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UK O2 contracts.

T

tyranical

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jun 12, 2009
157
0
Due to the fact that O2 contracts are rubbish and you can no longer get unlimited texts which i NEED i have been forced to come up with an alternative.

Option 1.

Pay & Go Iphone 3GS 16gb = £440.40
Simplicity simcard @ £19.58 per month on the 12 month contract gives you 800 minutes + 1600 txts if ordered online. You also get a free bolt on with the simcard, choose Unlimited web bolt on which DOES cover 3G internet despite what some people on here have been saying.

Over 12 months this would amount to:

19.58 x 12 + £440.40 = £675.36

Advantages:

- On this tariff your getting, unlimited internet access, 800 minutes/1600 txts per month.
- You miss out on wifi, however a Pay & Go Iphone comes with 12 months free wifi access. Even with the Simplicity sim in, when you try to connect to a wifi hotspot etc it asks for your mobile number, put in the number of the PAYG sim (even though its not in the phone) and it works, you get free wifi too!
- Works out cheaper overall.
- Your not tied into an 18 month contract, meaning that in 12 months time if Apple release another new iphone, you can get it immediately.
- You could sell the iphone when the new one comes out for what, £200-300? So it could work out effectively costing you about £300 for a years use of an iphone.

Disadvantages:

-Is a bit more hassle.
- You don't get visual voicemail or internet tethering.


Is all of this correct? Are there any other things i'd be missing out on by doing this, someone told me that i wouldn't get 3G internet only GPRS/EDGE? Can anyone out there think of any problems i may encounter/cause by doing this or will it pretty much function as any other iphone out there.
 
I don't know if it's still the case, but at one time PAYG phones on O2 were not getting HSDPA speeds, i.e. the 3G speed was limited to 384K
 
Phil A. said:
I don't know if it's still the case, but at one time PAYG phones on O2 were not getting HSDPA speeds, i.e. the 3G speed was limited to 384K
Click to expand...

This cant be the case if people after 12months are paying £10 p/m for their data on PAYG!! That would just be scandalous behavior from O2 :eek:
 
Phil A. said:
I don't know if it's still the case, but at one time PAYG phones on O2 were not getting HSDPA speeds, i.e. the 3G speed was limited to 384K
Click to expand...

It's still the case. At least with my account. They say it is a problem they are working on.

ayzee said:
This cant be the case if people after 12months are paying £10 p/m for their data on PAYG!! That would just be scandalous behavior from O2 :eek:
Click to expand...

Scandalous indeed!
 
ayzee said:
This cant be the case if people after 12months are paying £10 p/m for their data on PAYG!! That would just be scandalous behavior from O2 :eek:
Click to expand...

I don't think their 3G network is as mature (i.e. good) as some other providers so they try and protect it by doing this sort of thing
 
So my idea is pretty useless then since i will be stuck with stupidly slow internet?
 
Is that with using the last 6 months of iPhone 3G contract, then going onto Simplicity? Might we not see Simplicity price changes, say 5 months down the line?
 
Phil A said it was PAYG phones that had the issue not the sim, so your saying a simplicity sim would get full speed?

I would just go in and ask in the O2 store but i just know that because this isn't an official O2 way of doing it they'll just feed me a load of rubbish and try and talk me into an iphone contract instead.
 
So this idea is looking like its good to go then? I'd get full internet, 1600 txts and 800 mins for £20 a month, and would have a fully functioning iphone apart from lack of visual voicemail/internet tethering, neither of which i want? Apart from those 2 things it would function and cost to run the same as any other contract iphone?
 
Well I don't know for sure, but I've heard of plenty of people on Macrumors using Simplicity on iPhones.
 
sananda said:
Well I don't know for sure, but I've heard of plenty of people on Macrumors using Simplicity on iPhones.
Click to expand...

I'll wait it out then, perhaps 1 of them will look in this thread and give me some much needed first hand experience on this.

