o2.co.uk and you can find all refresh deals. Dont be lazy.

Step 1 : Buy phone as above with the above listed plan.

Step 2: Wait for phone to arrive. Once it has arrived put the O2 sim into the phone and make a 10-20 second phone call to activate the phones IMEI on O2's system (You need to do this if you want to unlock the phone to use any sim card)

Step 3: Next go to O2's online unlock webpage to unlock your phone for free: https://www.o2.co.uk/apps/help/help?qid=1&q1=2&route=unlocking&case=Handset%20Unlocking%20Form

Step 4: Once unlock request is done it takes 1-7 days to unlock. I would recommend you wait until the phone is unlocked before doing the next step.

*update* It seems you don't need to wait for the unlock to complete before cancelling. You must however request the unlock and confirm with o2 on the phone that unlock is processing before cancelling airtime contract just to be on the safe side.

Step 5: Once the phone is unlocked successfully ring 02 and tell them you want to pay off the device plan which should be £8 x 24 = £192 and you want to also at the same time cancel the airtime. Now o2 customers services representatives are known to be a bit slow so you might need to speak to someone who is on the ball. They should then cancel the airtime and you would have paid off the phone so you have a fully unlocked iPhone SE for £221.99

PS: Some people have stated that o2 sometimes do not cancel the airtime contract part and they get sent bills afterwards, to avoid this I would recommend after you have cancelled the airtime after a few hours or days contact o2 support again and confirm that they have cancelled the airtime plan and get them to confirm in writing.

Any iphone 6s 64gb prices on O2 refresh pls ?

Any iPhone 7 128gb prices on O2 refresh please??

o2.co.uk and you can find all refresh deals. Dont be lazy.

16GB on an iPhone is hard to manage space. Every iOS update takes a major space of the phone.

ive deployed over 80 of these phones now. buy a case as the glass on the screen is horrible. i bought speigen hybrid for all of them.

Are you joking?

Yes you caught me hahaha

looks a great deal!

Exactly, 16GBs is fine for me since I mostly use my iPad sometimes. Also sometimes iOS updates can free up so much space :smiley:

Great find, you struggle to get a dodgy 2nd hand one on eBay for £250

​i don't see how putting a case on the back does anything for the glass ?

Do you get all the original accessories or just the phone itself?

Is this the case with the more expensive brand new (vs. "like new") option as well?

Monster deal IMO, deserves more heat than it got.

The O2 customer service guys rattle through those T&C's at a clip that makes them kinda meaningless though :smiley:

Mine arrived today, brand new and unlocked. Rang up, paid it off and cancelled airtime contract. Painless and straight forward. Great deal. Thanks op.

Mines gone completely wrong!!!!
1. Got phone
2. Made a call using sim on phone to my other mobile (30-second call)
3. Placed request for unlock
4. Called and cancelled airtime and paid off phone.
5. Got a text saying cannot unlock as phone has not been used on network!!!!!!!

Sims now been turned off so cannot make another call, customer service say they can't unlock as not been used on their network even though the phone shows a call made and I got a call received on another mobile!!

So looks like phone is locked on o2 so going to have to return under 14-day cooling off period! And order again! Complete waste of everyone's time!

Great deal. Pity the deal on the iPhone 6 64GB isn't as hot.
Voted hot!

Is the one call meant to be made on the contract sim that comes with the phone? Or a seperate payg one? Not sure how the month contract isn't activated and thus becomes an expense?

Can anyone who has bought this tell me if it comes in the original box with charger etc please?

Mine didn't come in apple box, just phone, USB charger (no plug) and sim tool.

12 month from o2 but sure it will be covered by apple as well.

Are these UK iPhones? For example, I believe you can't switch off the camera shutter sound on the Japanese models? Bought a refurb from Argos recently and this was the issue. Took it back.

How long did it take to get delivered from order?? Ordered one last night... saying that i could have it delivered today... heres 4pm and not even an email/txt to say it has been dispatched???

I ordered Sunday and it came Tuesday. You can check on the tracking link where it is.

Does it matter which package you select i.e. 500mb, 3gb etc?

Does cancelling effect your credit score?

