Advice on Unlocking my Pay-As-You-Go mobile currently locked on Vodafone Ireland

AwaitYourReply

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Hi all,

I bought a new mobile Samsung handset off the Vodafone Ireland website in December'19 and I ported my existing mobile number over to Vodafone from another network as part of the purchase. The phone handset is currently locked to Vodafone Ireland and I understand this is still common practise in Ireland.

Fast forward 6 months and I would now like to be able to opt for a cheaper mobile operator like 48.ie, GoMo.ie etc; by using the same smartphone and was wondering if others had any tips/suggestions. There was some promotional credit and goodwill gesture credit applied at various stages to my Vodafone account since it was first created in December 2019 which brings the Total Credit applied to my PAYG account to € 122.50 approx. but Vodafone reps insist that the minimum spend threshold €127.00 amount must be topped up directly by the Customer as any other credits applied to my account are apparently not taken into consideration when a request is received for an NAC (Network Access Code).

I've currently spent €60.00 on Top-Ups out of the €122.50 and had the phone since December 2019 although; it would seem that I would now need to spend a further total balance of €67.00 before I would be eligible to pass the unlock criteria if I understand it correctly. It's hard to know what to believe as it can be confusing when dealing with different Vodafone agents so; any advice would be welcome here.

I would much rather spend €9.99 per month on calls/text/data Vs spending €20.00 per month with Vodafone going forward.

Otherwise; it's a case of taking a look at phone service providers who provide phone unlocking services in Cork City or online

Any recommendations on reputable agents and an idea on their rates for unlocking?
 
Well, I managed to order, receive and Unlock the above mobile phone (which was locked to Vodafone Ireland) courtesy of an EBAY seller and it only cost me €10.24 in total when you allow for the currency conversion from GBP Sterling to EURO.
 
Depending on location I'd say the many phone shops around Moore street in Dublin would be easily able too unlock your phone.
They might charge you a fee for doing so
 
Depending on location I'd say the many phone shops around Moore street in Dublin would be easily able too unlock your phone.
They might charge you a fee for doing so
As I am based in Cork, the option you suggested would have been difficult especially as we are still required to remain within 5km geographic distance from our homes as part of the COVID-19/Coronavirus restrictions imposed by the government although; this will eventually change.

We would have a choice of phone shops in Cork that could also provide the same type services although; I was not sure if they had reopened yet since the lockdown as I was not going into the city centre in recent weeks. I would not have expected any shop in any location to perform this function free of charge and I think I did very well unlocking the phone for a tenner. I've seen rates of €20-€30 to unlock phones and would be surprised if a shop unlocked my particular handset model for under €20. Choosing a suitable seller via EBAY is one I would recommend following my experience and if you read the instructions and terms and pay via PayPal at least you have some comeback if anything goes wrong.
 
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