bradleykhofmann

Does anyone know for sure if there are SIM cards at Heathrow (transiting areas)? I will need to make a few calls as soon as I can on arrival in Edinburgh.

I've heard WHSmith is a good bet but unsure if they would have them beyond security.

Thank you all for answering my questions lately.

Gagravarr

There are WH Smiths stores airside in all the LHR terminals, so you won't have any trouble finding one after you're through transit security!

TribalistMeathead

If you have sufficient time before your trip, on prior occasions, I've purchased new Three SIM cards on eBay and registered them in the US before leaving. Yes, I'm aware they can be obtained for free in the UK, but I'll gladly pay a few dollars to buy in advance, since that means all I need to do on arrival is top up the account and I'm fully functional.

powerlifter

I also got a three sim from e-bay, and it works fine. If you are landing at terminal 5 there is a Vodaphone store landside.

TribalistMeathead

Prices for SIM cards at the airport tend to be usurious, particularly from SIM Local.

MoreMilesPlease

Look on Amazon.com You can often get a Lycamobile in that has USA and UK calling. You can activate it in the US and then use it the moment you land in the UK. easiest.

bwaflyer

The Vodafone store closed a couple of years ago, and is now a fast track security lane. There is a SIM store in arrivals next door to the hotel reservation desk.

bradleykhofmann

Just happened to see this thread still active. I'm back from my trip and found my own answer. I had a longer than expected layover at Heathrow (Purple coats did not know what they were doing) and checked out Dixon's Travel. They had O2 SIM cards for 99p and I loaded it with £10 for 100 min, 1000 text, and 2GB data. More than enough for a week. Poped it in, called activation number and it worked like a charm immediately.

Zeeb

I'm going to piggyback on this thread rather than starting a new one. I'm going to be traveling to the UK soon, primarily in Edinburgh and London, but renting a car and visiting some small towns in between. Does anyone have any advice on what service to pick up a SIM from? Three appears to have the most data-focused packages (which is what I'll primarily be using, I might only make one or two actual phone calls the entire trip and rarely text) but is the coverage good enough in less populous areas? Otherwise I was thinking I'd pick up a Vodaphone or O2 SIM but honestly I'm pretty clueless on the whole thing other than knowing my phone is unlocked and works with GSM networks.

TribalistMeathead

We ended up picking Three (Savings on SIM, Smartphones and Mobile Broadband | Three) for no reason other than they made a commercial I really liked. We've used them on two trips and I found the £15.00 All-in-One 15 Add-on package to be sufficient for a week. I also didn't do much calling or texting, but 1GB of data wasn't quite enough for a week. A coverage map is available here: Network - Three. I do not recall having any issues with coverage. You'll definitely find it helpful to have a UK phone number if you want anyone within the UK to be able to reach you.

Zeeb

Thanks for the helpful reply!

serpens

Before finding this thread, I had planned to buy a Three SIM card from Amazon before traveling from US to England for four weeks. I would want data tethering (for a laptop) much more than voice or text, but would want some voice minutes. I have an unlocked iPhone SE and I have changed SIMs in an iPad, but I'm completely ignorant about registering a SIM or doing anything else necessary before turning on the phone and using it.

Could I get detailed suggestions for a course of action, please? Money is always important, but simplicity is at least equally so. Thanks in advance.

Mwenenzi

In the travel tech forum
List of Prepaid SIM threads (country-specific and multi-country)

Prepaid SIM - UK/Great Britain/England/Scotland/Wales

serpens

Thank you, Mwenenzi, for those pointers. Wow, FlyerTalk is a big place!

TribalistMeathead

I don't remember if the instructions are in the packet with the SIM card or at three.co.uk (or both), but the process is:

1) Upon receipt of the SIM card, insert it into the phone and follow the instructions to register it. Then remove it and put your old SIM card in. Wait for your trip to begin.
2) While in flight to the UK (or on arrival, if you leave the phone in airplane mode), swap out your UK SIM card for the US one.
3) Upon arrival in the UK, go to the nearest store that sells top-up vouchers. Purchase a voucher for the value of the package you want to purchase. Go to three.co.uk on your phone, log in with the username and password you created when registering, add the voucher to your account, and then purchase the package you want.