Here's what to do to get your nice PAYG 3GS unlocked without hacking. You need to have the right circumstances so it's not the answer for everyone but there are many frustrated people out there that will appreciate this info.
First you need someone with an iPhone on a pay monthly tarrif.
Then you posing as your friend or friend calls O2 and gives their details to enter a discussion about unlocking their iPhone. At this point you will be asked to go to www.O2.co.uk/unlockmyiphone. This is where you tell them you now live in another country and cannot access that part of the site (as its blocked outside the UK), but are keeping the address in the UK (o2 will not want an overseas address). So the advisor will put you on hold while he/she thinks about what to do or asks a supervisor, they will come back and offer to put it through for you. They will ask for an IMEI number - at this point you give them your PAYG IMEI number obviously not your friends. This process circumvents some of the verification the website will put you through and greatly increases your chances of success.
Their response will be "ok, so you've had this contract since (insert date here)" at which point you agree, they will confirm it has been 'put through' and you will receive a text within 14 days to advise you to hook your phone up to itunes for unlocking.
note: O2 are not the security services - they will not cross reference too much data, i.e the IMEI number. You could, for any number of reasons have a different IMEI to the one they have on record. (So trolls / flamers be quiet and go back to your porn.)
I sincerely hope this helps some of you get one up on the tyrannical O2.
First you need someone with an iPhone on a pay monthly tarrif.
Then you posing as your friend or friend calls O2 and gives their details to enter a discussion about unlocking their iPhone. At this point you will be asked to go to www.O2.co.uk/unlockmyiphone. This is where you tell them you now live in another country and cannot access that part of the site (as its blocked outside the UK), but are keeping the address in the UK (o2 will not want an overseas address). So the advisor will put you on hold while he/she thinks about what to do or asks a supervisor, they will come back and offer to put it through for you. They will ask for an IMEI number - at this point you give them your PAYG IMEI number obviously not your friends. This process circumvents some of the verification the website will put you through and greatly increases your chances of success.
Their response will be "ok, so you've had this contract since (insert date here)" at which point you agree, they will confirm it has been 'put through' and you will receive a text within 14 days to advise you to hook your phone up to itunes for unlocking.
note: O2 are not the security services - they will not cross reference too much data, i.e the IMEI number. You could, for any number of reasons have a different IMEI to the one they have on record. (So trolls / flamers be quiet and go back to your porn.)
I sincerely hope this helps some of you get one up on the tyrannical O2.