​Defo easier. Any problems on refresh normally happen when people pay off handset, and cancel airtime at the same time. Would ideally suggest you pay of handset first day, and cancel airtime on the next-or at the very least, 2 separate phone calls.

I found my o2 refresh experience very off putting. It was unlocked quickly and device was paid off straight away as well as requesting immediate airtime cancellation.
Then got a bill for full airtime amount as well as taking the first payment. Live chat cancelled it but bill the next day for full amount minus monthly payment.
Live chat then confirmed cancelled again and would be refunded monthly payment. 2 weeks later still no refund so called up and eventually got the refund.
I still got the iPhone 6s Plus for less than buying anywhere else but what a hassle.
My advice, never use live chat.

From what I understand, pretty much most iPhones in the UK are supplied unlocked, and lock themselves to the network of the first SIM card used.

The exception seems to be iPhones purchased direct from Apple

16gb is usable if you use online services for music/storage, 8gb is hard!

what is its front facing camera like?

i have 3 iphones done this way and all went ok . once I receive the phone I didn't do anything with the sim supplied . I just called them saying I had messed up and another sim needed to be used so can I cancel and pay off the phone he took payment that was it, still get a bill every month for zero .

it is like 1.2 MP

Can I ask why it matters that you choose the 20gb £29.99 tariff and not just the cheapest tariff they offer on that phone? Or does it make no difference which tariff you choose?

Just bought this, hoping that it goes smoothly. If you are employed by the local authority, O2 offer a discount, but you need to buy in a store. Can this refresh deal be bought in store or is it only online?

​welcome to 2012 then

Took three goes to get the unlock approved (they said, after the fact, that the first attempt should be 24 hours after the first call on the handset), however, the successful request was pushed through in a couple of hours (on a Saturday evening). Will go through the rest of the steps tomorrow.
Big shout to OP - great price.

I'd also like to know this, there is an option to purchase the phone in full for £221.99 on a £14/month plan. Is there any difference?

There should be no issue because as soon as you pay off the device plan the contract is effectively finished anyway. I've done the same thing above but with the 5s, device plan is £6 a month. Paid off device plan and contract cancelled no problem.

O2 refresh is very good if you can take the hassles which sometimes occur!

Otherwise GuffGaff sell the iPhone 6SE at £329 brand new and SIM-free

Can confirm 100% that this works, just got a 16gb rose gold iPhone se in perfect condition, cancelled the contract, got it unlocked, paid the device balance (£221.99 in all) absolutely steal, you could never get a perfect condition one on eBay for that price.

Random question - can you cancel the airtime contract, but leave the device contract running...effectively paying for the phone £8 monthly?

Nope. I asked someone on their chat and they said you had to cancel both

I have used Refresh twice. The first time was flawless as suggested by other people.

The second time was a different matter. Unlock not received and took three calls over a two week period. Airtime took two weeks to cancel. Lots of phone calls and chat, lots of hassle.In the end I saved about 150 quid on an iphone 6s. So cant really complain. I will do it again next time.

There's an option to pay for the handset upfront for £221.99 on the 24 month airtime contract. Is there any reason not to do this rather than going pay monthly if I plan to cancel the airtime once the phone is unlocked during the cooling off period ?

got phone yesterday - made a 10 second call - filled in form to unlock phone - got an email later saying : I'm sorry, we have not been able to unlatch your device at this time.
The reason given is:

You have not passed our security checks with the detail you have given
us.Please check you have provided the correct information and then
resendthe form. I did that and then got another message via email : This iPhone unlatching request has been rejected as there are multiple
unlock requests received.
I contacted apple who said contact o2 again ..... I have called them and they said try again in a couple of days ..... Not happy so far _ but hope it all goes well in the end.... I assume there is a 14 day cooling off period if I cant get this resolved ???

I had precisely the same issue. I was told by someone online that the unlock form has to be filled in 24 hours after the phone call, or else it doesn't show in the system, and then you fail the 'security'.
Try again using the same method next day and you should be good (fingers crossed)

Thanks - will be trying again tomorrow

Mine was unlocked, worth trying your old sim first.

