Cell Phones in the UK

[sbarker]

Hi,

I am moving to London in June of next year and am just trying to get all my finances in order under the assumption that it might take me 2-3 months to find work.

For those of you already living in the UK, I wondered about cell phones (or mobiles)

Does the UK have a pay as you go system? I am unwilling to sign up for a long term contract as I am unsure how long I will be staying but want to have a cell once I land so that any employers can reach me.

My cell in Canada is a Motorola registered with Rogers and I was also wondering if it will work in the UK.

Thanks for your help,

S

PS. I am moving to London if that helps at all.

[Alana]

Hello there,

I'm not from the UK, but I've looked into cell phone use for shorter periods of time. Most Rogers phones are international phones, and you could always go to a rogers kiosk or store to double check that your phone would work. If it will work, you have to get your phone unlocked, which you can do quite cheaply at most airports. (Rogers would even do it, but they charge more money than the airport people)I think even some phone companies in the UK would unlock it for you as well, but I'm not sure how much it would cost.

Once it's unlocked, you can walk into any cell phone provider (common ones are Virgin, Vonage, etc.) and buy a prepaid UK SIM card, which will activate your phone, give you a UK phone number, and it also acts as a pay as you go card. So you'd just have to tell them how much time you want on your phone, and you can just go back into the store and add more time when you run out!

I hope this helps!
Alana

[feint]

sbarker, you can get a sim card the minute you land. if i'm not mistaken, there'll be kiosks in the airport itself from which you can get it. and the number will be operational immediately, like as soon as you recharge the phone with credit. like it's prepaid. vodafone is a popular prepaid.
you could try a contract after that, there are really cheap and good ones available with lots of options for free msging and calls etc.