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Best deal in UK for Vario /XDa mini??

Ok - time to take the plunge to put away my trusty P900 and get a Wizard in what ever guise it is in the UK - either with T-mobile/O2 etc. Currently with orange but can move anythime I want,
Anyway - wondering if anyone has found a really good deal on it - and if so - care to tell me /us where - so I can order one. Looking at cheapest option over a 12 month period preferably but may go for a 18month contract is the deals really good.
Scott

Depends what kind of usage you intend on. For example, you can get it on O2 online 100 for £99.99. That's £25 per month with 500 texts and 100 anytime cross network calls.
T-Mobile is similar though with around 100 texts i think.
Anyone know of any other good deals or perhaps have any idea of how much an upgrade on this thing costs? I am currently on the tariff above and am worried that it'll cost me loads to upgrade :-(

Dr Doom said:
Depends what kind of usage you intend on. For example, you can get it on O2 online 100 for £99.99. That's £25 per month with 500 texts and 100 anytime cross network calls.
T-Mobile is similar though with around 100 texts i think.
Anyone know of any other good deals or perhaps have any idea of how much an upgrade on this thing costs? I am currently on the tariff above and am worried that it'll cost me loads to upgrade :-(
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I just took out a new Web and Walk contract on T-Mobile, you get 200 minutes, 5 picture messages and 40mb GPRS to use per month. Its 16 quid a month for 9 months then 29 a month for another 9, over 18months. The Vario is free so to speak, I could not believe how cheap it was, because on their site the only way to get phone for free is to have 1000 mins contract at 80 a month and thats not including any GPRS.
I did this in the T-Mobile shop, they said its an introductory offer for Web and Walk and its very cheap indeed. But you need to go to your local T-Mobile shop, in Chester we have two, one is not very good the other is excellent, so just find a good shop with decent staff.

Have a look here
http://www.mobilefun.co.uk/t-mobile/8264.htm

wadialdoor said:
Have a look here
http://www.mobilefun.co.uk/t-mobile/8264.htm
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The third one down says £38, web and walk 200, but you get some 1/2 price line rental at £19. I'm paying 16 and it goes up to 32 for 9 months, not 29 as i said before, which is cheaper than that if you go direct to T-Mobile shop.

I'm on the same T-Mobile deal.
200 mins, 40MB of GPRS. "Self service" knocks a few quid off, too. Phone is free, and it's 9 months half price line rental, 6 months full price, then the last 3 months half price too.
You can change tariff after 11 months.
it is an 18 month contract, and there's no 14 day "cooling off" period.

Cheers for that. Am i right ref change of tariff, anyone know if you downgrade the tariff after 11 months - do they claw back any money?
Scott

I'm on Web and Walk 200 mins 40mb
Half price line rental for 12 months normal price for last 6
Self service for extra cheapness.
Free handset.
I can't tell you the exact costs because i was a little hungover when i ordered it (from tmobile telesales which was a better deal than the tmobile store) and i haven't had a bill yet
P.S i had a 7 day cooling off.

Cheap vario
http://www.scancom.co.uk/product.php/1202/330//244cc65073bacb35ea31039e26c4d0ad
This is the cheapest package I found to get a Vario, on Ufix 15. I wasn't interested in the contract, just the phone.

Is the Self service option only available if I order via T-mobile shop - as not seen it yet on a website. Handy to save a few quid
Scott

slewis1972 said:
Is the Self service option only available if I order via T-mobile shop - as not seen it yet on a website. Handy to save a few quid
Scott
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Not sure, you could ring them on 0845 412 2401 and ask.
Don't ring 150 from your phone if/when you get it to speak to customer services its 50p a minute, I think even to check the automated minutes remaining bit, I registered on the website and check it from there.

