Daughter heading for the UK for 4 months - UK Prepay suggestions?

[The Family]

She has a post-paid here in Australia but using it in the UK will be an
expensive exercise.

Her calling pattern is typically a few short calls (< 3 mins each) per week
and perhaps 10 SMS sends/week. While in the UK she's likely to also call
Australia occasionally (say once/week) briefly and send the occasional
international SMS.

Anyone with recent UK experience who can refer me to appropriate websites?

Are there any prepaid plans in the UK that feature international roaming?

I've also heard that there are a few local/regional services springing up in
the UK that are very cheap but don't offer national coverage - or offer
national coverage via an expensive roaming partner. True? She'll be
spending most of her time in the Manchester/Liverpool area (skinhead
territory?).

--
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Wine produced with the aid of milk products and traces may remain.
5c refund at collection depots when sold in SA.
Errors and omissions excepted.
Biodegradable.
Does not include tax or tip.
2.1 standard drinks.
Your mileage may vary.
Some contents may have settled in transit.
Use twice, then recycle.
No user-serviceable parts inside.
Flammable.
100% Australian owned and operated.
May contain traces of fruit or nuts.
Unlimited.
Terms and conditions apply.
If pain persists, see your doctor.
If pain continues to persist, see your lawyer.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

[Gunn]

www.o2.co.uk or www.vodafone.co.uk

Very little national roaming

"The Family" <someone@somewhere.com> wrote in message
news:42403223$1@duster.adelaide.on.net...
> She has a post-paid here in Australia but using it in the UK will be an
> expensive exercise.
>
> Her calling pattern is typically a few short calls (< 3 mins each) per
> week and perhaps 10 SMS sends/week. While in the UK she's likely to also
> call Australia occasionally (say once/week) briefly and send the
> occasional international SMS.
>
> Anyone with recent UK experience who can refer me to appropriate websites?
>
> Are there any prepaid plans in the UK that feature international roaming?
>
> I've also heard that there are a few local/regional services springing up
> in the UK that are very cheap but don't offer national coverage - or offer
> national coverage via an expensive roaming partner. True? She'll be
> spending most of her time in the Manchester/Liverpool area (skinhead
> territory?).
>
> --
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
> Wine produced with the aid of milk products and traces may remain.
> 5c refund at collection depots when sold in SA.
> Errors and omissions excepted.
> Biodegradable.
> Does not include tax or tip.
> 2.1 standard drinks.
> Your mileage may vary.
> Some contents may have settled in transit.
> Use twice, then recycle.
> No user-serviceable parts inside.
> Flammable.
> 100% Australian owned and operated.
> May contain traces of fruit or nuts.
> Unlimited.
> Terms and conditions apply.
> If pain persists, see your doctor.
> If pain continues to persist, see your lawyer.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>
>

[Frank]

"The Family" <someone@somewhere.com> wrote in message
news:42403223$1@duster.adelaide.on.net...
> She has a post-paid here in Australia but using it in the UK will be an
> expensive exercise.
>
> Her calling pattern is typically a few short calls (< 3 mins each) per
> week and perhaps 10 SMS sends/week. While in the UK she's likely to also
> call Australia occasionally (say once/week) briefly and send the
> occasional international SMS.
>
> Anyone with recent UK experience who can refer me to appropriate websites?
>
> Are there any prepaid plans in the UK that feature international roaming?
>
> I've also heard that there are a few local/regional services springing up
> in the UK that are very cheap but don't offer national coverage - or offer
> national coverage via an expensive roaming partner. True? She'll be
> spending most of her time in the Manchester/Liverpool area (skinhead
> territory?).

Virgin http://www.virginmobile.com/mobile/ is very popular there for prepaid
international roaming , though you have to have a direct debit set up for
better rates.

