Cell Companies and SIM Cards

[artnbarb]

We'll have our T-Mobile (US) phone with us this summer, and get free data and texting. Calls, both incoming and outgoing cost 30¢, which isn't bad, but I'm worried that if anyone with a UK registered phone calls us they will have to pay for an international call. For this reason I thought about getting a SIM card for our Italian cell once we arrive in London.

We'll be in England for 3 weeks, and I have no idea what the cost of a SIM card is, so it's hard to know if it's worth taking the time to stop in a cell phone store. I'm sure there are stores everywhere, just like here, but if anyone has any idea about which providers offer the best rates, or even better, what the cost is, I'd love to hear from you. Thanks.

 

[Pauline]

You can get a SIM card in the supermarket for about £10, I think. We bought one from Virgin (the provider) and have been using it for 10 years - we just "top it up" occasionally and make sure to make a phone call once a year to keep it active. Any provider will be fine - O2, Three, Vodafone, Virgin.

There is a Tesco outside of Stow and they will have them. They will come with minutes too. Is your Italian phone unlocked (can you use SIM cards from other providers)?

BUT >> mobile reception is notoriously bad in the Cotswolds. No one wants cell towers put in. I can use my mobile here, but it doesn't always allow data. In some areas you don't even get a signal for phone. My main provider is O2 but we also have that Virgin phone. If you have your US phone, a UK person could email you instead of phoning you.

 

[artnbarb]

<sigh> more technology just equals more problems! Yes, all Italian phones come unlocked (I think most European phones do), and we bought a SIM card for it when we were in Germany, so if I can find one for £10 I might do it, just because the Italian cell is smaller than my US smartphone, easier to carry, less likely to be dropped!