This is the deal on the t-mobile website:-
http://www.t-mobile.co.uk/Dispatcher?menuid=webnwalk200_mda_vario
and thinks thats not bad. Will call them tomorrow because if I can then downgrade tarrif in Month 11, its a pretty good deal but no self service discount I rekon as its full price £35 in months 10 -15.
Scott

slewis1972 said:
This is the deal on the t-mobile website:-
http://www.t-mobile.co.uk/Dispatcher?menuid=webnwalk200_mda_vario
and thinks thats not bad. Will call them tomorrow because if I can then downgrade tarrif in Month 11, its a pretty good deal but no self service discount I rekon as its full price £35 in months 10 -15.
Scott
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Yes thats the one I'm on 16 a month for 9 months etc, self service, you still get a paper bill, but its not itemised, you don't need a paper bill unless you are a complete luddite because its all online, otherwise if you were bothered you'd not be having self serve. Hell they could reduce it even more if they did not send you a bill and the other crap each month like promotions. That would knock at least another £2 a month off !!!!

Half price line rental for 12 months normal price for last 6
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Just a small correction - it's half price for 9 months, then full price for 6, then half price for the last 3...
You can definitely change tariff after 11 months, yes

Best Deal Yet on O2
Hey Scott
O2 are doing the deal of the year totally by mistake. have just put a post up about it. (Check it out).
Although be prompt they will have to put a stop to it soon.
Best Regards - Ash'e
AKA - SION

Posted it in another thread but seems it fits here as well.
http://www.mobileswizard.co.uk/display.asp?hs=xdaminis&tariff=none
to compare O2 plans and how much you will end up paying if bought online
and this for T-Mobile
http://www.mobileswizard.co.uk/display.asp?hs=mdav&tariff=none
I like the info on the right saying "Min Term Cost"
gives you an idea of how much you will end up paying.
There are rumors about O2 tradein offer (if you get phone in 25 quid) it is cheaper making it. £217
Or even if you dont get trade in and have an offline tariff for £16 you will be paying £291. (£99 for phone)
Think anyone can beat that??????
let me know I am after the phone.

Cheapest way to buy a TyTn over 12 months in the UK?

I think I've finally worked it out:
Orange SPV 3100 from Scancom on 12M Business 200 contract
Phone £100
6 months line rental (£15.275 per month) £91.65 (half price offer for 6 months)
Switch to Business 120 after 6 months.
6 months line rental (£25.85 per month) £155.10
Total £346.75 (including the VAT and free insurance)
I'm just after a basic phone function with a smaller PocketPC (I'm using a Dell Amin X3 at the moment) so phone contract extras don't interest me.
I've not seen any Vodaphone deals that come under £400 which are just for 12 months and I suspect the T-Mobile Vario II may not be cheaper but I'll wait until it comes out - assuming it's before the end of the month.
Anyone know of a cheaper way?
Regards
Bill

hmm
I was offered the v160 for
£180 and same price as my current contract was (£15pcm).. but as i was on a 50% discounted package i dont think I would have been paying £15.
I managed to get the following deal
Handset £120
Anytime 125 @ £20 pcm x 9 months
Anytime 125 @ £25 pcm x 3 months
With this i get the £40 extras pack completely free which the voda rep told me can equate to 40mb pcm for gprs..
total price was £375..
Just need to get my moneys worth out of the free mins now

htc_dom: that's a nice deal. Is that for rentention then, were you renewing your contract, or starting as a virgin subscriber?
V

I got the v1605 for £72 plus 18mth Anytime 200 contract with 250 texts and 6 months half price.

Maybe i'm missing the point here, but the whole point of this device is high speed data access.... so data bundles are the major concern...well, its my major concern.
Which is why i'm trying my best to hold out for T-Mobile.

