UK Apple iPhone Deals & Tariffs Compared
The Apple iPhone has gone from being the sole preserve of O2 to availability on almost all UK networks: O2, Orange, Tesco and, from 14 January, Vodafone (it's even available - on the sly - on T-Mobile if you threaten to leave).
You would expect all that sudden competition to drive prices down and lead to a flood of great deals for iPhone customers, wouldn't you?
Sadly that has not happened. At first glance all the tariffs appear suspiciously similar - and the up front costs of the handsets are nigh-on identical. The cynical among you may even detect the acrid whiff of a Cartel in the air...
But this isn't some conspiracy but rather a reflection that all the operators are in the same boat: they have to pay a large wedge to Apple for the privilege of offering the iPhone and have got to recoup that money back somehow.
If you look carefully, though, you will find some unique offers. For instance, Tesco has brought the monthly contract cost of an iPhone down to £20 for the first time - albeit with very steep up-front charges for the handset. It is also the only carrier to offer a 12-month contract.
But before you all rush into your local superstore you should note that Tesco is a virtual operator that leases its network from… O2. Yes the same O2 that recently admitted that all the bandwidth being used by iPhone users was breaking its network. Ah well, Plus ça change…
During the research for this feature we also uncovered a secret tariff from O2 designed to stop disgruntled iPhone customers from leaving after the end of their contract.
The 'SIMplicity 20 for iPhone' tariff is not advertised but if you get through to the O2 retention team they can offer a rolling 30-day SIM-only iPhone contract with unlimited data, 600 minutes and 500 texts. Especially nice if you're waiting for the new iPhone - the so-called iPhone 4G - which is due this summer.
So check out our take on the positives and negatives of all the various iPhone contracts and offers out there. And keep us posted if you hear of any changes or updates. Happy hunting!
Tesco iPhone deals
12-month, £20 per month Tesco iPhone tariff
| iPhone 3G | iPhone 3GS 16GB | iPhone 3GS 32GB | |
| Price | £220 | £320 | £407 |
| Minutes | £60 for both | £60 for both | £60 for both |
| Texts | £60 for both | £60 for both | £60 for both |
| Data | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Wi-Fi | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
24-month, £60 per month Tesco iPhone tariff
| iPhone 3G | iPhone 3GS 16GB | iPhone 3GS 32GB | |
| Price | Free | Free | £50 |
| Minutes | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Texts | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Data | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Wi-Fi | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Tesco advantages:
- Only tariff that offers a 12-month contract and a new iPhone
- You get Club Card points on the purchase
- You may be able to buy the iPhone on credit rather than pay up front
- Half-price calls to 5 nominated numbers
Tesco disadvantages:
- Steep up-front cost of the handsets on 12-month contract (£222, £320, £407)
- Uses the O2 network
- No tethering
- No Visual Voicemail
Ideal for...
- The 12-month contract is perfect for someone who has a Club Card, makes calls to a small number of friends and wants a low monthly outlay.
- The 24-month unlimited contract is probably the best deal around for someone who makes a hell of a lot of calls and texts - it undercuts rival top-end contracts from Orange and O2 considerably.
Orange iPhone deals
Orange £30/month, 18-month iPhone tariff
| iPhone 3G | iPhone 3GS 16GB | iPhone 3GS 32GB | |
| Price | £99 | £189 | £280 |
| Minutes | 150 minutes | 150 minutes | 150 minutes |
| Texts | 250 texts | 250 texts | 250 texts |
| Data | 750MB | 750MB | 750MB |
| Wi-Fi | 1.5GB | 1.5GB | 1.5GB |
Orange £35/month, 24-month iPhone tariff
| iPhone 3G | iPhone 3GS 16GB | iPhone 3GS 32GB | |
| Price | Free | £89 | £179 |
| Minutes | 600 minutes | 600 minutes | 600 minutes |
| Texts | 500 texts | 500 texts | 500 texts |
| Data | 750MB | 750MB | 750MB |
| Wi-Fi | 1.5GB | 1.5GB | 1.5GB |
Orange £75/month, 18-month iPhone tariff
| iPhone 3G | iPhone 3GS 16GB | iPhone 3GS 32GB | |
| Price | Free | Free | Free |
| Minutes | 3000 minutes | 3000 minutes | 3000 minutes |
| Texts | 500 texts | 500 texts | 500 texts |
| Data | 750MB | 750MB | 750MB |
| Wi-Fi | 1.5GB | 1.5GB | 1.5GB |
Orange advantages:
- The 3G network coverage is better than O2
- You can 'downgrade' your tariff after 9 months
- Great value tethering bundles: £4.89 for 3GB/month
- Supplementary benefits, eg 2-for-1 Wednesdays, Magic Numbers
Disadvantages:
- 750MB fair usage cap on 3G data - but see note below about how much of a disadvantage this is
- 750MB fair usage cap on both The Cloud and BT Open Zone Wi-Fi networks (but how do they enforce this?)
