Temporary cellphone for the UK

[St. Pats]

My son made the Canadian U19 rugby team. He will be in England for 10 days on a tour in late Feb/Mar. He does not have a cellphone and is horrible at emailing.

Be very nice to get some updates on the trip.

I have researched and it looks like it is possible to buy a UK sim card here. Then purchase a prepaid phone at say 7-Eleven and insert that sim card. Research says incoming calls to the UK are then free.

So can anyone confirm this is possible.

[Hockeyguy15]

If you have a cellphone here depending on your provider you can get a UK package. For 10 days buying a new phone and a UK sim could be a little expensive.

[Rathji]

Should work, but I was not aware that you could buy sim cards for the UK in Canada.

At any rate, buying/borrowing an unlocked cell phone that works on the frequencies the carrier that you want to use, and inserting a sim card should work.

[St. Pats]

Originally Posted by Hockeyguy15

If you have a cellphone here depending on your provider you can get a UK package. For 10 days buying a new phone and a UK sim could be a little expensive.

So then is there a way to pull this off? I have an old cellphone but don't know if it is GSM. Would snagging an old phone or borrowing one work as an inexpensive option?

[Rathji]

That is what I would do.

If you are interested, I have an old (rogers locked) Blackberry Bold 9000 that I could sell you for dirt cheap ($40) , unlocking would be as simple as going to one of many website that offer the service. Would give you a bit better phone.

[Hockeyguy15]

Originally Posted by St. Pats

So then is there a way to pull this off? I have an old cellphone but don't know if it is GSM. Would snagging an old phone or borrowing one work as an inexpensive option?

I think so. My girlfriend went to Scotland, Ireland, London last summer and she added a texting plan from Telus. I don't know how much it was for sure $20-$40 and she could text me and her parents (who she went with). She didn't use data as it was expensive still, but texting would probably be enough for you I'm sure.

[St. Pats]

Originally Posted by Rathji

That is what I would do.

If you are interested, I have an old (rogers locked) Blackberry Bold 9000 that I could sell you for dirt cheap ($40) , unlocking would be as simple as going to one of many website that offer the service. Would give you a bit better phone.

Sounds like a good option. The question is this. If you show up with your own phone will they still sell you a prepaid card? Know nothing about how you get a cellphone activated so have patience with the dumb questions.

Do I just need a phone, a prepaid card and a UK sim card and good to go?

[Rathji]

You need a prepaid sim card from a UK provider. AFAIK you will need to buy one in the UK, but if your research has shown otherwise then I could be wrong.

[Hockeyguy15]

Here is a link I found for Telus about international roaming...

http://www.telusmobility.com/en/AB/I...internat.shtml

Not too sure about Rogers. It's probably a good idea to call either Rogers or Telus and see what your options are.

If they are too pricey you could always buy your son a calling card, I'm sure he can use that at the hotel to call you...Keep in mind the time change though.

[Barnet Flame]

Cellphones are dirt cheap here.

You can't help but walk 500 metres here without running into a Carphone Warehouse. Your son can pick up a Cellphone for £12.95 and this includes £10 call credit.

http://www.carphonewarehouse.com/buy...09-LEBAR-WEB10

[Hack&Lube]

Yep, cellphones are plentiful, dirt cheap, and often unlocked in most countries. It's just backward and draconian here in Canada.

I have many unlocked phones and usually use those abroad but I've picked up el cheapos for next to nothing as well for a week or two usage.

[blankall]

Originally Posted by Hockeyguy15

If you have a cellphone here depending on your provider you can get a UK package. For 10 days buying a new phone and a UK sim could be a little expensive.

Might be the most convenient way, but definitely nowhere near the cheapest. You'll probably still pay a few dollars a minute.

So then is there a way to pull this off? I have an old cellphone but don't know if it is GSM. Would snagging an old phone or borrowing one work as an inexpensive option?

As for nowing whether your phone is GSM or not, that pretty easy. If it's more than 2 years old, you bought it in Canada, and it has a sim card it's probably GSM.

[Street Pharmacist]

I used my blackberry bold in Italy by buying a prepaid sim card from Wind Mobile. It cost me $15 and lated me 2 weeks. It is available in the UK, so I can't see it not working there

[Jimmy Stang]

My brother-in-law sent me an interesting link because he knows that I'm going to the UK and will be looking to buy a sim over there:

http://prepaidwithdata.wikia.com/wiki/UK

Obviously there is more emphasis on data plans, but it may give you an idea of what is out there and who seems to have the competitive pricing. In my case, I recently "jailbroke" my old iPhone 3G, so I'll be able to put any provider's sim in there and I should be good to go.

My mum goes back to the UK frequently, and a few trips ago she bought a phone through ASDA (the supermarket) and they have their own prepaid wireless service. The phones are cheap, as well as the minutes, so if you're not interested in anything fancy like data, I would just buy a cheap phone from somewhere and you'll be all set. It will probably cost you as much as a 5 minute conversation at the absurd roaming rates that the Canadian providers charge.

[Winsor_Pilates]

This thread makes me angry when I see I pay more in 1 month than I would in 1 year in the UK.

[Barnet Flame]

I used to fly over to Calgary with next to no luggage and spent like mad when I got there. Not this time though, but that is mainly down to the collapse of the pound.