LG Wireless Phone

How to have a cell phone when studying abroad in England?

Im studying abroad in England for three months. I want to be able to have a cell phone that has the lowest either texting or phone calls to the US. Any suggestions?

Public Comments

1. Pay As You Go SIM cards (no contract) are available from any network, but the prices to make calls or send texts are quite high. It would only be useful to receive call ans texts (which is free). They are typically £5. Or if you do not have an unlocked phone, just get the cheapest mobile phone with a Pay As You Go SIM. For calls abroad the best thing to do is buy international calling cards. So for example a £20 calling card might give you 800 minutes of call time to the US. There are places that sell them below the nominal value, so you just pay £10 for £20 of credit. They give you access numbers and a PIN. After you call and enter your PIN you can enter the number you wish to dial. There will usually by a London number, a 845 number (which will cost local rate from anywhere in the country) and a free 0800 number. There should be landlines around your dorm for example you can use the 0800 number from. There is usually an extra charge for use from public pay phones. The other things you need to consider is when the card expires after first use, as some expire after just 30 days, others after a year. Read the fine print! Ask around, calling cards are very common in England. They have different rates, so look for one with cheap rates to the US. There is also always Skype, which has reasonable rates to call landlines and mobiles and to send text messages. Yahoo!Mail lets you send free text messages.
2. While I was staying in the UK as an exchange student, the cheapest mobile deal I found was a pay as you go SIM card from Talkmobile (available at the Carphone Warehouse). Calls to the US only cost 4p a minute, while texting is a bit more expensive (15p). A good alternative is Lebara, where calls cost you 4p a minute and 10p per text to the US. As always, there's an up- and a downside in regard to priceplans. These two deals are cheap for making calls abroad, but aren't the best offers for making calls in the UK.