mention the 16 gb iPhone ok the o2 or cpw website. how much will it cost?

Yes it does on the O2 site, have another look!


......On another note, being a N95 user about to end contract for a 16gb, how long is the UK power cable? Is it just the USB to dock white cable you get with ipods? My plug is on the other side of the bed. Also anyone know how much extra the doc will be in UK?

If its the same as the current model then its just a standard USB lead and the dock comes in the box. Lead isn't very long but you can buy an extender for not much.

[notsofatjames]

iPhone is coming soon for Pay & Go

Customers will soon be able to enjoy all the great features of iPhone without a monthly contract with the iPhone for Pay & Go.

Im kinda glad UK is getting all the best deals on iPhone at the moment... its good to see the americans looking at us and thinking I wish our prices were that low, its normally the other way round.

[wwe2008]

so if I already have an iPhone I can just go into a store pick up a 16gb 3g iPhone and put my existing sim card in and just acivate like that. just like when you get a replacement 1g iPhone?

[AndyClarke]

so if I already have an iPhone I can just go into a store pick up a 16gb 3g iPhone and put my existing sim card in and just acivate like that. just like when you get a replacement 1g iPhone?

Nope. You will need a new 3G sim card.

[Fujiko7]

I bought my 16gb iPhone from O2 in March this year for GBP320, on a 35 tariff. Obviously I guessed that a 3G was coming but at that time no-one knew when: some were saying June (they were right, obviously), others September, others "by Christmas". Fair enough - you take the risk. However, back in March no-one was saying it would be half the price. If I'd known that I would have waited. Now if I want a 3G version of the same 16gb phone on the same tariff I have to pay another 160. That doesn't seem fair and I am going to be taking this up with O2 and Apple.

[psychofreak]

Looks like I'll be leeching off my dad's business pricing, for a free iPhone (unless I upgrade to 16GB) and ~£5 extra/month :)

So we'll both have iPhones.

[MattZani]

the £30 contract seems good if you are a light user, you wants unlimited data (AKA Me) but for £90 more over 18 months, the £35 is pretty much a no brainer!

[Bobak]

P.S £30 tariff? Why bother you get nothing for your money.

It may be intended for people how plan on using the phone as an internet device more than anything else. but then again for 5 pounds more you can use it as a phone as well, it really should be 200-300 minutes not 75.

[shiunn]

my only qualms is that I have to sign a new 18-month contract. I'm already 6 months into my contract, and signing a new 18 month is a bit too... claustrophobic for me

[bigmc6000]

All the UK prices quoted are including taxes :cool:

So entertain me for a second with this one - is this a cultural thing? The taxes being included. For example if you head down to your local department store and buy a shirt is the listed price on the rack what you actually pay or do they add on the tax at the register like they do here in the states?

I'd say what annoys me the most about the tax after crap is that the "dollar menu" isn't a dollar (save for some states where drive-thru and to go don't pay tax, man I miss Ohio...) and that $599 iPhone ran me over $645 at the end price.

[MrT8064]

I bought my 16gb iPhone from O2 in March this year for GBP320, on a 35 tariff. Obviously I guessed that a 3G was coming but at that time no-one knew when: some were saying June (they were right, obviously), others September, others "by Christmas". Fair enough - you take the risk. However, back in March no-one was saying it would be half the price. If I'd known that I would have waited. Now if I want a 3G version of the same 16gb phone on the same tariff I have to pay another 160. That doesn't seem fair and I am going to be taking this up with O2 and Apple.

simply unlock it, and sell it on ebay... you might be lucky and make a profit.

[samab]

I think the O2 deal is pretty good - and is better than the US and even the recent European tarrifs.

I'll certainly be switching and my other half will upgrade her current O2 deal to the iPhone.

But July 11th.....that so long to wait :D

The UK 3G iphone plan is different with the US 3G iphone plan --- the US plan has unlimited mobile-to-mobile minutes, 5000 weeknights/weekend minutes and rollover of unused daytime minutes into future months.

[vlinkz]

So entertain me for a second with this one - is this a cultural thing? The taxes being included. For example if you head down to your local department store and buy a shirt is the listed price on the rack what you actually pay or do they add on the tax at the register like they do here in the states?

I'd say what annoys me the most about the tax after crap is that the "dollar menu" isn't a dollar (save for some states where drive-thru and to go don't pay tax, man I miss Ohio...) and that $599 iPhone ran me over $645 at the end price.

Unless you buy things from specific "Business" stores where you can get the tax back at the end of the tax year, everything includes VAT here. You'll sometimes see "NOW ONLY £99!!!" and the actual price with tax on it underneath, but in very small font.