Frank

[Dave2002]

I have a brand new UK Virgin sim card pack if interested comes with 5pound
credit
shan9186@removespam@bigpond.net.au

if you are interested in buying it $15 (free postage)


"The Family" <someone@somewhere.com> wrote in message
news:42403223$1@duster.adelaide.on.net...
> She has a post-paid here in Australia but using it in the UK will be an
> expensive exercise.
>
> Her calling pattern is typically a few short calls (< 3 mins each) per
week
> and perhaps 10 SMS sends/week. While in the UK she's likely to also call
> Australia occasionally (say once/week) briefly and send the occasional
> international SMS.
>
> Anyone with recent UK experience who can refer me to appropriate websites?
>
> Are there any prepaid plans in the UK that feature international roaming?
>
> I've also heard that there are a few local/regional services springing up
in
> the UK that are very cheap but don't offer national coverage - or offer
> national coverage via an expensive roaming partner. True? She'll be
> spending most of her time in the Manchester/Liverpool area (skinhead
> territory?).
>
> --
> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
> Wine produced with the aid of milk products and traces may remain.
> 5c refund at collection depots when sold in SA.
> Errors and omissions excepted.
> Biodegradable.
> Does not include tax or tip.
> 2.1 standard drinks.
> Your mileage may vary.
> Some contents may have settled in transit.
> Use twice, then recycle.
> No user-serviceable parts inside.
> Flammable.
> 100% Australian owned and operated.
> May contain traces of fruit or nuts.
> Unlimited.
> Terms and conditions apply.
> If pain persists, see your doctor.
> If pain continues to persist, see your lawyer.
> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>
>

[thegoons]

Look on e-bay, quite a few Virgin Mobile (UK) and Orange (UK) SIM starter
packs on sale at reasonable prices.

I bought one of these on ebay (Virgin) last year and used a bit in UK,
worked OK and roamed in France/Italy/Germany (however you cannot top up
outside the UK unless you buy vouchers beforehand in UK).

"The Family" <someone@somewhere.com> wrote in message
news:42403223$1@duster.adelaide.on.net...
> She has a post-paid here in Australia but using it in the UK will be an
> expensive exercise.
>
> Her calling pattern is typically a few short calls (< 3 mins each) per
> week and perhaps 10 SMS sends/week. While in the UK she's likely to also
> call Australia occasionally (say once/week) briefly and send the
> occasional international SMS.
>
> Anyone with recent UK experience who can refer me to appropriate websites?
>
> Are there any prepaid plans in the UK that feature international roaming?
>
> I've also heard that there are a few local/regional services springing up
> in the UK that are very cheap but don't offer national coverage - or offer
> national coverage via an expensive roaming partner. True? She'll be
> spending most of her time in the Manchester/Liverpool area (skinhead
> territory?).
>
> --
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
> Wine produced with the aid of milk products and traces may remain.
> 5c refund at collection depots when sold in SA.
> Errors and omissions excepted.
> Biodegradable.
> Does not include tax or tip.
> 2.1 standard drinks.
> Your mileage may vary.
> Some contents may have settled in transit.
> Use twice, then recycle.
> No user-serviceable parts inside.
> Flammable.
> 100% Australian owned and operated.
> May contain traces of fruit or nuts.
> Unlimited.
> Terms and conditions apply.
> If pain persists, see your doctor.
> If pain continues to persist, see your lawyer.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>
>

[Jason]

On Wed, 23 Mar 2005 01:26:34 +1030, "The Family"
<someone@somewhere.com> wrote:

>Her calling pattern is typically a few short calls (< 3 mins each) per week
>and perhaps 10 SMS sends/week. While in the UK she's likely to also call
>Australia occasionally (say once/week) briefly and send the occasional
>international SMS.
>
>Anyone with recent UK experience who can refer me to appropriate websites?

I live in the UK. Will that do? ;-)

For a pre-pay guide, see Alan Summerfield's excellent guide at:
http://alan.uni-hd.de/Handy/UK_SIMs-ENGLISH.html

This should tell you pretty much all you need to know about costs
within the UK. It's recently been updated to include the latest
offering from Easy Mobile.

If she will be calling mobiles, pay close attention to the costs for
calling mobiles on other networks, as this can eat up credit quickly!

