Buying a prepaid phone at Heathrow?

Thank you, Steve. And thanks for your answers to my questions on the General Europe page. I think I'll just test my luck at the airport when I get there. It sounds like the best deals can be had outside the US. It's a shame our mobile service and phones are so incredibly expensive in the US.

Will you be using the phone in the UK? Buying at the airport will not get you the best deals and AFIK Vodaphone (and the other main players) do not sell unlocked handsets. You need somewhere independent like Carphone Warehouse or similar for unlocked handsets and a choice of service providers.

PS - thinking about it a bit more. Have a look at what CPW offers. It will give you some idea of prices and available services eg SMS, cost of calls to USA etc. If you do decide to buy over here you will be able to do so with a bit more knowledge.

http://www.carphonewarehouse.com/mobiles/pay-as-you-go/deal-finder?&dealType=PPAY#

Linda: Thank you for continuing to share your personal experience as an actual UK/Europe resident. That's something we don't get enough of here.

I will be using the phone in the UK. The problem is that I have a layover at Heathrow before flying to Greece for a week. Then I will be heading almost directly to Orkney when I return on a late flight (then night train, early morning flight from Edinburgh). That's why I wanted to buy a phone at Heathrow. But I might be able to take the underground to the Carphone Warehouse in Hounslow during my layover. It seems I could make it there and back in a half hour each way (tube and walking four blocks).

I won't use the phone much--I mostly wanted it for safety and to communicate a little bit with family and friends since I am traveling alone for two and a half weeks.

Maybe it would be better if I bought an unlocked phone in the US and then just bought a SIM at the airport. I've looked at unlocked phones from various websites and the basic phone from Telestial, which is about $40, and should be able to take a local SIM when I get there (since they sell them on their website at rather high prices). I can't decide! Any opinions would be appreciated.

And I also appreciate the information from a UK resident--it's hard to know how things like that work.

Given your time limits I would be reluctant to leave the airport. What with the risk of late arrival, long immigration lines (if you want to leave the airport rather than just transit) and security lines as well as local transport problems. It would be too much for my blood pressure!

Maybe buy your handset in the US and sims for Greece and the UK when you arrive in each country. The CPW site will give you the names of the main UK providers and you could Google their sites to see the best deal for you to buy at the airport, at least you would have time to shop around.

Thank you, Linda. I thought it would be a bad idea to leave the airport, thus my quandary! Even traveling to Terminal 5 where there is a Vodafone store is a problem since my second flight leaves from Terminal 4. I hesitate to plan on anything except going directly to my next gate, even with 4 hours. I've been in Heathrow before, and really had a truly awful experience with getting the group I was leading through passport control. On the other hand, the BMI gate agents and flight crew were tremendously kind and helpful with some of my students who were upset after nearly missing the flight.

I think I will get a handset in the US and just buy a SIM when I arrive. Thank you for the suggestion on where to look to compare plans, and thanks to everyone who responded to my questions.