iPhone 3G with PAYG SIM (Previously Contract)

Jay2k9 · 20-09-2009, 7:06 PM

Ok, long story short. I bought the iphone 3G (Previously contract with O2) off a friend who has just got the iphone 3GS, and I wanted to use it as a Pay as you go phone. As with previous contract phones I've had, they seem to work fine when you put a PAYG SIM card in them.

However, I've put my O2 PAYG SIM in my iPhone and nothing is happening. It comes up saying 'Waiting for Activation', there is no signal but shows 'O2-UK' in the top left. Also, It is a 3G sim card I'm using. When I got it, it told me to activate sim card by topping up £10, how can I do this with no signal? (rhetorical question).

Can anyone help me out here?

chelsea.tone · 20-09-2009, 7:13 PM

You can ring o2 up to top up.

Desmo · 20-09-2009, 8:14 PM

Or go to Top Up - O2: Mobile Details and you can do it there.

Jay2k9 · 20-09-2009, 8:19 PM

Will this work though? I don't want to top up the phone and see that nothing has changed. Don't forget I have put an O2 PAYG sim card into a previously used O2 contract phone.

chelsea.tone · 20-09-2009, 8:36 PM

Yes it will work.

Jay2k9 · 20-09-2009, 9:05 PM

No it hasn't worked. Nothing has changed.

chelsea.tone · 20-09-2009, 9:07 PM

Contact o2, they will sort it

boltlock · 20-09-2009, 9:59 PM

Your sim card needs to be 'switched on' but you'll have to contact O2 to do that for you.

Jay2k9 · 20-09-2009, 10:02 PM

Thanks. I'll contact O2 in the morning.

Jay2k9 · 21-09-2009, 11:10 AM

I phoned O2 and they weren't sure what the problem was. I give up.

funkyspider · 21-09-2009, 11:36 AM

Don't you have to connect the phone with the SIM in it to Itunes ?

There should have been a leaflet with the iPhone O2 SIM which tells you how to activate it. I've got the leaflet at home (I think), but I'm sure I had to connect to iTunes. Then do the topup after that.

It is an iPhone Pay&Go SIM isn't it - not just any old O2 SIM.

Jay2k9 · 21-09-2009, 11:53 AM

No, it's not an iphone Pay & go sim. It's just a normal O2 3G sim. Is that what the problem is? Do I need an iPhone sim card?

DClark · 21-09-2009, 6:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jay2k9

No, it's not an iphone Pay & go sim. It's just a normal O2 3G sim. Is that what the problem is? Do I need an iPhone sim card?

Have you tried connecting your iPhone to iTunes to see if it will activate before you shell out for an official iPhone PAYG card.

I'm sure I read somewhere that normal O2 PAYG sim cards would activate through iTunes when O2 officially announced that they were allowing iPhones out of contract to be passed on to other people.

It's worth a try. Is your iPhone jailbrocken or sim unlocked? if so this might also be attributing to your problems.