Example: NOW £99! (£117 inc VAT)

[BiggieSized220]

Why do we have to be dicked around by phone companies here?

[Willis]

So entertain me for a second with this one - is this a cultural thing? The taxes being included.

Value Added Tax... (VAT) is 17.5% on all goods. Only difference is, the price shown is with tax.

Really, we get the same treatment as you do. Everyone has to pay tax one way or another. The only difference is that VAT is the same everywhere. I think I'm right in saying that different states have different rates of tax?

Still, electronics, fuel etc is all cheaper in America, so we're still being shafted. £35 a month is around $68.

[wwe2008]

anyone rekon a 6:02pm launch in uk same as last time?

[theGentleman]

Hi all, after 10 long years with Orange i have recently been shafted hard by them and planned to migrate to the new iPhone when it was announced. I went sim-only on Orange in readyness for this.

Question is.... what do i need to do now in order to be ready to move to iPhone on July 11th whilst keeping my number?

any help is much apprecaited.

ta

theGentleman™

[Mixalis]

Also, here in the states it's fairly common for people to change their plans in the middle of their service contracts so I'm not sure it really works out the same. We sign 2 years to be with the carrier - not 2 years to have the same plan.

So - all in all I'd say given the current exchange rate (1.95:1) it's a bit cheaper. Does that 45 include taxes? If so it's noticeably cheaper ($10-$15 a month + the initial cost of the phone).

I imagine it is possible to commit to, say, the basic £30 contract for 18 months and then upgrade to a higher plan for a time. You can never downgrade--ie if you take the £75 plan that's for the life of the contract. Occasionally with my Vodafone contract in Greece (not iPhone) I upgrade for a couple of months to get more minutes or data, then downgrade again. If I cancel the contract I'm responsible only for the original contracted price, not for any upgrades I've made.

One of the main reasons you cannot downgrade is that almost all retailers in the UK and several other countries subsidise heavily the purchase price of the phone. If you're not fussy about the handset you can always get a free phone for committing to a contract. These discounted phones are always locked to one carrier, although it's common to get a phone unlocked in any High Street for around £15. It's interesting to see that Apple have now had to jump on the bandwagon. Pity they didn't do their market research a year ago and a pity they don't plan to sell unlocked phones at full retail price.

Yes, all the prices quoted in Europe include Value Added Tax, but the rate varies from country to country (17.5% in UK, 19% in Greece, for instance). Only companies dealing specifically with the business community will quote pre-tax prices because, under VAT rules, businesses can recover the tax against the tax they pay on sales. Like many Europeans I get caught out shopping in the US. Although I know full well tax will be added at the till, I still get lulled into a false sense of cheapness as I fill the cart.

[Dagless]

The £45 plan is overkill for my needs so I guess I'll be spending an additional £150 for the 16gb iPhone. Good move in the right direction though, this is really going to shift iPhones come July!

[j_maddison]

Hi all, after 10 long years with Orange i have recently been shafted hard by them and planned to migrate to the new iPhone when it was announced. I went sim-only on Orange in readyness for this.

Question is.... what do i need to do now in order to be ready to move to iPhone on July 11th whilst keeping my number?

any help is much apprecaited.

ta

theGentleman™

You just need to phone Orange and ask them for your PAC code. They're obliged to give it to you. Once you have the code you'll have a certain amount of days to use it. If you don't use the code, nothing will happen to your Orange account, you can just keep on using your existing sim and handset.

It's best to give them a call towards the end of June as it usually takes a few days for your PAC code to come through.

Jay

[theGentleman]

Thanks Jay...

...and if i then give my PAC to 02 do they sort out the cancellation of my dealings with Orange, or do i still need to get back to Orange and give them the spanish elbow?....

ta muchly.

[badgerman]

Unless you buy things from specific "Business" stores where you can get the tax back at the end of the tax year, everything includes VAT here. You'll sometimes see "NOW ONLY £99!!!" and the actual price with tax on it underneath, but in very small font.

Example: NOW £99! (£117 inc VAT)

The is not common though, everything in UK shops and usually on the tinterweb is priced total including the mandatory 17.5% VAT (Value added tax). I think the only things that are VAT exempt are certain childrens clothes and nappies and of course anything bought from a business, hence all materials for manual work such as car parts, plumbing and building stuff is usually quoted without tax.

Also dont get us brits on to petrol/diesel (gas) tax its ridiculous, currently derv cost ~10$ a US gallon or ~£1.30/litre

[j_maddison]

Thanks Jay...

