Mobile Phones

Hi All,

My GF Andrea (Pittpanther) got her approval for uni in Leeds yesterday  so it looks like she will be coming to the UK in Aug.  As a result I was thinking about some of the things she may need when she gets here and on of the things on my list was a mobile.  I know I can easily get a "Pay As You Go" but would prefer a contract phone due to the cost of running it.  Can any Expats out there let me know how they got on getting a mobile phone on a contract when they 1st came into the UK.

Many Thanks

Steve

you can get a separate line for her on yours....different number but same account statement if that helps.

that's what DH and i did. we pay about £10 for that....plus we share his minutes.  It's been good as i don't use my mobile a lot!

Thanks for the advice - unfortunatly my mobile is supplied by my company Oh well I suppose I could always get a contract for her

aaah. yeah, well i'm sure there will be no problems......if they get cranky about an account you can pay it out of yours until she has her own bank account. 

I had to go in, pay a large deposit (which will be refunded at the end of the year) and pay direct-debit.  I started off with a pay as you go phone for the first two months so I could check out plans and get my banking going first.

Once I had a bank account it wasn't an issue - I applied online (The Link has really good deals) and just told an itsy bitsy teensy white lie about how long I'd lived at my present address. They didn't check and I got a contract phone....

I didn't get a contract phone until I'd been here about 5 months.  I had to show a bank statement and pay a deposit (I think it was like 50 quid).  It was quite easy.

I have been here 4.5 years but just signed on with Vodaphone contract last year. All they asked me for was a credit card.

you can get a separate line for her on yours....different number but same account statement if that helps.

that's what DH and i did. we pay about £10 for that....plus we share his minutes.  It's been good as i don't use my mobile a lot!

We tried to do that with Orange but they woulnd't do it! Most other companies do it though. 

My husband was able to get a contract within a few weeks of being here - he had to shop around a bit but in the end he got one.  I do remember Orange wouldn't accept his US passport as ID though. 

That's odd...they accepted my US passport with Orange (who I have)

It may just have been that one particular Orange shop we went into, they said they would only accept a British passport, but he did end up with Orange in the end but he went through Carphone warehouse.  (but NB we have had so many problems with Orange we both switched to TMobile who are a hell of lot easier to deal with).

Vodaphone didnt ask for a passport just a credit card and a utility bill with my name on it.

i've been here for a year and i got a pay as you go phone first and then a contract phone after 8 months. They ask for your credit card and utlity bill, that's about it. Didn't even put down a deposit.
I used O2, by the way.

I've been working/had a bank account for almost 6 months and applied for a contract online with Orange last week. I've had a PAYG phone with them for a year. And who can escape the lure of a phone and a camera!

The only issue they have so far with me is the tracing my address for three years. They can only confirm my address since Feb of this year as it is the first time my name has been on a lease and we haven't been subletting so I'll let you know if they turn me down because of it.

I've heard nothing since I emailed them with my addresses back home. Murphy's law there will be a problem,  but I can't imagine why. It's not like I'm planning on going anywhere... this year.

***edited to add that I just got off the phone with them and it's been passed on to another department who will give me an answer by Friday of this week. It does not look good.***

D - they may just ask you to put down a deposit, which is what I had to do - I got one only 3 months into living here...and did the online thing too!  It just took a while.