Do you have to pick this particular deal or can you pick any?

Do O2 actually charge a pro rate fee based your airtime element in addition to calls etc when you cancel the airtime agreement during the cooling off period i.e if I cancel on day 7 will I be charged for 7 x pro rata days of my monthly plan amount ?

If so would be better to choose the cheapest plan rather than the £29.99 mentioned.

Agree, whats the difference to purchasing the upfront of £221.99 with 500MB (£14 a month) and just cancelling the airtime SIM once received?

So, just collected my iphone SE from the local O2 store. It is literally as new.

If I am not fussed about it being locked to talk talk mobile, can I just whack my sim in and then cancel the airtime/pay off the handset through O2?

Answering my own question, no you can't, as the sim is not supported - presumably because it is locked to O2...

I've been looking at less-than-generous contract deals for an iPhone SE for my daughter and have been worrried about getting the right data package - she uses YouTube & FaceTime a lot but I don't know how much she'd use away from the wifi...
This deal means that I can buy the phone outright and trial a few SIMs to guage her use :smiley:

Storming deal - Thanks!

Still acceptable for duck-face pics :stuck_out_tongue:

I bought 2 , neither were unlocked as standard, they come up with an activation error when I insert an EE sim.
I've put in 2 unlock requests, neither of which have generated an email back to me yet, but I'll probably repeat the process tomorrow night as well, just in case.
Netx question, I'm in the market for a cheap Sim deal with 3gb+ data, whats good ?

Purchased the above plan and received today. Canceled airtime no problem, they said they would just bill the 1 day I had the sim...so probably 50p or something. Unlocking wasn't an issue for me as I wanted to use an alternative o2 sim card from my current phone anyway. And the phone was in mint condition! Great deal!

Do they come boxed with earphones/charger etc?

no, they come taped to a piece of cardboard with a message saying thanks for not requesting a power supply. First I'd heard of that. so the packaging is basic to say the least

Thanks.

Can this deal still be done ? Preferably with a 6s

Can anyone help.
1) Phone unlocked,
2) Device Plan Paid off,
3) Air Time.. I called to cancel and they said that I will be billed for the first month use. They said this is a 30day cancellation. You would have to return the phone if you are cooling off period.
How are you cancelling air time without paying this first month please?

"O2 Refresh customer? You can pay off your Device Plan at any time and just pay your Airtime Plan until you're ready for a new device or contract. If you cancel before your contract ends, we'll need 30 days’ notice and you might be charged."

I've just done one of these. Paid full amount for device when I ordered it with the airtime. Arrived yesterday and I placed a call and then requested unlock this am (it was locked to O2 when I tried a different sim). Received confirmation of unlock at 15:00 and confirmed with a different sim. Rang up and cancelled airtime (handset was already paid) and was told I'd pay a pro rata of my monthly airtime for the days used so would be less than £1 total. O2 sim now dead and my O2 now only shows disconnection bill. Said I'd pay the final bill by debit card and would cancel DD just to ensure there's no recurring mistakes and the operator agreed.

Check O2 T&C's clause 10 below where it explains the pro rata (daily) airtime charging in the cooling off (change of mind) period and the option to purchase rather than return equipment.

"10.3 Your Services may begin immediately if you already have a SIM Card or will begin when you receive a SIM Card. You can use the Service during the Change-Your-Mind Period, but you will have to pay for the cost of any Charges incurred (including a daily rate to cover your Monthly Subscription Charges for the appropriate number of days you have the Service, calls, texts or data, third party services as well as roaming or other usage that may take longer to be billed).

10.4 Subject to paragraph 12 below, if you cancel this Service Agreement during your 14 day Change-Your-Mind Period, any Equipment Agreement that you agreed to at the same time for the supply of any Equipment will also be cancelled unless you choose to pay in full for your Equipment in line with the terms of a Device Plan"

http://www.o2.co.uk/termsandconditions/mobile/our-latest-pay-monthly-mobile-agreement

I have just done this, so wanted to post my process and comments to help other people.

Now, this is not confirmed as I have to receive my first and only bill, but both customer service reps I have spoken to say that you are charged pro-rata for the cancelled airtime, so it DOES matter which air time plan you choose.