...and if i then give my PAC to 02 do they sort out the cancellation of my dealings with Orange, or do i still need to get back to Orange and give them the spanish elbow?....

ta muchly.

Lol the spanish elbow, good one.

No o2 will sort it out for you. They'll arrange for your number to transfer ovr on a given date, at which point your old sim (orange) will go dead. You'll then receive a bill from Orange for anything you owe, such as that months line rental, up to the point of the termination.

Jay

[OllyW]

I imagine it is possible to commit to, say, the basic £30 contract for 18 months and then upgrade to a higher plan for a time. You can never downgrade--ie if you take the £75 plan that's for the life of the contract.

That's not true.

On my T-Mobile contract, I can downgrade after the first 6 months of the contract.

[theGentleman]

thanks Jay! i'll be leaving Orange shortly then...

the future's bright, the future's Apple

=)

[badgerman]

Thanks Jay...

...and if i then give my PAC to 02 do they sort out the cancellation of my dealings with Orange, or do i still need to get back to Orange and give them the spanish elbow?....

ta muchly.

yep O2 will cancel it (althought if your on contract you have to give your current network 30 days notice and then they will rebate you with any unused line rental as that and port you number it usually takes a few days so my have to use iphone on a temp number until its done. Then your old Orange sim ill stop working and your new o2 one wil activate, rarely without any deadtime between, but they dont guarantee it.

Your PAC code is valid for 30 days so can get it today. The usually text it to you, but they can be asses and send it by post so best to get your PAC sooner rather than later so that

[sibruk]

So entertain me for a second with this one - is this a cultural thing? The taxes being included. For example if you head down to your local department store and buy a shirt is the listed price on the rack what you actually pay or do they add on the tax at the register like they do here in the states?

I'd say what annoys me the most about the tax after crap is that the "dollar menu" isn't a dollar (save for some states where drive-thru and to go don't pay tax, man I miss Ohio...) and that $599 iPhone ran me over $645 at the end price.

The taxes are always included in the UK for consumers, and it is the same in most countries (well certainly the ones I have visited anyway). I prefer it that way, personally. All I really want to know is "how much is this going to cost me". I don't want to have to calculate how much the government is raping me by at every transaction. Yes, it often feels like we're paying too much tax. A blanket 17.5% on most items is very high. Food, some clothing and books are exempt from tax, and there is a reduced rate tax on home energy (http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/Taxes/BeginnersGuideToTax/DG_4015895). But everyone has to pay it, so just tell me how much I've got to pay, alright?!

The exception is businesses, as has already been pointed out. B2B companies always price their items for sale "excluding VAT". But it is always made clear in the pricing. This is because most businesses are VAT registered. VAT registered companies claim their VAT back from the government and so, in effect, don't have to pay it - they are more interested in how much it's going to affect their actual bottom line after they have claimed back VAT.

I often spend several months at a time in the US so I have experienced living with "tax excluded" pricing on a daily basis. I don't like it! I personally find the "tax included" pricing in the UK much better. I'm all for showing how much the government has added in terms of taxes/duty/etc., but as a footnote please! The big price I want to see is how much I am going to have to hand over at the checkout.

P.S. I've just thought about something which is often not priced with taxes included in the UK - flights. It's very, very annoying. You often have to get to the point just before you're putting in your credit card number in the checkout process before you can get any meaningful figures to compare flight costs between carriers.

[badgerman]

That's not true.

On my T-Mobile contract, I can downgrade after the first 6 months of the contract.

I could downgrade after half of the contract has past with Voda and Orange.

If its the same for O2 then its worth getting a 16gb for £59 at £45, enjoying the extra mins for 9 months, then going down to £35. That way the 16gb cost essentially £149 (90+59), plus the £35pcm. The only potential spanner is if the £35 tarrif in 9 months is not as good as the current tarrif in terms of mins/txs, this has happened to me before with other networks as over time they are getting more expensive per min/text...

Anyone remember Orange Everyday 50 (50mins everyday for £13.50 pcm and a Nokia 3210, bargain)

[sibruk]

Really excited about the 3G iPhone. Me and my partner will both be upgrading our 1st Generation iPhones in a few weeks time.

EDGE seems to be patchy across the South of England, but O2's 3G always seemed to be omnipresent wherever I went with my old SE K800i.

Pluses:

Excellent news that BT Openzone hotspots will now be included in addition to The Cloud. I wonder if that will include hotspots in Ireland for UK customers as well.

Monthly package pricing doesn't change despite speed increases (it seems AT&T are being really unfair by charging extra to US customers for 3G).

