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Mobile Phone Providers in UK (Pre Payed) - inthemix Forums
I want to suss out what pre payed mobile phone provider in the UK is the best.
I doubt that they are going to have the nice economical pre payed caps that we have here but who would you advise going with while I am over there?
(I am going to be there for a couple of years)
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Vodafone is shite, you want o2
also, o2 has a plan where if you recharge with 30 quid they give you 200 minutes free overseas calls.
<3 that.
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Yeah i had O2 when i was there, never had a prob, will probably get a sim card while i';m over there in 2 weeks!
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Quote: : vodafone is shite, you want o2
also, o2 has a plan where if you recharge with 30 quid they give you 200 minutes free overseas calls.
<3 that.
The free minutes sound good!
What's so shit about Vodafone over there?
Do any providers have good plans like we have here?
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Vodafone are fuckin fucked!
Reception is balls, and just generally shithouse voice menus when u try and top up with this annoying chick trying to sell you some new shitbox deal they have going, when all you want to do is top up but have to listen to it.
Too bad if you are in a hurry.
But you can hook it up to ur debit card so you can top up while doing a poo or while on the train, or at work, or rootin the missus or doing whatever blows your hair back.
o2 man.
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Quote: : The free minutes sound good!
What's so shit about Vodafone over there?
Do any providers have good plans like we have here?
Plans in the UK are generally cheaper and better value than what we get over here.
Not to go into all of the reasons, but the larger population in a much smaller area and greater competition have led to lower prices for consumers.
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I third the o2 motion, I've got good reception everywhere.
Apparently you can even get reception in some tube stations with them as well (although I'm yet to see that).
And yeah, on the 'Your Country' SIM, you get a certain amount of free minutes to international landlines/mobiles depending on how much you top up each month.
They have a couple of different pre-paid SIMS but I reckon that one is the best if you've just arrived from Aus.
I'm not a fan of pre-paid though, I much prefer post-paid...Have to get a job and become a respectable citizen before that happens though.
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Vote O2
I used their pre paid before i went on to contract, the free minutes is win you can use it to any international number mobile and land line!!!
10p for sms to uk and any international number when sending within uk i think goes up to 25p if u are sending text when travelling.
i found that £30 was more then enough for me a month....suppose it depends on how much calling u plan to be doing i was mainly using it for sms.
Didnt bother to check out the other providers and Vodafones rates was exy compared to O2
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I'm another O2 fan...initially when I moved over here i had vodafone then after 2 weeks i changed over to O2...much more easier and straight forward with regards to its pre-paid add-ons...i got an option that all my texts to Aussie mobiles cost 10p each...ringing my UK O2 mobile to a Aussie landline is 10p a min or ringing to a Aussie mobile 35p a min...now they introduced more add-ons where and if you topup a certain amount you get free international mins (as mentioned in Dan's post)
Plus...it comes in handy if you want to goto Asia and the US with it...had service everywhere
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Do these O2 sim cards work all over Europe?
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Right - here's the info you need.
It was a major hassle for me when I got to London, so I'll try'n help.
Firstly - in the UK, pre-paid is called "pay and go".
In general, "pay and go" have high call costs and gets expensive very quickly, especially as you will likely be job and house hunting when you first get to the UK - however it is your ONLY option until you have a UK bank account and UK debit/credit card with an inbuilt chip.
Will explain more on this later.
Secondly - most UK plans give you a certain amount of minutes and texts - as opposed to Aussie plans where they simply tell you how much value you 're getting, and you can make it up with whatever combo of calls, texts, voicemail as you use each month.
O2 is definitely the way to go.
(the O2 website is down at the mo' - so I can't post a link).
The O2 SIMplicity "Pay Monthly" plans are great - and just as economical as the Aussie prepaid caps.
For £25, you get 500 minutes and 1000 texts per month.
If you work it out, it's even better value than the vodafone/optus $79 cap plans in Aus.
The only drawback is that INTERNATIONAL texts are not included - you will be charged about 12p for each text.
This charge will be in excess of the £25 monthly fee.
The O2 sims ALL work around Europe (and around the world) if you activate roaming, but call rates are much higher when out of the UK, and each text will count as 4.
