British Prepaid Sim vs Calling Card

[vrylucky13]

I'm going to England for a month in july, and I've been trying to some research as to pricing out calling back to the US. I know that if I wanted to get a prepaid sim card when I get there, its not that bad...I could get a nokia 3310 for about 25 bucks on ebay, and then Virgin has the 10 prepaid sim card when I get there. It would be nice, because then I would have my own number, for people to call me there, and I would be able to receive txt messages etc. However, is this really that much cheaper, compared to getting a calling card? I dont really NEED the txt messaging or own-number thing, but it would be nice. Also, how complicated is it to set up the Virgin sim card thing? Does it take any time at all? Having a Sprint phone now, I really dont have much experience with sim cards and such. Has anyone had any experience with both the sim card and calling card while abroad? Which would be cheaper to do? I would probably be using it about an hour a week. Thanks! Hope this isnt too complicated a question!

[ZaphodB]

Originally posted by: vrylucky13
I'm going to England for a month in july, and I've been trying to some research as to pricing out calling back to the US. I know that if I wanted to get a prepaid sim card when I get there, its not that bad...I could get a nokia 3310 for about 25 bucks on ebay, and then Virgin has the 10 prepaid sim card when I get there. It would be nice, because then I would have my own number, for people to call me there, and I would be able to receive txt messages etc. However, is this really that much cheaper, compared to getting a calling card? I dont really NEED the txt messaging or own-number thing, but it would be nice. Also, how complicated is it to set up the Virgin sim card thing? Does it take any time at all? Having a Sprint phone now, I really dont have much experience with sim cards and such. Has anyone had any experience with both the sim card and calling card while abroad? Which would be cheaper to do? I would probably be using it about an hour a week. Thanks! Hope this isnt too complicated a question!

Do both. Here's what you do.

Before you leave, buy whomever you're going to be calling one of those 3c/minute-to-Britain calling cards. (My long distance gives me 10c minute to Britain and 24c a minute to the rest of Western Europe.)

Get an unlocked GSM phone that does 900/1800 MHz from eBay (caveat emptor, let the buyer beware) or just get one when you get to Britain. Pick your provider (there are four) and get a SIM. You'll have to activate the SIM, but then you just slip the SIM in, metal contacts down (there's a notch to help you) and Bob's your uncle, there you are. I'm not sure about the UK, but in the rest of Europe, incoming calls are free. The UK have always been a bit different, though, so maybe that's not the case, or maybe it varies by provider.

Then, you go to any shop in a multi-culti area and buy one of those phone cards with an 0800 number that let you call the U.S. for 3p a minute or whatever (beware of connection fees... some have as much as a 30p connection fee per call, which s!cks if you get voicemail on the US end!).

You can, if you'd like, call from your mobile to the 0800 number, ring the US, and tell whomever you're calling to call you back (assuming free incoming minutes)... they use the US-based calling card, ring you up, and you're laughing, all for twopence a minute.

Don't call from the mobile directly to the US unless it's an emergency... in many cases it's £1 a minute or more.

[roamer1]

As of May 1, Orange UK's prepaid charges 20p/min = ~32c/min (and you're billed by the second!) for calls back to the US and Canada. (I have no idea about O2, Voda, T-Mo UK, or Virgin, sorry... [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img] ) Some prepaid landline calling cards, such as the AT&T cards sold by Sam's Club, and callback services may be somewhat cheaper for placing calls back to the US, but you can't receive calls with them. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img] Since the UK, like most places outside North America, uses "caller-pays" billing, incoming calls are free to you the mobile user, but those calling you will pay "extra" for calling a mobile, even those calling from the US (virtually all LD carriers now charge more for calls to mobiles than landlines in most countries. Rates vary WIDELY among carriers; the 101-6868 dial-around charges only 13c/min for calls to UK mobiles, but some carriers charge more than $1/min!) If you don't want callers from the US to pay anything at all, you can get a toll-free number with Kall8 and pay 35c/min for incoming calls.

From talking to others, getting prepaid in the UK is actually easier than it is in the US -- no requiring the purchase of a phone you don't need (I have an unlocked P280 and dont' need another phone), etc. Usually the biggest problem is jus finding a shop that sells phones! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] If you want Orange, you can even get a SIM while still in the US from www.telestial.com and then call to activate and get your number as soon as you land at Heathrow/Gatwick/etc. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

-SC, who's *finally* going to London in two or three months [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

[Casey0999]

Yes, I agree with the other person - do both, with a slight twist:

For the person calling you from the USA, sign up with a cheap carrier like Acculinq.com (2.9c per minute to the UK if you register your phone here). No need to use phone cards really. One thing to consider, in the UK as in most European countries, the caller pays a high rate for calls TO mobile phones - the person receiving the call on a mobile pays nothing. That also includes calls originated from the USA. On Acculinq for example, calls from the USA to UK mobiles cost 18c/minute - on a carrier like MCI, ATT&T etc they are more expensive, something like 35c/min.

In the UK, as the other person said, there are 4 main mobile companies. If you have an UNLOCKED mobile GSM phone, you can sign up on any of them using their pay-as-you-go service. You top these up in shops with cash, and sometimes with a swipe card. If you are going to buy your phone on EBay, you might also consider buying an unused SIM card on EBay.co.uk as well, because if you buy one as part of a "start up kit" in a UK shop, they cost 15-20 pounds and only give you 1 pound credit - sort of a rip-off. On Ebay you could get one for under 10 pounds and have it shipped to where you'll be staying.

I think at the moment Orange mobile has the cheapest direct-dial rate to the USA (15 pence/min), but these things change constantly. You can also get a 5 pound calling card in any shop, but don't forget if you use your mobile you'll also have to pay the airtime to call the calling card's 0800 number during the call. What I do is use a landline to call the USA whenever possible.

In the UK, virtually everyone over the age of 12 has a mobile and SMS text messaging is very popular!

Good luck!
Scott

[vrylucky13]

Thanks everyone! That was mega-helpful. I think I'm gonna try and go with getting a prepaid sim, and buying the phone here on ebay...when I come back, I'll report on how it worked. Thanks!

~~Bill

[Casey0999]

Great! Don't forget (and you probably know this), GSM mobiles here and in Europe use different frequencies.

For a phone that you can use on both continents, you need a Tri-band phone, example: the Nokia 7210 etc.

Have a great trip!
Scott

[ShoresGuy]

I have been in the UK for 6 months and I can tell you from experience that Virgin Mobile is your best bet. A lot has already been said so I won't elaborate on the details too much.

3 things:

1) Incoming Calls and SMS (text messages) are free like in the rest of Europe.
2) Virgin's rates are by far the cheapest in the UK. 15p (pence) for the first 3 minutes
each day and then 5p per minute for the rest of the day.
3) The refill cards (or called top up vouchers here in the UK) are available at all major retailers and Virgin Megastores. They come in £10 and a couple of other denominations (£10 for sure, this is the most I used to get).

Lastly, you can get the SIM card starter kit for £10 at any of the following places:

The UK Cellular Retailers: Curry's, Dixons, Phones4u, The Carphone Warehouse and The Link.
Virgin Megastores: At any of the Megastores in their Mobile Phones section.

Good Luck and have a great trip, London's great [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img], that's why I'm studying here [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

[vrylucky13]

Can I even buy the topup cards for the British prepaid service here, in the US? I live in San Francisco, and theres a Virgin Megastore downtown. But it seems rather useless to sell them here, if they only work in the UK...