Isismom

I was wondering if there was a pay as you go phone I could buy from the UK and ship to canada that is pay as you go so I can use it when I am over there that you can buy minutes that do not expire?

If so can you please link to the site as Im having issues finding one, thanks so much

not2old

on another post someone suggested

http://britishexpats.com/forum/movin.../#post11649866

Get your Canadian phone unlocked, then when in the UK get a PAYG SIM card free from https://www.giffgaff.com

Order it for a UK address delivery

You will get country wide 500 minutes/mth (no charge incoming calls) for £10/mth, or lesser minutes for a lesser cost

https://www.giffgaff.com/goodybags-3g

Isismom

Ill have a look at that post, thanks

I wont have a canadian phone when I go over there, long story, Im hoping to buy one online from the UK, have it shipped to Canada so when I land there I can activate it to use, Id rather do a pay as you go as Im not sure how much I will use it or what the future holds!

not2old

cheaper to buy an unlocked phone on this side. Go to your local mall to one of the phone booth shops & ask for a low cost unlocked 3G phone. Should cost you about $100 -$150.

Or a cheapy that you prefer, then get it unlocked for about $50

In the UK you'd pay that in pounds, plus shipping, will it get damaged etc

Isismom

Thanks!

Do they sell pay as you go top ups and sim cards at most UK airports(been a while since Ive been back there!)

Im just worried I land, get a rental car, have no working phone and get lost lol!

Isismom

Wow, not finding much here, London Drugs has a few unlocked ones but they aint cheap and are brands Ive not heard of, Ill pop to best buy etc next week, hard to tell online as they dont always list 3 or 4 G or both and some are unlocked but only compatible with certain carriers!

not2old

you can google the airport that you'll be landing at & I believe the major companies are there

example in the search bar below Heathrow look for EE, Orange or O2

EE Store Finder – for EE, T-Mobile and Orange

Pay As You Go Voice and Data Handsets | Latest PhonesEE

quoll

For many years before I moved back to UK I had an O2 PAYG sim which didn't expire but I had to make a call once every few months to keep it current. If you have an old unlocked phone then you can use it in that. Phone shops are ten a penny, I wouldn't worry about finding one!

Isismom

I think itll be easier just to go to tesco when I land, theres one at the airport I believe, Im pretty sure I threw all my old UK phones out, been a while, 12 years but Ill have a rake around, there were a couple old nokias kicking around for a while

Disenchanted

Buy an unlocked phone here, I bought mine on Amazon.com. Do not buy a PAYG SIM at the airport vending machines (expensive and may not even work), purchase outside at Tesco or other market. Try Amazon.co.uk as you may find some vendors will mail the pre-charged PAYG SIM to you in Canada.

the1mag

Staples in Canada sells unlocked phones
It's easy to find the Office Supplies, Copy Paper, Furniture, Ink, Toner, Cleaning Products, Electronics and Technology you need | Staples®
and I bought a giffgaff SIM card on ebay which was sent to me in Canada before I left
http://www.ebay.ca/sch/i.html?_from=...f+SIM&_sacat=0

rebeccajo

It is so easy to buy pay-as-you-go phones in the UK. I wouldn't worry about it till I got there. Ours are Orange (the company name has changed I think). The last time we were over we bought one and it took maybe 15 minutes. The other one that we already owned was two years old and they were able to reactivate it.

holly_1948

The annoying thing for many visitors to Britain is that the time you really need a mobile phone is when you first land at the airport. That is when it is not so easy to get one without complications. Such as lugging much luggage over distances.

The next day, with luggage unpacked and supermarkets everywhere it is easy and cheap to get a mobile - but the biggest need to have one has already passed!

What we really need is phones that don't expire when unused for a year or two. And they don't exist.

not2old

thanks for the input & recommendation

I agree, if its possible to do before leaving this side of the pond, that you'd want a phone ready to go when you land in the UK without all the fiff-faffing around.

the1mag

I forgot to mention that I contacted giffgaff direct from Canada and they wouldn't send a SIM card by mail which is why I got one via ebay, but my phone was already unlocked so I had service as soon as I landed at Heathrow.