Unlocking an O2 phone to use a different SIM card.

[Anonymous]

i bought a mobile 2nd hand for my daughter over a year ago and shes been using it fine with a giffgaff sime in since but now we are travelling abroad to the mioddle east for a few months and were trying to get it unlocked so we can use a local sim in it - the problem is o2 keep saying they cant unlock it over the phopne and i have to use the web form but once ive filled the first page out i hit a stumbling block on the second page as it asks about the billing side but ive never had a bill or even an account with o2 is ther a way i can get this phone unlocked

[MI5 · Accepted solution]

Only with an O2 PAYG sim as described in the OP
https://community.o2.co.uk/t5/Other-Products-and-Services/Unlocking-an-O2-phone-to-use-a-different-S...

[GAT]

@Anonymous, what make & model is it?

I'd recommend not using the O2 PAYG route for now because, as their rules state, you'll probably need to use it for a minimum of 12 months continuously on O2 PAYG before they'll part with the unlock code. Then they'll make you pay an additional £15 for the privilege.

There are usually other ways of getting it within 7 days, & for a much lower fee as well. Hopefully your phone is one of these models.

I purchased a Huawei P6 new from O2, which I faithfully used on their PAYG network for a couple of years. When I wanted to change network, they wanted £15 to unlock it. After a little research, I found I could buy an unlock code for the princely sum of £3.25 on a popular auction site. Guess which avenue I took 

[MI5]

Yes it is £15 but as the phone is not new from o2 there is no 12 month wait.
Unauthorised unlocking services come with risks but it's your money so you can make the choice.

[GAT]

@MI5, it's good to know that O2 don't enforce these rules on secondhand users.

As far as I know, unlock codes can only be obtained from the manufacturers or networks themselves, so they cannot be 'unauthorised'.

Also, the unlock companies I've used so far have a fair refund policy - if they cannot obtain an unlock code for your phone model on a certain network, they refund your money. So where are the so-called 'risks'?

[jonsie]

Sometimes on software updates or if the phone needs to be factory reset it can relock to the network. 

Edit for spelling 

[GAT]

If on the slim chance it relocks as you say, simply use the same unlock code you orignally received to unlock it.

The unlock code doesn't change each time the same phone relocks itself (if ever).

[jonsie]

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@GAT wrote:

@MI5, it's good to know that O2 don't enforce these rules on secondhand users.

........ So where are the so-called 'risks'?

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Here

[SmartPhoneMum]

Hello

Has anyone had any experience of successfully unlocking their phone from the O2 network using a provided network unlock code, then being able to use the network of the new sim provider successfully (so phone has definately unlocked), only to find when they switch phone off and later switch it back on (still with the new network provider's sim in place), the network locked screen is back again?

[MI5]

That shouldn't happen, obviously.
What phone are we talking about and where did you get it from?