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Sim card for Scotland

Posted by (Mountains of S. Oregon) on

We're headed to Scotland in June, and unless I hear something to the contrary, we plan to get SIM cards from Giffgaff. They claim the O2 network is "the best", but if the UK is anything like the States, you can't believe coverage claims. 5G is not that big a deal since the only data usage will be for email when there's no wifi and occasion Google Maps for walking instructions.

I don't expect any carrier to work in the hinterlands, but I need a local number for restaurant reservations, lodging confirmations, and the like. We'll be Oban, Lewis, Orkney, Shetland, Edinburgh, Inverness, Fort William, Dunkeld and places between. If I need to call back to the States, it will be for an emergency, in which case cost doesn't really matter.

Posted by
1312 posts

I have EE and haven't experienced any problems anywhere in Scotland. I know of people here on Skye who have switched to EE as it seems to be the best here, but you don't mention Skye in your post! However, here is a signal checker website that you may find useful. Signal

Posted by
1359 posts

Giffgaff to USA mobiles and landlines is 2p a min

8p for a txt

As well as buying a Goodybag just add £10 in credit to the account, international calls come out of that
EE likely has the best coverage ,not by much.If a place has street lights you can be reasonably sure it has mobile coverage.

Posted by
3518 posts

I had a Giff Gaff card in 2018.
I ordered it online, and it was sent by mail to me.
I just put it in my phone on the plane before landing , and when I landed it worked right away.
It was fine for my trip to England and mostly Scotland.
On previous trips, I have bought a Lebara card when I got there and it was fine too.

Posted by
788 posts

Skye too! I don't know why I forgot our three nights on Skye :-)

II'll look and see if EE has a SIM deal.

Posted by
755 posts

EE was excellent for my travels in rural Scotland, including the Outer Hebrides ( since you mention Lewis). I picked up my Pay-as-you-go SIM at the EE store in Edinburgh on arrival. Data in general is cheaper in Europe than in the US, so coverage is worth considering if you’re spending a lot of time in rural areas.
https://shop.ee.co.uk/sim-only/pay-as-you-go-phones

Posted by
189 posts

This is interesting. Giff gaff mailed us a few SIM cards to Canada and we plan to pop them in when we arrive but a few people have noted EE has good coverage in rural areas, where we’ll be for half our trip. We used EE for England, London, and Paris in 2019 and it was great. Might have to reconsider. Maybe one phone with Giff Gaff, one with EE.

Posted by
788 posts

The coverage maps can always be optimistic, but Giffgaff looks reasonable. We'll activate our cards shortly before the trip so I can provide the UK number to interested parties. I got the cards in a week to the boondocks of Oregon. I didn't see any EE plans in the Giffgaff price range, but maybe I didn't look closely enough. We only need a phone for occasional walking guidance and making dinner reservations. Then you generally do get what you pay for...

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