Upgrading phone for Xmas present - any loss to service etc

[Anonymous]

Hi all,

my daughter has a blackberry curve which is eligible for an upgrade. She'd like an IPhone 5 (wouldn't we all) for Xmas.

If I get this for her is there any way to keep it as a surprise ?

I'm sure when I upgraded before the new contract starts when the new phone arrives ? I then had to contact O2 to have my old number transferred to the new sim.

I'd like to order now to get the phone in time for Xmas, but if the contract starts immediately and her old service stops she'll know, and also have no phone (unless I give her the IPhone early).

Could I just order the phone, then swap her simcard over on 25th ?

Any advice / recommendations appreciated

[jonsie · Accepted solution]

You could, but bear in mind that customer service are inundated with calls on Christmas Day, so many people getting them for Christmas and there won't be a full compliment of staff.

Best time would probably be Christmas Eve to arrange the swap, maybe your daughter will think it's just a network problem?

Other than that just buy the phone and present it Christmas morning and arrange the number transfer at your convenience. Your daughter can still have fun setting it up and personalising it on the day whilst waiting for the transfer to take place.

[Anonymous]

thanks Jonsie

She wants to keep her old number if she can, but buying the phone seperately rather than upgrading looks the better option.

I'd assume the phone will come with a new sim (a smaller one I think in the IPhone I think) so she could use the new phone and number over Xmas and switch to her 'old' number between xmas and new year. When I sorted that on my wife's phone it took a few hours to change over.

Only issue I guess would be the new/old contracts both running simultaneously for a month, but thats not the end of the world.

I've seen a better deal elsewhere too so not much loyalty reward from O2. Same price for the phone but £5 a month less contract, and still with O2 network

[jonsie]

Yes it's a shame O2 won't compete with the other independents but you have to go with the best deal. It pays to shop around for Christmas offers without a doubt.

[Anonymous]

Look for a good sim free deal or go straight to apple & get an unlocked one, pick up a nano sim from any O2 store, if you want swap over on Xmas eve in store like jonsie said or use the sim swap form on this site

[Anonymous]

thanks all,

tried to see if O2 would match the offer as it's on 3 websites and there's no other bolt-ons etc, but no can do. I'm pretty level headed, and wasn't expecting a discount, just a price-match as it's widely available.

the irony I can stay with O2 as the network provider,who I don't have any issues with really, I just won't buy the phone/offer from them.

Still, it's a strange old world.

[Anonymous]

Either way you get the best you want