Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with SIM and UK

Prepaid SIM for iPhone 5 in the US?

olinerd — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 07:18:51 -0800

I have an iPhone 5 purchased unlocked in the UK. I travel regularly to the US for 1-2 weeks at a time, often in situations where WiFi is not an option, and would like to be able to buy a pre-paid US SIM primarily for data. Now that the iPhone 5 has been out for a few months, has anyone finally gotten onboard with pre-paid nanoSIMs for the 5? Or is cutting down a regular SIM still the only option?

Best 3g SIM card for Western Europe?

pompomtom — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 21:50:24 -0800

What are my prepaid 3g data+sim options for Western Europe? I will be in the UK for a week, the Netherlands and Belgium for a fortnight, and then France for a few days. What are my options for prepaid 3g data (including SIM(s))? Telephony is a minor issue, data is most important.

What companies should I be checking out? Are there any which won't require a new SIM per country?

Activating a reset iPhone in the UK without a SIm...?

dash_slot- — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 05:36:56 -0800

UK specific iPhone/SIM question: I need to activate my old iPhone 3GS 16gB, preferably without my own SIM. I am giving it to my nephew as a games device, not to use as a phone. I have reset and now it insists on a SIM. 1. are there workarounds so I don't have to buy a SIM, activate it then throw SIM away? 2 This was my O2 UK phone [on a company contract], so if you know anything about the iPhone elsewhere, it probably won't apply. 3. If the answer to the above is 'jailbreak it', can I use iTunes after? 4. if the answer is 'use your old SIM just for activation', will this link it to iTunes in some way? Bear in mind, I still use my SIM in my newer phone [actually purchased more recently, but an 8gB 3GS in reality. Yes, I know...] Cheers John

Cellphone options for senior travelers in London

kimdog — Wed, 23 May 2012 15:08:37 -0800

The recently-retired senior generation of my family is traveling from US to London in October. They are arriving separately and splitting up for a couple of different side trips, and want to be able to stay in touch by cell phone. What are the easiest, cheapest options for cell phones that they can purchase ahead of time? Currently, everyone is on Verizon (ruling out SIM cards), and they don't have tri- or quad-band phones anyway. They would like to have the phones with them when they arrive- they really don't want to spend the first days of their trip trying to sort out phone options, and need to be in touch almost immediately since members of the group are flying into Gatwick and Heathrow from several different US locations. They only need two basic phones that can call each other (and maybe text)... no smart phones with data needs. Anyone have suggestions for cheap (or used) phones that could be bought ahead of time, as well as SIM options?

UK SIM part 2

xotis — Fri, 07 May 2010 09:54:20 -0800

UK Mobile Phone Filter: I'm going to be in London for a week and I have a Nexus One (unlocked) with no SIM. I'd like about 30 minutes talk time, 15 texts, and 100mb of data/web. I'd like to spend between £5 and £10 on a SIM/Plan and I want to do this as easily as possible. Basically, I want to be able to walk into a shop and say "Give me the XYZ sim." place £5/£10 on the counter, then walk out in less than the time it took you to read this question. I'll be traveling direct from Minneapolis, MN to LHR. I won't have time to get a UK SIM on Craigslist/eBay in advance of the trip.

Here's what I'd like for £5/£10:
* 30 minutes talk time.
* 15 texts
* 100mb data/web
* Best network coverage possible in London

So what's the best way to acomplish this? I've searched and searched, but I can't seem to find a straight answer.

This question was close to what I'm looking for, but I really want someone to say "Go into the XYZ shop in terminal 4 at Heathrow/Paddington Station and ask for the 123 plan which will be £10 and you'll be set". (XYZ & 123 are the variables that I'm looking for y'all for help with.)

I'll be staying near Paddington Station, so idealy I'd be able to walk up to a kiosk in LHR to get the SIM/plan, or a shop near Paddington Station.

UK SIM cards

jedro — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 03:18:20 -0800

Are the free UK pay-as-you-go SIM cards that are offered on UK telcos' web sites also available from retail shopfronts, or only via the post (to UK addresses)? These offers seem pretty good in terms of pricing, but most of them require you to enter UK address details to get the SIM delivered. Can the same SIMs, with the same tariffs, be purchased from shopfronts? Are there any strings/conditions/pitfalls one should be aware of?

Best PAYG SIM for short-term visit to UK?

fedward — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 11:06:46 -0800

How can I be as wireless for two weeks in the UK as I am year round in the US? We're going to the UK for two weeks. I have an unlocked, quad-band GSM phone with EDGE data. I also have an Option GT Max Express (or something like that), which is a global 3G card (HSDPA 3.6, downgrading to other GSM-based data services if necessary). I'd like to be able to use the phone for voice and data, and pop the SIM into my ExpressCard for data access while we're in London.

What's the best prepaid (PAYG) SIM to get for two weeks? Three (Hutchison 3G UK, that is) seems cheapest for phone and 3G data, but I can't find anything that says they even *have* EDGE. It looks like I need either Vodafone (ouch, £10 for 24 hours) or O2, but I'm not entirely clear on that either since I've read that O2 doesn't allow 3G data for PAYG cards, even with the web bolt-on.

And I thought the US mobile data market was bad. Am I just misreading their sites? Does Three have EDGE? Does O2 let you go 3G with a PAYG card? Can I speak complete gibberish? (Wait, I know the answer to the last one).

For extra credit, is there a good place to buy a SIM at Heathrow, or should I wait until we're killing time at Liverpool St. Station the day we arrive?