Mobile Phone Buzz

Whenever you buy a pay monthly or pay as you go phone directly from a UK network, it is locked to that network. If you put in a SIM card from another network, it will not work.

However if you have been looking for the freedom that comes with a SIM free phone, you’ll know that they can be incredibly expensive to buy - usually the price is in the hundreds of pounds. You can always buy a pay as you go phone directly from the network and pay to have it unlocked - its not illegal - but that’s a messy process and will almost definitely invalidate your phone’s warranty.

There is a simple answer though. Did you know that not all pay as you go (PAYG) phones are locked? While all pay as you go deals bought directly from the network are locked, some PAYG phones bought from retailers like Carphone Warehouse and Phones4u are sim free, and can be used on any network. So even if you buy a discounted phone with an Orange Pay As You Go deal, you will not be locked to just Orange. You’ll just need to dish out £10 on Orange Pay As You Go credit when you purchase it.

It is important to note that this does not apply to all Carphone Warehouse or Phones4u pay as you go deals - you will need to ask the sales assistant when you buy your phone to make sure.