# Vodafone mobiles with foreign SIM



## househunter7 (7 Sep 2006)

Hey

Just wondering if anyone knows when you buy a vodafone ready to go type mobile phone, are they sim locked or can you insert a foreign ie german sim card and use away?

Cheers


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## Humpback (7 Sep 2006)

They are sim-locked. And locked to Vodafone Ireland only, not even Vodafone generally.


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## DrMoriarty (7 Sep 2006)

Most providers will unlock the 'phone once you've spent a certain amount with them (usually a couple of hundred euro!).

Depending on the make/model, it may be possible to get it unlocked by other means — but you'd have to search on the interweb for further details...


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## househunter7 (7 Sep 2006)

I heard, but dont know if its true, that you can call them and quote your IMEI number and they will unlock it. this sound right?


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## ClubMan (7 Sep 2006)

Yes - if you have bought enough credit since purchase to cover the cost of the subsidy. A few hundred € if I recall correctly.


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## Humpback (7 Sep 2006)

DrMoriarty said:


> Most providers will unlock the 'phone once you've spent a certain amount with them (usually a couple of hundred euro!).


 
I know that Vodafone in the UK will charge you money directly to unblock your phone as well. You put the money as credit on your phone, ring them up, they'll unblock it, and they take the credit off the phone in one chunk.


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## ClubMan (7 Sep 2006)

Last time I had a phone unlocked (my niece's old one on _O2_) there was no additional charge.


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## househunter7 (7 Sep 2006)

Would you say they would unblock it for me, as I am a vodafone customer for years but want to buy a "ready to go" one for cheap for girlfriend who lives abroad. would they unblock this for me, without having spent any credit on that fone?


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## ClubMan (7 Sep 2006)

Doubt it. They would probably unlock your own phone though.


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## jdork (7 Sep 2006)

You could always try yourself - [broken link removed]

I've used this successfully myself but I don't know the consequences of getting it wrong multiple times.


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## Humpback (8 Sep 2006)

househunter7 said:


> Would you say they would unblock it for me, as I am a vodafone customer for years but want to buy a "ready to go" one for cheap for girlfriend who lives abroad. would they unblock this for me, without having spent any credit on that fone?


 
What you could do is this. Buy your pay as you go phone, and put your own sim card into it. Use it for a little while, and register it as "your" phone on the myvodafone website.

Then ring them up as a good and loyal customer and ask them to unblock "your" phone.


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## Cahir (8 Sep 2006)

I recently used a foreign sim card in a vodafone phone and it didn't need to be unlocked first.  The phone is a few years old though.


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## househunter7 (8 Sep 2006)

think ill just go in and talk to them in the vodafone shop. failing that anyone know any other way of buying an unlocked new phone for about €100 in the next 2 weeks?


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## DrMoriarty (8 Sep 2006)

[broken link removed]? [broken link removed]?


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## roxy (8 Sep 2006)

Bring it to any of the markets around Dubllin, they'll unlock it for about €10. Also places along Talbot St and Meath St market that do it. Alot of the vodafone shop guys are trained monkeys, they can only do as they're told, you might get lucky on the phone though with Customer Care.


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## Adrian (8 Sep 2006)

Maybe my case is one of the exceptions but about 2 months ago, I lost my Vodafone RTG phone. When I couldn't find it, I bought one of the cheaper RTG phones in a Vodafone store. Had it about 5 weeks when I got a 3G phone from a friend, and since it had more features than the phone I had then, which was a Nokia phone, I started using the 3G phone. I contacted Vodafone Customer Care and told them my situation (lost my phone, got an upgrade, recently got a 3G) and that I wanted to give the Vodafone RTG phone to my sister, who was not with Vodafone, so I needed to get it unlocked. The CS rep took my details and within 26 hours, had sent me the unlock code for the phone.

Now, the thing is, I don't spend a huge amount of money on my phone every month, maybe €40 but they still sent me the unlock code after only a few weeks. I guess my point is that if you have a phone that is locked to Vodafone and you want it unlocked, then phone Customer Care and ask them for the unlock number. The worst they can say is 'no' and then you can just get it unlocked for €15 on Moore Street.

Adrian


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## dublinsense (11 Sep 2006)

To unlock your phone the following sites do it for free Trycktill, Unlockme or Unlock Nokiafree. If the links dont work throw the names into google.

Its worth mentioning that its NOT illegal to unlock your phone from your network, they lock the phones to try and keep you with them but they dont have any legal standing.

A friend of mine has some trick that reduced his roaming costs from 400 quid to less than 50 - i'll ask him when i see him and get back to you.


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## addob (11 Sep 2006)

voda o2 and meteor want approx 130 euro call credit excl registration call credit voda systems are so old that when you ask them for one they just look at the total call credit spent not since you bought the phone so thats pretty cool if they give u any grief dude just buy one get it unlocked urself theres palces on georges st that will do it for 15 euro!


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## ClubMan (11 Sep 2006)

dublinsense said:


> Its worth mentioning that its NOT illegal to unlock your phone from your network, they lock the phones to try and keep you with them but they dont have any legal standing.


I'm interested in this comment. Do you have any authoritative information to back this up?


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## househunter7 (12 Sep 2006)

update on this folks, called vodafone themselves and they said yea no problem we can unlock it without any credit spent. Remains to be seen when I actually go and buy the phone at the weekend and then call them! We'll see.......


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## HighFlier (12 Sep 2006)

AFAIK once you buy the phone its yours to do what you like with. A phone shop guy told me "they dont like it and they make it as difficult as they can but it's not illegal" As long as you are using the SIM account legally they can do nothing"


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## dublinsense (14 Sep 2006)

ClubMan said:


> Originally Posted by *dublinsense* http://www.askaboutmoney.com/showthread.php?p=275816#post275816
> _Its worth mentioning that its NOT illegal to unlock your phone from your network, they lock the phones to try and keep you with them but they dont have any legal standing._
> 
> ClubMan;275820:
> I'm interested in this comment. Do you have any authoritative information to back this up?


 
Yeah, its the legal fact. Ring Comreg. Think about it, when you buy a ready to go phone there is no contract signed - you pay for the phone and they would like you to use it on their network.

Its worth pointing out there is a huge diffference between UNLOCKING a phone and UNBLOCKING a phone. 

Unlocking means it can be used on any network, Unblocking means a phone has been disabled because it has been reported stole (unblocking is ofcourse illlegal).


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## ClubMan (14 Sep 2006)

dublinsense said:


> Yeah, its the legal fact. Ring Comreg. Think about it, when you buy a ready to go phone there is no contract signed - you pay for the phone and they would like you to use it on their network.


Surely there's a shrink wrapped legal agreement to which you implicitly agree by opening the package and using the handset? Like the way a lot of software is covered by similar shrink wrapped agreements? I doubt that there are no governing terms & conditions to such a purchase whatever about their enforceability (in practice and in law).


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