GPS. I don't own a car, but it's still going to be really useful. I imagine this will be one of the biggest new selling points for most people with a car.


Negatives:

The camera is still 2MP. What?! There's still a part of me that is expecting a 5MP camera to be the little icing on the cake feature we discover on 11th July! 2MP is a joke in this day and age. And Sony Ericsson have been putting proper xenon flashes on their camera phones for years now. Sort it out, Apple! I can guarantee that everyone who sees a friend with an iPhone will say "but it's only got a 2MP camera" in a fit of jealousy. It's the one thing left on the specs that just seems like a complete oversight. Funny how Mr Jobs neglected to mention this as "one of the issues we've listened to and addressed".

Still seemingly no way to share out the 3G connection to a laptop via Bluetooth or even Ad-hoc WiFi. I really hope somebody creates an application to do this. But knowing Apple, they probably won't agree to list it in the App Store!

Still no decent roaming agreements. If I go to another iPhone Enabled Country™, I want to be able to use it there and not worry about data costs, or at least be able to swap out the SIM for a temporary one! It's not exactly the iPhone experience if you have to turn off data!


I don't really care about MMS. I know some people will be disappointed about that, but I have no interest in receiving messages containing "jokes" or with photos of people's appendages on display. Send it to me by email instead please!

I hope there's going to be a way to have both a corporate Exchange account (with the calendars, remote erase, etc.) but also to have personal email accounts and calendars on there as well which won't be affected by anything an IT department can do remotely.

There's a pretty good article about all the Pros and Cons on LifeHacker (http://lifehacker.com/395548/iphone-3g-and-mobileme-our-thoughts-and-yours), by the way.

[badgerman]

P.S. I've just thought about something which is often not priced with taxes included in the UK - flights. It's very, very annoying. You often have to get to the point just before you're putting in your credit card number in the checkout process before you can get any meaningful figures to compare flight costs between carriers.

This is true and v annoying esp as now budget flights also add on any luggage, food on top and the original 50 quid flight has doubled!

[m4rc]

I imagine it is possible to commit to, say, the basic £30 contract for 18 months and then upgrade to a higher plan for a time. You can never downgrade--ie if you take the £75 plan that's for the life of the contract......


Thats not correct, O2 let you downgrade after 9 months on ANY tariff - 12, 18 or 24 months - and you can downgrade one level at a time once per month, so you could in theory go up to the £45 a month tariff to get the iPhone for free, then after 9 months you can go to £35 tariff, in month 10 to the £30 tariff.

[CBlakeston]

"Best of all, the new 8GB iPhone won't cost you a penny on our £45 and £75 Pay Monthly tariffs for iPhone. And it's just £99 on our £35 tariff and new £30 tariff. This special early upgrade offer is only available online at o2.co.uk anytime from 11th July until 11th October 2008."

Does the wording of the info on the 02 website worry anyone else? I was assuming I would line up on July 11th like everyone else to upgrade my iPhone but unless i'm reading this wrong its saying existing iPhone users can only upgrade online through the website? While admittedly it's not that big a deal, it's gonna annoy the hell me and presumingly other early adopters if we can't get one on launch day :/ It would suck if we had to wait for one to arrive in the post :(

[bigmc6000]

Value Added Tax... (VAT) is 17.5% on all goods. Only difference is, the price shown is with tax.

Really, we get the same treatment as you do. Everyone has to pay tax one way or another. The only difference is that VAT is the same everywhere. I think I'm right in saying that different states have different rates of tax?

Still, electronics, fuel etc is all cheaper in America, so we're still being shafted. £35 a month is around $68.

$68 a month would be cheap as h#ll for me. that was how much it cost me when I had a Z525a w/ unlimited texts & no data. My 1st gen iPhone runs me over 90 a month (after taxes) for 450 mins, unlimited text and unlimited data. From what I've seen the plans you guys (O2) aren't quite as customizable as they are over here. Example I could get the unlimited voice plan and not get any texts if I don't want them.

As for fuel, your US counterpart uses a lot more so the actual cost for your commute is actually a little less (UK: "According to the report, the average distance travelled by UK workers is 8.5 miles - 17% further than a decade ago."; US: "They report an average one-way commute time of 26 minutes (over an average distance of 16 miles)"
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3085647.stm
http://abcnews.go.com/technology/traffic/story?id=485098

I really would rather the dollar menu be the $1.10 menu tho so I know how much things are going to cost before I go to the register. I'd be far more likely to pay cash if I knew that my 4.99 lunch would actually only cost 4.99...