Yeah V, it was retention (suppose i could have got a better deal if i had waited longer but i aint too greedy.. lol well try not to be) I think i shot myself in the foot because before i agreed to the contract over the phone i stated i wouldnt pay anymore than £120 for the handset and the retention guy stated he couldnt go lower than £120.. hmmm
bydandie said:
I got the v1605 for £72 plus 18mth Anytime 200 contract with 250 texts and 6 months half price.
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I was told voda only do 18mnths now.. and when i made a fuss the rep said "Ok i will do it for 12mnths this time only.. (yeah right!)"
Id like a shorter contract to get out of it quicker if i need to... I like getting the best deal (or trying to who doesnt!) And i onlyu use the free mins usually after 7pm to make use of the stop the clock tarrif
gazzrenn: yeah high speed data access is good.. but t-mobile do have a fair usage policy of 2gb bandwidth pcm.. they also say that you cannot use msn or skype etc with their services...
now if im paying say £35+ pcm for the contract, Id want what i pay for..
I actually rang t-mobile up and asked the release date for the vario2.. didnt get one (Suprise Suprise).. asked for the MDA Pro (universal) and was told £299 on a 3g data ONLY package @ £30pcm thats quite a bit for me... and was told no voice calls at all on that number.. but cant 3 (hutchinson3 that is) do 3g data and voice with video all on the same tarrif??
Most devices now use wifi and there are so many hotspots about.. i cant see me using over 40mb pcm via gprs or 3g (even though im not in a 3g enabled area yet) so i aint gonna moan.. and I like many other have got the device well below what the rrp is including the contract.
I think new customers would get a better deal on this device as I've been told a few times by retentions that they get subsidised for new customers so can give better deals..

Amazing deals on Orange SPV M3100 and T-Mobile Vario II

Just found an amazing deal for orange SPV M3100
a FREE SPV M3100 on Dolphin 35 which gives 500 x net mins, 500 texts and unlimited magic number calls (to a nominated orange number)
This offer also includes their free wireless broadband deal (which i had previously been told was only available when buying direct from orange)
They can also transfer your orange PAYG number to Orange contract (again i was previously told this was only available buying direct from orange)
AND 9 months 1/2 price rental - so total cost for 18 months is £472.50 (less than £26pm including phone and broadband)
There are other similar deals available, by far the cheapest i have found and much cheaper than orange direct / online / shop
checkout:
http://www.cheapest4mobiles.co.uk/display.asp?hs=m3100&network=&tariff=&gift=&phone=Orange_M3100
also some amazing deals on the Vario II as well - lots of offers if you click on the link, they are actually cheaper than those listed when you select (as theres currently a £5 per month discount as well)
http://www.cheapest4mobiles.co.uk/d...rk=&tariff=&gift=&phone=T-Mobile_MDA_Vario_II
HTC TyTN deals are also there, but tend to be more money (but are available with an O2 connection)
http://www.cheapest4mobiles.co.uk/display.asp?hs=tytn&network=&tariff=&gift=&phone=HTC_TyTN

Someone pmd me to say the deals i had mentioned werent there!
It said on the site that over the weekend not all the deals were listed due to some technical issue with power failures and BT !!!
The issue has now been resolved and all deals are listed once more.

sounds like a good deal!
one word of warning though - i bought my orange m3100 from a different company on the internet - www.directmobilephones.com - because of the good deals etc, and whilst i had no problems recieving the phone, and they had good customer service during the buying process (replying to emails promptly etc.) i found out after a couple of weeks that they hadn't given orange the details for my number port or direct debit even though i had filled out these details on their online form!
so it's worth checking with orange when you register your phone that they have all the details if you don't buy direct...
hopefully this company is a bit better than the one i dealt with!

They look like good deals, but i thought the unlimited broadband was only available on panther 75 and even then you are limited to off peak unlimited broadband? Can you point us in the direction where is says you can get unlimited on dolphin 35? Cheers

i think he's refering to the unlimited home broadband rather than the unlimited mobile broadband.

Doesn't seem like any of the shops listed have either the Orange or the T-Mobile branded handset in stock

Doesn't seem like any of the shops listed have either the Orange or the T-Mobile branded handset in stock
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Click to collapse
???
listed as 'in stock' on their website...
http://www.directmobilephones.com/spv_m3100_orange.htm
please note: if you do use them, check with orange about your number transfer / direct debit details if you're using those services!

bigshape said:
i think he's refering to the unlimited home broadband rather than the unlimited mobile broadband.
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Ahh, yep, your probably right. Even though them deals are good, i think I'll go with t-mobile online and get the unlimited mobile data. You end up paying more in the long run, but i think it'll be worth it! ;-)

Yes i was referring to unlimited home broadband, sorry for the confusion. Just to mention though that all the standard t-mobile deals are available through:
http://www.cheapest4mobiles.co.uk/d...rk=&tariff=&gift=&phone=T-Mobile_MDA_Vario_II
just click on any of the deals, and it allows you to select any available online T-Mobile tariff option.
As has already been pointed out, T-Mobile are offering a £5 per month line rental discount on some plans plus other incentives as well.

