Why rent a cell phone for the UK from Cellular Abroad? 

We are the number one online cell phone rental company and the first of only a few that rent pay as you go solutions for the UK. Furthermore, our solution is by far the least expensive solution available for making cell phone calls. In fact, at 10 cents per minute, virtually anyone traveling to Great Britain can afford to rent our services. We have rented thousands of cell phones just to the UK over the past 5 years and we know are products well. Our goal is to continue to be the number one resource for cell phone rentals to the UK in customer service, price and customer experience.

Here are just a few testimonials from customers who have used our services.

I just wanted to say thank you so much. My son would have had no cell phone (he's a minor) to call home with, if it weren't for your going the extra mile. This is such a comfort to us. I will always use your company in the future & will recommend it to everyone I know. Again, thank you for your patience and your help.
Deborah L

Thank you for the discount. My compliments are well deserved by you. I have never received this level of service and professionalism from an online source in the 8 years that I have been using the Internet to place orders. Again thank you, I look forward to receiving the product.
JC

Thanks for such a prompt and informative email. We will be doing more business in the future and I will be sure to recommend your company to my friends.
TJ

I appreciate the help you have provided me on this. Please let your organization know that you were VERY responsive and made this complex concept (for me at least) go a lot more smoothly. It is rare in the web market that I have seen such responsiveness. Thanks again.
MP

Once again you guys came through for me! I know it wasn't a usual destination request, but you got me a sim card prior to my departure, it worked perfectly (as always) & when our car broke down in the middle of NOWHERE in Bulgaria on a Sunday, I was REALLY thankful for the cell! You've come through in 3 for 3 for us (Thailand, Spain & now Bulgaria) so thanks!
LW

Should I rent or buy a phone? 

If you are like most people, your current US phone will not work in overseas, including the UK. Therefore, if you want cellular service, you have the option of renting or buying a phone. Frequent travelers often prefer purchasing a cell phone. In fact, by the time you rent a phone two times, you could have purchased a basic, no nonsense phone/UK SIM package. All our phones are unlocked and either triband or quadband which allows you to use them in other countries as well simply by swapping out the UK SIM for another country’s SIM. If you are not sure what you want to do, Cellular Abroad recommends renting the phone and don’t return it. You will forfeit your deposit but ultimately, this “rent to own” option will only cost you about $20 more than if you had purchased from the get go.

Over half of our customers, particularly the frequent overseas travelers, prefer purchasing a phone for a variety of reasons. Besides the fact that ultimately, they will save money, it prevents them from having to go through the process of renting the phone and sending it back to us each time they go abroad.

Some customers are concerned that the technology will quickly change and that if they purchase a new phone, it will soon become a throw away. The GSM technology, however, will not go away any time soon. Currently, there are over 2.5 billion, yes billion, GSM users in the world and to get rid of that technology soon…well, let’s just say that someone would probably have something to say about it. In sum, it is safe to say that any GSM phone purchased today and taken care of would be usable for at the very least, the next several years if not longer. In fact, we still have plenty of customers who purchased a popular phone model that we haven’t sold for 4 years (the Ericsson R520) that still have their phones.

Our standard recommendation is that if you travel more than once a year overseas, it makes sense to purchase a phone. If you travel less than once a year, it makes sense to rent a cell phone and if you travel about once a year, it is a toss up.

 

Can I buy just a SIM card? (requirements and compatibility)

Your current phone just may be compatible for use in the UK. There are several aspects to consider. Whereas a couple of years ago, there were very few phones that worked in North America as well as Europe, many of the newer phones on today’s markets, particularly the more expensive phones, will work in the UK and other countries. The basic requirements are that your phone is unlocked and has the 900 and 1800 GSM frequencies. If your phone has a SIM card, that means that it is using the GSM service. In the US, T-Mobile and AT&T use the GSM technology. Still, if you have an older AT&T phone, you might be on their older technology. In any event, in order to determine if your phone does have the 900 and (you need both) 1800 GSM standards, either check you original instruction guide for the specs or call your carrier and ask. If you don’t know what model phone you have, your best bet is to bring it to a cell phone store and have them determine if your phone has the proper networks to function in the UK.

Even if your phone is GSM and has the 900/1800 networks, it will need to be unlocked in order to be able to accept a different SIM card. If you bought your phone from a major US or Canadian provider, 9 out of 10 it is locked. That means that your phone has been blocked from accepting different SIM cards other than the current providers. The reason they do this is that they would prefer that you used “their” phone with their services, including, paying the expensive roaming fees. The good news is that they will provide you with the unlock code in order to use other SIMs with your phone. Our viewpoint is that since the phone is yours, you should be able to use whatever SIM card you want! Imagine only being able to use Microsoft branded software on your Microsoft computer.

Once you have the unlock code, all you need to do is to enter the proper sequence onto the handset. The only way to know for sure if your phone is locked or unlocked is to put a SIM card that is different from the current one into your handset. If it is locked it will say, “enter subsidy code” or similar. If it is not locked, it will not say anything and will search for the network (which it may or may not find, depending on if your SIM has been activated or not).

