How to know if your phone is locked:

The easiest way to find out if your phone is locked is to borrow a sim card from somone else's phone and put it in yours (make sure they are on a different network, note: Virgin is essentially a T-Mobile service). If your phone says something along the lines of "SIM Card blocked" or "Network blocked" then the chances are, your phone is locked.

Why are some phones locked?

Unfortunately, most new phones are locked - especially phones sold on monthly contracts. This is to stop customers putting an alternative sim card in their phone if they are still in contract.

How do you unlock a mobile phone?

There are various ways to get your phone unlocked.

1) Firstly, you can contact the existing network provider. They may unlock your phone free of charge but most charge up to £30 (they don't want you to leave their service!)

2) If you have a more modern phone, the chances are you will be able to get your phone unlocked remotely. We have seen prices varying from £5 through to £22 for this service. Be very careful if using an online remote unlocking service as we are sure there are companies who will take your £5 and disappear without trace.

3) If you have an older phone, you may need to send it away to be unlocked. In order to cover postage costs too, you should expect to pay around £15 for this sort of service.

4) If you have a good street market or independent mobile phone shop nearby, you will often find they can unlock your phone while you wait. Typical prices are around £5 - £10 cash.