I chose the £30 tariff as advised by the OP, so I will pay an extra £6. £30 divide by 30 days, multiplied by the days the tariff was active - 6 which makes a potentially extra £6 on the price. As I say, this is not confirmed yet, but two reps have advised me of this, and it does state it in the T&Cs so pick the cheapest tariff you can. You are going to cancel it anyway, so it makes sense to pick the cheapest.

After I received the phone I tried a non 02 sim in the phone. It was locked.

Made a 58 second call using the 02 sim to activate the tariff.

Filled out the online unlock form and received a failure email within a couple of hours. Filled it out again, same failure email back. Seems in my case, 24 hours after making the activation phone call made all the difference. Ended up using a live chat agent to fill in the form on my behalf. Since I received no failure email after that, I presumed all was ok. It was, 36 hours later I received unlock instructions. You just pop in your non 02 sim card and sync the phone with iTunes.

As soon as that was done I rang 02 to pay the device off in full and cancel the airtime contract under the 14 day cooling off period. No problems there at all, except that the line went dead before the call had finished - because the airtime is cancelled immediatly. A quick call back confirmed this. Ring at 8am when they open. You get straight through.

Rang again at 8am the next morning to confirm it again. All good. Informed them that since the contract was ended, I would be cancelling my direct debit (to avoid any mistaken charges being debited) and would call them straight away when I receive my first and final bill to pay it off in full. They said no problem.

I will update this post when I receive the bill and to post the total amount I have paid. At present, it is the advertised £221.99, but surely the 58 second call will be billed as a minimum, and most likely, the pro rata airtime days at £6. We will see....

In either case, it is a bit of messing around on the phone and on live chat to save around £100 (on the new price unlocked from GiffGaff - currently the cheapest place to buy the SE new) which I thought was worth it. The phone is in perfect as new condition. I would not have known the difference if I had bought it new.

UPDATE EDIT - final bill now arrived, it stated I owe £4.86 which was the pro rata airtime bill for the 5 days that the account was active, so it DOES matter which tariff you choose - SO CHOOSE THE CHEAPEST YOU CAN.

However, I politely explained that I did not really want to pay it since I have had to call them up once or twice and use the online chat feature twice. They applied a £10 good will gesture to clear the account.

Total paid £221.99

Just to let you know that my phone arrived in perfect condition.

The process was pretty straightforward for me:
Activate the sim by putting it in the phone, didn't have to make a call?

Then requested an unlock code via the website once it had been activated.

Called customer service, and asked to pay off handset first. Then after that they asked if I wanted anything else, and I said I wanted to cancel the airtime credit (I withheld my reasoning so I didn't have to listen to cancelling spiel), they transferred me to the "leaving us" department, who cancelled my airtime credit.

Awaiting the final confirmation to come through, but they stated I'd receive written confirmation, along with the email confirming it had been cancelled.

All good so far for me, hope you have just as much good luck with it :smiley:

Have ordered and will be arriving on Monday 12th, will keep you all updated :-)

Thanks for posting OP - ordered one :wink:

Any feedback on the phone itself? What is battery life like

took a week to get mine unlocked and cancel airtime.... Hope that's the end of it....phone is mint ! for my daughter for xmas....she will be happy... O2 certainly do not want you to cancel or pay the device off - let alone unlock it.... I had a lot of hassle doing all this - But hopefully all good in the end !

I had no issues. Called and requested unlock the morning of the day after I activated the sim and it was unlocked by mid afternoon same day. No issues or hassle cancelling airtime and that was also done same day as soon as it was unlocked. I did a live chat the day after just to get confirmation it was cancelled and informed O2 I had also cancelled the DD. Was told final bill for pro rata days used of the monthly airtime amount would be generated in 14 days and I could pay over the phone.

Hi HUKDers, just thought I'd thanks the OP and also add that I purchased this deal in store (London Wall, EC2M).
They gave me a brand new, boxed & sealed phone (and therefore not-yet-locked).

