It’s the news that contract-phobes like myself have been waiting for, the price of the iPhone 3G on a pay and go credit plan. While I hate commitment and therefore generally steer clear of any sort of contract that binds me to a constant depletion of my bank account, I may be rethinking my stance after seeing what the phone outlay will cost.

Both O2 and Carphone Warehouse have come out and said that the Pay & Go 3G iPhones will start selling on September 16 at a rather hexy £349.99 for 8GB and £399.99 for the 16GB model. Didn’t anyone tell them we’re in the midst of a credit crisis?

For your pounds, you will at least receive a year’s worth of unlimited internet browsing, either on the O2 mobile phone network or its collection of short-range wireless broadband or wi-fi hotspots around the UK. At the end of the 12 months, you will then need to fork out an extra £10 per month to continue receiving unlimited internet access. The phone will work on O2′s standard pay and go tariffs, starting at £10 top up per month.

Unfortunately, visual voicemail and call merging won’t be available with the Pay & Go option. You’ll also need to change your data settings to use services such as Mobile Internet.

While the initial outlay of the pre-paid phone may seem incredibly steep, it may work out in your financial favour in the long run. If you sign up for an 18 month contract at £45 a month, you will receive a free 8GB version. Alternatively if you like your music and need more digital space than Warner Music, for £75 a month you receive a free 16GB version. So over the 18-month length of the contract a user of the 8GB phone will pay £810, while over the same amount of time, a pre-paid user of the same phone will spend at least £589.99.

If you’ve got the outlay, it may be worth seriously considering the Pay & Go option. Otherwise, you’ll need to remember not to spend everything in your bank account each month.

More info: O2