"Pay Monthly" is NOT a prepaid plan.
It's a plan where you do have to sign a contract (I think it's 12 or 18 months), HOWEVER (and this is important), you can opt out of the contract at any time, with 30 days notice.
In other words, you get most of the benefit of not really being locked into a long-term commitment, and the highest fee you'll have to fork out if cancelling, is £25 (assuming you cancelled on the last day of your billing cycle).
Because the "Pay Monthly" plan is actually post-paid, and involves signing a contract, O2 won't give it to you until you have a UK credit/debit card with a chip in it.
"Chip and pin" is standard for eftpos transactions in the UK - and there is no way around this.
Also if you're new to the UK, you will probably have to pay a deposit of £200, which isn't really a huge deal.
They take your first 3 months payment out of it (one month at a time) and you get it back after 3 months (if you want to.
I just left it and it paid my bills for the first 8 months).
If you're new to the UK, try'n organise a bank account ASAP (go through 1stcontact) and you should have your debit card within 10 days.
You will have to use a "pay and go" plan (just walk into any phone store - and take away a simcard and charge it with £20 to get you started).
I'm not sure which are the best rates for "pay and go", but I'd defo recommend getting on to an O2 "pay monthly" plan ASAP.
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I cannot stress enough, the benefit of getting a bank account organised ASAP.
Pay 1stcontact $70 before you leave Aus - they'll have an appointment for you the day after you land in London, and the bank rep will be there on the day to sign you up for a bank account.
I had my chip n pin debit card 6 days later.
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Thanks heaps for the advice elbraddo!
Much appreciated!
*goes to look up 1st contact*
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Quote: : I cannot stress enough, the benefit of getting a bank account organised ASAP.
Pay 1stcontact $70 before you leave Aus - they'll have an appointment for you the day after you land in London, and the bank rep will be there on the day to sign you up for a bank account.
I had my chip n pin debit card 6 days later.
First Contact were a waste of time for me (and it's about $115 now FYI).
I paid them, went into Lloyds with the letter they gave me, only to be told I didn't need a letter at all and could've just walked in off the street (this was 4 weeks ago so quite recently).
Bizzy, if I were you I wouldn't bother with it.
HSBC and Barclays might be a different story but no-one I know here has had any trouble with Lloyds, they just marched in with their passport and bang, account sorted.
Save yourself the money because trust me, you'll need it!
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Holeinthewall - you may well be correct.
My info on setting up a bank account is based on my experience in mid 2007.
If it was me doing it now, I'd contact Lloyds and make 100% sure that what you say is correct before I abandoned the idea of going through 1st Contact.
This wouldn't be the first time a staff member has misunderstood a policy - so yeah, Bizzy, make 100% sure before assuming you'll be ok.
Make it very clear that you won't have a job and won't have a fixed address (I'm assuming) when you first land in the UK - and explicitly ask if this poses any problem.
The whole problem used to come about because banks weren't supposed to mail cards to anyone who didn't have a verifable UK address (ie.
From a phone bill, utilities bill).
Obviously if you are fresh in the Uk, youo're unlikely to have this.
1st Contact (and other such companies) negotiated ways around this for people arriving in the UK.
I'm not sure about the details.
Just check it out thoroughly.
There is no margin for error.
If you don't meet the requirements, you won't get an account.
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I will have an address that I can use when I get there (my friends place) which I guess is a start...
I will do some more research into it me thinks!
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Unless your name is on a bill, then it really doesn't matter that you have a friend's address to have stuff posted to.
As I said before, really look into it THOROUGHLY.
Ask what proof of address they require etc etc
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+1 for O2. w y better than vodafone
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Trick is to haggle.
All the deals that the phone companys offer are pretty similar so just play them off against each other.
This works particularly well at the end of a contract but should work at the beginning too.
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No Global Roaming costs for Vodafone this summer.
http://online.vodafone.co.uk/dispatc...geID=OS_ 0099
Summer roaming promotion
From 1 June to 31 August it won't cost you any more to call, text or send picture messages when you're abroad than it does at home.
