If you want a new phone after your contract is up, then yes o2 would put you on the current tariff, unless you have been with o2 for years they wont give you anything, same goes for Vodafone they are even tighter than most networks.

I think it would be a brave network to get rid of Pay & Go, but they could if they wanted to, It wouldn't suprise me if the networks turn round & say people on P&G must make so many calls say every 3 months or they will be cut off simply because there isn't any money in it for them now, a bit harsh I know but isn't everything about money these days

Didn't pay and go topups used to have expiry dates? I also remember something about having to make or receive a call every x amount of weeks to keep the simcard active.

Another way networks may look at recovering costs is possibly reducing the amount of freebies given out for topping up (for example, Tesco and their triple your credit offer). I just hope we don't move to the american way of being charged for receiving incoming calls on your mobile.

Hmm that's different. I am with Orange and they give me the option of new phone and keeping the tarrif, new phone and new tarrif, or keep the phone and have a discount instead.

Can't see O2 ditching pay as you go. They love their pay as you go customers more than they do their contract ones giving them the chance to win prizes every time they top up

If light pay as you go users who receive more calls than they make become economically unviable then it's possible you may see a switch to the American pricing model where you pay to receive calls as well as make them

No, I don't think o2 would stop pay as you go because you have to top up every three months on some o2 plans or you loose things like free calls to your post code etc, But some networks Vodafone for example don't waste time in cutting people off if your not using your pay & go phone, we will have to wait & see what happens now o2 have made these changes, one things for sure when my contract is up next year & if things are the same with o2 I for one won't renew my simplicity contract because I do phone landlines when I'm out & about which you can't do now on the new plans as it comes out of your minutes, then it will be up to o2 to try & make people on the old tarriffs change plans, But the small print on o2 contract states you can stay on the same plan after your contract finishes untill you or them cancel it, I have say to though o2 are being tight about not doing free landlines or o2 to o2 calls now on all their plans.

I'm quite happy with the new tariffs. Currently on iphone £35 a month and looking forward to changing as fed up with iphone and also the contract is too expensive.

I currently only use about 60 of my 600 free minutes and very little of my unlimited data allowance.

Looking at the new tariffs, I will be able to get just exactly what I need on 18 month contract for £26 a month with a shiny new phone so I am more than happy really.

Here is a little something I wrote regarding O2 and their tethering policy

http://o2hell.com/tethering.htm

It's just a timeline and some points to consider

I agree with everything you've written. O2 are a bunch of Con Men.

Some to agree with there, but a lot of factual errors. If tethering is your main concern then O2 stacks up well against everybody except Three who seem to be well out there on there own in terms of value.

For example its worth comparing your ~£30 price point with Orange. You pay £2 more with O2, but you get double the minutes (an extra 150), unlimited SMS rather than only 250, and 20 MMS chucked in. All that and Orange still charge you extra for tethering. Wonder who the real con men are?