- No Visual Voicemail (although this may change soon)
Ideal for...
- Orange customers wanting to upgrade to the iPhone with the minimum of hassle
- Film buffs who fancy 2-for-1 Wednesdays (and there's an app for that too)
- O2 users sick of dropped calls and slow data speeds in their area
Vodafone iPhone deals
Vodafone £35/month, 18-month iPhone tariff
| iPhone 3G | iPhone 3GS 16GB | iPhone 3GS 32GB | |
| Price | £59 | £149 | £239 |
| Minutes | 300 minutes | 300 minutes | 300 minutes |
| Texts | Unlimited texts | Unlimited texts | Unlimited texts |
| Data | 1GB | 1GB | 1GB |
| Wi-Fi | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Vodafone £40/month, 18-month iPhone tariff
| iPhone 3G | iPhone 3GS 16GB | iPhone 3GS 32GB | |
| Price | Free | £89 | £179 |
| Minutes | 600 minutes | 600 minutes | 600 minutes |
| Texts | Unlimited texts | Unlimited texts | Unlimited texts |
| Data | 1GB | 1GB | 1GB |
| Wi-Fi | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Vodafone £50/month, 18-month iPhone tariff
| iPhone 3G | iPhone 3GS 16GB | iPhone 3GS 32GB | |
| Price | Free | Free | £89 |
| Minutes | 1200 minutes | 1200 minutes | 1200 minutes |
| Texts | Unlimited texts | Unlimited texts | Unlimited texts |
| Data | 1GB | 1GB | 1GB |
| Wi-Fi | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Advantages:
- All tariffs feature unlimited texts
- The £35/month 18-month tariff has the cheapest handset costs of all providers at that contract length and price
- Free Vodafone-to-Vodafone calls for the duration of your contract if you pre-order before January 12
- Reasonable tethering costs from £5/month for 500MB
Disadvantages:
- No Visual Voicemail
- 1GB data bandwidth cap (but again see note below)
Ideal for:
- Vodafone customers wanting to upgrade to an iPhone without hassle
- O2 users sick of dropped calls and slow data speeds in their area
- A heavy call and text user may find the £50/month, 18-month contract hits the sweet spot
O2 iPhone deals
O2 £20/month SIMplicity rolling 30-day tariff
| iPhone 3G | iPhone 3GS 16GB | iPhone 3GS 32GB | |
| Price | N/a | N/a | N/a |
| Minutes | 600 minutes | 600 minutes | 600 minutes |
| Texts | 1200 texts | 1200 texts | 1200 texts |
| Data | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Wi-Fi | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
O2 £30/month, 18-month iPhone tariff
| iPhone 3G | iPhone 3GS 16GB | iPhone 3GS 32GB | |
| Price | £99 | £189 | £279 |
| Minutes | 75 minutes | 75 minutes | 75 minutes |
| Texts | 125 texts | 125 texts | 125 texts |
| Data | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Wi-Fi | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
O2 £35/month, 24-month iPhone tariff
| iPhone 3G | iPhone 3GS 16GB | iPhone 3GS 32GB | |
| Price | Free | £89 | £179 |
| Minutes | 600 minutes | 600 minutes | 600 minutes |
| Texts | 500 texts | 500 texts | 500 texts |
| Data | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Wi-Fi | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
O2 £75/month, 18-month iPhone tariff
| iPhone 3G | iPhone 3GS 16GB | iPhone 3GS 32GB | |
| Price | Free | Free | Free |
| Minutes | 3000 minutes | 3000 minutes | 3000 minutes |
| Texts | 500 texts | 500 texts | 500 texts |
| Data | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Wi-Fi | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Advantages:
- Visual Voicemail
- No data cap on 3D data or Wi-Fi
- Free itemised billing on all monthly contracts
- Only network to offer SIM-only, rolling 30-day deal
- Preferential treatment at O2 music events and venues
Disadvantages:
- Patchy 3G and call network coverage - possibly due to so many iPhones
Ideal for...
- People who've finished their initial contracts and are waiting to upgrade to the iPhone 4G - Simplicity 20 is the perfect option
- Heavy 3G data users an elusive O2 network sweet spot
- People who really need Visual Voicemail
- People who've bought a second-hand iPhone that's locked to O2
Check out our complete list of every iPhone contract tariff in the UK
Note from the author: A monthly data cap of 750MB or 1GB may seem restrictive at first. But I've owned an iPhone 3GS since it went on sale in July and since then I have downloaded a grand total of 1.3GB of data over the 3G and EDGE connections. That works out at a monthly total of just 220MB. Would I swap to a network with a 750MB cap if it could guarantee better 3G connections and fewer dropped calls? In an instant...
