Mobile Phone Suggestions?

Yep I have that, with T Mobile.  Not because  I have no credit but because my bills were getting too big.  I pay 16.99 a month for 750 free mins & 50 texts and usually top up 5-10 quid on top of that.

Whoa, what plan is that??

To clarify, I am not only just a student looking at pay monthly but an INTERNATIONAL student...I won't have a UK-based credit card.  I do have a bank account (the most basic possible), but that's it.  You think anyone would be willing to give me a contract?  Anyone in this situation gotten one?

how much are international texts with virgin pay as you go?  i'm looking at virgin with either a US plan or a UK one depending on price, but i can't find on either site how much international texts are.  would it be the price of 1 minute plus whatever the in country text would cost, maybe?

This: http://www.virginmobile.com/vm/genericContent.do?contentId=payasyougo.calling.abroad.from.the.uk.howdoi.sm032   is from the Virgin mobile site in the UK.  I hope that helps. 

It's similar to what my virgin mobile pack says, but I'm on a contract with them.  I don't know how much difference that makes. 

I'm looking for a phone, too, and have noticed that a lot of the places offering good deals involve actually paying full price and later getting a refund check. I'm not so sure I trust how easy it will be to get the money back (everything I've signed up for/tried to do here has shown me that this country isn't big on being efficient). Has anyone had luck getting money back from places like carphonewarehouse or thephonespot?

That's if I can even get a monthly plan. I tried for the 15 a month plan with 3 Mobile online, and was told I couldn't get one because I hadn't been in the country three years. This even though my husband just got one in the store (and he came to the UK when I did)! The online help person told me in that case I should just go to the store! I am somewhat disabled and can't walk far and we don't have a car -- why should I have to go to the store to get the deal they should give me online? Anyway, the whole thing has me looking at other plans and considering just a pay as you go plan (Tesco offers a cheap, basic plan with a free phone -- but of course it's only good if you keep usage low).

I got my full deposit back after six months from Carphone Warehouse exactly as stated on my agreement; no problems.

I used to have pay as you go, but I always ran out of credit when I needed it. So I went on a plan. My bills are between £35 and £45 a month. I get loads of free texts and minutes plus calls to landlines are free. I got my Samsung D900 for free, too. It depends on how much you want to talk and text. check out this website: http://www.moneysupermarket.com/MobilePhones/default.aspx?Source=MS

I'm looking for a phone, too, and have noticed that a lot of the places offering good deals involve actually paying full price and later getting a refund check. I'm not so sure I trust how easy it will be to get the money back (everything I've signed up for/tried to do here has shown me that this country isn't big on being efficient). Has anyone had luck getting money back from places like carphonewarehouse or thephonespot?

That's if I can even get a monthly plan. I tried for the 15 a month plan with 3 Mobile online, and was told I couldn't get one because I hadn't been in the country three years. This even though my husband just got one in the store (and he came to the UK when I did)! The online help person told me in that case I should just go to the store! I am somewhat disabled and can't walk far and we don't have a car -- why should I have to go to the store to get the deal they should give me online? Anyway, the whole thing has me looking at other plans and considering just a pay as you go plan (Tesco offers a cheap, basic plan with a free phone -- but of course it's only good if you keep usage low).

I haven't been in the country for three years and got my contract with Orange.

I haven't been in the country for three years and got my contract with Orange.

No one else is offering a deal as cheap as 3 Mobile -- 15 pounds a month for 500 minutes. The only others that come close are "rebate" deals. I may just go ahead and get a pay as you go.

No one else is offering a deal as cheap as 3 Mobile -- 15 pounds a month for 500 minutes. The only others that come close are "rebate" deals. I may just go ahead and get a pay as you go.

I did start off as pay as you go for a while, but upgraded to a contract because I ended up using it a lot more than my landline. Maybe it is a good idea until you get a better idea as to how much you'll spend exactly.

I have a pay as you go mobile phone I use Virgin network. I usually use about £15-£20 pounds a month on my phone. maybe in sometime in the future I will get a contract phone, but for now I'm happy with my Poppy pay as you go mobile phone. goodluck with whatever you choose there are soooo many choices out there.

I probably shouldn't say a word, so as not to tempt fate, the interview for my wife of 7 years, and stepdaughter being this thursday in NY.