[badgerman]

"Best of all, the new 8GB iPhone won't cost you a penny on our £45 and £75 Pay Monthly tariffs for iPhone. And it's just £99 on our £35 tariff and new £30 tariff. This special early upgrade offer is only available online at o2.co.uk anytime from 11th July until 11th October 2008."

Does the wording of the info on the 02 website worry anyone else? I was assuming I would line up on July 11th like everyone else to upgrade my iPhone but unless i'm reading this wrong its saying existing iPhone users can only upgrade online through the website? While admittedly it's not that big a deal, it's gonna annoy the hell me and presumingly other early adopters if we can't get one on launch day :/ It would suck if we had to wait for one to arrive in the post :(


I thought we would have to go to the O2 or CPW to activate them to stop non activation and unlocking?

[badgerman]

Thats not correct, O2 let you downgrade after 9 months on ANY tariff - 12, 18 or 24 months - and you can downgrade one level at a time once per month, so you could in theory go up to the £45 a month tariff to get the iPhone for free, then after 9 months you can go to £35 tariff, in month 10 to the £30 tariff.

Therefore by my calculation its cheaper (£10, plus additional mins/txts) to get the £45pcm and dropping to £35 after 9 months and £59 16gb than go straight onto £35 and paying £159 for the 16gb?

Am I missing something?

[iDrinkKoolAid]

i'm interested in the PAYG plan. i wonder how much it will cost? or should i go with the £30/month tariff? i'm not a heavy cell phone user. if some of you can chime in, i would appreciate it.

as an american living in the uk, i'm glad that the 3g iphone costs roughly the same as it does back in the states!

[quadgirl]

I've just had the text from O2 offering me to register for the 'upgrade'. So it looks like an online deal only, and if O2 can get them out on time then delivery will be fine. However, 11th July is a Friday, so I guess existing iPhone customers won't get one before 14th or 15th.

One question remains. What happens with your existing iPhone? I guess PAYG, or even better, a Sim only contract (monthly Simplicity). What do you guys think?

[OllyW]

I've just had the text from O2 offering me to register for the 'upgrade'. So it looks like an online deal only, and if O2 can get them out on time then delivery will be fine. However, 11th July is a Friday, so I guess existing iPhone customers won't get one before 14th or 15th.

One question remains. What happens with your existing iPhone? I guess PAYG, or even better, a Sim only contract (monthly Simplicity). What do you guys think?

O2 have said they will supply a PAYG SIM (http://www.o2.co.uk/iphone/existingiphonecustomers) for the old iPhones if you need one.

[grapefruitx]

Seeing how the USP for the iphone is the user experiance, or put another way, the neat way how all this stuff all works together, and that is the one thing you can't try out in the shop when buying a phone,
Therefore it is;

a. Looks,
b. Price,
c. feature set,
People are left with to make an informed choice when purchasing a phone

the iphone v1 is so so on a and c, but nowhere near on b.

iphone v2, has tweaked c up to where it needs to be, a has gone back a noggin, But the big news is b, The new tariffs.

That Apple thought they could win sales without competing on cost was a touch arrogant, and in the meantime competitors have had time to learn from the Masters when it comes to ease of use. In Europe I don't think they will recover the opportunity they missed at launch.

OK I will buy one now, but I am a loyal Customer ( i find the term Fanboy soo pejorative)

I use a RIM BB for work and the company has a fair amount of software invested in it, nevertheless for enterprise the iphone device makes a more compelling case, but if Apple think they can do it without

[I]a. competing on price
b. Offering a pan European deal for talk, text and email (sub 3G)
They will have a hard time

In fact that is another reason to de-couple from the network, just provide the device and the software and let someone else work out the service, not usually part of Apples philosophy as they want to define the whole user experience, I think tailoring cross border networking deals depending on corporate requirements is well beyond them. Probably looking at the world through USA tinted goggles still.

[akidd]

Anyone remember Orange Everyday 50 (50mins everyday for £13.50 pcm and a Nokia 3210, bargain)

Remember it – I'm still on it. Do you remember when it was Everday20 - when it first began?
I rang up the other day to give a change of address and was offered a 10% discount and a free new handset (will be on eBay soon or sold locally I think). Was/still is perfect if you don't really need a daytime mobile. Isn't that what work ones are for.
Had to agree to new 12 month contract, but wasn't planning on changing anyway, so 10% off. Yes, I should have rang up about a year before and got a discount, but not complaining. (By the way, I have been paying the same price since day one back back when, so allowing for inflation it's probably less than half price).

Still thinking about an iPhone though!

Another two weeks and there should be enough expenses to reclaim for the full-line iMac as well!

