Cell Phone Question

[propanelady]

Has anyone ever bought a SIM card in England/Europe and put it in their existing cell phone to make calls? I've heard this might be more cost effective when overseas and wanting to call back to the USA.

[WisRiver]

You have to have an "unlocked" cell phone that can access all of the GSM bands. We used to use an unlocked phone and would buy a UK chip. Then we started using a T-Mobile phone with their international service. We do not like T-Mobile's US service, but they have great international service.

[MATHA531]

English sim cards are by far the easiest to acquire and use by Americans one of the reasons being, of course, the language. They have varying policies which might or might not appeal to you. You might wish to do a little research on their web sites (Vodafone, o2, ee, three) just add .co.uk to the name. All have plans that bring calls to the USA from Britain to dirt cheap, and I mean dirt cheap, levels. However, once you leave Britain, you will pay an arm and a leg, well perhaps just an arm to call North America. You can also get data. There is a good chance if you have an I phone or a smart android phone that it is already unlocked. You can also easily purchase an inexpensive phone on ebay that is unlocked. I got a plan from Vodafone.co.uk where for a 30 day period and a top up of £10 I got data and then got an extra which made calls from Britain to North America 2p/minute. Go for it.

[Bob++]

I am told that smart travellers call in at the mobile phone shop at the airport when they land. The spotty kids behind the counter know all about this stuff.

[MATHA531]

I am told that smart travellers call in at the mobile phone shop at the airport when they land. The spotty kids behind the counter know all about this stuff.

 

All over London, there are mobile phone shops. One popular chain is Carphone Warehouse which has many many offices. Also each of the networks have many shops on most every street corner. For the most part, the people will have a good general idea of what's available but I still think you might wish to do a bit of your own research by looking at the various web sites. As I said, one big advantage for North Americans in dealing with British sim cards is the language of the web sites is English which is very closely related to American or Canadian.

[insanemagnet]

Take a look at the company Three. Part of their offering is you can use their service in a lot of (but not all) overseas countries out of the UK allowance (i.e. no roaming charges).

[MATHA531]

Take a look at the company Three. Part of their offering is you can use their service in a lot of (but not all) overseas countries out of the UK allowance (i.e. no roaming charges).

 

Only problem with three is they have no 2g towers in Britain so you need a phone which has at least 3g capabilities. If you want a dirt cheap phone for voice only, 3 might not work. Some have reported difficulties especially with dual sim phones where the second sim in many cases defaults to 2g.

 

If you don't know what I'm talking about, all I'm saying is you have to be more careful with 3 than with the other British telecoms.

[Alaskanb]

I have a Mobal phone https://www.mobal.com/

[Gary72]

If you have Verizon you can check on their plan which essentially totally migrates your plan overseas fo $10 a day (only the days you use it). For example on days we use to call back to the states, we get unlimited calling.

[roothy123]

We have T-Mobile service, and they charge 20 cents a minute for calls in the UK, with data free.

[MATHA531]

We have T-Mobile service, and they charge 20 cents a minute for calls in the UK, with data free.

 

Quite true but data is very slow. (Not a problem if you are in a location with wifi).

[insanemagnet]

Only problem with three is they have no 2g towers in Britain so you need a phone which has at least 3g capabilities. If you want a dirt cheap phone for voice only, 3 might not work.

 

You are correct, but as a 'no name' android 3G handset can be bought very cheaply and if you can make massive savings on roaming charges that doesn't seem much of a hardship, plus it gives you access to email, maps, etc, etc.

[calliecat]

If you have Verizon you can check on their plan which essentially totally migrates your plan overseas fo $10 a day (only the days you use it). For example on days we use to call back to the states, we get unlimited calling.

This is what my son is doing right now in London and Dublin. Unlimited text and calls and will use data just as back in the states for $10/day.