iPhone users question?

Well, my trip is coming up soon and I was just wondering if any iPhone 4 users know the answer to this question. When I land in London I want to be able to text my boyfriend that I'm there and text my grandmother back home as well so she doesn't have a melt down. I have Verizon and I went to their shop to ask, someone there said something about a Sims card I have to get (yay more expenses that I can't afford right now) and then my boyfriend says that I can use my iPhone there regardless, but he can give me a sims card there anyways. I am confused, does anyone have an info on this? If not, I'll just continue looking on my best friend, google.

You can get a sim card here that's pay-as-you-go to put in your phone. However, I don't know if anyone sells the micro-sim that fits in the iPhone 4, last time I checked all the sim cards available were the regular size that won't fit.

However, for not much more you could just get a really cheap phone (before you go or after you land) that would fit a regular sim card. Then you can use the iPhone wherever/whenever you have wifi (so it doesn't cost you anything with data roaming) and you can use the cheap phone/sim card here to text your BF.

There are also apps (Viper, Google Voice, etc) that will let you send free text messages to US phone numbers via internet, so you could use that to contact your grandmother.

Hope that helps. Perhaps someone else knows about the availability of micro-sims.

I just had a quick look online and it looks like T-Mobile offers PAYG micro sim cards (http://www.t-mobile.co.uk/shop/micro-sim/).

One thing though...when my husband and I went to buy our iPhones we were told that only the iPhone 4s would work in Europe (we're with Verizon, too and we told the rep that we were moving to the UK).  I was told that it has to do with the network (the 4s is the only iPhone which currently works on both CDMA and GSM).  I would just double check that with them unless someone on here has successfully been able to use their iPhone 4 (not 4s) by just replacing the sim card.

If it won't work, like equestrianerd mentioned, you can get a cheap PAYG phone when you land there.  That's what hubby and I have done each time in the past whilst visiting.

We were only able to get the larger size SIM card when I got my iPhone from 3 because they had run out of the micro ones- the guy in the shop had a cutting tool to make it the right size- basically just trimmed off the extra plastic around it.  When I use it in the US we had a T mobile SIM and just used a razor blade to trim that one down.  Just be sure you don't cut the actual chip.  Both work fine.

I got a free sim card from Orange (had it mailed to my vacation address in the UK) and cut it to size with scissors. I used my overseas micro sim as a guide and it wasn't difficult at all.

Orange offers a range of pay as you go plans, I have one where it is actually cheaper to call back to the US than to make calls in the UK.

I'd definitely recommend you give them a go:  www.orange.co.uk  - you can order the free sim card on the website, and check out the plans.

Also, you can leave your phone in airplane mode for the duration and find a wifi hotspot.  There are different apps that allow you to text in wifi mode, and then you can use Skype to make cheap calls.  I have a UK iPhone 3g and do this every time I go anywhere.  It's usually easy to find a free hotspot, unless you need to be in contact ASAP upon landing.

If your phone isn't unlocked, you can't use another SIM card in it when you're in the UK. I recently used my iPhone in the US, and it was VERY expensive to use abroad. If you need to text your boyfriend and grandmother when you land, it shouldn't be more than $1-$2 per text. However, I wouldn't recommend using it for any more than that. Turn off data roaming and only use the iPhone for wireless. If you need to make calls, use Skype on wireless. I even keep my phone on airplane mode at all times when I'm abroad, just to make sure I don't get any charges, then turn it off when I want to use the wireless.

When I first moved to the UK, I had a cheap PAYG T-Mobile phone. I think the phone was £30-£50, and I put £20 credit on it. If you're going to be in the UK a lot, you could always get a cheap PAYG phone. If it's just one trip, though, it may not be worth it.