This is because we've abolished our normal 75p roaming charge – which is what you usually pay to connect a call to the UK with Vodafone Passport.
Simply opt in to Vodafone Passport and take your home rates with you to over 35 European countries, plus Australia and New Zealand.
Then you can text home to gloat about the weather, ring the beach bar to reserve a table in the shade or send photos of that perfect white sand – without worrying about the cost.
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Sounds like a possibly misleading promotion.
Read the T&C's. Lots of restrictions.
Although the incoming calls with no surcharge seems pretty cool
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I don't think there's too many tricky things.
No data plans, which is expected.
Offer runs from June 1 to Aug 31, which falls within the time we are backpacking around Europe.
Offer valid only on European countries, Aus and NZ.
The only "gotcha" clause is that incoming calls is free only for the first 60 minutes of the call.
But its not really a "gotcha" clause cause its 60 fucking minutes!!
1 whole hour
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So if you're in Barcelona and ring your hotel, you're still gonna pay the UK to Spain rate which won't be cheap.
You're just gonna save the 75p connection fee.
Not really a massive saving.
Or am I missing something?
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Quote: : Holeinthewall - you may well be correct.
My info on setting up a bank account is based on my experience in mid 2007.
If it was me doing it now, I'd contact Lloyds and make 100% sure that what you say is correct before I abandoned the idea of going through 1st Contact.
This wouldn't be the first time a staff member has misunderstood a policy - so yeah, Bizzy, make 100% sure before assuming you'll be ok.
Make it very clear that you won't have a job and won't have a fixed address (I'm assuming) when you first land in the UK - and explicitly ask if this poses any problem.
The whole problem used to come about because banks weren't supposed to mail cards to anyone who didn't have a verifable UK address (ie.
From a phone bill, utilities bill).
Obviously if you are fresh in the Uk, youo're unlikely to have this.
1st Contact (and other such companies) negotiated ways around this for people arriving in the UK.
I'm not sure about the details.
Just check it out thoroughly.
There is no margin for error.
If you don't meet the requirements, you won't get an account.
I didn't have a fixed address (told them I was staying with friends, which is true) but yeah I take your point, probably worth investigating with them just to be sure.
I just think First Contact was a total waste of money, they also give you a UK Sim Card to get started but it's with some rubbish start up and crap rates, it was easier to get a good one from o2.
You get a free international money transfer with them as part of the package too, but it's bollocks - WAY too difficult (involves signing up to stuff, sending them photocopies of your passport/visa) and costs more than doing it directly with your bank!!
So I was really disappointed.
I know this thread is about mobile providers, but while I'm on it - go with Lloyds as your bank, they are awesome if you go with Barclay's you have to carry around this big calculator looking thing and stick your card in it anytime you want to log onto internet banking!
WTF!
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In general I thought 1st contact staff were about as useful as tits on a tennis racquet, but for the seamless bank account setup, they were well worth the $70 I paid.
You're right though - the simcard they give you is rubbish.
The phonecard they gave me was ok though - 10 squid free calls to Aus.
Was good until I had my Skype setup going.
Also got a good Fitness First deal thru my 1st contact package, come to think of it.
The info they give you in that arrival talk is also pretty good;
Stuff like registering for a doctor, NI number, claming back tax etc, as well as a few useful tips for getting started in london.
All good knowledge for those first few days.
The money transfer was ok though, and the rate wasn't terrible - certainly better than thru banks.
I prefer using XE, or World First though.
Takes a bit of verification to get set up but only 20 mins worth of effort.
Well worth it for the good rates and ease of use.
Lloyds is a decent bank - I'm with 'em too.
Just watch out for the overseas transaction fees.
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Quote: : so if you're in Barcelona and ring your hotel, you're still gonna pay the UK to Spain rate which won't be cheap.
You're just gonna save the 75p connection fee.
Not really a massive saving.
Or am I missing something?
Nah, if you're at Spain and you call local, you get charged local rates.
If you call UK, you get charged local rates.
If you call Australia, you get charged for calling International.
Receiving calls, text and MMS is free.
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^^ that voda deal is a fucking awesome deal if you're travelling, i was about to post about it.
Im going to switch from o2 to voda when im about to leave london.