[Gav]

What I'm interested in is whether you'll be able to use a sim-only 02 Contract in the PAYG 02 iPhone. I think it'd be quite tricky for the iPhone to tell the difference between a PAYG 02 Sim and a Pay Monthly 02 Sim.

Thoughts?

[Dingo Dave 69]

I am an existing iphone o2 customer on the £35 tariff. Am I right in saying I can upgrade to the £45 a month tariff, pay £59 and get the 16GB 3G iPhone then after 9 months downgrade again? Doing it this way would save me £10 and also give me double the minutes for 9 months.

[LukeHarrison]

in 2001 there used to be a "virtual" or whatever operator called Genie that had unlimited WAP.. and cheap SMS or something like that, I don't really remember. WAP back then was pretty useless tho.

Ah, Genie, brings back memories! Of course, the term is still in use in the UK, even if the network isn't. The popular O2-UK PAYG SIMs that give free texts for topping up £10 a month are still referred to by most people as 'Genie cards', even though Genie was absorbed into O2 in about 2002.

I'm using one in my iPhone! :) With the £7.50 a month data bolt-on.

[cdfpaul]

Thanks Jay...

...and if i then give my PAC to 02 do they sort out the cancellation of my dealings with Orange, or do i still need to get back to Orange and give them the spanish elbow?....

ta muchly.

Hi - I was with Vodafone on contract for over 10 years - and went to O2 for the iphone. I got a PAC code from Vodafone, then when I bought my iPhone from O2 shop and plugged it into mac the itunes guides you through everything, you enter your PAC code there and then O2 sends you a text when it is transfered. Takes about 7-10 working days. You can have a temp number as well if you want to use iPhone straight away. It's all really easy with itunes and I had no problems whatsoever.

Shame about the £150 for a 3G version though.

[The Phazer]

Therefore by my calculation its cheaper (£10, plus additional mins/txts) to get the £45pcm and dropping to £35 after 9 months and £59 16gb than go straight onto £35 and paying £159 for the 16gb?

Am I missing something?

Nope, that's correct, and in one of the other threads someone has had email confirmation that this will be possible on the iPhone tariffs.

I figure O2 are taking the risk that you'll forget to reduce your tariff down after the nine months.

Phazer

[johnnyjibbs]

Nope, that's correct, and in one of the other threads someone has had email confirmation that this will be possible on the iPhone tariffs.

I figure O2 are taking the risk that you'll forget to reduce your tariff down after the nine months.

Phazer
I was always thinking the £100 extra subsidy on the 45/month was worth the extra cost. Now there's no way I'm going for the 35/month deal!!! Swap to 35 after 9 months and then you only pay £90 for that 100 extra - and in 9 interest-free installments! :p:)

[captain kaos]

Nope. You will need a new 3G sim card.

But, im sure o2's sim cards have been "3g" for a while. I remember about 1-2 years ago i had a new sim card sent out to me as o2 were rolling out new 3g sim cards....so in theory you can put in your old sim card into the v2 iPhone. Unless of course they've got them tied to the iphone somehow.

This is what im hoping so then i can get a PAYG iphone and put in my old, 3g sim card. If not im stuffed!

[The Phazer]

I was always thinking the £100 extra subsidy on the 45/month was worth the extra cost. Now there's no way I'm going for the 35/month deal!!! Swap to 35 after 9 months and then you only pay £90 for that 100 extra - and in 9 interest-free installments! :p:)

Yeah. And you never know, but you might even use the minutes occassionally.

Phazer

[notsofatjames]

I imagine it is possible to commit to, say, the basic £30 contract for 18 months and then upgrade to a higher plan for a time. You can never downgrade--ie if you take the £75 plan that's for the life of the contract. Occasionally with my Vodafone contract in Greece (not iPhone) I upgrade for a couple of months to get more minutes or data, then downgrade again. If I cancel the contract I'm responsible only for the original contracted price, not for any upgrades I've made.


Not true, with most phone contracts you can downgrade half way through, but with the special iPhone contracts, you can downgrade at any time, as long as your changing to one of the iPhone contracts.
http://www.o2.co.uk/termsconditions/iphone
GENERAL
Connection to an iPhone tariff is subject to status, credit-check, payment by direct debit and an 18 month minimum term O2 contract. You can change to another iPhone tariff a maximum of once per month. Please visit o2.co.uk/iPhone for details of how to do this. You are not able to connect or change to a general O2 Pay Monthly tariff if you have an iPhone.
and
5.15 You may move to another iPhone tariff at any time, provided that you may only change tariffs a maximum of once per month. Changing tariffs will not affect your Minimum Period. You will not be able to move to a general O2 Pay Monthly tariff. Where you have notified us you wish to move to an alternative iPhone tariff, unless we advise otherwise, your new tariff will commence at the start of your next billing cycle.


