Buying a mobile phone in UK

[Chrissie]

Have just bought a One Roam SIM (good recommendation from another thread on this site), but have now discovered that our current SFR mobile cannot be unlocked until after we depart for next holiday (don't ask, it's very technical and stupid.)

So, as we could do with another mobile phone, and don't want to have to keep topping up or taking out an abonnement, we thought we would call in at the first phone shop we come to in the UK and buy the cheapest mobile possible to take the One Roam SIM........Is this a naive assumption?  Would they want a UK address?  Or anything else?

Chrissie (81)

[Danny]

surely it is possible to find a second hand phone either in a shop or from a relative or friend. Assuming it is unlocked or can easily be unlocked. There must be millions of unused phones sitting in drawers, owners having upgraded. Phones are sometimes given away with phone contracts. They are out of date within months so the used ones must be going somewhere... Shame to buy a new one unless you want the latest gadgets.

Danny 

[Eslier]

All PAYG mobiles sold by the Carphone Warehouse in the UK are now sold "unlocked" regardless of which network sim is sold with it. This is by far the cheapest way to buy a mobile , despite the fact that you usually have to buy £10 credit for the payg sim card that comes with it. You can use up the credit, if you wish, and then just put you other sim straight into the phone.

If you are paying by cash then they may need to see some id and may need to put down any old UK address (not important what it is - just use your last address or one of a relative). If you pay with a card then much simpler and this makes them happier for some reason.

[Chancer]

I did just that recently when I needed a new unlocked phone, it was a  Nokia like my previous one that had a penchant for scuba diving in the evier, and it cost me £10 and I am sure that it came with a virgin sim card with £5 credit.

Quite unbelievable when I consider what I paid for my first brick phone!

Oh by the way it was the carphone warehouse, it was unlocked and the only ID needed was to have paid by credit card, they would not accept cash.

[Chrissie]

Sounds just what we need, and there is a Carphone Warehouse at York where we will be going after arrival at Hull!............OH says if the weather continues we'll be able to stay on the ferry well past Hull and just get off when we float into York...........[blink]

Thanks everyone

Chrissie (81)

[Baz]

[quote user="Eslier"]All PAYG mobiles sold by the Carphone Warehouse in the UK are now sold "unlocked" regardless of which network sim is sold with it. This is by far the cheapest way to buy a mobile , despite the fact that you usually have to buy £10 credit for the payg sim card that comes with it.
[/quote]

Not quite true. It applies only to PAYG phones being offered with a choice of providers. If the PAYG phone is exclusively for one provider then it will not be unlocked. But I agree even with the credit for the sim card it is far the cheapest and best method to purchase an unlocked phones, this is the way I upgrade my phones.

Baz

[Ecossais]

Chrissie,

I’d be surprised if every PAYG phone CPW sells is unlocked.

I suggest you say to the staff in the shop that you want to use the supplied UK network SIM while you are in the UK and then put your French SIM in it when you go back – do they have any “unlocked” PAYG handsets that would allow you to do that?

Alternatively, O2 and T-Mobile phones have the least branding and software customisation on them – I’d suggest you ask in a Carphone Warehouse or Phones 4U where you can get phones unlocked locally, pick a couple that you like, and then go and check with the local “unlocker” if the ones you like can be unlocked before buying.  Expect to pay £10 to get a phone unlocked.

[Eslier]

Ecossais, I can assure you it IS true, with the exception that Baz quite correctly pointed out.  They don't publicise it (presumably because of the agreements they have with the phone network companies) but it has made a huge impact on the amount of stock they need to keep.  I recently purchased two new phones with T-Mobile sims and was able to put my existing Orange sims straight into them and they worked fine. It was during this visit to a CPW store in London that the store manager explained the new policy to me - he also claimed that CPW are the only company currently doing this.

[Ecossais]

Eslier,

Some good savings to be made! – eg, Samsung U600: CPW £159.95 incl a PAYG SIM / P4U £259.95.