Cheers for the help so far by the way guys.

Just as a point guys, does that WIFI trick with the PAYG phone actually work? someone told me that if you have your simplicity sim in without free wifi that when you try to connect to a wifi hotspot it will ask for your mobile number, if you put in the number of the PAYG sim (which comes with 12 months free wifi) you get free wifi?
 
well i had a simplicity sim on my 2G iPhone and that worked, and alot of people have simplicity on the iPhone 3G and it works.

Regarding the free wifi, the wifi doesnt work on the phone number itself, it also registers the mac address of the iPhone. But there is a way around it all you have to do is, go to a BT zone or cloud zone, with the PAYG simcard in the iPhone connect to safari, and it will ask you to put in your phone number, put in the payg phone number and once its all working, you can take that sim out then as the next time you try and connect in the free wifi area, it looks for the mac address of the iPhone only then and not the phone number. Dont quote me on it but i am sure i have read this all over macrumours
 
You also do not go call merging features.

I have also done the exact same thing as you - I get full speed 3G.
 
tyranical said:
Simplicity simcard @ £19.58 per month on the 12 month contract gives you 800 minutes + 1600 txts if ordered online. You also get a free bolt on with the simcard, choose Unlimited web bolt on which DOES cover 3G internet despite what some people on here have been saying.
Click to expand...

Isn't it 600 minutes per month (unless you commit to 12 months)?

http://shop.o2.co.uk/sim-only-simplicity

Still excellent value for money.

EDIT: It's getting late and I should learn to read more carefully before posting. You mentioned a 12 month contract! :eek:
 
Yeh its more if you commit to 12 months :) i have no problem commiting to 12 months as thats approximately the life cycle of an iphone model, i just didn't wanna be tied into a contract for 18 months and then when the next one is announced be stuck with this 1 for another 6 months :p
 
Hi,
Can to transfer your 02 contract number onto Simplicity once your contract expires?
 
I think alot of people are going to be doing the same thing as you. Ie simplicity + PAYG Iphone.

The only area unclear for me is how Insurance works with this scenario. I'll be wanting to take out the £10/month O2 insurance. But if I sign up for it will be they be cool with the Simplicity SIM in a PAYG phone? I've heard about problems with O2 insurance and swapping SIMS, but I guess if I just make sure when I take out the insurance that I have my Simplicity SIM in the phone and not the included PAYG one then it should be ok?

Anyone else thought about this?
 
wazza12345 said:
I think alot of people are going to be doing the same thing as you. Ie simplicity + PAYG Iphone.

The only area unclear for me is how Insurance works with this scenario. I'll be wanting to take out the £10/month O2 insurance. But if I sign up for it will be they be cool with the Simplicity SIM in a PAYG phone? I've heard about problems with O2 insurance and swapping SIMS, but I guess if I just make sure when I take out the insurance that I have my Simplicity SIM in the phone and not the included PAYG one then it should be ok?

Anyone else thought about this?
Click to expand...

£10 a month?! That's crazy! You could get independent insurance for a fraction of that cost, and it will be underwritten by the same people.
 
yeah the insurance thing would concern me too.

otherwise it would be tempting to buy PAYG ride the last 6 months of currnet contract then go simplicity or just really low iphone tarriff til the next iphone comes out.

I assume insurance must be fine whilst still on old contract otherwise it would not be offered as an official option by o2.

does any one know where it says on o2 site that you can change your tariff after half your contract has expired?
 
CD3660 said:
Isn't it 600 minutes per month (unless you commit to 12 months)?
Click to expand...

Yes, Simplicity is a monthly contract. When my 18 month contract expired earlier in the year, O2 recommended I change to Simplicity because it is such good value for money and you can effectively cancel anytime if you wish to upgrade to a different contract. Should you cancel before the relevant month is up, you only have to pay for the remaining "unused" period.

If you change to Simplicity over the 'phone, O2 will transfer your existing number over to the new contract.
 
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