Purley

Someone very kindly gave me a UK mobile phone. However, my son would like to get one for when we are on holidays in June.

Sorry if I ask basic questions, but I really do not understand the UK system of phones - so here goes. I have been looking on eBay. I just want a basic phone. It doesn't have to have a camera or a colour screen or be able to make breakfast!! I want to know what I should be looking at.

1. When the eBay description talks about "Networks" does that refer to Virgin, O2, Orange etc.

2. When a phone comes with a sim card already. Do you have to register the sim card or something in order to get a phone number.

3. Does this activate the phone? Or do you have to pay to activate it as well as buying a sim card?

4. There are sim cards for sale on eBay - if you buy a sim card on eBay how do you get a phone no. attached to the phone?

5. If I buy a used phone - say one that is unlocked without a sim card. What is it going to cost me to get that phone organized so that I can buy minutes and talk on it?

6. Does any sim card go in any phone or do certain phones only take Orange for instance?

I obviously do not want to get involved in any contracts.


I don't understand about sim cards. Does the card come without a phone no. and you have to reactivate it to get your own no. or what?

I know there are loads of you out there that can explain all this and would appreciate hearing about all you need to know about UK phones!

Thanks

Bob

You got a tri-band phone that's unlocked, then buy a sim card, can buy one in the UK for cheap...stick that in the phone, it'll have the phone number and probably £5 call time already, and it's all good to go.

Don't need to register pay as you go phone.


As for second hand phone, there not a problem, just get a new sim card, and get the phone unlocked at a phone store, or find the code online, and stick a sim card in...just as long as the phone is unlocked, can use any phone service, Virgin, o2, Orange etc.

Purley

My sister says she thinks she has seen brand new pay as you go phones for £25. From what I have seen on the Net - this sounds awful cheap.

Does anyone know if she thinks correctly and if that will get me a working phone or would I have to buy anything extra?

Bob

£25 for new? unlikely...for a sim card on it's own, probably....or second hand phones.

Pay as you go phones systems tend to be around £100+ because the phones aren't subsidised by the contract.

Though you could pick up a decent nokia second hand for £10 or so and have that unlocked and then get a sim card for £24, O2, Orange etc, they all sell them, can get them in car phone warehouse, Links, there own stores, hmw, virgin, dixons, whs etc....so it ain't a problem getting a sim card.

Biiiiink

I got a SIM card free from O2...darned good deal it was too, I'm cursing the overpriced Canadian plans.

See http://www.o2.co.uk/terms/free_sim_offer/0,,600,00.html for info. For ten pounds a month (no contract, pay as you go...didn't have to top up with a tenner but I did to get the "freebies") I got 200 free texts, 25 free picture messages, 1mb GPRS, and of course ten pounds worth of calls (no charge for incoming). I topped up via credit card/debit card online or from the phone itself. To activate the SIM card was just a short registration online, or I think you could have done it on the phone itself again. Simple.

If you didn't top up with a tenner, your credit didn't expire, you just didn't get your allowance of texts/pictures/GPRS for free, they became chargeable.

I appreciate your son probably doesn't need all that stuff for a short visit but not bad for free

Biiiiink

Purley

I couldnt get that link to work - it just said "waiting for . .

Will try again in the morning. If you read this message before - can you see if the link will work for you?

RIDD

Hi Lizwil

You can get "pay as you go" phones for as little as £25.00, in our local Tesco's Supermarket they are £29.99 with a £5 credit, they dont have all the bells and whistles but they work fine and are on the "Virgin" Network etc.

Then when more credit is needed just buy a top up voucher from most newsagents, supermarkets etc and there you go.

Ridd

Wonderlust

Buy a cheap handset that is unlocked for any network and get an O2 or Vodofone Pay as you go sim. Cheap as Chips as they say......
Another approach, if you have an Internet account and don't need to be contactable all the time, try Skype, free internet Voice service, I use it and it really works !! But not a real replacement for the cell in your pocket. ;-)


Wonderlust

Biiiiink

Hi Liz,

Free SIM Offer

Offer applies to O2 Pay as you Go Online Talkalot tariff which, once activated, includes 300 free UK text messages and 1MB GPRS WAP each month, subject to £10 minimum monthly top up.

Offer is available to UK residents only.

Applicants must be 16 or over.

There is a maximum order number of six O2 Online SIMs per household, this number applies to SIMs ordered through this promotion and any other channel.

Cookies must be enabled on your PC.

