May 30, 2013, 7:52 pm
Last edit by: Silver Fox
This is a stub Wiki for this thread - the idea is that any member can edit it to keep it up to date as a distillation of the best info from the thread.
3 - 200MB Free data SIM
3 - 15 pounds for 300 minutes, 3000 texts, and unlimited 3G data for a month (http://store.three.co.uk/view/searchSimOnly?tariff=112) The deal might not be dead but to buy the addon you need to switch WiFi off (!!) and open http://three.co.uk/my3 on your device as this unlinked support page says. Three customer service and store both says this doesn't work with tablets -- however customer service are idiots and doesn't know what is a tablet only knows phones and iPads (both phone and chat -- this is apparently company level). Tread carefully. Anyways, this method still worked on January 13, 2015.
Note the GBP15 all you can eat deal has now been pulled(Note 8/3/16: All in one with All you can eat data is now GBP25): http://www.threemicrosites.co.uk/AIO20B
If you don't want to buy a bundle or a plan, Three's flat rate for calls is now 3p per minute. The expiry time of one month or three months for topups has now been removed. So you pay only 3p per call minute for what you use.
Three's data is only 1p per MB, and you can buy packages (eg 500MB for 5 pounds). The packages ("add-ons") may not save money directly, but those data packages are eligible for use in "Feel at Home" countries (Australia, Austria, Denmark, Hong Kong, Italy, Indonesia, Macau, Ireland, Sri Lanka, Sweden, USA) at no extra charge. See http://support.three.co.uk/SRVS/CGI-...se=EXT(EM11925)
EE: http://shop.ee.co.uk/price-plans/free-sim
Vodafone: https://freesim.vodafone.co.uk
O2: https://www.o2.co.uk/freesim/
giffgaff: www.giffgaff.com/orders/affiliate/nfh (£5 free credit) or www.giffgaff.com/orders/free-sim (no free credit)
Three: https://www.three.co.uk/Support/Free_SIM/Order
How do I top up with an overseas card, or can I use PayPal?
Strangely, some firms insist that you must use a UK issued credit card to topup. Some do take PayPal:
Giffgaff
Vodafone
But it is not as prevalent as it should bein this day and age admittedly. There is a firm that some people have reported success with and they are:
https://www.mobiletopup.co.uk/
What frequencies are used in the UK?
There are a total of 5 different frequencies used in the UK used by the mobile networks to deliver their 2G, 3G and 4G mobile services.
800MHz (Band 20)
900MHz (Band 8)
1800MHz (Band 3)
2100MHz (Band 1)
2600MHz (Band 7)
Here's a chart for iPhones and which bands each model can use. http://www.apple.com/iphone/LTE/
If you're not sure which model you have, look on the back of your iPhone or go into Settings-->General-->About-->Legal-->Regulatory
iphone 5 users note that: iPhone 5 cannot get 4G/LTE on the 800MHz or 2600MHz frequencies but it can on the 1800 frequency.
For other users there are a number of resources to check the frequency your phone supports including:
Global Certification Forum
As an example this is the data for a Samsung J1 Ace SM-J111F
GSMARENA
What frequencies do the different operators use?
Each operator in the UK utilises different frequencies to deliver their mobile networks with the core networks being EE, O2, Vodafone and Three. Then there are also operators, called mobile virtual network operators (MVNO), who utilise the backend of the core networks to offer their own services.
