Originally Posted by shore9 (Post 26599704)

hi,

I will be in the UK for a week and renting a car to travel around the South. I was planning to use my iPhone 5 as a GPS, so I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions for a pay as you go data plan? A few minutes and texts are nice, but certainly not required. Hoping there is something that I can buy in Canada.

Also, does anyone have any idea how much data the GPS function uses? I won't be going more than a couple of hours from London.

thanks

Originally Posted by cfo314 (Post 26609405)

in google maps for iPhone you can download the maps ahead of time - should save some data.

E.g., search for London. Zoom out to how far you need. tap the London bar at the bottom. tap download on the right. Then there's a menu setting for "offline areas"

Originally Posted by onlysuites (Post 26609886)

There is no London bar at the bottom when I follow your instructions. Can you advise? This would be very handy.

Originally Posted by cfo314 (Post 26614596)

maybe "Bar" is not the right word for it, but for me it's a white band across the bottom of the screen. When I search London and select it, google maps shows the map of London in the center and at the bottom is a white band that says London, UK on the left and "Route" on the right side. Tap the white bar/band at the bottom and then another page should swipe up with a brief description, weather, etc. The "Download" is on the right side after "save" and "share"

let me know if it works or send me a PM

Originally Posted by iahphx (Post 26942662)

I'm not a tech expert, but I could really use some data while in the UK for a few weeks in August. I have an AT&T compatible phone from the USA. Can I simply remove my USA SIM card and pop a cheap UK SIM card (for short term use) into that -- preferably a SIM card I can pick up easily?

Thanks.

Originally Posted by onlysuites (Post 26615222)

I was using Maps that comes with iOS and not Google maps. Will download that tonight and try it out. Cheers ^

Originally Posted by cfo314 (Post 26943320)

You need to ask ATT to unlock it for you.

Originally Posted by iahphx (Post 26947191)

Downloading google maps (in advance of our foreign trips) has been a lifesaver. It's truly revolutionary if you drive overseas. No more worrying about whether you'll have a GPS.



Aw, that stinks. Is there an easy way to get the phone unlocked?

Alternatively, is it possible to get a "hot spot"? When we were in Portugal last year, the rental car agent offered us a hot spot rental for a few dollars a day. It was great. Everyone in my family was able to get data everywhere we went. I've never seen this technology in the USA. As I said, we're far more interested in data access than we are in making phone calls.

Originally Posted by iahphx (Post 26947191)

Alternatively, is it possible to get a "hot spot"? When we were in Portugal last year, the rental car agent offered us a hot spot rental for a few dollars a day. It was great. Everyone in my family was able to get data everywhere we went. I've never seen this technology in the USA. As I said, we're far more interested in data access than we are in making phone calls.

Originally Posted by HIDDY (Post 26947576)

I bought a Pay as you Go Mobile WiFi hotspot last year when we were back in the UK which included 2gb of data....mine cost around £24. You can connect up to 5 devices on it. All the networks sell them either through their shops or major PC stores and supermarkets. They're great, although be warned the service in the wilds of Scotland can be non existent.