ONLY Buy from T-Mobile Direct, else you will get screwed
I have been looking for two days and called scancom, who told me that T-mobile cut their commisions on phones back 40%, so they can never beat their prices, and they were right, they couldn't. SO IW ouldn't bother, go for the T-mobile sales people and you'll do better

Deals on m3100
I bought my Orange SPV M3100 from OneStopPhoneShop (part of CarPhone Warehouse).
£9.99 for the handset and 12 months on the Canary package at £30 per month. Includes 200 cross-network, anytime minutes and 2 months free subs to Orange World (their 3G service) as well as few other perks (30 mins video calling etc).
Total cost £370 over 12 months - now that's not bad IMO.
Hope this helps.

padlad said:
bigshape said:
i think he's refering to the unlimited home broadband rather than the unlimited mobile broadband.
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Click to collapse
Ahh, yep, your probably right. Even though them deals are good, i think I'll go with t-mobile online and get the unlimited mobile data. You end up paying more in the long run, but i think it'll be worth it! ;-)
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This is a very good point. There's no advantage to going with Orange apart from the slightly more attractive veneer on their version of the TyTn.
The online deal quoted earlier?
Well is that 9months half price line rental (in logical human terms)....
Or 9 months' worth of cashback after 6 months if you fill in a form on time...
Or two months half price, another two months full price, then two months full price.....
I don't trust these online companies as far as i can throw them.
Mikeycolllins is right when he says to go through T-mobile, it's just easier to get things sorted that way. And slightly off-topic, but if you ever get to know anyone who works at T-mobile they can only offer you half price line rental if you've gone directly through them, and not a third party.
To get anything like i currently do on Tmob on Orange we're talking 26quid for the dolphin package (as quoted earlier) plus 88 quid for unlimited internet (based on their online data price guide, and limited to 1gb as opposed to Tmob's 2gb). The free broadband will be useless to most people on here who are already contractually obligated to NTL/BT/TALKTALK etc.
Thats an average of 114 quid a month times 18 = 2052 quid.
I know that's taking things to extremes, but it proves a point - the only way you're gonna wind up with a better deal on orange is if you only use wifi. And that would be crap.
So basically i'm stickin with T-Mobile for now methinks.

I think we can all agree on that. For most phone users those Orange deals are very very good. For this specific phone with its data capabilities and the type of users we have in this forum, the T-Mobile deal is just heads over heels better than anything else out there.

I think the comments made are quite right, Orange is definitely the more expensive option (despite the freebies) if you are wanting a high mobile data usage.
I have just heard that Orange are cutting their commissions by £60 on 18 month contracts as from 1st October, so looks like the freebies will start to disappear shortly.
I have noticed that the onestopphoneshop deals have all disappeared within the last hour or so. Their cheapest deal was 12 month on Dolphin 25 at £360 (which is the one bigshape got) but now the same deal is £459 - a £99 increase since 8pm tonight.
The orange deal suits me, as i dont need much mobile data as i have wifi at home and work, and my home broadband is up for renewal anyway, so I have effectively got a FREE M3100 for £26 per month, but saved £17 by switching my broadband deal - so an M3100 for £9 per month including 500 texts and 500 minutes?
sounds unbeatable to me!
just to re-iterate though, :!:
The T-mobile deals on www.cheapest4mobiles.co.uk are actually direct from T-mobile themselves, - It is quite correct that the best discounts at the moment are direct from T-Mobile, thats why they are listed as such on the website.
The website simply runs a search over all available deals from a selection of retailers (one of which being T-mobile) and shows the best deal it can find. It also does Carphonewarehouse, onestopphoneshop, Orange, O2 and many more.