Therefore, please ascertain if your phone has the 900/1800 GSM bands and, if it is locked, ask your provider for the unlock code. If your phone isn’t compatible with overseas networks, you may consider either renting or buying a cell phone – we have both options available.

Adding call credit 

Cellular Abroad has made it extremely easy for you to add call credit to your UK cell phone rental, purchase or SIM card (you are actually adding it to your SIM card in all circumstances). You can add talk time prior to your departure or during your trip. If you want additional talk time to be added together with your order, simply add it to the cart or tell the customer service agent how much talk time you want. You can also purchase talk time while you are in the UK by calling our recharge hotline, available 7 days/week . We can tell you the recharge over the phone and you can add it directly to your account by dialing the access number. This is the most convenient way as you can get more talk time at any time and any where. Another alternative is to purchase talk time by going through a vendor in the UK. There are over 100,000 sales points where you can purchase call credit for your phone.

Roaming

At this time, there is no roaming outside of Great Britain. You can, however, travel to Scotland, Ireland and other areas of Great Britain. If you need cellular service outside of the UK, please consider our Talk Abroad Travel SIM.

Tips

Cellular Abroad has compiled a list of travel tips associated with your cell phone rental or purchase. Some of these have been passed on by our customers and some are based on our personal experience. A few of these tips may seem obvious but others may be less obvious and can prove to be invaluable resources. Please feel free to comment on our tips or to add more based on your own travels. We hope you find them helpful!

Leave your new UK based phone number on your current cell phone
Before you depart, you may want to leave your new UK cell phone number on your current cell phone’s voicemail. Remember to mention the proper dialing procedure to call to the UK, including the country code (011-44-phone number). Another option is to forward your home number to your Italian one. However, Cellular Abroad does not recommend this approach as the costs to forward calls from cell phones are high.

Enter phone number into speed dial
You may safely enter phone numbers onto your phone from the US or Canada. Please remember that from the UK, to call North America, the dialing sequence is 001, followed by the area code, then the phone number (ex. 001-212-555-1212).

Get non 800 numbers
You may need to call back home to 800 numbers (ex. Credit card companies to pay your bill or report losses, etc.). There is nothing more aggravating than calling a toll free number from abroad to resolve an issue and not having that number work from overseas. In fact, the majority of 800 numbers do not work internationally. The ones that do by the way are not toll free from overseas so you might as well get a non toll free number.
This is quite a common issue and we highly recommend that this step becomes part of your trip planning procedure.

 
Call credit card company and let them know you are traveling
Another aggravation, and a common one at that, is for your US or Canada based credit card to stop working while overseas. Imagine attempting to pay for your meal at a restaurant only to find out that your credit card use has been temporarily restricted due to your own “suspicious” use pattern. It very much makes sense to let your credit card company’s customer service know that you will be using the card overseas so they do not think that it is being used fraudulently. Also, it is useful to give them your new cell phone number just in case they need to reach you.

Give your phone number to airline carriers and hotels
One tip that we have received is based upon a travel nightmare. A well known airline (without mentioning any names), lost but then found a traveler’s luggage. The traveler had given them a US cell phone number that worked abroad. However, due to restrictions, this particular airline carrier could not contact the customer until well into his trip. The moral of the story is, make sure that all parties that you will be doing business within the UK that may need to contact you have your new phone number.

Don’t pack your phone in your suitcase
Speaking of lost luggage, we do not recommend that you pack your phone in your suitcase. If it gets lost or stolen, that means that you will be without cellular communication for the length of the trip.

Don’t forget your charger in your hotel
This may seem obvious but it happens more than you know. One trick is to wrap the cord around something that you know you will not forget, like a book or a shoe. This may sound like strange advice but it is effective.

UK Rental FAQs

Can I keep my US phone number? 
You cannot retain your current US phone number. Every SIM card has a unique phone number associated with it. 

What area code does my SIM have?

Unlike North America, most countries do not associate cities to phone numbers. Phone numbers have their own unique area codes that differentiate them from land lines.

Is the SIM card in English? 
All menu prompts are in English. 

How do I add call time? 
The easiest and quickest way to add talk time is to call Cellular Abroad 7 days/week . We will give you a pin code or codes for you to enter onto the handset. This will give you immediate talk time. You may also purchase talk time locally as per our instructions.

Is there voicemail?
Yes, there is. 

Can I send emails? 
At this time, you cannot send emails. You can, however, send and receive text messages. 

Is there GPRS? 
There is no GPRS available as of this time.

Can I roam outside of the UK?
You can not roam outside of the UK with a Mobile World SIM card.

How much are phone calls? 
Phone calls are free to receive and are 5 pence to call the US or Canada and 15 pence to call within the country.

Can I use my US/Canada phone? 
If your phone is unlocked and a GSM phone with the 900 and 1800 bands, you will be able to use your phone. Simply purchase a UK SIM card and insert it in your phone. Chances are, your handset also has a multi voltage power supply. You will, however, need a plug adapter for the outlet.

How good is the coverage? 
Coverage in Europe in general, including the UK, is, overall, superb. However, there may be instances, particularly in very remote areas or indoors where coverage is low or not available. Mobile World uses the T-Mobile network for service.