Iphone america

ginger_pat

ginger_pat

ginger_pat

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23 Jun 2007
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655
Quick question can i get a PAYG iphone from america. I know it has been asked many times but all of these threads are old

So can i get one on PAYG from the US?
 
I bought a 3GS from Florida last Sept, not from a store as such, but Malls have lots of 'booths' that sell unlocked mobiles.
 
You get zero warranty on it though, the iPhone warranty is only valid in the country the phone was bought it and that would be good enough reason for me not to buy international.
 
I bought an iPhone 3GS in the summer in the States from Best Buy, a major electronics outlet based all over the country.

They were selling the 3GS for $599 and $699 respectively for the 16GB and 32GB version + state sales tax (google for whichever state your visiting).

I jailbroke it and unlocked it in 30 minutes, been working amazing since! Touch wood...

Been using it on O2 for months. :)

So in in response, yes you can buy them. But they won't be unlocked...but depending on the firmware you can unlock it yourself.

Also, I have heard reports that O2 are unlocking iPhones for anything from free to £15 now, depending on who you get. This is an official IMEI hardware unlock on the phone, they authorise it with Apple and the next time you sync it it's unlocked. I've heard of current O2 customers calling up and paying the fee, then providing a friends iPhone IMEI no. to unlock, and hey presto you're good to go. Not tried it myself though as the jailbreak is working fine although I'll probably do it when I get some spare cash.

EDIT: I've just checked the rules on this forum about violating Apples EULA -I've not mentioned anything about how to jailbreak, just that I've done it. Is that against the rules in these forums? If so I'll edit my post and I apologise.
 
Last edited:
UberTiger said:
Also, I have heard reports that O2 are unlocking iPhones for anything from free to £15 now, depending on who you get. This is an official IMEI hardware unlock on the phone, they authorise it with Apple and the next time you sync it it's unlocked. I've heard of current O2 customers calling up and paying the fee, then providing a friends iPhone IMEI no. to unlock, and hey presto you're good to go. Not tried it myself though as the jailbreak is working fine although I'll probably do it when I get some spare cash.
Click to expand...
Not just reports. Here's the proof! http://shop.o2.co.uk/update/unlockmyiphone.html

I've had my 3GS on Vodafone for a while, but decided to get it properly unlocked just before Christmas. £15 of top up, and the job's now done. As you say, there are ways around the £15 (getting a current customer who's been with them for more than 12 months to ring up/fill in the form and give your iPhone details), but it won't exactly break the bank if you are able to drop that amount of cash on the phone in the first place. :)

I'd recommend the O2 PAYG route above the international purchase method unless you can get a very large discount - warranties are a wonderful thing, especially on a relatively high value item.
 
When I got mine it was about $730 including tax for the 32GB version. Worked out to about £450, whereas the same thing over here is £550. Over 12 months that's about £37.50 a month.
I then got a 12 month simplicity sim only deal from O2, £20 a month for 12 months for 600mins, 800 texts and web. With £100 cash back that works out to £11.67 a month.

So essentially I got a new 3GS on a 12 month contract (instead of 18 or 24 like all the deals over here) for £50 a month, then next summer I have the option of selling and getting whatever phone I like. I'm not tied down if I want to get the new one. :)
 
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