If you buy a Vodafone PAYG SIM then you must make a chargeable phone call such as sending a 12p text to yourself every 90 days or the SIM will be disabled. The number of your disabled SIM will be lost to someone else unless you ask for it to be reinstated within 2 months.
So long as you use a phone for 30 days then you are eligible to unlock the phone. You are allowed to unlock up to 3 phones a Year using a PAYG SIM:
Windows 10 upgrade ruined my Lumia phone, I hate it now .............. buy an Android
monkey1999 to MrRee
3 Jan 17#4
Android oh dear
PaulHM to MrRee
13 Apr 17#24
This phone originally came with Windows 10 and so could not have been ruined by Windows 10. It will not run Windows 8.1.
I bought one of these today for £35 from Sainsburys. I did not need a top up and immediately put a much more affordable Talkmobile SIM in it. Talkmobile runs on the Vodafone network. I needed a Lumia 550 so that I could use it in Snowdonia which has very good Vodafone/O2 coverage and poor EE coverage. My main phone is with EE.
chegwin
6 Jan 17#19
Thought all phones was open now, wasn't it a new law or something?
You do know that you can revert back to windows 8.2 on the phone. It will wipe it and start a fresh
Sharpharp
6 Jan 17#21
Change the title, it's not £35, its a minimum of £45 all in
repouk
6 Jan 17#20
monitor1
4 Jan 17#10
Just use Talkmobile sim.
semo to monitor1
5 Jan 17#18
I tried using my talkmobile SIM inside a vodafone branded phone and it worked. Somewhat unrelated but I've also used a Life/plusnet SIM inside an EE locked tablet and that also worked.
So it seems MVNO SIMs work inside devices locked to their respective host networks.
I'm tempted by this deal as I'm looking for a phone with a removable battery, SD slot and at least 720p screen. I'm not so sure about paying £20 for an unlock code and don't even know if their 30 day rule will be met by just using a talkmobile SIM. Also, I prefer not to identify myself to my phone. I'm never signed in to gmail or play store (I use aptoide and apkmirror for my apps). I don't think you can download MS apps without signing up for one of their accounts.
yulu91
4 Jan 172#11
I'm asking again. Anyone know if it's locked to Vodafone or unlocked to any network????
pcs7038 to yulu91
4 Jan 17#12
Phones sold directly by networks are almost always locked.
Since no-one seems to know for sure, why not call up Vodafone or go into a store and report back.
happyharry to yulu91
4 Jan 17#17
bought for same price when it was on here late November to use as a cheap satnav. locked to voda and unlockers on eBay couldn't provide a code. asked for voda for code and they replied "try again when you've used it for over 30 days, it'll cost you £19.99".
maze2680
4 Jan 17#16
lumia 650 is £49.99 on o2 like new
jacksamthompson
4 Jan 171#15
Vodafone are the devil. I've asked 5 times for phone to be unlocked and they never do it. Chasing me for money for a contract I cancelled months ago. Get cut off customer calls after being on hold for hours. Never again
lushlady
4 Jan 172#14
Popped in a Vodafone shop today, they said all their phones were locked to Vodafone
Still waiting for the fiver virgin giveaway deals come on bill gates... Can you please ablige me :-D
Anon32 to pengwyn
4 Jan 17#9
Virgin have stopped doing payg upgrades now!
ilikedeals21
3 Jan 17#7
is the phone unlocked?
damadgeruk
3 Jan 172#6
Good phone, good price, shame Vodafone have horrible customer service. They recently tried telling me my daughters phone was out of warranty, I had to remind them otherwise. I've read of others having similar issues, don't know if it is ignorance or recommended practice. Not the only issue I've had.
![Fresh Breakfast Meat Box (Using code) @ Campbells Meat [Haggis / Lorne Sausage / Bacon / Black Pudding & More]](/images/topics/208684_1.jpg)
![[Xbox One] Q. u. b. e: Director's Cut on Deals with Gold](/images/topics/208716_1.jpg)
Opening post
Microsoft Lumia 550 on Pay as you go
Latest comments (25)
So long as you use a phone for 30 days then you are eligible to unlock the phone. You are allowed to unlock up to 3 phones a Year using a PAYG SIM:
https://www.vodafone.co.uk/vodafone-uk/forms/unlock-code-request/index.htm
I bought one of these today for £35 from Sainsburys. I did not need a top up and immediately put a much more affordable Talkmobile SIM in it. Talkmobile runs on the Vodafone network. I needed a Lumia 550 so that I could use it in Snowdonia which has very good Vodafone/O2 coverage and poor EE coverage. My main phone is with EE.
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/phones/unlock-mobile-phone
So it seems MVNO SIMs work inside devices locked to their respective host networks.
I'm tempted by this deal as I'm looking for a phone with a removable battery, SD slot and at least 720p screen. I'm not so sure about paying £20 for an unlock code and don't even know if their 30 day rule will be met by just using a talkmobile SIM. Also, I prefer not to identify myself to my phone. I'm never signed in to gmail or play store (I use aptoide and apkmirror for my apps). I don't think you can download MS apps without signing up for one of their accounts.
Since no-one seems to know for sure, why not call up Vodafone or go into a store and report back.
http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/microsoft-lumia-550-vodafone-35-10-top-up-2564503