Mobile phone question
 

My boss wants to buy his wife a new phone, but he can only find it offered as a Pay-as-you-go phone. He wants to know if he can use a 'contract' sim card in it?

As far as I understand it, if it's locked to a specific company like Orange, then he would need an Orange sim card, otherwise he just needs to get it unlocked - then he can use any type of sim car in it right?

Any idea how much it costs to get a phone unlocked?

Cheers.

Nope. Even same network a pay and go phone will not work with a contract simcard. As Rob discovered the other day. Anywhere from £10 to £25 to get it unlocked, usually at stalls offering the service at markets.

HTIOH

02 pay and go phones work with O2 contract sims !

just did it last week, bought a V3im payg for £99 'cos it fits in my leathers better than my XDA mini S

Thanks both of you :)

Very useful info.

So it should be possible with O2, but doubtful with others?

Take it down a market stall and get it unlocked - think they charged me a tenner to do mine last time.
I had 2 phones unlocked here (Poland) when I got here, £1.50ish each...

You can get some of them unlocked on line.

Thanks Boss #1.

Urban - how much is a flight to Poland??? :D

Dom
I Did this, went to Car phone Warehouse bought a phone with a Sim told them what I wanted, they unlocked the phone and I binned the sim card. (having used the £10 free Credit.)

DP

Free for me..... :D :D

Most phones (unlocked) i've owned - mostly Nokias - work fine with contract and PAYG sim cards from Vodaphone, Orange, O2, T Mobile. Actually, thinking about it, make that all phones I've had!

Just had a Sony Ericsson W800i unlocked from Vodafone. Only £2.50 to do it. As I am on O2 I then had the problem of getting the Wap and MMS working. Fortunately O2 will text you the settings and it is done automatically. For a little more you can have the phone de-branded so all the bits added by the network are removed eg Vodafone live.