This is for the current iPhone, wether this changes for the new 3G iPhone, we'll have to wait and see.

[badgerman]

This is for the current iPhone, wether this changes for the new 3G iPhone, we'll have to wait and see.

True will have to wait till 7am on 11.7.08 to be sure...

[monkeydust]

What I'm interested in is whether you'll be able to use a Sim-Only 02 Contract in the PAYG 02 iPhone. I think it'd be quite tricky for the iPhone to tell the difference between a PAYG 02 Sim and a Pay Monthly 02 Sim.

Thoughts?

yea you could but why pay for the phone and then still have the same tarrifs but for £5 less a month. might aswell just get the propper contract and no bother with adding the data bolt on and things like that.


one thing im confused about tho is on the normal tarrifs 600mins+ you get a free bolt on say unlimited txts but there is no mention of that on the iphone pages.

[neiltc13]

I've decided what I'm going to do. Definitely not a heavy phone user so I'd really like to be paying the least amount possible. I'm going to buy the 16GB black iPhone and switch to the £30 per month deal, as stingy as the allowances are. I might in one or two months go over the text limit of 125 but I won't ever send enough of them to come close to spending the extra £5 it would take to warrant me being on the higher tariff.

[monkeydust]

sounds good .

im going for a 16GB white or black havent decided that bit yet.
on the £45 a month tarrif. and ill probally go over the minuites and texts.

[notsofatjames]

True will have to wait till 7am on 11.7.08 to be sure...

Im not sure on the full details on things like this, but dont they have to give you 30 days notice before changing any terms and conditions on any contract? Or give the consumer 30 days to leave the contract and not agree to the new terms? It would be a bit harsh just to say "We've changed that contract you've signed, you have no choice in the matter."

[CBlakeston]

I haven't seen this anywhere else but the iPhone goes on sale at 07.11am. Gettit? 07.11 on 07/11 its about as clever as 6.O2pm last year i guess :)

http://customerforum.o2.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=1864

[sunfast]

16GB, Black @ £45pm

I reckon I'll use most of the allowances but will keep an eye and drop to £35pm if needs be.

[Hos]

is it a fair assumption that you will have to unlock your phone instore....how will they make sure you are going to be on the corresponding contract to the price you pay for the iphone??

i would imagine this will seriously hamper the unlocking of iphones...obviously there is still the payg iphones but i would expect these to be the same prices as the original iphones.

[andrewvisser]

Not true, with most phone contracts you can downgrade half way through, but with the special iPhone contracts, you can downgrade at any time, as long as your changing to one of the iPhone contracts.
http://www.o2.co.uk/termsconditions/iphone

and


This is for the current iPhone, wether this changes for the new 3G iPhone, we'll have to wait and see.

So we might be in a position to upgrade to the £75 tariff for one month, get a free 16GB iphone, then downgrade back to the lower tariffs the next month (I'm currently on the £35 tariff) - saving a fair amount of money? Providing terms don't change of course. Or am I missing something?

[ayzee]

So we might be in a position to upgrade to the £75 tariff for one month, get a free 16GB iphone, then downgrade back to the lower tariffs the next month (I'm currently on the £35 tariff) - saving a fair amount of money? Providing terms don't change of course. Or am I missing something?

Ive spoken to an O2 sales advisor about this. You can upgrade to a higher tariff at anytime, but you have to wait 9 months before you an downgrade to a lower tariff. He said it shouldnt be any different for the iPhone 3G, but id advise to check before you upgrade.

Ill be going for the 16GB white £45 a month tariff. I had a look at the PAYG price and worked out that over 18months its not too different from having a contract.


Contract £45 p/m
iPhone 16GB cost £59
9 months @ £45 + 9 months @ £35 = £720
TOTAL COST £779

Pay and Go
iPhone 16GB cost £359.99
6 months free wifi + 12 months @ £10 = £120
18 PAYG top ups @ £10 each = 180
TOTAL COST £659.99

DIFFERENCE £60.01

Now considering you wont be as free to text and call away on your PAYG, and some months you may spend more than £10, the contract seems quite good value for money, just as long as you downgrade after 9 months
Also If you downgraded to the £30 p/m then you would save a further £45, making the difference £15.01

[andrewvisser]

Ive spoken to an O2 sales advisor about this. You can upgrade to a higher tariff at anytime, but you have to wait 9 months before you an downgrade to a lower tariff. He said it shouldnt be any different for the iPhone 3G, but id advise to check before you upgrade.

