We have Verizon in the US, which charges $70 for a month for only 0.5GB data when traveling. Has anyone bought SIM cards on Amazon for use in England? Alternatively, can one buy them at Heathrow in Terminal 5? (we only have 2 hours to make the connection to Inverness, after arriving from SFO).
Posted by
Walnut Creek, CA
545 posts
I am headed to England/Scotland next month and considering the same thing.
I am thinking of going with Giffgaff after reading good online reviews. One was from a SF tech writer, but I can't find the article now.
I am going to order this at the end of july. they will ship me the SIM card and I'll set it up in the US first to make sure it works.
I have absolutely no experience with this company or card, so we will see. I will write a review about it after return from Scotland in September.
What does your online research show? Anybody have real experience with this SIM card company?
Posted by
Portland, Oregon
5687 posts
You can search our own RS forums for "giffgaff" - people have used them before. I haven't. One thing I remember reading was that they might not be a great choice if you planning to roam in the EU; they don't enable their EU roaming until you've used it in the UK for a while, apparently.
I've still had great luck with my Dutch Vodafone SIM the last few years in Europe - never used it in the Netherlands, though! Bought it on eBay, topped up online on Vodafone's Dutch website.
Posted by
Clarksville, TN, USA
956 posts
I can attest to the GiffGaff. I just did the GiffGaff SIM for our trip two weeks ago. It was easy, and I didn't use up my 3 GB. What a great deal. We were only in England, so it was perfect for our trip!
Posted by
OP
California
174 posts
Thanks for all the replies! Amy, how long did it take for you to receive the SIM card? And were you able to keep your US tel # for What'sApp?
Posted by
USA
111 posts
We bought a SIM card from a vending machine in T5 a couple of years ago. It was £20 for 12 GB.
Posted by
Clarksville, TN, USA
956 posts
Andy, I think it took about 10 calendar days... I can't remember exactly but it was no more than two weeks. I was nervous to change out the SIM and couldn't believe how easy it was. And then activating online was a breeze. I loved that I simply turned the phone on when we landed in London and voila, the phone is working!
Posted by
Yorkshire
1209 posts
Giffgaff currently do £20 for 20gbs.
There are plenty if plans available and run for 30 days..no follow on charges.
I have used them since there beginning about 8 years back.
Happy with the service and price
Posted by
Walnut Creek, CA
545 posts
Amy
thanks for letting me know it took 10-14 days to get the card. I went ahead and ordered mine now, so I get it by August 1, well before my RS Scotland tour.
I plan on setting it up and activating it in the US, so hope everything goes smoothly.