My son will be studying in Bath for a semester starting in late January, as a part of a study abroad program through his college. I am looking for an economical way that he can communicate with us, in addition to email. His current phone will of course not work, renting a global phone is expensive, we could purchase a phone here which would work both there and here, but I have heard of purchasing a prepaid phone when you arrive. How does this work, what typically are the costs, how many minutes do you get and how do you add more, what are reputable companies and where do you get them? Is there a better alternative?
Posted by
Manchester
497 posts
Prepaid phones, more commonly called Pay-as-you-go (PAYG) phones, are are incredibly common over here in the UK. Every High St. and shopping centre will have dedicated store fronts for the major networks as well as generic phone shops (i.e. the Carphone Warehouse.) They are also available from supermarkets, electronic stores, dept. stores...
How to buy one? The shops generally keep them in the back but it's simply a case of choosing one and then paying your money. Once you have the phone you'll need to activate it, this is just a case of making a call and following the instructions in the box. Specialist phone shops will do this for you.
'Minutes' can be bought in a number of ways, either over the phone or internet via credit/debit cards or most networks have a system where you can get a card linked to your account that you 'top up' at the cash register in most shops. Some ATM machines also have the option to top up a phone, debiting the amount straight from you account.
As to costs, just as in the States it's a "how long is a piece of string?" question. The networks have a variety of tarifs that suit different usage patterns. One difference from the US is that we don't pay for incoming calls or texts.
I'm not sure if they count as reputable ;-), but some of the main networks are:
Orange
Vodafone
T-Mobile
3
If your son gets a "Quad band" phone it will also work back in the US. These obviously cost more than "dual band" phones which won't work in the Americas.
Posted by
Yorkshire, UK
264 posts
Jeff - For the past 3 years I have used and been happy the mobile world network/service that I got through Carphone Warehouse. Carphone Warehouse is very well known here and in most cities. I had to pay for a basic phone (as low as 10 pounds). From there I have been able to topup online at mobileworld.co.uk. I am able to call the states simply by dialing 001XXX-XXX-XXXX. Calls are 5p a minute to the US. So you get 200 minutes for 10 pounds. UK calls are charged at 15p a minute which is competitive to other providers. Yes - a call to the UK costs 3x as much as one to the US. When I first came to the UK this was really the only cellular option other than global phones etc. It looks like some of the other providers such as O2, Orange, 3, Vodafone are starting to do similar things too. A quick check of Orange's website shows a pay as you go option with 6p a minute US calls and 20p a minute UK calls.
Two other notes for you
You can always consider computer based calling systems. I know Tesco sold a USB Microphone and software application for 10 pounds that you could top up. They charge 2p a minute to the US for that connection but you have to do it through your computer. But you can call a US Phone. Of course there is also Skype etc.
I came over as a professional expatriate with a job secured and I could not qualify for a monthly based mobile plan right away. So unless things have changed you will probably looking at Something i mentioned above.
Posted by
OP
San Jose
2 posts
This is good input, thank you. Typically what is the expected price range for one of these PAYG phones? As my son gets ready to return to the US in May, is there a way to "sell" the phone back, is it worth trying, or could it be donated to someone unable to purchase, or keep it for a future trip back?
Posted by
Yorkshire, UK
264 posts
Depends on how much of a techie your son is. If you get him a basic phone that just has calling capabilities you are out about 20 pounds - 30 dollars. If you start getting into MP3 Players, Cameras, Bluetooth etc then you get up towards 80 or 90 pounds or 140ish dollars. If you go onto either carphonewarehouse.co.uk or any of the links peter posted you can see the types of phones and the price.
Posted by
Yorkshire, UK
264 posts
I forgot to address the buy back side. If you get the cheap phone you basically will just eat your loss. Realistically no one is going to reach out for a used phone that they can get new for 10 quid.
If you get a high priced phone there are opportunities to sell via ebay or classifieds. PAYG phones have a chip in them that you can take out and just sell the phone.