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Actually yeah that voda deal does look great if you're doing a backpacking stint.
I'd go for it as well!
I'd still say that an O2 pay monthly plan is the best option for when you're based in London - and doing regular trips abroad.
I mentioned the £25 plan but they have many options ranging from £15 up to £45 a month.
You get all the benefits of an economical "cap" plan, but without the constraints of a long term commitment.
Another benefit is that it gives you a discount on O2 ADSL home broadband which is fantastic;
Unlimited usage and very fast + great customer service.
We really are pretty fortunate in Aus, that you can walk into Woolies, pick up a $2 Voda red sim and a $79 recharge voucher and be up and running 10 mins later.
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Nmmmm I'm going over for 3-4 months, was thinking of just getting a prepaid when I landed,
are the prepaid deals really that bad?
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Quote: : First Contact were a waste of time for me (and it's about $115 now FYI).
I paid them, went into Lloyds with the letter they gave me, only to be told I didn't need a letter at all and could've just walked in off the street (this was 4 weeks ago so quite recently).
Bizzy, if I were you I wouldn't bother with it.
HSBC and Barclays might be a different story but no-one I know here has had any trouble with Lloyds, they just marched in with their passport and bang, account sorted.
Save yourself the money because trust me, you'll need it!
+1 for Lloyds, I literally walked off the train from Heathrow into a branch and had an everyday account + savings account set up within 10 minutes, sans any proof of residence/work/etc.
The only requirements were that i showed them my passport & an initial deposit of £260 which you can withdraw the following day.
[I may or may not have lied & said that i was already working and would be depositing £1,500 a month into the account...
That was their idea though!]
Within two days i had two cards (chipped visa debit+eftpos backup) & internet banking all sorted!
Back on topic, I went with Virgin pre-paid where you can also purchase specific 'bundles' [£7.5/10/14/etc] like additional minutes / texts / combination of both as you figure out what you'll use the most.
And with each £10 top up it gives you 300 texts [what i've been using mostly] in addition.
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Well in my opinion all pre-paid sims are retarded.
Restless do a no contract plan with - 5p per min back to any Aust or NZ landline and 15p per min to any Aust or NZ mobile.
Hard to beat. Plus its no contract, so if I thought it sucked I can leave at anytime.
But if your still keen on the pre-paid checkout this price comparison of all the big providers - http://www.restlessworld.com.au/uk-m...te-comparison/
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1, O2 is the way to go - good service and plans
2, Have a chat to HSBC - as they have branches here and in the UK you can set one up from here.
We had to have an opening balance of $500 to do it but we just walked into HSBC when we got there and picked up our cards.
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Quote: : 1, O2 is the way to go - good service and plans
2, Have a chat to HSBC - as they have branches here and in the UK you can set one up from here.
We had to have an opening balance of $500 to do it but we just walked into HSBC when we got there and picked up our cards.
This is sounding like a good option!
Thanks!
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Quote: : 1, O2 is the way to go - good service and plans
2, Have a chat to HSBC - as they have branches here and in the UK you can set one up from here.
We had to have an opening balance of $500 to do it but we just walked into HSBC when we got there and picked up our cards.
O2 plans maybe good if your a UK citizen, but as a Aussie I don't know about this man.
You need to have proof of UK residency, credit history etc.
Can you clarify this?
Thats why I was going for Restless mobile plan - its a no contract plan and its set up before you go with your sim and number.
Cheap and not locked into anything - thats why I'm thinking these guys are a winner.
Hey I heard that HSBC isn't on maestro anymore!
Ie if you in other parts of Europe your screwed.
Can anyone confirm this?
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If youre setting up a bank account you'll have trouble as you need so many forms of identification and its very hard to verify your address.
If you can try and set one up from over here.
A friend of mine did his through HSBC so Id definitely be looking into that.
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Quote: : 1, O2 is the way to go - good service and plans
2, Have a chat to HSBC - as they have branches here and in the UK you can set one up from here.
We had to have an opening balance of $500 to do it but we just walked into HSBC when we got there and picked up our cards.
Do you pay fees each month to keep the account?
My understanding is that it's about £6/month....
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