Cheap PAYG mobile for calling internationally / USA

chillyice

Hi,

I have a friend who is coming from the States for a few weeks and wishes to get a UK PAYG mobile phone while she is here for calls back to the office/friends and family etc. Does anyone know of any good offers on at the moment for PAYG phones to call the US from the UK? I used to use mobileworld from Carphone warehouse (5p per minute to the USA), but they only seem to offer this as SIM only rather than with a phone.

Scott

reehsetin

can you not just buy a phone to put the sim into?
orange do a call abroad sim which you can buy with their PAUG phones but the rate is 7p to states.

chillyice

To get a cheap phone , at least from the carphonewarehouse you have to buy a SIM and usually at least £10 of credit with it. If this is the case maybe the orange deal will work out cheaper than getting one without a SIM.

point3

If she has her own unlocked phone then she could pop in an Orange SIM. Any of the free Orange sims will do. Just phone up Orange to register the SIM and tell them you want the Calls Abroad tariff.

chillyice

Unlike the UK, most US phones do not have a SIM slot, they are all programmed in to the phone itself, so I don't think this is an option for her unfortunately. I do think that the orange deal does seem the best one at the moment though.

reehsetin

make sure when you buy the phone they register the correct tariff and dont make any calls to the states until you get a text confirming the call abroad tariff has been applied otherwise it will charge at the normal rate until then about 25p i think
any phone you get you'll have to buy at least £10 credit with it

BexTech

Often the CPW and Phones4U the mobiles on PAYG are SIM free stock and they add a SIM, not all the time so worth asking.

You could always sell the SIM with any credit.

http://in.lebara.com/GBRStore/HandSet.aspx - 4p/min to the USA.