When I landed at Heathrow, my phone didn’t work. Not even service from a UK carrier at exorbitant roaming rates. Before I left the US, it was easy to foresee that cell service would be a problem, and I knew that I’d probably need Google Maps as I tried to navigate through London. So I did my research. The most important step was getting my iPhone unlocked. In the US, if you purchase your iPhone from the carrier and not the Apple Store, it is locked to their network. The phone will refuse to use a SIM card from another carrier. After a little wrangling with AT&T (I’m still under contract), they agreed to unlock the phone. From what I’ve read online, it’s still locked to their network within the US, but internationally, I can insert a SIM card from any carrier.
Navigating from Heathrow to my hotel with no phone, no map, and 100 pounds a luggage was a bit of a challenge. After taking two Underground trains to Paddington (including three flights of stairs with all that luggage), I came out an unfamiliar exit, so I navigated by the sun and memory to find the taxi stand at the front entrance. That was by far the most stressful segment. I’ve been glad to have Google Maps since then.
On my first full day in London, I headed straight to the O2 store to get one of their SIM cards. The first thing I learned is that pay-as-you-go plans are much more popular in the UK, but they’re a little more expensive than the same amount of talk, text, and data billed at a monthly rate. They’re also the only plans you can pay for with cash. Since most of the contracted plans require a UK bank account, I bought a half gigabyte of data, 1000 texts, and 100 minutes for £15. Earlier this week, I bought an additional gigabyte of data for £10. I went with the pay-as-you-go plans as a temporary measure until I’m able to get a UK bank account this week (more on that experience in another post).
The contracted plans usually run for 1 or 2 years, and they’re about £15 per month for unlimited data. I’ve found that I make almost no phone calls within the UK, so the number of minutes isn’t a problem. Also in the UK, only the calling party pays. There’s generally no cost to receive calls.
Overall, getting a pay-as-you-go plan was extremely simple and quick. I was out of the store within 10 minutes. If I was just here for vacation, it would be a simple matter to get enough data for a week or two in the UK. The contract plans obviously aren’t worth it for a short vacation.
Part 2 is on its way once I get my bank account set up.