Ok thank you for that. I was (perhaps incorrectly) left with the impression that O2 provided 1st-time lock phones since there are a couple of people on here claiming that they received their phone and were able to insert a non-O2 sim from the get-go. The world of iPhones is foreign to me (i'm an Android user) so it's a bit of a learning curve.

Bear in mind these phones sold as "like new" may have been used by customers who requested it be unlocked but still returned it during the change your mind 14 cooling off period. Hence when the used phone is sold again it's already been unlocked.

Quick update. I was charged today for the airtime credit, so had a chat with the live chat who said this:

Welcome to O2, someone will be with you soon.

You are through to Sant
info • 11:41 AM
I’m sorry you’ve had to wait a while to get through to us, we’ve been really busy. How can I help you today?
Sant• 11:41 AM
Sant. I recently purchased a deal through your o2 refresh department. After receiving the phone, I paid the device off in full, and decided I no longer wanted the airtime credit, so I called up and your cancellations team cancelled it for me. However, I looked at my bank today and I have been charged for the airtime credit
Michael Smith • 11:43 AM
Despite the fact I didn't use any of the airtime credit, as the phone was in aeroplane mode the whole time.
Michael Smith • 11:43 AM
I'll check this for you and help you get this sorted.
Sant • 11:45 AM
Michael, I see that the contract was taken on 27/11/2016.
Sant • 11:46 AM
And the account was cancelled and disconnected on 15/12/2016, Which is today.
Sant• 11:46 AM
As per the standard industry practice we charge you an advance line Rental on your bill.
Sant • 11:47 AM
And there will be a Final bill generated 14 days from today.
Sant • 11:47 AM
And on that bill the amount which you have been charged will be credited.
Sant • 11:48 AM
So this will be refunded?
Michael Smith • 11:48 AM
The amount I'm credited, that will be withdrawable?
Michael Smith • 11:48 AM
Yes That's correct! 14 days after the disconnection date the final bill will be generated which will have a credit and you can just contact us and we'll arrange to get that credit amount refunded back to your bank account.
Sant • 11:49 AM
Please be rest assured.

Great deal, thank you mikeysmith10. I used the same method to get a new iPhone SE for my daughters xmas present. Brought the phone outright for £264 and a £14 per month airtime plan. Phone arrived today, called to cancel time plan, the lady I spoke to seemed to be competent, so I hadn't used the sim and said she would cancel it, went online to check me account, came up as disconnected account. So far so good. I'll post if anything goes wrong.

For all the O2 Refresh doubters out there:

http://service.o2.co.uk/IQ/SRVS/CGI-BIN/WEBCGI.EXE?New,Kb=Companion,question=ref%28User%29:str%28Mobile%29,CASE=21629

Did anybody have any problems unlocking? I've phoned up O2 and they've had to escalate it for me as nothing seems to be happening.

Lots of problems!
I tried via the web form 5 times, each followed by an unhelpful, lazy Chat operative who was as effective as water glue!
I have had to call them 10 times since ordering without progress, each person (apart from the last) falsely promising me a call back.
Finally, the phone was unlocked on Tuesday (a month after the 1st unlock request) but I got no confirmation - I just happened to try another SIM again.
They also tried to bill me for 24 months air time too!

I appreciate that the price I paid was far less than I would have paid elsewhere but I've lost a month's SIM-only allowance waiting for the unlock and at what price should I put my sanity / credit score?

Is this deal still available

I did the refresh last year for 5s and had no problems. Did it for the se this week and it was a nightmare! Paid for the device in full...mistake!! After 3 requests to get it unlocked (they said there was no request made), was finally unlocked tonight. Rang to cancel airtime and they said as I paid for device upfront I had a sim only contract and it would cost £267 early termination fee. Spent an hour on live chat with three departments. First one said the above and I would have to return phone in order to cancel. Second said I hadn't paid for the phone and would need to pay for it first. Third said the first 2 didn't know what they were talking about, could see I paid in full and it was refresh and he cancelled the airtime. I really think my mistake was paying in full when I ordered it (thought I was being on the ball!). However, phone is in top condition, can't fault it.

Think I would have went through with this if it hadn't stamped my credit file :disappointed: