# unlocked iphone from usa?



## john_jen (Dec 26, 2009)

Hi,

I'm going to want an iphone in London. I don't have one here in the states. Should I find an unlocked iphone in the USA and bring it over? Will it be cheaper than walking into an Apple store in England?

At the Apple store there I can get the 3GS for $200 and then spend $200 to cancel the AT&T plan immediately. I've heard I could also get one on Craig's List or ebay...

thanks,

JP


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

You might also take a look at amazon.co.uk - They have iPhones, unlocked, or on a pay-as-you-go basis. You aren't tied to the Apple store.

I suspect the big electronics shops in London will have them, too. I think the European Union ruled that they couldn't tie the phone to a particular operator.
Cheers,
Bev


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

Bevdeforges said:


> You might also take a look at amazon.co.uk - They have iPhones, unlocked, or on a pay-as-you-go basis. You aren't tied to the Apple store.
> 
> I suspect the big electronics shops in London will have them, too. I think the European Union ruled that they couldn't tie the phone to a particular operator.
> Cheers,
> Bev


iPhones are expensive just about anywhere because of popularity and demand. Unlocked handset not tied to contracts will set you back £300-£400 in UK (where I live) for older models, while the latest 3GS with big memory will be more like £500 to £600. Even with a weak pound, you'll probably find them cheaper in US. Continental European prices are roughly comparable to UK. Be very careful buying secondhand models off eBay or other sites, as there are a lot of stolen, broken or sub-standard (cloned etc) models about.


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## jlms (May 15, 2008)

*Get one here.*



john_jen said:


> Hi,
> 
> I'm going to want an iphone in London. I don't have one here in the states. Should I find an unlocked iphone in the USA and bring it over? Will it be cheaper than walking into an Apple store in England?
> 
> ...


You can buy a 2nd hand one from reputable sources ( CeX : we buy and sell Games, DVDs, PC Hardware & Software, Phones and electronics online for example, they actually have shops where you can see your purchase).

Also there are 3 choices now of carriers selling iPhones in the UK, so prices of contracts that include an iPhone should go down due to competition.


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## Little G (May 3, 2009)

I got a 16GB 3GS for £188 for an 18 month contract with O2. Be prepared to put down a £300 deposit for three months if you don't have any UK credit.

g


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## Punktlich2 (Apr 30, 2009)

john_jen said:


> Hi,
> 
> I'm going to want an iphone in London. I don't have one here in the states. Should I find an unlocked iphone in the USA and bring it over? Will it be cheaper than walking into an Apple store in England?
> 
> ...


You can unlock your own iPhone. Google "blacksn0w" - but watch out for commercial interlopers: the Dev Team works for free (although contributions are gratefully accepted).

I used an unlocked US G2 iPhone for years. A friend uses an unlocked/jailbroken Australian iPhone. Whether you can avoid the AT&T cancellation fee is a separate issue; some people do, often by suing them in small claims court for a real or imagined breach, especially if the phone is registered to a NYC or San Fran address or someplace else where performance is inadequate.


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## john_jen (Dec 26, 2009)

Thanks for the advice. I'm headed to London in 2 days, so I think I'll just go legit and get a plan through O2 or somebody. I almost bought a new 3GS for $500 US on Craigs list, but it didn't work out.... see y'all soon


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

john_jen said:


> Thanks for the advice. I'm headed to London in 2 days, so I think I'll just go legit and get a plan through O2 or somebody. I almost bought a new 3GS for $500 US on Craigs list, but it didn't work out.... see y'all soon


Remember it's quite difficult to take out a contract plan with O2 or any other operators without good credit record in UK. You are unlikely to pass the credit check unless you have been living and working in UK, as it's an expensive phone with a big subsidy on a longish contract and highish monthly due, committing yourself to paying £800 to £1000 over 18 or 24 months of your minimum contract. Plus you may have to pay towards the phone (free phone from a tariff over £40 a month). 
See Apple iPhone 3GS Tariff Table - The Carphone Warehouse for a typical cost of getting 3GS on contract. Some networks/dealers may accept a big deposit instead.


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## Punktlich2 (Apr 30, 2009)

Joppa said:


> Remember it's quite difficult to take out a contract plan with O2 or any other operators without good credit record in UK. You are unlikely to pass the credit check unless you have been living and working in UK, as it's an expensive phone with a big subsidy on a longish contract and highish monthly due, committing yourself to paying £800 to £1000 over 18 or 24 months of your minimum contract. Plus you may have to pay towards the phone (free phone from a tariff over £40 a month).
> See Apple iPhone 3GS Tariff Table - The Carphone Warehouse for a typical cost of getting 3GS on contract. Some networks/dealers may accept a big deposit instead.


The alternative is buying the iPhone - as the OP intended originally - and getting unsubsidised service from O2. I could get that by means of a data package on top of my annual contract. 

As for credit, that can be finessed depending on what credit cards the OP has in the US. For example, an Amex card can be transferred in days. Carphone Warehouse accepts foreign credit cards although whether this will work for a contract I can't say. Our O2 contracts are all direct debit and no credit check was ever made other than that. But they are a decade old by now.


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

Punktlich2 said:


> The alternative is buying the iPhone - as the OP intended originally - and getting unsubsidised service from O2. I could get that by means of a data package on top of my annual contract.
> 
> As for credit, that can be finessed depending on what credit cards the OP has in the US. For example, an Amex card can be transferred in days. Carphone Warehouse accepts foreign credit cards although whether this will work for a contract I can't say. Our O2 contracts are all direct debit and no credit check was ever made other than that. But they are a decade old by now.


O2 and other mobile providers always credit-check potential clients for their contract service. They have online access to credit files held by major credit reference agencies like Equifax and Experian. For foreign applicants with little or no established UK credit record, they have been known to accept substantial cash deposit (several hundred pounds), retained for 6 months to a year (and returned on request) plus proof of UK employment and address.


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## john_jen (Dec 26, 2009)

All this talk about credit got me spooked.  I went out and bought a 1 y.o. iphone 3G for $275 US, off Craig's List. Do I need to unlock it before I can use it with a service provider in England?


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## Punktlich2 (Apr 30, 2009)

Joppa said:


> O2 and other mobile providers always credit-check potential clients for their contract service. They have online access to credit files held by major credit reference agencies like Equifax and Experian. For foreign applicants with little or no established UK credit record, they have been known to accept substantial cash deposit (several hundred pounds), retained for 6 months to a year (and returned on request) plus proof of UK employment and address.


Never say "always" because there are "always" exceptions. US military get local cell phones within hours of arrival. When I went to work at the US Embassy years ago Barclays refused me a mortgage but a mortgage broker quickly got me one, and later I remortgaged with Midland Bank (as it then was), Barclays still refusing to lend to diplomats. (My mortgage is with Barclays today, but that's another story.)

I mentioned Amex because I know that they (and a few other card issuers) will transfer accounts to the UK no questions asked. How quickly their info will move over to Experian and the others I don't know, but I can say that Amex's "Member since" date carries over: my card says "Member since 1958". A friend moved her HSBC account from New York to Paris in minutes.


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

Punktlich2 said:


> Never say "always" because there are "always" exceptions. US military get local cell phones within hours of arrival. When I went to work at the US Embassy years ago Barclays refused me a mortgage but a mortgage broker quickly got me one, and later I remortgaged with Midland Bank (as it then was), Barclays still refusing to lend to diplomats. (My mortgage is with Barclays today, but that's another story.)
> 
> I mentioned Amex because I know that they (and a few other card issuers) will transfer accounts to the UK no questions asked. How quickly their info will move over to Experian and the others I don't know, but I can say that Amex's "Member since" date carries over: my card says "Member since 1958". A friend moved her HSBC account from New York to Paris in minutes.


It's best to assume you'll be credit checked (credit scored) when trying to get a contract mobile in UK, because you may not know whether an individual can avail themselves of exceptions that may exist for certain category of people. Otherwise the inquirer may travel over to UK under the mistaken impression they won't have any trouble getting a contract phone, only to be refused and find themselves having to buy an unlocked, SIM-free phone at a much higher price than it would have been available back in US.


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## Punktlich2 (Apr 30, 2009)

Joppa said:


> It's best to assume you'll be credit checked (credit scored) when trying to get a contract mobile in UK, because you may not know whether an individual can avail themselves of exceptions that may exist for certain category of people. Otherwise the inquirer may travel over to UK under the mistaken impression they won't have any trouble getting a contract phone, only to be refused and find themselves having to buy an unlocked, SIM-free phone at a much higher price than it would have been available back in US.


My Russian client got a phone and a mobile internet dongle the same day. True it's pay-as-you-go but he could get most all the features of an iPhone deal until and unless he actually moves here, which will be when his visa comes through (he was initially refused for work visa but his employer is appealing and barrister says he will succeed).

My point is that there are ways and ways. As a former bankruptcy lawyer I know that the credit bureaus are largely incompetent (look what Moody's, S&P etc. had to say about CDOs and other mortgage-backed securities; consumer credit agencies are even worse). Anybody can get a store card; a US credit card can sometimes be transferred; a good bank (like HSBC) will transfer your account and support you with O2 or anyone else.

Your mileage may vary. Depending on facts, luck, persistence ... and wealth.


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## john_jen (Dec 26, 2009)

Joppa said:


> O2 and other mobile providers always credit-check potential clients for their contract service. They have online access to credit files held by major credit reference agencies like Equifax and Experian. For foreign applicants with little or no established UK credit record, they have been known to accept substantial cash deposit (several hundred pounds), retained for 6 months to a year (and returned on request) plus proof of UK employment and address.


Hi - OP here - I just wanted to let you know how it's going. I got to London w/ my unlocked phone. I walked into carphone warehouse and bought a sim card and went with a pay-as-you-go plan. I burned 5 bounds of credit in 3 minutes calling the USA, but other than that it's been fine. I had a phone number and was using the phone in 5 minutes. Now I'm using it to find a flat. After I get an address and a bank account I'll probably switch to a contract of some sort.

thanks for the help y'all!

JP


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## BBusyB (Jan 13, 2010)

john_jen said:


> Hi - OP here - I just wanted to let you know how it's going. I got to London w/ my unlocked phone. I walked into carphone warehouse and bought a sim card and went with a pay-as-you-go plan. I burned 5 bounds of credit in 3 minutes calling the USA, but other than that it's been fine. I had a phone number and was using the phone in 5 minutes. Now I'm using it to find a flat. After I get an address and a bank account I'll probably switch to a contract of some sort.
> 
> thanks for the help y'all!
> 
> JP


Just a tip.

Most companies (o2, t-Mobile, etc) have optional extras to get cheaper international calls.

On, o2 Pay&Go I believe you can get bonus free international minutes or local minutes, and get an add on (Think its called International caller) which gives cheap call, think about 5p (8cents) to the US.

T-Mobile also has something similar that you can pay for patches of minutes as addons. think you can get about 150 minutes to the US for £7.50.

Orange offers a call plan on prepay (Think is called Camel) which offers low cost international calling with calls to the US again about 5p.

Another option if you are doing a lot of calls back is to get a second cheap phone from THREE, which allows free skype calls and you can use skype credit to make cheap international calls, which work to about 1.5 cents to the US. Only some phones support this implementaion of skype so you either need to get one from them or buy a secondhand phone which is supported. Think you can get one for about £30-40


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## thegirl (Sep 8, 2009)

I have an unlocked iPhone I got in the US before I moved to the UK (I unlocked it myself, not that hard at all). Now I just use o2 prepaid and for £15 a month you get unlimited texts, data and the £15 towards calls..much better than what I was paying with AT&T in the US!


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## john_jen (Dec 26, 2009)

thegirl said:


> I have an unlocked iPhone I got in the US before I moved to the UK (I unlocked it myself, not that hard at all). Now I just use o2 prepaid and for £15 a month you get unlimited texts, data and the £15 towards calls..much better than what I was paying with AT&T in the US!


Yeah - unlocking was easy. Now I'm thinking of getting an O2 plan, so that I can save on home broadband. 

I guess home internet is probably hashed over pretty well in other threads... it seems like a pain to set up, from what I've heard from co-workers....


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

john_jen said:


> Yeah - unlocking was easy. Now I'm thinking of getting an O2 plan, so that I can save on home broadband.
> 
> I guess home internet is probably hashed over pretty well in other threads... it seems like a pain to set up, from what I've heard from co-workers....


Home broadband requires a landline. Most people go for BT, which may not charge anything to reconnect a line already installed, but otherwise charge nearly £130 for a new line. You can get somewhat cheaper landline from some suppliers (TalkTalk, Post Office etc), or if you take out a satellite package through Sky or a cable deal through Virgin Media.
A lot of people, esp students and other short-term renters, dispense with landline and just rely on mobile for calls and broadband. A USB stick modem costs from around £20 and monthly sub starts from around £10 for modest 1GB download. Most mobile networks offer it, so compare price, download limit and signal strength in your area. As it relies on 3G or 3.5G connection, signal strength can vary widely. Inside buildings you may get no signal at all. While mobile broadband isn't as fast as fixed-line broadband, most people find it acceptable. Don't be fooled by 'free' laptop offer with mobile broadband. It locks you on a 2-year contract at £30 to £40 a month (£720 to £960 over minimum contract), which works out very expensive.


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## BBusyB (Jan 13, 2010)

Mobilebroadband is an easy solution if you don't watch a lt of online video, download a lot if music, etc. If you do, it can quickly become quiet expnsive. 

I'll suggest checking out three as I've found they usually have very good deals. Also they offer the Mifi which allows you to connect upto 5 devices over wifi and has a 2-3 hour battery life. I've had I've for Abou four months and I've found it to be much more fleiable solution then a USB modem (which it can also be used as). I beleve it starts at £40 for the modem only with a package of Mifi + 12 gb +. 12 months validity is either £99 PR £119 ( I can't rember and am answering from my phone). Usual pric


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## john_jen (Dec 26, 2009)

I popped into the Virgin media store at lunch. They couldn't find my address as one they can service. So, they're going to send someone to look at the outside of the building.

My flat has an old BT wireless router that the previous tenants left. It also has what looks to me like a cable wire - like the cable modem wires I'm used to seeing in the USA. Is that probably the BT phone line? It looks like it has a coaxial connector on the end - not a phone line plug, which I would guess looks more like an ethernet connector.


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## BBusyB (Jan 13, 2010)

The coxial is probably either for Cable (VIrgin probably) or for the satellite dish. If you can see a dish bolted to the side of the building or on the roof it's probably for that with Sky the only game in town. 

If it's a sat dish and your planning to get service anyway it might be worth checking with them for ADSL Service. I beleve they have soon good combined deals.


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