>Are there any prepaid plans in the UK that feature international roaming?

The services from the established (Orange, Voda, T-Mobile and O2)
carriers do. With the newer 'virtual' networks, at depends upon the
carrier.

I'd recommend Virgin Mobile for pre-pay rates, both within the UK and
perhaps more importantly for when roaming internationally.

See
http://www.virginmobile.com/mobile/
http://www.virginmobile.com/mobile/switch/joining_pack.html
http://www.virginmobile.com/mobile/services/tariff/tariff.html
http://www.virginmobile.com/mobile/services/abroad/payasyougo/tariff_coverage.jsp

>I've also heard that there are a few local/regional services springing up in
>the UK that are very cheap but don't offer national coverage - or offer
>national coverage via an expensive roaming partner. True?

Not that I'm aware off. Where did you hear this?

> She'll be
>spending most of her time in the Manchester/Liverpool area (skinhead
>territory?).

Oh dear - like anywhere in the UK, it's about what local area she's
in. I've not found the North-West to have "skinhead territory" any
more than anywhere else in the UK.

One final important tip:

If she needs to call back to Australia, one of the best ways of doing
so from within the UK, is to use a 'call through' service - shold be
cheaper than dialling directly.

It's the process where one dials a revenue-sharing number ( 0845 or
0870 are common, but there are others like 0871 and 0844) number to
route a call through secondary dialling.

As the "owner" of the number obtains a share of the revenue from the
call, they can make money. Several companies do this by buying up
spare capacity or using VoIP (voice over internet) services, and then
routing calls. This in turn passes on substantially chepaer rates than
the likes of BT will charge consumers.

There are many, many companies doing this these days. For an excellent
list see http://www.niftylist.co.uk/ The best option is to look for a
service via an 0845 number, as these are likely to be charges at (or
near) standard UK rates.

Hope this helps!

--
Cheers,

Jason.

A: Because it messes up the order in which people normally read text.
Q: Why is top-posting such a bad thing?
A: Top-posting.
Q: What is the most annoying thing on Usenet and in e-mail?

[www.simcard.me.uk]

"The Family" <someone@somewhere.com> wrote in message news:<42403223$1@duster.adelaide.on.net>...
> She has a post-paid here in Australia but using it in the UK will be an
> expensive exercise.
>
> Her calling pattern is typically a few short calls (< 3 mins each) per week
> and perhaps 10 SMS sends/week. While in the UK she's likely to also call
> Australia occasionally (say once/week) briefly and send the occasional
> international SMS.
>
> Anyone with recent UK experience who can refer me to appropriate websites?
>
> Are there any prepaid plans in the UK that feature international roaming?
>
> I've also heard that there are a few local/regional services springing up in
> the UK that are very cheap but don't offer national coverage - or offer
> national coverage via an expensive roaming partner. True? She'll be
> spending most of her time in the Manchester/Liverpool area (skinhead
> territory?).



I can do you a UK Vodafone sim card for just $13 plus free postage
email simcards@msn.com

[www.simcard.me.uk]

"The Family" <someone@somewhere.com> wrote in message news:<42403223$1@duster.adelaide.on.net>...
> She has a post-paid here in Australia but using it in the UK will be an
> expensive exercise.
>
> Her calling pattern is typically a few short calls (< 3 mins each) per week
> and perhaps 10 SMS sends/week. While in the UK she's likely to also call
> Australia occasionally (say once/week) briefly and send the occasional
> international SMS.
>
> Anyone with recent UK experience who can refer me to appropriate websites?
>
> Are there any prepaid plans in the UK that feature international roaming?
>
> I've also heard that there are a few local/regional services springing up in
> the UK that are very cheap but don't offer national coverage - or offer
> national coverage via an expensive roaming partner. True? She'll be
> spending most of her time in the Manchester/Liverpool area (skinhead
> territory?).



I can do you a UK Vodafone sim card for just $13 plus free postage
email simcards@msn.com