Best UK plans for international student?

falkor10

Hi All,
So I am moving over to Edinburgh from New York and have already unlocked my droid 2 Global. I was wondering what is a good (and cheap) carrier over yonder? I don't make many actual calls but I do tend to be a bit heavy on the texts and I absolutely need internet access on it. Any advice would be great. Thanks.

Im_just_careful

In the UK calls from landlines to mobiles generally cost a reasonable amount (around 10 minutes = 1 bottle of beer) but there is no charge to the mobile user for incoming calls.

So, if you have mostly incoming calls and make few outgoing calls a system called "Pay As You Go" might suit.

Monthly paid contracts are the alternative and what you want is "SIM only".

What is a good choice of network depends on where you will be calling or texting.

For UK use Giffgaff ( http://giffgaff.com/ ) is well thought of in terms of value for money, otherwise perhaps Vectone ( http://www.vectonemobile.co.uk/rates/standard/international-rates.aspx )

If the primary focus is Internet then T-Mobile have a very reasonable Internet deal on PAYG, alternatively the Giffgaff "goodybag".

Owain_Moneysaver

the mobile phone shops like Carphone Warehouse carry a wide range of packages for all the networks and they'll discuss with you what will suit. If you are a student you may find your university has fairly comprehensive wifi access so you may not need as much internet as you think.

2sides2everystory

How about a fully Skype compatible handset from Hutchison 3G ("3 mobile") which might be your best way to call home from the mobile (for free?) plus an "All you can eat data" plan either on a monthly contract at £25 per month which also gives you 2000 minutes of UK calls and more UK-UK texts than you can handle or with fewer voice minutes on a PAYG SIM where you have to remember to buy it as an Add-On each month but then it only costs as little as £15 each month at the moment with 300 voice minutes but the same unlimited data (howz that work then? - well you get yourself a free PAYG SIM from 3, top it up with £15, then opt for the £15 "One Plan" Add-On which lasts a month, then top up and do the same again next month etc...). The 3 mobile network does not mind you tethering your laptop either to this unlimited data deal.

3 mobile is unique with its special arrangement for free voice calls with Skype, but you do need a fully compatible handset ideally with 3 mobile's firmware already on it because very strangely, on the right handset, 3 routes the Skype calls initially via its 3G voice channels and not via data which gives very good call quality.

If you rely on a handset not bought from 3, then you may not be able to exploit this Skype thing to the full. 3 do sell some cheap PAYG handsets however which do the trick or maybe you can pick up an ugly one cheaply on eBay! There are many handsets that are said to be Skype compatible but it needs to be better than that ... if you are interested I suggest you read a little around the subject.

That just leaves the problem of how you text international mobiles for reasonable cost from the UK. I use Fishtext ... uses absolutely tiny amounts of data ... so much so that I plan to use it even outside EU without worrying about data charges (because they generally are never now charged at a minimum data amount). Typical cost of sending a text via Fishtext when roaming in EU at £1.28 per MB data is only GBP0.001 plus the Fishtext charge of typically GBP0.13p. Sending a normal text whilst roaming in EU costs 7x that !

A normal length text UK to US is GBP0.13p ... it goes via the data network but arrives at the other end just like a 'normal' text. If you used the 3 mobile SMS centre on their network to send it normally I think it would cost GBP0.25p ... I try not to do that too often ... watch out when whizzing off quick replies to international texts ... remember to switch to Fishtext to send yours even though the replies to your Fishtexts will arrive in your normal SMS Inbox (don't just hit reply!)

Another internet data based SMS provider, Vyke, offers a fully integrated application for Symbian handsets where you don't have to worry about manually switching to Vyke to send replies via data rather than SMS, but their overall costs are higher than Fishtext.

I see both Fishtext and Vyke offer special apps for iphone and android ... perhaps they are now more integrated ? I am still using the Java version of Fishtext on my old Windows Mobile.

Good luck with the studies - why Edinburgh? Ah yes I forgot ... Uni is generally free north of the border - although most pointedly not for us Sassenachs

I have an Australian cousin with Scots grandparents and a dual passport situation (there's rather a lot of those in circulation I feel - Australian cousins in Europe, I mean). I think he can travel 11000 miles and get a free education, but my kids can't expect the same by just driving up the motorway as they are somehow disbarred :mad: