Calls to and from Scotland and U.S.

Look into giffgaff. Plan ahead and they'll mail a SIM card to your US address that can be activated just after you land if you can find wifi. Their plans offer calls and texts in addition to data.

I guess my confusion is the SIM card I found for minutes, SMS and data also includes international calling and lists the countries included, but the U.S. isn't listed. I'm assuming that means I can't call home.

Hi, tahoecarol,

If you already have a mobile phone which works in Scotland, you can purchase a phone card at most Tesco supermarkets for three pounds, which will give you 75 minutes of calling time back to the U.S. With the Tesco card, you dial an 0800 number, enter the code on your card, then enter the number that you're calling in the U.S. You can also use the card from a landline.

If your phone works in Scotland, your friends and relatives should be able to call you directly. If it's a UK number, they would dial 011 44, then drop the zero in front of the STD code.

Best wishes, and good luck!

Mike (Auchterless)

Thank you so much Mike. That is exactly the info I was searching for. I'm a happy camper.

Not checked recent but buying a giffgaff Goodybag buys you all the UK calls,txt and data you could ever need.
You can then add extra credit to handle calls to the US,it was 2p a minute for a long time

Thank you Richard. I was looking at giigaff but had not found the per minute cost.

If your friends and family have cell phones, WhatsApp is the way to send and receive calls and texts. Free for everyone. No voicemail but you can send text. Can use on WiFi or if you have cellular service.

If people from us call a Uk # it will cost $