Visiting the UK : Mobile phones

[geeman237]

Jumping on my thread about UK car rental, I thought I'd ask about mobile phone use in the UK with your US phone and carrier.
I am with Verizon with an iPhone 6S. I don't have an international plan. I will be in the UK about 10 days and may have to make calls to UK businesses during that time. In the past I have used WhatsApp, Facetime and Messenger via a WiFi connection for free, mostly to friends. I turn off my phone data setting as soon as I get to the UK so I don't rack a bill up.

Any US based folks with any recommendations for short term reasonably priced data plans during a UK visit?

[anonymous-user]

not US ?based sorry, but cant you just buy a pay-as-you-go sim card when you get over here and stick that in your phone

[anonymous-user]

keirik said:

not US ?based sorry, but cant you just buy a pay-as-you-go sim card when you get over here and stick that in your phone

That’s what I would do.

Or else go to someone like Tesco (big grocery retailer here in the U.K.) and buy a PAYG phone.
I know they did one for about £12
which included a £10 phone credit.

[TimLambert7]

I have an old iphone with a vodafone PAYG sim I use when I go home.

If you can get your US phone unlocked, i've heard of a phone case which allows you to have two sim cards. Use one sim, turn phone off, flip a switch, turn back on with the other sim. I've not used one but it solves the problem of carrying two phones around.

[h0b0]

I buy “3” SIM cards from Amazon US. Activate before leaving the US and swap out when you land. Pain free and and has the benefit of roaming so I use it through Europe.

Make sure your phone is unlocked. Your current carrier will be able to tell you and unlock it for free.