UK iPhone eligibilities?

[Mowgli21]

Hi

I keep seeing that in america the network offer an upgrade option and instead of it adding two years to your existing contract it just changes your contract to two years again.

I was wondering do O2 offer anything like this in the UK? Any upgrade options?

Thanks

 

[stridemat]

They haven't in the past. The only way is to buy yourself out of your existing contract (unless you want to be paying monthly bills for two phones).

 

[i-John]

How it works in the US, when you sign up for the phone you sign a 2 year contract. Depending on a number of factors, you get an upgrade eligible date. Basically, if they have their money back, they usually allow you to upgrade if you sign a fresh 2 year contract. Now, if you want to go to another carrier, you'll have to wait the full 2 years to move without penalty.

 

[Stiss]

o2 should do the same thing.

Why penalise us for being in the UK?

We already pay over the odds for the device anyway. Come on o2, be kind for once in your life and it's a nice way to apologise for the crappy service we have all received over the last few weeks/months. (3g service)

 

[Phatzer]

There's a reason why I resisted the 3GS.

 

[anthdci]

O2 arent half bad compared to ATT. o2 has let us unlock officially, ATT havent. O2 have had official tethering (all be it really expensive) since 3.0, ATT havent. O2s network hasnt had half the problems ATTs has.

Ive got until august 22nd for my contract to expire so as soon as a jailbreak for the next hardware is available ill be selling my 3GS using the money to pay off my contract and start fresh. It'll most likely be with O2 again.

 

[Phatzer]

...apologise for the crappy service we have all received over the last few weeks/months. (3g service)

O2s network hasnt had half the problems ATTs has.

Can't say I've had any major issues with O2 in the 7 or 8 years I've been with them.

 

[allmIne]

Can't say I've had any major issues with O2 in the 7 or 8 years I've been with them.

Me neither. Great network, imo.

 

[winstano]

o2 let people do this with the original iPhone > 3G upgrade, as the phones weren't subsidised. The 3GS was offered on subsidised contracts, as will the new one. If you don't want to be on contract, you should buy the PAYG phone and stick whatever sim card you want in it. Otherwise, you're stuck on your current contract until the phone's paid for. It's the same with every other phone out there.

 

[Stiss]

I know it's irrelevant but how do AT&T do it then?

Where they let people out of there contract to upgrade early as long as they sign up for another 18 months?

Surely they make more money by doing that?

 

[allmIne]

o2 let people do this with the original iPhone > 3G upgrade, as the phones weren't subsidised. The 3GS was offered on subsidised contracts, as will the new one. If you don't want to be on contract, you should buy the PAYG phone and stick whatever sim card you want in it. Otherwise, you're stuck on your current contract until the phone's paid for. It's the same with every other phone out there.

Exactly. I couldn't understand the attitude of those who signed contracts, then complained when O2 wouldn't let them break their contract. Legally, they weren't required to, and financially it would make absolutely no sense.

If they'd just stop and think for a second, they'd have seen their outrage for what it was - laughable.

 

[twisted-pixel]

a question I'm curious about (before I actually go ask o2)

previously, I was with O2 and wanted to change from one contract to another...and I coudln't!!...apparently you can't port your number to different contracts within the same provider...

so, I had to port to a PAYG on Orange, then port back to a new contract with O2. Since I don't have an iphone tariff (bought mine SIM free and just my my existing SIM in it), will I struggle to get an upgrade knowing that I have to change to an iphone contract, and wont be able to port my number?

 

[allmIne]

I know it's irrelevant but how do AT&T do it then?

Where they let people out of there contract to upgrade early as long as they sign up for another 18 months?

Surely they make more money by doing that?

They actually have to sign up for a further 24 months, which makes a fair difference to the sum total the user pays at the end of his 24 month term (versus 18 months).

 

[winstano]

I know it's irrelevant but how do AT&T do it then?

Where they let people out of there contract to upgrade early as long as they sign up for another 18 months?

Surely they make more money by doing that?

Pass.

They probably do make money, but the whole attitude of "AT&T do it, why won't O2" is a bit immature. Yes, I was fortunate enough that O2 offered the 3G if I just restarted my contract, but then I'd paid nigh on £300 for my first iPhone. I paid nothing for my 3G, so I saw out my contract. I skipped the 3GS, and so have been on the Simplicity tariff for 5 months. It's going to be the same discussions we all had last year with the 3GS, with the same answers...