Am I the only person who thinks that rival companies should consider adopting T-mobile's simple 'credit' principle instead of drowning consumers in 'freebies' (20 minutes of video calls for the first 35 days, 'mate rates' half price line rental* free Msn [till october])I think 3 are the worst for this, but all the mainstream companies revel in confusing the less-sharp amongst us with verbiage and tantalising 'extras', seemingly in the hope that we'll forget that their freebie often doesn't last forever.
Of course this tactic has been prevalent in consumer marketing for years - but I believe T-mobile will win through with their straightforward and fair price plans, and their data bundles - as we have ascertained in this forum - are streets ahead of the competition.
3 have just brought out a 3g datacard. I noticed it in Superdrug this afternoon. I spoke to the 'advisor' about it briefly and by the end of the conversation he had told me rather enthusiastically that he was going to take out a t-mobile web n walk datacard plan!
I considered many price plans, and been on many different networks. From my experience I have concluded that the decisive factor in my skyrocketing phone bills was simply apathy. We are all guilty of it, and phone companies rely on it to make the big bucks. How many times have you overshot your minutes allowance, or forgot you only had texts instead of minutes?
The Flext plan is incredibly reassuring in its simplicity, and really does adapt to my changing needs (some months i call a lot, others i text a lot)
Though Orange and O2 may potentially offer more minutes and texts as a whole, this clouds the fact that many consumers NEVER use all of both their minutes AND texts, unless they make a concerted effort to do so.
Adaptability, simplicity and value for money are I believe important to most consumers.
Certainly they are to me.
P.s. What is 'Orange World'? Is that an open 3g browsing experience, or another Vodafone Live! ?
Personally I didn't buy my Vario II so I could check train times and download Novelty ringtones.
*for the first 3 months.

Now, I have a question.
Will any of these places ship to a US address? I ask cause it would almost make sense to get the phone with the cheapest plan and pay the money every month for a year and then cancel. But I am not sure how the european providers are and how long are their contracts. I do have some friends in england I could ship the device if I needed too. but what is everyones thoughts on this?

Not sure about this question as i dont know the vetting procedure, but I would assume you have to go through a UK credit check, part of which would probably be to check you were a UK citizen on the electoral register. I know my cousin had loads of problems because she was in the British Army stationed in Germany. Her parents had emigrated to France and she effectively had no valid UK address except her barracks. Orange were very awkward about this and would not give her a contract phone at all, despite the fact she had been an Orange customer for 3 years already.

All links to the MDA Vario II from your link, to the T-mobile site seem to be broken. In fact there is now no mention of that phone on their website. Anyone any ideas ???

looks like a problem with the T mobile site maybe they are doing some late night maintenance ? try again later methinks!

shadowman said:
Not sure about this question as i dont know the vetting procedure, but I would assume you have to go through a UK credit check, part of which would probably be to check you were a UK citizen on the electoral register. I know my cousin had loads of problems because she was in the British Army stationed in Germany. Her parents had emigrated to France and she effectively had no valid UK address except her barracks. Orange were very awkward about this and would not give her a contract phone at all, despite the fact she had been an Orange customer for 3 years already.
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You usually have to be a UK resident for at least 5 years i think and have lived at the same address for at least 3 years to normally get credit, and even then if you have had no credit, like for example, a credit card, loan, mortgage etc, then you will have no 'credit rating' and will struggle to get any credit at all.

X1 on O2: Deal or no deal?

Hiya,
I've been offered the following by O2 upgrades:
X1/Serra collect from O2 store (because no stock available over the phone).
Pay £48 ish for the handset.
£45 tariff reduced to £30 per month - includes the unlimited web bolt on.
18 month contract.
Whatcha rekon - do I collect tomorrow, or wait for a bit more off in the new year?!

I have the exact same contract with O2/Carphone Warehouse. I'm afraid O2 have turned a little stingy over the past year and from what i have heard, this will be the best deal that you are going to get from them.
I didnt pay for the handset tho, i asked for my porting no. and was put through to the retention dept.
Be warned that the paragraph at the end of the script that they read to you (the bit that they tell you doesnt matter and they fly through) contains details of the unlimited web bolt on, not only does it not take effect until the beginning of your next billing period, it is limited to 200MB a month.
I didnt catch this and have just been stung with a huge bill for web useage, i didnt DL much but they charge £3 per MB...........STOP THEIF!!!!!
Aside from that i am pleased with the deal and i think the phone is stunning (stock ROM is pants tho so i installed a cooked ROM and its mustard)
Good luck,
Creamy

as far as i knew o2 would first have to inform you that you were breaking their fair use policy before being able to charge you for extra usage, if you've been charged i'd be onto customer services like a shot!
As for the new tarriff starting, if your current contract has expired then they can move you over in 24-48 hours (and that includes the bolt on), i know this as i waited for an x1 (making me out of contract), and by the time it arrived i could see online that i had unlimited web...
the £3 per day is atrocious tho, their new contracts have a maximum daily limit (i think its £1) so after you pay a pound you get unlimited data! Last year they got a few quid out of me due to browsing tho

