Change Forum
Here's a long story. I'm trying to figure out SIM card plans for mother-in-law and sis-in-law. I have an extra unlocked GSM phone
Mother-in-law is coming with us to Amsterdam in early March. While we're in Amsterdam, MIL will be with us all the time so I doubt she will need to use the phone except in emergencies.
However, after amsterdam, MIL will travel ALONE to the UK to visit relatives. In the UK, she will need to use the phone at least once or twice to call the relatives to tell them which train/bus she'll be arriving on.
Later in the month (still in March), my sis-in-law will be traveling to the UK to visit relatives. She will probably use the phone a few times to call the relatives.
MIL does not own a cellphone herself, so she has no idea of what a SIM card is or which one to get. Since DH & I will be connecting at Heathrow T5 for our flight to Amsterdam, I am thinking that we could buy her a UK SIM card there, so when we give the phone to MIL, she can use it right away.
I looked at T5's website and see that there's a Vodafone store. Then I looked at the Vodafone website to try to figure out which plan I should get.
One option is a 30-day plan SIM for £10.50 that gives 50 mins free calls w/i UK (but I assume there'll be roaming charges if she uses it in Amsterdam)
The other option is a PAYG SIM that charges 25p/m within the UK; within Europe it's 36p/m to call, 11p/m to receive. http://www.vodafone.co.uk/personal/price-plans/pay-as-you-go/call-charges/index.htm
I'm thinking that the PAYG might be a better option, since I really doubt both MIL or SIL will use the phone for more than a few calls.
Does my logic make sense?
Other questions:
1) If I get PAYG, can I top up the SIM right at the Vodafone store?
2) Is there a minimum £ to add to the SIM? I'm thinking of just putting £5 on it
3) Will the PAYG SIM give the phone a UK #? That's preferable in case my in-laws' relatives need to call them on their mobile.
[I checked Vodafone's website FAQ but couldn't find answers to my questions.]
Thanks in advance for your help.
Still confused about SIM card - getting one at Heathrow
Recent Activity
View all Europe activity »
- 1 Cahir Castle and Rock of Cashel
- 2 Brussels hotel
- 3 Should I get a Visa?
- 4 Photography, food, history: suggestions for Turkey in the fall?
- 5 Cell phone question
- 6 Itinerary HELP for Moscow, Kiev, Minsk, Tallinn, Helsinki...(in 14 days)
- 7 France: "Chin-Chin"?
- 8 4 Day Paris Itinerary?
- 9 How Is Montpellier as an Alternative to Paris?
- 10
Treacle Down Effect
- 11
Germany, Austria, and Italy Trip Report
- 12 French nationality
- 13 Family travel to Netherlands
- 14 Efteling!
- 15 Vatican Tours
- 16 Where to stay in Barcelona?
- 17 las alpurrajas/orgiva or antequera area - longer stay?
- 18 2-3 month family Spain experience - suggestions and advice?
- 19
Two months in Europe - trip report
- 20
2012 Iceland/Germany Saga
- 21 What kind of cheese should we eat in Venice?
- 22 Customs when US citizen traveling Paris to London to Rome
- 23 Austria in december
- 24 Anniversary Lunch with beach view near Rome
- 25 Spending 2 weeks in Europe : suggestions?
P.S. I sent an email to Vodafone with my list of questions as well; will see what their reply is.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^NEVER MIND^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I just noticed that the Vodafone shop at T5 is located before security, so that won't work for us as we're doing a T3->T5 transfer.
I guess we'll just buy a SIM card when we get to Amsterdam, even though majority of the usage will be in UK.
Have you already done your trip? There are some SIM card vending machines scattered around in Heathrow's terminals, so you might be able to get one while you're doing your transfer. I saw one a couple of days ago in Terminal 1, inside security. I didn't use it, but I looked at it for a while, and there were SIM cards available from most providers, including Vodafone. I think you'll need to know whether your phone needs a SIM or a micro-SIM card, btw (the iPhone 4s takes a micro-SIM).
If you buy a PAYG card, you can top it up at most newsagents, grocery stores, etc. I don't know for sure, but I think you might be able to buy a topup at the WHSmith's stores scattered around the airport. You ask at the cash register, pay your 5 pounds (etc.), and get a little receipt. You then call the number on the receipt from the cellphone, and that activates the topup itself. It's very easy.
Buying a UK PAYG SIM will indeed give your phone a UK phone number. One tip, if you buy a Vodafone SIM: to find out what your own phone number is, dial *#100# -- that will make your number show on the screen.
She will be going PAYG, she doesn't need or want a contract which is what you read about because they usually require a year and they usually require you be a UK (in this case) resident with the equivalent of a US social security number or wherever you are from. Assuming you just want voice communications, you need a basic model gsm mobile phone with the 900 and 1900 mhz bands used throughout the world except, naturally, in the USA for the most part. You do have a few choices depending on time restraints.
Virtually every corner in the UK has a mobile phone store, either a general one, carphone warehouse or one for one of the specific networks. Now I understand you want her to have the phone to call somebody but your choices at Heathrow are limited. She can use a public phone for the one call she has to make. In general, UK sim cards are free but require a minimum top up upon prchase for £5 for PAYG.
Now, for not all that muc h more, you can get both a UK sim card and an inexpensive gsm phone on ebay. Again I don't know the time restraints. I prefer T Mobile UK as they have a cheap plan PAYG and they tie in with a company called yourcallworld but your relatives might not want to bother. The UK sim cards will work throughout the eu relatively inexpensively. You can also go on any one of the UK cell phone web sites (Tmobile, Vodafone, Orange, O2, Kebara) and have them post a free UK sim card to any UK address....whomever she is staying ith will surely be able to assist her with an initial top up and inserting the sim card in the phone....
Lots of ways to handle the situation and the nice thing about getting a UK sim card is the language they speak is very similar to yours!
You already have excellent advice. Very detailed information from xyz123. Just want to mention that xyz123 meant 900/1800 bands and not 900/1900
Thanks...hit the wrong key!
Well, we leave in a few days. We'll just buy a pre-loaded SIM card when we are in Amsterdam and MIL will just pay roaming charges when she uses it in UK. I think Lebara has reasonable rates. MIL does not own a cell phone and has never used one, so it'll be too complicated to have her buy a SIM card in UK herself. She's staying w/a relative who's even older and doesn't have a mobile either, so that person won't be of any help. In any case, thanks for all your thoughts and input.
yk...that's fine but if she waits till she gets to the UK, the place she buys the sim will insert it and set it up. Lebara NL is fine too and will have reasonable roaming rates while in the UK; the only downside being it will cost an arm and a leg to call outside the eu. Not trying to be pushy in the slightest; your plan is fine but the UK sim card would be cheaper, that's all. (she can also have the best of both worlds...sim cards in the UK as noted are dirt cheap so when she gets to the UK, she can always swap the sim cards or have a neighbour do it or have the clerk selling the sim card do it) but no matter what you decide, we're not talking large amounts of money in either case.