voda sim in virgin phone?

[rockhopper]

I have a vodafone contract which I am happy with, but am thinking of changing my handset i.e. buying a PAYG phone and putting my Voda sim card in it.

What I am wondering is whether I will need to get the phone un-locked if I buy a phone with Virgin PAYG.

I have been told that only Orange and Vodafone phones are locked to their own network, and that my Vodafone SIM will work in any other network phones i.e. 02, virgin etc...

If I do need to get it unlocked, are there free unlock codes on the net?

The phone I am particularly interested in is the Motorola V220 on Virgin.

Any help/advice much appreciated

[rockhopper]

...anyone?

[MartinH32]

Hi
You will probably need to get it unlocked as mobiles supplied with pay as you go cards are normally slightly cheaper due to a network subsidy than the sim free equivelent (3, voda, o2, orange and tmobile all provide network locks) Plenty of sites on the net can do this. Some of the older models now have remote unlocking. Best check before you purchase the phone. One place you can look for sim free is expansys.com they have a big selection. Also check out ebay but be careful what you buy.