Use of O2 Pay as you Go service is subject to O2 Online Pay as you Go terms and conditions, applicants will be deemed to have accepted these terms when they first use the service.

O2 reserves the right to withdraw or amend this offer at any time.

Offer only available whilst stocks last and O2 reserve the right to limit the number of SIMs available.

Please allow up to 28 days for delivery.


...but when I tried to put one in my basket in the online shop, it seemed to want to charge GBP 9.99 for a pay as you go SIM. http://shop.o2.co.uk/cgi-bin/o2uk/js...riff.do?menu=y

I give up for now May search around after some coffee...

Biiiiink

George-Ang

there was a scam on the internet liz, and i got 12 of these O2 sim cards,paid 99p each for them, you activate them by calling a number, and then goto local shops and put £10 of credit on it, this also gives you 200 free texts, if you give me an address i will send one to u for nothing, i dont need them, got about 3 or 4 left, give em to my kids friends, may also have an old nokia hanging about somewhere, btw the sim comes with its own number, yours if u want it

Purley

Thanks a lot. I will pm you with an address.

I bid on a few phones on eBay. Cheap used ones. However, when they got up to about £15 it didn't seem worth it. Add the postage and you are up to £21 in some cases. I checked the Tesco website and you can get a new phone for £29. So it seems stupid to buy an unknown used phone for almost as much.

acer rose

Sounds like you might be sorted now Lizwil, but if not...

Yep, you should definitely be able to get a cheap pay-as-you-go mobile phone for less than GBP30 from many high street stores (most towns seem to ahve an abundance of mobile phone shops - both network specific and those covering all networks). Watch out for special offers in the high street (around GBP20 sometimes for a phone and SIM was the best deal I have found this year) but beware of "free handsets" which are usually for contract services. As an example of prices and phone features see
http://www.virginmobile.com/mobile/
(or indeed the other links posted)

Top-up (phone credit) vouchers can be purchased in many locations. The minimum top-up is either GBP10 or GBP5, depending on network. (It is definitely GBP5 on Virgin and at least one other network but I don't know which).

Network coverage can be an issue in some places, eg, O2 has much better signal coverage in parts of East Anglia/Northern Ireland etc than Virgin does, but this is changing all the time as more phone mast as erected. Some networks will allow you to return your purchase for a refund if there is no network coverage for your area, so it might be worth buying new from a store rather than on ebay.

George-Ang

ok liz in the post in the morning is. a nokia 8850 with a desktop charger, this phone will not charge by the bottom of the phone itself, you need to take the battery out and place it in the desktop charger, also mailing a sony erricson t230 with manual and charger, this phone charges as per normal, also are 2 sim cards, they have consecutive numbers, cool eh,unused and unopened, they come complete with instruction, £10 min per month gives you 300 FREE text messages a month, use them all if you can, also try and use the £10 credit, it does over run, my kids use them, what you do with the phones when you return is upto you, i have no need for them, maybe you could pass them on to other ex-pats coming over, they are both sim free phones and i beleive are both tri band, take them home if you wish,any way i hope you have a great time lass, and enjoy your visit. dont worry about the postage, just enjoy your stay.
bye the way, i watched Tv tonight, this might interst you all, FREE pc to pc broadband needed and a mic, ive tried it, its awesum http://www.skype.com
another edit just read your pm again liz, i have one more sim card if you want it, this way you will have 3 phones all with sim cards, btw its O2 network they are on. might as well all have a phone each then

Purley

Thanks a lot - I owe you one - or two maybe!

If you need help from this end - let me know.

I tried Skype with my girlfriend. The only trouble was that I gave my headset away and so we were just using microphones and the speakers on the computer. It wasn't great because you got feedback. I would say something and it would come out her speakers at her end and back into the microphone and back out my end again!

We will probably try it again when I get around to getting a headset.

Also, it means I have to sit here on the computer and chat!!

proo

1. Yes
2. No, unless it hadn't been registered before
3. Registering the SIM card activates the phone so you can make/receive calls on that particular number. Cost of activation is the call for registering the SIM.
4. Call the customer service for that network (Virgin, O2 etc - there should be a special number). You can buy one as cheap as £2.99 (I think) from Orange.
5. Cost of SIM card for that network. You can easily get codes to unlock the phone for a a few pounds on the internet (if you need it). That way you can buy any SIM you want. Orange are known to lock their phones for Orange SIMS only (also applies for that country - my UK Orange phone won't take an Orange France SIM!)
6. Orange phones are locked to their SIMS - not sure about the others. You can check on Google to find the info.