Picked up my X1 today.
Thanks for the info.
I've spoken to them in the past - I've been told that 'unlimited' means unlimited, as long as I don't go mad and break their 'fair usage policy'.
I've picked up my X1 today - it comes with a 4GB Micro SD! Woohoo.
Much faster than my Orbit 2, and there's a lot more memory available to programs etc.
Keyboard seems nice - I'm waiting for my sim to transfer over before I get emailing properly, but feels promising so far.

good luck
have fun with your new toy

Oms said:
Hiya,
I've been offered the following by O2 upgrades:
X1/Serra collect from O2 store (because no stock available over the phone).
Pay £48 ish for the handset.
£45 tariff reduced to £30 per month - includes the unlimited web bolt on.
18 month contract.
Whatcha rekon - do I collect tomorrow, or wait for a bit more off in the new year?!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had the same offer and they put it on the system as a £15 a month discount. You can then drop to £20 a month (after discount) in 9 months if you wanted to aswell

buchman said:
I had the same offer and they put it on the system as a £15 a month discount. You can then drop to £20 a month (after discount) in 9 months if you wanted to aswell
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see! Thanks for the heads up.
I've got this thing going now... not too bad for typing. Waaaay better than the orbit II.
Opera works but not as well as the version I had installed on my orbit.
Skype messenger etc work fine... but my version of TomTom doesn't want to load up properly.

PS how do i find out what week of production this machine is from. I'm interested in whether it's from one of the cursed batches!

HD2 available on Virgin Mobile UK

Just in case you hadn't noticed (well I hadn't anyway!) the HD2 is now available on Virgin Mobile in the UK
http://bit.ly/6tBFFr
The deals seem to blow some of the established ones away

Hardly blown away, to get the free phone you need to sign up for a 2 year tariff and the £35, 18 month tariff isn't much better than what I got from O2. Except I got the phone for less than £2 and they want £20.
Still, some good deals on there, especially if they have good stock levels.

Fair comment. I haven't seen that deal on O2.
It's just that I was about to commit to either a £35 18 month contract or £45 12 month (handsets £free - £90). So £25/m (+£80) seems ok.
But as you say, let's see what the stock levels are like.

this IS the best priced company out there, i ordered mine last night.
18 months, virgin £25, 500 mins, unlimited text and internet to 1gb fair usage, phone cost £80 + £5 postage. with this i got 2 months free so £50 because i am a virgin media customer.
you can get £30 cashback through quidco.com or another cashback site.
even the customer service at tmobile couldn't believe it (when i was getting my PAC) and had to go online to check lol.
25*18 = 450 - 50 = 400 + 85 = 485 for 18 months.
that about the same cost if you took this on vodafone through a third party company (dial-a-phone) but here you can port your number (which i think is an important thing).

iandooley said:
Just in case you hadn't noticed (well I hadn't anyway!) the HD2 is now available on Virgin Mobile in the UK
http://bit.ly/6tBFFr
The deals seem to blow some of the established ones away
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Click to collapse
Thanks for posting this. It is a good deal.
Sunil_237 said:
this IS the best priced company out there, i ordered mine last night.
18 months, virgin £25, 500 mins, unlimited text and internet to 1gb fair usage, phone cost £80 + £5 postage. with this i got 2 months free so £50 because i am a virgin media customer.
you can get £30 cashback through quidco.com or another cashback site.
even the customer service at tmobile couldn't believe it (when i was getting my PAC) and had to go online to check lol.
25*18 = 450 - 50 = 400 + 85 = 485 for 18 months.
that about the same cost if you took this on vodafone through a third party company (dial-a-phone) but here you can port your number (which i think is an important thing).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are right. It's the best deal I've seen so far and I haven't seen anything close from anyone else with those minutes and Internet included. Add the 2 months free and cashback and it's an outstanding deal.
Do you have your phone yet? If so can you use Skype on it to chat and talk?
Any issues with it?
Also, did it come with the case and an SD card?
Thanks.