Isn't this an odd thing for him to say that considering the following is expressed in writing in the terms and conditions...?

From 02 website...
"5.15 You may move to another iPhone tariff at any time, provided that you may only change tariffs a maximum of once per month. Changing tariffs will not affect your Minimum Period. You will not be able to move to a general O2 Pay Monthly tariff. Where you have notified us you wish to move to an alternative iPhone tariff, unless we advise otherwise, your new tariff will commence at the start of your next billing cycle."

Does anyone have details of the '9 month' restriction? Something in writing from 02 which states that once you move 'up' a tariff, you cannot move back 'down' until 9 months have passed?

Also, I seem to remember asking this question to the sales person when I bought my Generation One iPhone and I was under the impression that I could basically swap, month by month.

Unless this is expressly stated in writing as incorrect somewhere within the contract terms then surely the information as stated in their own terms and conditions (5.15) are correct?

EDIT: O2 iPhone FAQ's
"Can I change my tariff after I've activated?
Yes, you can change to any of the other O2 tariffs for iPhone up to once per month."

[russtic]

Gen 1 iPhone was effectively unsubsidised so it was not a problem for o2 to offer to change your contract at any point.

Gen 2 iphone has a varied subsidy depending on contract so it is likely that they will change the terms and conditions prior to 11/7. If they don't then I for one will get the 16GB phone for free and immediately downgrade.

As o2 have a specific contract for the iphone the 9 month downgrade does not apply to it.

Matt

[andrewvisser]

I agree Matt...

What you say makes total sense. I suspect they will change the terms.

We can but live in hope.

[notsofatjames]

So we might be in a position to upgrade to the £75 tariff for one month, get a free 16GB iphone, then downgrade back to the lower tariffs the next month (I'm currently on the £35 tariff) - saving a fair amount of money? Providing terms don't change of course. Or am I missing something?

As long as we read the T+Cs before we sign, we should be able to get a free phone and then downgrade tariff. Can't wait, 2 weeks to go.

[rebecca77]

I signed up as an existing iphone customer who wants a first crack upgrade on the 02 web site on the day of the announcement of the 3G -- via the 02 iphone sub-site. Yesterday I got a text from 02 telling me that it will be first come first serve from 11 July at 8 AM and that I should look at the 02 iphone sub-site for details. This is the same 02 sub-site that I signed up on in the first place (leading me to receive that text), nothing new.

What is the subtext here? Are they not doing anything to facilitate existing iphone customer upgrades? Do I need to show up somewhere at 8 AM on the day to make sure it happens... why did they send this text out letting me know about the 8 AM thing.

The way they actively pursue sending me around in circles by implying that there's some kind of new information or something to do is really irritating. I feel like I'm on a hamster wheel.

[memesmith]

My text from O2 yesterday was different. It did not direct me back to the website. it Said "Apple iPhone 3G lands 11/07. we will text you shortly with order details. As demand is very high, orders will be on a first come, first served basis."

[jumpthegap]

i still havnt recieved a text message after registering anyone else in the same boat

[ricardo.hudson]

Just a heads up folks, on my lunch break today i went to the O2 shop in Sutton, London, they have posters up advertising the availability of the iPhone on 11th July at 8:02AM the morning launch is indeed confirmed.. interestingly, they had bordered up their iPhone display today with a large poster of the iPhone completely covering the table that used to have the old iPhone docks (sans iPhones for a while now) so you cant see the tables at all, its like a 3d box over the display with a huge 3g iPhone on the front

[captain kaos]

My text from O2 yesterday was different. It did not direct me back to the website. it Said "Apple iPhone 3G lands 11/07. we will text you shortly with order details. As demand is very high, orders will be on a first come, first served basis."

Same for me. I also chatted with o2 today about signing my friends old 1st gen over to me and i asked what i need to do for my o2 contract SIM. She asked why i wasnt wanting to upgrade, to which i said i've already been told i cant til october. Then she said, off record that they would for go that rule and i could upgrade but they still had no details and to call back on the 11th or 12th!

Basically i dont think anyone in o2 knows what is going on!

[andrewvisser]

Has any one managed to upgrade to 3G iPhone using the O2 website?

Apparently there has been a lot of problems, but I was wondering if someone has managed to succeed and if so, can they tell us anything about being able to swap tariffs on the new contract?

Can we still swap month by month? Is there any exclusion?

Basically - can we upgrade for one month, get a free iPhone 3G and then downgrade the next month to a cheaper tariff?

It's wishful thinking I know, but I thought I'd ask.

Thanks