The frequencies used by the major UK networks are:
EE (2G) 1800MHz (3G) 2100MHz (4G LTE) 1800MHz & 2600MHz
O2 (2G) 900MHz & 1800MHz (3G) 900MHz & 2100MHz (4G LTE) 800MHz
Vodafone (2G) 900MHz & 1800MHz (3G) 900MHz & 2100MHz (4G LTE) 800MHz & 2600MHz
Three (2G) N/A (3G) 2100MHz (4G LTE) 800MHz & 1800MHZ
The frequencies used by UK’s MVNO’s are listed below:
Asda Mobile (2G) 1800MHz (3G) 2100MHz (4G LTE) N/A
BT Mobile (2G) 1800MHz (3G) 2100MHz (4G LTE) 800MHz, 1800MHz & 2100MHz
iD Mobile (2G) N/A (3G) 2100MHz (4G LTE) 1800MHz
Freedom Pop (2G) N/A (3G) 2100MHz (4G LTE) 800MHz & 1800MHz
GiffGaff (2G) 900MHz (3G) 900MHz & 2100MHz (4G LTE) 800MHz
Lebara Mobile (2G) 900MHz (3G) 900MHz & 2100MHz (4G LTE) N/A
LycaMobile (2G) 900MHz (3G) 900MHz & 2100MHz (4G LTE) 800MHz
TalkMobile (2G) 900MHz (3G) 900MHz & 2100MHz (4G LTE) N/A
TalkTalk (2G) 900MHz (3G) 900MHz & 2100MHz (4G LTE) 800MHz
Tesco Mobile (2G) 900MHz (3G) 900MHz & 2100MHz (4G LTE) 800MHz
The People’s Operator (2G) 1800MHz (3G) 2100MHz (4G LTE) 800MHz, 1800MHz & 2100MHz
Virgin Mobile (2G) 1800MHz (3G) 2100MHz (4G LTE) 800MHz, 1800MHz, & 2600MHz
Please add and edit!
3 - 200MB Free data SIM
3 - 15 pounds for 300 minutes, 3000 texts, and unlimited 3G data for a month (http://store.three.co.uk/view/searchSimOnly?tariff=112) The deal might not be dead but to buy the addon you need to switch WiFi off (!!) and open http://three.co.uk/my3 on your device as this unlinked support page says. Three customer service and store both says this doesn't work with tablets -- however customer service are idiots and doesn't know what is a tablet only knows phones and iPads (both phone and chat -- this is apparently company level). Tread carefully. Anyways, this method still worked on January 13, 2015.
Note the GBP15 all you can eat deal has now been pulled(Note 8/3/16: All in one with All you can eat data is now GBP25): http://www.threemicrosites.co.uk/AIO20B
If you don't want to buy a bundle or a plan, Three's flat rate for calls is now 3p per minute. The expiry time of one month or three months for topups has now been removed. So you pay only 3p per call minute for what you use.
Three's data is only 1p per MB, and you can buy packages (eg 500MB for 5 pounds). The packages ("add-ons") may not save money directly, but those data packages are eligible for use in "Feel at Home" countries (Australia, Austria, Denmark, Hong Kong, Italy, Indonesia, Macau, Ireland, Sri Lanka, Sweden, USA) at no extra charge. See http://support.three.co.uk/SRVS/CGI-...se=EXT(EM11925)
EE: http://shop.ee.co.uk/price-plans/free-sim
Vodafone: https://freesim.vodafone.co.uk
O2: https://www.o2.co.uk/freesim/
giffgaff: www.giffgaff.com/orders/affiliate/nfh (£5 free credit) or www.giffgaff.com/orders/free-sim (no free credit)
Three: https://www.three.co.uk/Support/Free_SIM/Order
How do I top up with an overseas card, or can I use PayPal?
Strangely, some firms insist that you must use a UK issued credit card to topup. Some do take PayPal:
Giffgaff
Vodafone
But it is not as prevalent as it should bein this day and age admittedly. There is a firm that some people have reported success with and they are:
https://www.mobiletopup.co.uk/
What frequencies are used in the UK?
There are a total of 5 different frequencies used in the UK used by the mobile networks to deliver their 2G, 3G and 4G mobile services.
800MHz (Band 20)
900MHz (Band 8)
1800MHz (Band 3)
2100MHz (Band 1)
2600MHz (Band 7)
Here's a chart for iPhones and which bands each model can use. http://www.apple.com/iphone/LTE/
If you're not sure which model you have, look on the back of your iPhone or go into Settings-->General-->About-->Legal-->Regulatory
iphone 5 users note that: iPhone 5 cannot get 4G/LTE on the 800MHz or 2600MHz frequencies but it can on the 1800 frequency.
