OFCOM Mobile Phone Unlocking Guide

[#1]

http://consumers.ofcom.org.uk/phone/mobile-phones/changing-provider/mobile-phone-locking-and-unlocki...

I have been with Virgin, amongst other Networks, for many years now, and as such, any personal mobiles I buy from them are Unlocked for free upon request, as a matter of course.
Usually by email within a couple of hours.
Followed up by a letter.
Useful when travelling abroad, using a local SIM card.

Phones purchased from Carphone Warehouse are usually supplied unlocked, as they are supplied enabled for most providers.
The only mobile phone I have had to pay to unlock personally, was a Smartphone bought last year, which cost me £2 to unlock !!

The various online "free" phone unlock software solutions would not work for me, either because I need to use a PC, or the phones are ones I don't own.
As stated, I haven't needed to use unlocking software anyway.

[#2]

The only one I found that would freely unlock second hand phones was voda.
As long as the phone was over a year old. All you had to do was pick up a free sim, register it online, and apply for the unlock. No money ever changed hands for the unlock or the sim.
All the rest always asked for more than any unlock shop.

[#3]

Only iPhones purchased from the carphone warehouse, Phones4U or any other independent seller (with the only exception for network purchased iPhones being giffgaff as their ones will remain unlocked from what I've heard) will lock to the network of the first SIM card inserted into it, but from what I've heard (if it's still current) that there's a glitch of sorts on the three network where you can insert a SIM card from another network in, activate it over wi-fi and it'll unlock.