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!
my virgin contract was up this month aswel!

I paid 100ish on a 34/month 12 month contract more than a month ago, including internet. This is way more expensive.

Pagnell said:
Hardly blown away, to get the free phone you need to sign up for a 2 year tariff and the £35, 18 month tariff isn't much better than what I got from O2. Except I got the phone for less than £2 and they want £20.
Still, some good deals on there, especially if they have good stock levels.
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Hardly a reason to say the Virgin offer isn't a good deal - show me where O2 advertise a HD2 for £2 on a £20 per month contract? I'm going to say that you can't because it was a retention offer which they probably only offered you because you spent £30+ the previous 18 months with O2.
To concentrate on getting a 'free' phone also shows your naivety in thinking - no handset is offered for free as they are all subsidised according to how much you are paying over the term of the contract (it's funny how the handset becomes 'free' when the monthly price is £35+ over 18+ months isn't it?).
The Virgin mobile tarrifs are extremely good value in comparison to everyone else especially when you compare the overall costs. Now if someone can find out if they are sim unlocked directly from Virgin this will become a stonking deal.

kai_ said:
Now if someone can find out if they are sim unlocked directly from Virgin this will become a stonking deal.
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I'll let you know later. Mine's due to be delivered today

arfster said:
I paid 100ish on a 34/month 12 month contract more than a month ago, including internet. This is way more expensive.
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Click to collapse
I don't think it's way more expensive. In fact I think that it will still be cheaper on Virgin.
How many minutes and texts does your deal come with and what network is it on? Is the Internet "unlimited" on that network and could you please let us know how much you actually paid for the phone? £98, £120, £101?
Thanks.

My deal with T-Mobile was
16GB SD -
£25.00 cashback
Free phone
900 Mins / Unlimited txts and internet
18th Month contract.
£35.00 per month
I moved from 3 to T-Mob to get this phone..

arfster said:
I paid 100ish on a 34/month 12 month contract more than a month ago, including internet. This is way more expensive.
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Virgin Mobile Tariff (best value/cheapest that I can see):
500 minutes, unlimited texts and unlimited internet:
18 months x £25 + £79.99 for handset = £529.99 total cost.
Your tariff:
12 months x £34 + £100-'ish' for handset = £508'ish'
No idea how much 'ish' is and also no idea how many minutes or texts you are getting either for your £508'ish'. Neither can it be said that £22 for 6 extra months usage is 'way more expensive'.
When I was looking for my HD2 I think at the time MobilePhonesDirect were offering the best value for me, can't remember the exact pricing and tariff but overall cost was something in the region of £520 but with only 300 minutes and 200 texts, unlimited data on T-Mobile. That was over a 12 month term I think and also required £102 up front for the handset.
Now considering that the cheapest you're going to get a HD2 outright for is about £450 from Carphonewarehouse (reported by someone, but no idea if it's sim free or not) you can't say that the value of calls/texts/data isn't worth £80? After all, even if you buy the handset outright you've still got to pay for a phone plan of some kind.

kai_ said:
Hardly a reason to say the Virgin offer isn't a good deal - show me where O2 advertise a HD2 for £2 on a £20 per month contract?
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And show me where I said it wasn't a good deal. Take your time.
kai_ said:
To concentrate on getting a 'free' phone also shows your naivety in thinking - no handset is offered for free as they are all subsidised according to how much you are paying over the term of the contract (it's funny how the handset becomes 'free' when the monthly price is £35+ over 18+ months isn't it?).
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You're talking to someone who worked for O2 IT for four years, I'm well aware how this works thanks and that phones are subsidised. And I'd wouldn't say I 'concentrated' on anything, merely talked about something that was relevant.
Still, feel free to continue being patronizing, I'm sure you feel a whole lot better for it.

but ....
in case anybody is interested ...
the phone has no sim lock
no branding on it at all
the serial number works on the htc website
all good for me

kevb said:
in case anybody is interested ...
the phone has no sim lock
no branding on it at all
the serial number works on the htc website
all good for me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, now I'm very interested.
If possible could you let me know what your fastest download rate is when you have good coverage. Also if possible could you test out Skype (if you use it).
Thanks again.

