travelling and then moving abroad - phone contract advice (for a technophobe)

[Anonymous]

Hello all,

I'm setting off for 3 months in central america in October 2017, before then flying to NZ in January 2017, for an unknown period of time, but for at least a year.

I am a complete technophobe when it comes to phones / contracts and understanding both of them, so any help much appreciated!!

For the 3 months travelling period, I'd like the access to wifi, so I can keep in touch with friends and family etc, and the ability to ring home if necessary . I was thinking of just letting my 2 year contract (due to finish January 2018) continue whilst I'm abroad. Is this wise? Are there any steps I should take to avoid expensive / hidden fees? Or should I just cancel it? If I cancel it, I will need to pay £180 (just checked with an O2 guru), so will that then mean the phone will be mine? I'd like to keep the same phone and number.

So stage two is then what happens in NZ? I'm assuming I should definitely cancel my contract for when I arrive in New Zealand, but is there a way I can do which lets me keep the actual phone? So I can just use it to then sign onto a new zealand phone network provider?

I've seen other forum posts which talks about 'unlocking'... would I be able to do this with my phone, so that when I get to new zealand I can use it with a NZ network provider? again, not entirely sure what unlocking means, so any extra info much appreciated.

Many thanks for any help

Liz

PS. - oh yes I've seen mention of a PAC code too...again, not a clue what it is, and whether it would apply for my situation?!

[Cleoriff · Accepted solution]

@Anonymous If it was me I would be cancelling my contract and getting the phone unlocked. it is far cheaper to use a local sim when abroad than pay the exorbitant costs of an O2 contract....

Info on cancelling contract and PAC code here https://community.o2.co.uk/t5/Pay-Monthly-and-Pay-Go/Cancelling-Your-Contract-A-Guide/m-p/566774/highlight/true#M56526

Info on unlocking phone http://www.o2.co.uk/help/phones-sims-and-devices/unlocking-an-o2-mobile-to-use-on-a-different-network

[Anonymous]

Hi @Cleoriff thanks for the reply. I will cancel the contract and use a NZ sim when I arrive.

cheers,
Liz

[Cleoriff]

Enjoy your journey @Anonymous It sounds absolutely wonderful....:smileywink: