pende_tim
Premium
join:2004-01-04
Andover, NJ
 ·Verizon Online DSL
 ·ViaTalk
| England Rental Mobil Phone
Daughter is going over to England in August for a week. As a worried father, I would like to find her a rental Mobile she can rent for the week to make calls in the country and an occasional (I hope occasional because of the rates) call home to the US.
Anyone have any recommendations on how to go about this? Her US phone is Verizon so I can't just move a SIM card to a GSM phone.
Thanks... Tim
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The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits. |
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IanR
join:2001-03-22
Madison, NJ
edit:
July 9th, @12:26PM
| Just go out and buy an inexpensive world (unlocked) gsm phone. They are quite available at most independent wireless stores and range from $50 - $200. Just choose a model with texting and decent voice.
On arrival in the UK go to a wireless shop and request a SIM Card and minutes for say Vodaphone (I find they have the best coverage though T-Mobile is cheaper per minute). She will be given a UK number etc and activation is immediate.. She may need some form of identification etc.
And away she goes. Do NOTE that calls into a UK wireless phone are charged a PREMIUM (horrible system) and calls back to the USA will be very expensive from such a phone. But it will provide local service etc. at OK rates and be useful "in case of need".
When I travel to the UK I also use my VoIP Skype for calls back to the USA (around a few cents a minute). Does she have a PC or laptop in the UK? If so ensure she has a Skype acct and she can call you. I use either an open wifi service (where available) for if she can connect to any broadband at friends via ethernet connection. This way she can call home and chat inexpensively to give updates and stay in contact. But the cell phone (hand phone in the UK) can be used for emergency contact etc. |
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Rob
In Deo speramus
Premium
join:2001-08-25
Kendall, FL | reply to pende_tim
Verizon has international phones you can rent from them.. or at least they did 2 years ago. |
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drmorley
Premium,MVM
join:2000-12-20
Park Ridge, IL
clubs:
| said by Rob  :Verizon has international phones you can rent from them.. or at least they did 2 years ago. They still do have them for rent. The service is about $.99/min and I think there's a refundable deposit.
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djdanska
Premium,MVM
join:2001-04-21
Tampa, FL
clubs:
·A + Net
 ·Mediacom
·RCN CABLE
 ·T-Mobile US
| reply to pende_tim
Although the prices are most likely outdated, you can look at the different prepaid providers here:
»www.prepaidgsm.net/en/uk.html
You can then go to the providers website to see the rates. Hope this helps.
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When you do things right, people won't be sure you've done anything at all. |
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jinjimbob
Troy Mcclure
join:2001-11-13
Enumclaw, WA | reply to pende_tim
When she gets there, have her goto Tesco and buy a phone and get a free SIM, charge the sim with 5 pounds. |
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pende_tim
Premium
join:2004-01-04
Andover, NJ
·Verizon Online DSL
·ViaTalk
| said by jinjimbob :When she gets there, have her goto Tesco and buy a phone and get a free SIM, charge the sim with 5 pounds. Is it worth it to buy a phone for only 1 week in country? What does a basic phone cost?
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The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits. |
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jinjimbob
Troy Mcclure
join:2001-11-13
Enumclaw, WA
·Qwest.net
| reply to pende_tim
The phones start at around 15 pounds ($30), maybe less.
Look at Virgin mobile too, they have cheap ones too.
The SIM will stay working for a year, it gets free incoming sms in the US too.
You can use onesuite.com to call UK mobiles, around 16 cents per minute, free incoming for the mobile user. |
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stufried
Premium
join:2003-10-13
·Verizon BroadbandA..
| I have a phone with a roaming SIM which I frequently loan out to family and friends traveling outside of North America. They reimburse their actual usage only. Over the years I've noticed that people generally talk more than they expect to.
An unlocked quadband GSM phone can be used all over the world. I really think it is a good investment. |
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pende_tim
Premium
join:2004-01-04
Andover, NJ | Would an unlocked Nokia 3120b GSM be a good choice? Claims to work on 850/1800/1900 Mhz. Not a quad band, however. What band/country is this missing
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The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits. |
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djdanska
Premium,MVM
join:2001-04-21
Tampa, FL
clubs:
·A + Net
·Mediacom
·RCN CABLE
·T-Mobile US
| reply to pende_tim
said by pende_tim :Daughter is going over to England in August for a week. As a worried father, I would like to find her a rental Mobile she can rent for the week to make calls in the country and an occasional (I hope occasional because of the rates) call home to the US. Anyone have any recommendations on how to go about this? Her US phone is Verizon so I can't just move a SIM card to a GSM phone. Thanks... Tim Not the best choice. International bands are 900/1800. You want at least a quadband phone or a triband phone with 900/1800/1900mhz. A lot of network run on 900mhz over there. I will look up and see which provider runs on what soon.
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When you do things right, people won't be sure you've done anything at all. |
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pende_tim
Premium
join:2004-01-04
Andover, NJ | So the Samsung C417 would be a better choice? It claims 850/900/1800/1900 coverage. |
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djdanska
Premium,MVM
join:2001-04-21
Tampa, FL
clubs: | reply to djdanska
MCom, orange, and T-Mobile run on 1800mhz, so you would be fine there. VODAFONE and O2 run on both 900 and 1800mhz though. that might be some issue.
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When you do things right, people won't be sure you've done anything at all. |
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stufried
Premium
join:2003-10-13 | reply to pende_tim
Those are the correct bands. I would also double check the power adapter to make sure it is dual voltage. (It probably is). If it is, you are business. |
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djdanska
Premium,MVM
join:2001-04-21
Tampa, FL
clubs:
·A + Net
·Mediacom
·RCN CABLE
·T-Mobile US
edit:
July 12th, @12:07PM
| reply to pende_tim
I posted the providers and the bands. the first phone would be fine with a few of the providers. The second one would be fine on all of the providers. Are you just getting one online cheap? First one is for international only, second one is for more. I posted the first one because it is cheap. And you might be able to sell either one online for a little bit of money.
»www.bombayelectronics.com/produc···rod=1339
»www.plemix.com/phone-sonyericsso···0i-phone
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When you do things right, people won't be sure you've done anything at all. |
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jefe
Premium
join:2001-05-19
Northport, NY
| reply to pende_tim
If you want a reasonably inexpensive quad band phone that works great as a phone....I recommend the Motorola V-557.
It's no longer in production but lots of them are available unlocked on eBay for around $50.
Good audio quality; reception; battery life. I've toted one all over the world and it's never let me down. |
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pende_tim
Premium
join:2004-01-04
Andover, NJ
·Verizon Online DSL
·ViaTalk
| reply to pende_tim
Ok, the next question:
What is the best ( least cost) way to get a SIM for this project?
I would like to have it in the phone before she leave in about 3 weeks. Possibly test the phone to make sure it works before we pack her off.
Incoming free calls would be nice and low in country rates would also be good. If it is free incoming, then call rates to USA would not be a big issue.
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The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits. |
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pende_tim
Premium
join:2004-01-04
Andover, NJ
·Verizon Online DSL
·ViaTalk
| reply to jefe
said by jefe :If you want a reasonably inexpensive quad band phone that works great as a phone....I recommend the Motorola V-557. It's no longer in production but lots of them are available unlocked on eBay for around $50. Good audio quality; reception; battery life. I've toted one all over the world and it's never let me down. Thanks for the information! Does this model use the Sub "D" charger connector or the older "snake fangs"
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The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits. |
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djdanska
Premium,MVM
join:2001-04-21
Tampa, FL
clubs:
·A + Net
·Mediacom
·RCN CABLE
·T-Mobile US
| reply to pende_tim
If it's Tesco you are interested in, you can try to give them a call and buy the sim over the phone and have it shipped to you.
"If you have any problems, please contact Tesco Direct Customer Services on 0845 6004411** between 8am and 11pm Monday to Friday, 9am and 8pm Saturday or 10am and 6pm on Sundays." (their time, not ours)
But if your interested in t-mobile or vodaphone or something, you can always try ebay.co.uk
»shop.ebay.co.uk/items/?_nkw=t-mo···sid=m270
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When you do things right, people won't be sure you've done anything at all. |
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MidrangeMan
join:2000-09-22
Schaumburg, IL
·Vonage
| reply to pende_tim
I'm planning a trip to the UK & Ireland in a few months also ... and I'm going to pick up two cheap pay as you go phones.
Anyone know which carrier would work in both the UK and Ireland?
david
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