For other users there are a number of resources to check the frequency your phone supports including:
Global Certification Forum
As an example this is the data for a Samsung J1 Ace SM-J111F
GSMARENA
What frequencies do the different operators use?
Each operator in the UK utilises different frequencies to deliver their mobile networks with the core networks being EE, O2, Vodafone and Three. Then there are also operators, called mobile virtual network operators (MVNO), who utilise the backend of the core networks to offer their own services.
The frequencies used by the major UK networks are:
EE (2G) 1800MHz (3G) 2100MHz (4G LTE) 1800MHz & 2600MHz
O2 (2G) 900MHz & 1800MHz (3G) 900MHz & 2100MHz (4G LTE) 800MHz
Vodafone (2G) 900MHz & 1800MHz (3G) 900MHz & 2100MHz (4G LTE) 800MHz & 2600MHz
Three (2G) N/A (3G) 2100MHz (4G LTE) 800MHz & 1800MHZ
The frequencies used by UK’s MVNO’s are listed below:
Asda Mobile (2G) 1800MHz (3G) 2100MHz (4G LTE) N/A
BT Mobile (2G) 1800MHz (3G) 2100MHz (4G LTE) 800MHz, 1800MHz & 2100MHz
iD Mobile (2G) N/A (3G) 2100MHz (4G LTE) 1800MHz
Freedom Pop (2G) N/A (3G) 2100MHz (4G LTE) 800MHz & 1800MHz
GiffGaff (2G) 900MHz (3G) 900MHz & 2100MHz (4G LTE) 800MHz
Lebara Mobile (2G) 900MHz (3G) 900MHz & 2100MHz (4G LTE) N/A
LycaMobile (2G) 900MHz (3G) 900MHz & 2100MHz (4G LTE) 800MHz
TalkMobile (2G) 900MHz (3G) 900MHz & 2100MHz (4G LTE) N/A
TalkTalk (2G) 900MHz (3G) 900MHz & 2100MHz (4G LTE) 800MHz
Tesco Mobile (2G) 900MHz (3G) 900MHz & 2100MHz (4G LTE) 800MHz
The People’s Operator (2G) 1800MHz (3G) 2100MHz (4G LTE) 800MHz, 1800MHz & 2100MHz
Virgin Mobile (2G) 1800MHz (3G) 2100MHz (4G LTE) 800MHz, 1800MHz, & 2600MHz
Please add and edit!
Prepaid SIM - UK/Great Britain/England/Scotland/Wales
Nov 24, 2016, 7:33 am
#391
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: where lions are led by donkeys...
Programs: Lifetime Gold, Global Entry, Hertz PC, and my wallet
Posts: 20,340
Why would the person want to buy a phone for secondary use in the UK? The prices for smartphones on ebay are much lower than buying a brand name in the UK which would also include VAT? With an unlocked smartphone bought on ebay, getting a UK sim card is a piece of cake. The only thing you have to watch is whether the phone you purchase will have all the 4g bands used in the UK and there is a web site, I think it's willmyphonework.com, that will help you with that.
Nov 24, 2016, 8:05 am
#392
Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 1,762
Nov 27, 2016, 8:32 pm
#394
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: USA
Programs: AA
Posts: 400
Ok, so i continue to be confused.
I can buy an unlocked phone in the usa (for example, google pixel).
i want to use the phone for data and calling in the UK. Such as uber, texting, etc. I would like to have a UK phone number.
i can buy a three sim card on ebay with 30 pounds of credit. I assume i can pop that into my unlocked phone and use it right when i land in the uk.
DO I NEED a uk credit card, or a us credit card is ok (I am a US resident)
Can i top up these sims with purchase from a us credit card while in the uk?
This is all very confusing to me. It seems so complicated.
Thanks for the guidance.
