You’ve probably seen that Tesco have announced the availability and pricing of the iPhone on Tesco Mobile. You’ll be able to pick it up from any Tesco store that sells phones Tesco Stores that contain Phone Shops (there’s a list here) from December 14th. PAYG iPhones are available online from Tesco Phone Shop, and from from Customer Services on 0845 600 4411.
There are a few things that their iPhone page doesn’t mention, such as whether tethering or an unlock will be allowed. I’ve been in touch with the very helpful Jo at Tesco Mobile PR, and here is some info that may swing your decision to chuck an iPhone into the basket with your Christmas turkey.
OK, no messing, in a quick-and-dirty style:
Tethering
– No add-on is available.
MMS
– This is available, at 25p per message. There’s no extra charge if you’re on the £60/month unlimited tariff.
Visual Voicemail
– Not available on PAYG or any Pay Monthly tariff.
Call Merging
– Not available on PAYG or any Pay Monthly tariff.
Checking your balance
– Pay monthly customers will be able to check their usage in real-time through a website (I don’t know, but doubt, it’s iPhone-optimised). PAYG customers will get a text telling them how much credit they have left after each call.
Unlocking
– All Tesco iPhones are sold locked. PAYG phones can be unlocked after 12 months. Pay Monthly phones can be unlocked at the end of the contract. There will be a £25 charge for any unlock.
A note on data usage
– Unlimited sort of means unlimited. The small print at the bottom of the Press Release mentions a Fair Usage policy, but there are no details on what that actually means. But, I was told that the unlimited policy hasn’t been a problem so far. Then again, they haven’t had the iPhone on their network yet.
Extras
– If you buy the iPhone in-store with your weekly shop of £40 or more, then you’ll save an extra £20 off the initial cost of the iPhone. I think that Clubcard points throughout the life of the contract or top-up will also be quite attractive.
Tesco will be promoting their Tesco Finder app alongside iPhone sales. It’s a pretty good add-on, I believe, but of course isn’t restricted to Tesco iPhone customers.
There is a hefty up-front fee on most tariffs, but Tesco believes that their iPhone deals will appeal to people buying them as gifts, so that fee is not such a problem, especially if the alternative was buying an iPod plus a cheap mobile.
In terms of the services available, it’s missing a bit. If I’m paying £60 per month, I’d expect Visual Voicemail and Call Merging, plus a cheap or free tethering option. Their iPhone offering does have a slight feel of “get it out in time for Christmas, at any cost”, so it’s lacking these bells and whistles. But, tethering, Visual Voicemail and Call Merging can be implemented later, and I don’t think these omissions make a difference.
Clearly, they are appealing to budget-focussed customers. Tesco Mobile is about a value offering, and I think they are going to shift a lot of iPhones.