# How much does a UK sim card cost?



## PepnFluff (Mar 29, 2009)

Hey, going to London on Fri and i've got a vodafone cell that needs a UK sim card. How much do vodafone ones cost? and is there like a plan for so many txts for like 5 Pound or something? 

I've seen these "orange" pay as you go phones for 9.50. How much does a txt cost? and also will it work when I'm in italy and France? 

What are some networks that will work in Italy, Paris and London? 

Thanks so much in advance.


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## PepnFluff (Mar 29, 2009)

Bump.. 

Anyone???


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## hartleybun (Mar 29, 2009)

network coverage and tarrif charges seem to change everyday:rollseyesthere are so many offers depending on your phone, how much you top it up by. i get the feeling they deliberately make it sooo complicated that you will be forced into getting a deal thats very expensive and not the one you really need!

when we go abroad we find that some of us have to contact the provider and some dont. hubby and daughter are on contract and thier phones always work. im pay as u go and sometimes have problems. 

you would be best to talk to your phone provider. it used to be very easy to buy a cheap pay as you go phone just to use on holiday. that seems to have changed since the bombs on the underground

have you tried the vodafone website? im sure they have a helpline.


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## mouse_chalk (Mar 29, 2009)

Ooops sorry I saw this earlier, put it in the news and then forgot to reply!

Is your phone locked to Vodafone? You can get a free Vodafone SIM card just on it's own:

http://shop.vodafone.co.uk/shop/basket/basketSummary.jsp?_requestid=217760

That gives you calls at 20 pence per minute and texts at 10 pence each. I'm pretty sure that you could use it abroad in Italy and Paris, but it would be VERY expensive- mind you that would be the same whichever network you used in different countries like that.

T-Mobile do a basic mobile phone for Â£9.78, including a pay as you go SIM card- the plan and call costs are here, and you get some free texts and credit etc:

http://www.t-mobile.co.uk/shop/mobi...kp100/pay-as-you-go/talk-and-text/allowances/

I think that one's 20 pence perminute for calls and 10 pence for texts too.


Or, there is the Orange option:

This phone is Â£14.50 but is dual band so will definitely work abroad:

http://shop.orange.co.uk/shop/show/handset/nokia_2610/detail/pay_as_you_go

There are 4 different 'plans' with Orange Pay As You go to choose from, which are a little complicated!

http://shop.orange.co.uk/shop/yourplan/payasyougo/plans


I hope that helps a little bit!


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## mouse_chalk (Mar 29, 2009)

Also, if you're going to London, there will be about a million mobile phone shops around, so you could just walk into any, ask them for the cheapest phone that is dual band (so it will work abroad), pay for it and walk out the door with it working! Pay As You Go is very easy to do...

(I used to work for Orange, so I know perhaps a little bit too much about mobile phones lol!)


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## hartleybun (Mar 29, 2009)

mouse_chalk - you should definitely go into business offering phone advice. trying to work out the best deal for the four of us with different usage is **** near impossible:X

i have learnt not to let my husband do all the registering tho' - orange wouldnt talk deal with me at all and would only talk to him.


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## PepnFluff (Mar 30, 2009)

Jen your awesome! I was hunting on old google and theres so much stuff lol, you'll read something, then somewhere else thats wrong! I'll most prob just go into a shop when im over and do it that way with a pay as you go thing. I cant believe its only 15 pounds! Hartleybun I hate that, I phoned to pay our power bill and they wouldn't even talk to me! why do they care who pays the bill aslong as they get there money!


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## pinksalamander (Mar 30, 2009)

I know that on Orange my phone always goes to 'Orange France' or whatever. Orange seems to be quite good at switching you to another Orange network in other countries. Expensive though!


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## mouse_chalk (Mar 30, 2009)

*PepnFluff wrote: *


> Jen your awesome! I was hunting on old google and theres so much stuff lol, you'll read something, then somewhere else thats wrong! I'll most prob just go into a shop when im over and do it that way with a pay as you go thing. I cant believe its only 15 pounds! Hartleybun I hate that, I phoned to pay our power bill and they wouldn't even talk to me! why do they care who pays the bill aslong as they get there money!


No problems, glad I could help!  And also glad my 4 years of crap working there paid off somehow lol. Actually, the first 2 years were brilliant....

The whole thing about not talking to the account holder is annoying, but it's the law sadly  I used to have tremendous rows with people wanting to add roaming to accounts, to know what numbers had been called by their girlfriend, etc etc. It's a pain in the butt I know but if I'd done what they said instead of infuriating people by saying no I'd have broken the law and risked my job- they frequently were sacking people for DPA breaches! I used to have to train people on Data Protection stuff because I was known as the 'expert' lol Even little things like 'my photo messaging isn't working' requires looking at the account to see if certain things are enables or restricted and as CSR's (customer service rep's) they weren't allowed to even look at the account to see what was on it without speaking to the account holder. Although at Orange you can pay the bill and pay credit to an account that isn't yours as long as you don't request any information..... 


Anyway, random rant lol! 

I hope you manage to find phone/SIM that suits you! Any phone shop should be easily able to sell you the cheapest, pay as you go dual band sim there is....

I hope you have an awesome time in London! How long are you in Blighty for?


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## PepnFluff (Mar 31, 2009)

I think I'm going for the orange option, it's so strange you guys have like heaps of diffrent choices, we have telecom and vodafone lol. There was a case last year, were a lady who relied on a ventilators power was switched off, anyway to cuta long story short her husband phoned to pay the bill but he couldn't as the account was in her name, then it got chopped  

Oh is blighty another name for London I presume Lol? Well were in Blighty from the 5th till the 8th of April was meant to be the 4th to the 8th but stupid Korean Air changed their flightd round. After London were off to Italy and Paris  Excited I am lol 2 days 6 hours!!!


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## pinksalamander (Mar 31, 2009)

PepnFluff wrote:


> I think I'm going for the orange option, it's so strange you guys have like heaps of diffrent choices, we have telecom and vodafone lol.Â  There was a case last year, were a lady who relied on a ventilators power was switched off, anyway to cutÂ a long story short her husband phoned to pay the bill but he couldn't as the account was in her name, then it got chopped
> 
> Oh is blighty another name for London I presume Lol? Well were in Blighty from the 5th till the 8th of April was meant to be the 4th to the 8th but stupid Korean Air changed their flightd round. After London were off to Italy and Paris  Excited I am lol 2 days 6 hours!!!



Blighty = Britain

Oh you are going to have fun. 'Up the apples and pears to Bedfordshire, would you Adam and Eve it?' and all that


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## hartleybun (Mar 31, 2009)

cor strike a light, wonder what dog and bone she'll end up with?


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## mouse_chalk (Mar 31, 2009)

:roflmao:


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## pinksalamander (Mar 31, 2009)

hartleybun wrote:


> cor strike a light, wonder what dog and bone she'll end up with?



Don't take the michael!


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