I can buy an unlocked phone in the usa (for example, google pixel).
i want to use the phone for data and calling in the UK. Such as uber, texting, etc. I would like to have a UK phone number.
i can buy a three sim card on ebay with 30 pounds of credit. I assume i can pop that into my unlocked phone and use it right when i land in the uk.
DO I NEED a uk credit card, or a us credit card is ok (I am a US resident)
Can i top up these sims with purchase from a us credit card while in the uk?
This is all very confusing to me. It seems so complicated.
Thanks for the guidance.
Nov 27, 2016, 8:48 pm
#395
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: DAY/CMH
Programs: UA MileagePlus
Posts: 2,474
Ok, so i continue to be confused.
I can buy an unlocked phone in the usa (for example, google pixel).
i want to use the phone for data and calling in the UK. Such as uber, texting, etc. I would like to have a UK phone number.
i can buy a three sim card on ebay with 30 pounds of credit. I assume i can pop that into my unlocked phone and use it right when i land in the uk.
DO I NEED a uk credit card, or a us credit card is ok (I am a US resident)
Can i top up these sims with purchase from a us credit card while in the uk?
This is all very confusing to me. It seems so complicated.
Thanks for the guidance.
I can buy an unlocked phone in the usa (for example, google pixel).
i want to use the phone for data and calling in the UK. Such as uber, texting, etc. I would like to have a UK phone number.
i can buy a three sim card on ebay with 30 pounds of credit. I assume i can pop that into my unlocked phone and use it right when i land in the uk.
DO I NEED a uk credit card, or a us credit card is ok (I am a US resident)
Can i top up these sims with purchase from a us credit card while in the uk?
This is all very confusing to me. It seems so complicated.
Thanks for the guidance.
Once you've done that, you can pop in a UK SIM.
Nov 28, 2016, 12:48 am
#396
Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 1,762
There are other solutions in this thread which might answer your questions.
I haven't checked ebay lately. But a couple of months ago, I got a three sim card with no credit for 99p (about $1.22) and this particular vendor ships to the USA for 99p or at least did at that time. Go back through this thread for that link.
Now the idiots at 3, like many of the other British telcoms do not allow topping up with credit cards issued outside the UK nor do they take paypal for that. That was also discussed here. However, there is a web site, www.mobiletopup.co.uk that will allow you to top up UK sim cards online and will take paypal for a 99p surcharge. They email you the top up code and after you insert sim card and the phone registers on a US roaming partner (either T Mobile or AT&T) you follow the directions and can top up and have a fully functional phone as soon as you arrive in the UK. or
You can go to the three web site and, again at least they have in the past have them post to your hotel address 1 or 2 sim cards for free. Upon arrival, you insert the sim cards then go out to either a grocery chain, a service station or a drug chain (Boots or Superdrug for example) and tell them you want a top up. They will process it at the register, absolutely honor your US credit card, and then you enter the top up code as above. All this is free. or
You can go into a phone store, say Carphone Warehouse, upon arrival in the UK and they'll take care of all the details. The sim card is free with a minimum £10 top up.
All these methods will work fine. The advantages of doing it here for the small surcharges is you know your number in advance in case you want friends and relatives to have it and you have a fully functioning UK mobile phone as soon as the plane hits the runway at Heathrow or Gatwick (nobody pays any attention to the old rules to keep mobile phones off until inside the terminal although in the USA they've given that up and now tell you on flights you can turn on your cell phones while the plane is still taxing to the gate don't know about the UK airlines).
Hope that helps.
PS...Here's the link for the 3 sim card. http://www.ebay.com/itm/UK-Three-UK-...oAAOSwP~tW3qFf
The postage to the US is only 75p not what I gave you.
I haven't checked ebay lately. But a couple of months ago, I got a three sim card with no credit for 99p (about $1.22) and this particular vendor ships to the USA for 99p or at least did at that time. Go back through this thread for that link.
