iPhone 3G, save £8 and double your minutes?!

[BennyC]

Now perhaps I have too much time on my hands, but I decided to do a bit of maths today!

We all know the tarriffs for the iPhone 3g from o2. I will be purchasing one shortly before Christmas and with the more expensive tarrifs making the phones cheaper and having not seen a chart like this anywhere else I thought perhaps people might find it useful.

This of course only works on the conditions that you are after a 16GB and can: downgrade from the £45 to £35 contract 9 months in and that 'o2' do not wish to charge you any extra on the 16GB model or the 8GB ,as they are currently £58 or free or the more expensive tarriffs, so they may want to make up for lost profits.

I will be placing a query soon and will let you know the results.

For those that cant figure out my reasonbaly messy workings out.

9 months of £45 with a 16GB(@ £57.74) then switched to £35 for the final 9 months (providing no extra charge for primary discount on phone) works out at £777.74 to be precise.

Where as £35 for 18 months with a 16GB(@ £155.61) totals £785.61.

So yes this only saves you £7.87 which is about enough for 3 pints, but along with your three pints you'll also be getting double the minutes so 1200( 20 hours), as opposed to 600 (10 hours) for the first 9 months and it costs you less in total!

If anybody has been down this route already and it not been successful, please burst my bubble now!
Also if any of my workings out are incorrect please say! I have checked them but have probaly missed something!

 

[BennyC]

Thats how I worked it out before I purchased my Iphone 3G.

I decided to go with PAYG and saved myself approx £200 (over the course of the contract, if I went for pay monthly).

I'm on an old Pay&Go sim at current with a LG Viewty which is unlocked, but am a bit fed up with it. £35 is a bit of a jump, but having free minutes and unlimited surfing is very appealing.

I'm aware the £20 simplicity sim is exactly the same tarriff wise as the £35 on iPhone. Even buying the 16GB on P+G and then the sim for £20 a month sperately works out more (over 18 months).

Edit: Apparently not?! £391.47 for 16GB and then 18 * 20 = £360___Totals____£751.47?!

And you get double the texts (1000) and the free bolt on which im sure most would choose 'Free Wi-Fi'

 

[BennyC]

I bought my 8GB on a £35pm contract having to shell out £99 just for the handset. Still works out cheaper than the £45pm contract as after the first ten months (so as not to pay the initial charge) I'd be paying £10 extra a month for calls i wouldn't use.

Can I have that last bit in english please?

 

[BennyC]

It seems tarriff switching is permitted:


PAY MONTHLY TARIFF TERMS (July 2008) Including iPhone 3G
Contract

Consumer Pay Monthly Tariff Terms



General

1. Unless you have selected a SIM Only tariff, O2 Pay Monthly is subject to status, credit-check and the terms of a 12, 18 or 24 month minimum term O2 contract. After connecting or upgrading to a minimum term contract, you’re unable to move to a lower priced Pay Monthly tariff for 9 months unless otherwise stated. After 9 months you can change tariff a maximum of once per month, provided that if moving down a tariff you can only move to the next lowest priced tariff with the same minimum term. If you move from a tariff which is not currently available you will not be able to change back to your previous tariff (this may differ for iPhone customers depending on when you connected, please check the terms stated in your iPhone contract).

http://www.o2.co.uk/termsconditions/iphone

 

[BennyC]

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/deals/cheap-iphone

Looks like they did the research too! Doesn't say anywhere about being charged anything extra for the phone if you downgrade that I mentioned before. So provided you remember to downgrade, double the minutes and best part of £10 still in your pocket.

 

[BennyC]

Hehe, myself and a few Apple-heads worked that out in the queue waiting for our 3Gs. OK, that did give us 3 hours to work it out I suppose!

I had to explain it to the guy in Carephone Warehouse, took him a while to understand it!

Got my 16Gb on 45 for the first 9 months and will then switch down to £35

would have liked to have got it direct from o2 but the store is being refurbished and i'm not going to the next town over when carphonewarehouse was just round the courner!

 

[BennyC]

Did you blag any free stuff?

Nope. Salesman wasn't having any of it. I was going to buy an Invisible Shield anyway, so just got it instore. I did ask if he could knock the price down but he refused. I'm not particulary good at haggling! I enquired about cases but only if he could discount them, but again he said he was unable to. Nevermind! However I did get him to admit they do recieve commission. (I wasn't sure if that industry worked on commission but I am now lol)

 

[BennyC]

I bought my 3G iPhone a few days after release off another forum. £300 brand new and unused.
O2 Simplicity 20 - 600mins/1000text/unlimited web bolt on

Works out £660 for 18months and Im not tied down to a contract, thats what sold me, the lack of contract!

Yeah, I considered this option. But will probaly want an upgrade to the next version if its available when my contract expires. That and the customer service on contract I quite like!