But, what I have done, rightly or wrongly, is to unlock my cellphones here in the US, purchase Virgin pay as you go cards so we can talk cheaply amongst ourselves, and alos one prepay global simcard which allows calls from the cellphone in the UK, back to the US for 5p a minute. That latter deal feels good, just because my stepson, is staying in the US and knowing that he can txt and I can call him back from anywhere, is reassuring.

Happy Monday!!

OurUKresearch,

Could you provide details of the 'global SIM' you've purchased please? I'd like to look into it and check out the small print etc and if all seems well, get one as well.

It's perfectly legal to 'unlock' your phones to let other network SIM cards be used on that/your handset.

For anyone else reading this thread, I have a tip - I've posted this before as well.

Seeing as many of you are coming into the UK from the US (and other places!) the likelihod of you needing to phone many places such as banks, building societies, utility companies, schools, government agencies, local councils and so forth, you are likely to come across 0845 (non geographic local rate)  and 0870 (non geographic National rate)numbers. Calling these places which invariably can take ages, means on pay as you go you'll soon eat up those inclusive minutes.

I suggest you try and go for an O2 pay monthly deal. Simple reason, they're the ONLY UK mobile phone network that allows you to call those 0845 & 0870 numbers as PART of the mobile phone plan's included minutes. No other UK network currently allows this, and there are some potential significant savings to be made if you can get on a monthly tarriff with them.

Of course, I understand that it may be difficult to do so initially, but once you build up credit and a pay monthly phone/contract becomes viable it's worth looking into.

Currently, as there's so much 'anger' at the use of 0845 and 0870 numbers by the general public, you can look at saynoto0870.com (I think) to find the geographic number associated. Or, as I find myself which is much easier, just pick up the phone and dial, knowing the included minutes on my O2 plan 'cover' the access charge (of course once you go over your included minutes, you'll be charged the rate for that tarriff to call) it's just one less 'annoyance' to worry about.

Cheers! DtM! West London & Slough UK!

Dennis,

My dad is currently here in the UK on business and wanted a UK sim card for his unlocked mobile, so we paid a visit to the Orange shop yesterday.  We got him a Call Abroad sim card, which sounds like what OurUKResearch was describing....using that sim card it's 5p a minute to the USA and several other countries, which was ideal for my dad because he would mostly use it to call my mum whenever he's in the UK.  Calls to UK numbers were more expensive...I think something like 20-30p a minute.

Hi Andrea,
Cheers for that, I'll look into it. Here's some more info for you and all others


Home - At home I use Swiftcall. We pay £19.99 a month and all calls to the USA & Canada, along with 15 I think other countries are included (oh and ALL UK geographic numbers too!). only limit is after 75 mins it cuts you off. You simply redial the 0800 freephone access number, punch in your Pin and redial the destination number. Calls can be made from your registered Home landline and crucially, off one nominated Mobile as well. Seeing as 08 numbers are included in my O2 pay monthly plan, even during peak time, I can call various family, freinds and business contacts in the USA for 'free'!

Peak Time / away from home.

Again, taking advantage of the included Access to 08 numbers, I sometimes use Swiftcalls 0870 028 0463 access line, which between hours of 9-5 provides calls to all over the world (with some exceptions I beleive) for 'free' - you just pay whatever your landline or mobile provider charge for 08 number access.

Another similar place I use is http://www.yourcallworld.com/default.aspx  - again, I take advantage of O2's included access to 08 numbers to call their access line, from which I can make calls all over the world (so all my India and China, Japan, Malaysia contacts become available) - look carefully into their latest offers for other networks, they're seemingly providing 07 access asa well.

I'm also trying to find time to evaluate the newer VOIP solutions to see if they provide good value, performance and service for the much cheaper rates they advertise. I'll let you all know once I get time to do that along with the 743 other things I mean to do!

I occasionally do go over my included 1000 minutes on my O2 mobile plan, and the most I've had to pay extra has been around the £15 mark.

What I like most about our home Swiftcall package is that we can pick up the phone, dial and not have to even think about 'ohh how much was that going to cost' at all!

Cheers1 DtM! West London & Slough UK!

I have an unlocked phone and have a Virgin pay as you go sim card for the UK and then still have Cingular for the US.