 

[Stiss]

Hmm obviously the best way forward is to stick on a Simplicity Tariff. Buy the new model on PAYG and just sell your old model to offset the majority of the cost.

 

[Mkz]

My plan was to..

Buy the new iPhone on a pay and go one month sim. Cancel it after a month. Sell my current iPhone and use my SIM from my current iPhone 3GS in the new iPhone until my remaining 6 months are up and then start a new one month rolling contract.


Is that possible?

 

[daleski75]

If it's anything like last year there will be dozens of new threads created about how much they hate Network 'x' because they wont let you upgrade within your contract.

Like the poster said a couple of posts above much better to pay for the pay as you go one and stick in a sim only tariff and sell the older 3gs to pay for it.

I can also see 24 month contracts replacing 18 month ones completely and that is one very long time to be committed to one network!

 

[winstano]

Hmm obviously the best way forward is to stick on a Simplicity Tariff. Buy the new model on PAYG and just sell your old model to offset the majority of the cost.

That was my initial plan, but I have a feeling the largest capacity is gonna be touching £500, which I just can't afford, so a contract is (sadly) the best way forward

 

[Stiss]

So what sizes do you think they will release?

16, 32 + 64?

What prices do you reckon for each of those?

My guess:

16GB = £400
32GB = £450
64GB = £550

I would be more than happy with a 16GB as that's what I have now and still have 5GB of free space.

 

[winstano]

My plan was to..

Buy the new iPhone on a pay and go one month sim. Cancel it after a month. Sell my current iPhone and use my SIM from my current iPhone 3GS in the new iPhone until my remaining 6 months are up and then start a new one month rolling contract.


Is that possible?

You can do this without having to buy the 1 month sim. Just buy the phone on PAYG and stick your current 3GS sim in it (After cutting it to fit) and you're good to go. Then when your contract finishes, ring o2 and say "I'd like to be put on simplicity for iPhone" and they'll do it

 

[Mkz]

You can do this without having to buy the 1 month sim. Just buy the phone on PAYG and stick your current 3GS sim in it (After cutting it to fit) and you're good to go. Then when your contract finishes, ring o2 and say "I'd like to be put on simplicity for iPhone" and they'll do it

Awesome Now all I have to do is hope the new iPhone is under/around 500 pounds!

 

[Deano.uk]

I know it's irrelevant but how do AT&T do it then?

Where they let people out of there contract to upgrade early as long as they sign up for another 18 months?

Surely they make more money by doing that?

The US phone market differs greatly from the UK market,

EG - for a 2 year contract i pay
600min/unlim txt/unlim data - £35
iphone 3gs 16gb - £89
total - £35x24months+£89=£929
(i have a 30% discount but i wont include that in calculations)


In the states with ATT for the closest possible plan on 2 year term
900minutes - £41p/m ($59.99)
unlim txt - £13p/m ($20)
2gb data - £17p/m ($25)
TOTAL - £72p/m ($104.99)

iphone 3gs 16gb - £136.50 ($199)
activation fee - £24.70 ($36)
State Tax (zip 90210) - £40 ($58)
TOTAL - £201.30

£72*24months+£201=£1929

As you can see, over a 2 year contract, our american amigos pay approx £1000 more on a like for like contract.

Also for US phones, your inclusive plan minutes are to send and receive calls i believe, at least they were when i lived in NM a few years back. Also i think it costs/deducted from your plan to recieve txts, but ill let one of the US members confirm that. All recieved calls/txts in the uk are free.

Pass.
Yes, I was fortunate enough that O2 offered the 3G if I just restarted my contract, but then I'd paid nigh on £300 for my first iPhone.

With the original iphones, o2 didnt subsidise them, so they allowed you to upgrade the contract early, as they didnt have any handset costs to recoup as you paid them upfront.

 

[LaunchpadBS]

The O2UK upgrade site is down

 

[winstano]

With the original iphones, o2 didnt subsidise them, so they allowed you to upgrade the contract early, as they didnt have any handset costs to recoup as you paid them upfront.

*ahem*

o2 let people do this with the original iPhone > 3G upgrade, as the phones weren't subsidised. The 3GS was offered on subsidised contracts, as will the new one.

 

[Deano.uk]

*ahem*

curses!