DuoM said:
Thanks, now I'm very interested.
If possible could you let me know what your fastest download rate is when you have good coverage. Also if possible could you test out Skype (if you use it).
Thanks again.
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Click to collapse
I don't use skype, never felt the urge, i never max my tariff out as is
don't have any any other apps loaded on it yet except for resco explorer and sbp backup.
this is only my 2nd day with it, ordered it online from virgin at about 2:30pm and it was delivered next day by DHL
it was my intention to run the phone "as is" for a while to make sure there are no problems, which means i will not be installing any other software just yet.
if i download any large files files i will try and time it manually if thats any good to you?
any other info you need feel free to ask.
apart from getting used to a (very)sensitive screen compared to my last resistive screen i am still feeling the love for it

kevb said:
I don't use skype, never felt the urge, i never max my tariff out as is
don't have any any other apps loaded on it yet except for resco explorer and sbp backup.
this is only my 2nd day with it, ordered it online from virgin at about 2:30pm and it was delivered next day by DHL
it was my intention to run the phone "as is" for a while to make sure there are no problems, which means i will not be installing any other software just yet.
if i download any large files files i will try and time it manually if thats any good to you?
any other info you need feel free to ask.
apart from getting used to a (very)sensitive screen compared to my last resistive screen i am still feeling the love for it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, you could try and time it manually or you can use the website: http://www.dslreports.com/mspeed
which should allow you to test the download speed.
The only thing is that I'm not to sure about how accurate it is and their servers seem to be in the USA so that's probably not too good.
I was going to ask about the keyboard but it sounds like it's super sensitive, like others I've tried on the HD2. Can you type on it?
Oh, perhaps you could tell me which ROM version you have and if it came with an SD card and a case (not that I normally use one)?
Thanks.
EDIT: Oh, just saw the ROM in your sig. Did it come with that one?

I was really tempted but then realised you cannot downgrade tariffs at anytime. I personally think going via mobilephonesdirect with topchashback and vf maybe the better option.
Scott

kevb said:
in case anybody is interested ...
the phone has no sim lock
no branding on it at all
the serial number works on the htc website
all good for me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Perfect!
My T-Mob contract is up in a week, and Virgin was by far the best deal I could find.
Virgin £25pm 18mths + £79.99phone = £529.99
The closest I can get is:
TMob £22.50pm 18ths + £169.99 = £574.99
Virgin give more 300 more minutes and unlimited texts (versus 200), both having unlimited web. I can't find a better deal really. I would perfer O2, but I can't get anywhere near Virgin for mins/txts and phone price. Closest is £20pm + £7.50Web 18mths + £250 phone, making it £745 in total! And you only get 75 minutes!
I was worried about being locked into operator provided updates only (my Diamond was bought from Expansys, so fully unlocked), but this is great news! Thanks!
Quick question: Do I need my PAC code when I order, or can I do it after ordering? I was able to do so when I moved to T-Mob...

I was close to considering...
Tried to coerce O2 into getting near to the Virgin offer but the best they could offer was £35/month 18 month contract, 600 mins, 1000 texts, unlimited wi-fi (after I forced the issue) and unlimited internet with £90 for the phone.
Total cost £720 over the life and although Virgin is £190 cheaper I have broadband with O2 so leaving them would increase my monthly payment by £5 and therefore £90 over the life so Virgin only worked out £100 cheaper for me (though I could've got £30 from Quidco).
£100 is a lot of money but I have no experience of Virgin whereas O2 have always been good to me (and normally very generous with my renewals) and I know I get good reception wherever I need it.
Ordered it around 18.45 and supposedly should receive tomorrow according to the email and text they sent me - weather permitting - though I was told Friday by the guy on the phone.