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CarPhoneWarehouse vs. Phones4u?

Posted by (California, USA) on

We begin two weeks in UK a short walk NE of the Marble Arch tube station. Both of us have quad band phones (iPhone5 and Android) that are unlocked. We want UK phone numbers to make calls in London, York, and Edinburgh. For things like inquiries, reservations and to find each other when we get separated. Also want data for web sites and Google Maps (when we're both lost!) It appears from web sites that both CarPhoneWarehouse and Phones4u offer PAYG SIMS and have outlets within a 10min walk of our hotel. The cost for a PAYG SIM for two weeks use appears to be no more than 15-20GBP.

I am surprised by the dismal on-line reviews of both companies. Surely so many people in the forums would not be recommending them both if they don't provide reasonable service? Does anyone have recent personal experience with either of these shops? Ordinarily, my buying style is "put it in my phone and show me that it works, THEN I give you money" , and if a particular shop doesn't "feel right", just walk out and go somewhere else.

My assumption is that all the major UK networks have ample coverage in London, York, and Edinburgh, and that the shop will recommend which PAYG offers what we need at the most reasonable cost.

This forum has contributors who really know stuff, and the suggestions so far have already improved our travel plan.

Posted by
32202 posts

Dick,

I don't have "recent personal experience with either of these shops", but wanted to offer another suggestion.

You might also consider using a SIM card from one of the travel phone firms such as Roam Simple, Cellular Abroad, Telestial, Mobal or EuroBuzz (there are others). Many of these use U.K. numbers so will operate the same as a SIM purchased there. One of these firms is currently adverting a U.K. SIM card for FREE and outgoing calls in the U.K. at 29¢ per minute (US $), with incoming calls FREE.

A few advantages of this approach....

  1. You'll have a working phone as soon as you step off the plane, and won't have to go looking for one when you arrive in the U.K. and won't have to be concerned with dealing with local firms that have bad customer reviews.
  2. Many of these providers offer post-paid billing (calls charged to a credit card) so no need to ever top-up.
  3. The rates are a bit higher than buying a SIM in-country, but not appreciably so (IMO), especially for light use.
  4. These can be renewed at minimal cost every year. If you'll be travelling on a regular basis anywhere in Europe, you can use the SIM in various countries with fairly consistent rates.

I've been using one of the above firms for several years, and so far that method has worked really well.

Posted by
1021 posts

I visited the Carphone Warehouse store near Harrods last year. Courteous staff but didn't have the sim I wanted so I had to go to a Three store. The last couple of years Three has had the best prepaid sim deals for phones and tablets (£10-15) plus dirt cheap call rates to US so check it out online. Three has a store in Oxford Street a short walk from Marble Arch. Like any large city coverage can be weak in London in places. We have relatives who live in an area where none of the carriers have a strong signal.

Posted by
4140 posts

There is a very easy way around all of this considering that you already have the appropriate phones . Stop at any news agent , tobacconist , or any place ( they are all over ) and get a LEBARA Sim card . What follows is a copy and paste from one of my recent posts -

I have been using LEBARA sim cards for nearly five years without a glitch . While you can cross border them , I generally buy a card for the country I'm in , makes things really easy and the card itself is either free or about the cost of a coffee . Check the website for available countries , but they are not available in Italy . I have used them in the UK , France , Switzerland and Germany with perfect results and calls are rock bottom cheap . Also recently , there are data plans available . I'm back in the UK this fall and I'll pick one up on arrival . Top up is easy and you can even get a top up at the till in places like Tesco .
Also they provide data plans . Go to the website for details - http://www.lebara.co.uk/

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