Now the idiots at 3, like many of the other British telcoms do not allow topping up with credit cards issued outside the UK nor do they take paypal for that. That was also discussed here. However, there is a web site, www.mobiletopup.co.uk that will allow you to top up UK sim cards online and will take paypal for a 99p surcharge. They email you the top up code and after you insert sim card and the phone registers on a US roaming partner (either T Mobile or AT&T) you follow the directions and can top up and have a fully functional phone as soon as you arrive in the UK. or
You can go to the three web site and, again at least they have in the past have them post to your hotel address 1 or 2 sim cards for free. Upon arrival, you insert the sim cards then go out to either a grocery chain, a service station or a drug chain (Boots or Superdrug for example) and tell them you want a top up. They will process it at the register, absolutely honor your US credit card, and then you enter the top up code as above. All this is free. or
You can go into a phone store, say Carphone Warehouse, upon arrival in the UK and they'll take care of all the details. The sim card is free with a minimum £10 top up.
All these methods will work fine. The advantages of doing it here for the small surcharges is you know your number in advance in case you want friends and relatives to have it and you have a fully functioning UK mobile phone as soon as the plane hits the runway at Heathrow or Gatwick (nobody pays any attention to the old rules to keep mobile phones off until inside the terminal although in the USA they've given that up and now tell you on flights you can turn on your cell phones while the plane is still taxing to the gate don't know about the UK airlines).
Hope that helps.
PS...Here's the link for the 3 sim card. http://www.ebay.com/itm/UK-Three-UK-...oAAOSwP~tW3qFf
The postage to the US is only 75p not what I gave you.
Last edited by JEFFJAGUAR; Nov 28, 2016 at 3:51 am
Nov 28, 2016, 5:27 am
#399
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: where lions are led by donkeys...
Programs: Lifetime Gold, Global Entry, Hertz PC, and my wallet
Posts: 20,340
Nov 29, 2016, 8:16 am
#401
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: MSN
Programs: AA, BAEC Gold
Posts: 3,929
The main advantage is that you will know your UK number in advance. I also find it useful to be able to give the airline one number for the trip. The roaming charges are fairly reasonable and the "At Home Abroad" deal is even better. It is intended for UK residents who will be abroad temporarily but, if not abused, can be useful.
Nov 29, 2016, 8:24 am
#402
Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 1,762
You don't really have to complete a call. Almost all the UK telcoms allow roaming in the USA although 3 has the best plan. But I think, as I remember, the duration of that plan is limited to something like 30 days. But you can easily dial your home mobile number, see if the call is completed and see the number of the calling phone in the caller ID which should assure you the thing works.
Feb 12, 2017, 2:02 am
#404
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: SF Bay Area, CA
Posts: 165
Are there stores within Heathrow that would be better choices, preferably in terminal 2?
I plan to take the tube straight from LHR to my hotel in the Hammersmith area. I arrive at LHR on a Sunday morning (Feb 19th). It's too late for me to order something from the UK and have it arrive in the US in time.
I'm mainly looking for data. Don't care about texts and barely need any voice minutes, if any. I think 1 GB should be enough if I use the SIM only in the UK.
On the Feb 25th, I'm flying to Germany where I'll be thru March 5th.
If there's a SIM that would be good for me in both those countries, that'd be great. If not, I can buy another SIM in Germany.
Don't care much about speed. Even 2G is ok. My last resort was to add on a line temporarily to a work T-Mobile account (I'll pay for that add on) and take advantage of their free 2G speed roaming (https://www.t-mobile.com/optional-services/roaming.html). This might be much pricier than buying SIMs in the UK and Germany.
Feb 12, 2017, 2:21 am
#405
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: where lions are led by donkeys...
Programs: Lifetime Gold, Global Entry, Hertz PC, and my wallet
Posts: 20,340
In that case I would try to get a Three SIM so you can use the "Feel at home" feature of it. I come through T2 a lot and I kow there is a vending machine at baggage reclaim, I am not sure about the shops though. If it were me I would wait until I was at my hotel. Most corner shops, petrol (gas) stations, supermarkets, Poundland, all will have SIMs that you can buy.