I won't have cell service in England, my carrier doesn't provide it. I have heard of buying a SIM card and switching it out, but what about the mobile wi-fi service through the British shop? Any experience with it? It looks like it could be easier??? Service multiple phones within my party versus just one?
Posted by
Basel, Switzerland
8889 posts
Not sure what you mean by "the British shop".
Yes you can still use WiFi (hotel, restaurant, café, some big stores) even if you don't have a phone service. And you can make phone calls that way if you have an appropriate App.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
On visitbritainshop.com there is a mobile device, like a hot spot, that you can rent for the period of time in Britain. I was wondering if anyone had any familiarity with it.
Posted by
Folsom, California
542 posts
I traveled with a group of four in Spain and we used Skyroam i highly recommend it.
Posted by
Portland, Oregon
5687 posts
One person with a smart phone can buy a SIM and share the data with the others in the party via hotspot - which is the same thing that one of those "mobile WiFi" devices does. Would be a lot cheaper than a mobile WiFi unit. Just make sure when buying the SIM that it supports hotspot. Try it before you leave the mobile store.
Posted by
Southeastern U.S.
61 posts
We did not have cellular service when we visited England this past June. I toyed with the idea of SIM cards, etc., but in the end we just made do with free WiFi at our hotels. Most restaurants also offered it, as did many of the London tourist attractions. There were a few friends/family we weren’t able to text or call, but we used iMessage when we had WiFi and had no problems at all. Depending on your individual needs, you Mag be able to survive on WiFi alone.
Posted by
56 posts
Recently in Ireland we bought a Voda phone SIM at the airport. it did not work in the android phone, but did in an apple phone. Was 25 euros for 5 gigs and lots of phone minutes. In 2 weeks we did not use it up.
It was handy to have data in remote areas - not all our airbnb's came with wifi. It also allowed us to connect with family for meet ups etc... in rural areas by text, but if we had been travelling alone we would have survived without it. It really just depends on your needs.