Introduction
Cellular Abroad is the US distributor for Lebara, a prepaid carrier based in the United Kingdom catering specifically to travelers to the UK who need an affordable and reliable way to make local and international calls from a cell phone and to browse the internet. This pay-as-you-go service uses the T-Mobile network in the UK, which provides coverage across the whole country. Lebara UK offers several plan options; aside from the standard plan you can add an unlimited calling and data plan, as well as a Blackberry plan. Since this SIM card also offers data, it is also compatible with iPads and other tablets. During the checkout process you can select a SIM resize option - Micro-SIM for iPad & iPhone 4/4S, or the nano SIM card for iPhone 5 and iPad Mini.
Unlimited Everything Plan
New for 2013! You can now buy the "Unlimited Everything" Plan from Cellular Abroad and get unlimited calls and SMS text messages to UK* and North American phone numbers, as well as unlimited data usage, for 30 days.
This new feature is available as an add-on plan when you add the UK SIM card to your shopping cart.
*This plan does include unlimited calls to UK 0800 or UK premium rate numbers that charge a per-minute rate.
BlackBerry Plan
The Lebara Blackberry Plan for the UK allows you to browse the internet, check your emails and use BlackBerry Messenger on your BlackBerry. For just £5.00 GBP, you can activate 30 days of service which includes up to 500MB of data. Please note that video and music streaming is not allowed with the Blackberry Plan; internet connectivity is limited to the BlackBerry Internet browser. To activate this feature, call 40090 from your BlackBerry while you are in the UK, and follow the voice menu prompts. This service may take up to 24 hours to activate. The BlackBerry Plan does not include BES services like corporate email or calendar syncing.
Frequently Asked Questions
While the Lebara SIM card for the United Kingdom does roam elsewhere in Europe, Cellular Abroad does not offer rates nor customer support for this service. If you will need cellular service outside of the UK, please consider the Talk Abroad SIM card.
The UK SIM card provides cellular service in virtually all of the UK including but certainly not limited to Cambridge, Bath, Canterbury, London, Cardiff, Newport, Southampton, Leeds, Kent, Corwall, Hampshire, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Belfast, and more. For a complete coverage map of cellular service in the United Kingdom, please refer to our coverage map provided by Vodafone.
How does the Lebara UK SIM Card compare with our competitors?
Some people still roam with their domestic carrier when traveling abroad. The carriers make this easy to do as you really don’t have to do anything in order to get your phone to work overseas (in most cases). However, this “convenience” is can come back to haunt you. The bottom line is that if you know what rates your carrier charges you and you compare them to Cellular Abroad’s offer, the vast majority of travelers to the United Kingdom will want our solution. Below, we have laid out the voice rates as well as the data rates that are offered through Sprint, AT&T, Verizion, T-Mobile and Rogers in the Canada. As a reminder, our solution, Lebara, UK, offers unlimited calls within the UK as well as to international destinations and unlimited data.
Voice Roaming Rates in the UK
Sprint
Any call, within the UK, back to the USA, receiving or calling out is $1.99 per minute. If you sign up – and pay - for the Sprint Worldwide Voice Plan, the rates are $1.49 per minute. These rates exclude all taxes and fees.
AT&T
$1.50 per minute for all calls within the UK or back to the USA, whether received or dialed. AT&T also offers packages for minutes. As they often change, they are not listed here.
Verizon
Verizon’s roaming rates for the UK are $1.29 for the standard plan per minute for calls to/from the UK and back to the USA. If you opt for the value plan (for a monthly fee of $4.99), the rate drops to $0.99 per minute. Don’t forget to add the tax which is approximately 15-20 percent of the cost.
T-Mobile
$1.49 per minute plus local tolls and long distance charges.
Rogers
Rogers is a Canadian provider. As of 2013, they offer bundles of talk time that, while expensive, are a big savings compared to the $2 per minute they previously charged. Bundled rates drop the rates from $1.07 to $1.33 depending on the size of the bundle.
Data Roaming Rates in the United Kingdom
While “voice” roaming rates in the United Kingdom with US and Canadian carriers is expensive, mobile data varies from very expensive to absolutely astronomical. Our solution offers unlimited data (and calling) for $49 for 30 days.
Sprint
If you sign up for a data package for the UK, the rates are as follows. $40 for 40MB $80 for 85MB and $10 per megabyte for overage. Again, these rates exclude tax. Therefore, if a Sprint user were to use 1GB of data on their phone, they would pay about $9,000.
AT&T
AT&T offers data roaming in the UK for a significantly lower rate than Sprint. If you get a bundle, the rates are currently: $30 for 120MB $60 for 300MB $120 for 800MB before adding tax.
Verizon
Verizon’s mobile data rates for travelers to the UK are extremely high if you do not opt for a bundle and purely expensive if you do have Verizon add an international data bundle to your service $20. 1GB would cost in excess of $20,000 with Verizon. Bundles on the other hand are $25 for 100MB so if you get a bundle, you will pay about $2500 for 1GB of data service in the UK, plus tax. While certainly better than $20,000, still not even close to the $12 from Cellular Abroad for 1GB.
T-Mobile
T-Mobile charges a flat $15 per MB while in the UK or anywhere in the world excluding Canada where it’s “only” $10 per MB. In 2013, Cellular Abroad had a customer who incurred a $140,000 bill in one week for data usage in France (which we were able to have reduced to $0). 1GB of usage of data in the UK would be $15,000 plus tax. Again, our rate costs $12, including tax.
Rogers
Rogers offers “passes” for International travelers who need data. There are about 10 passes. Here are just a few: $25 for a day pass (up to 5MB) $100 for a month pass 25 MB $225 for a month pass 75MB
Frequently Asked Questions about SIM Cards
- What is a SIM Card?
SIM stands for "Subscriber Identity Module" and basically refers to a chip that fits inside all GSM-capable cell phones.
- What does GSM stand for?
GSM stands for "Global Standard for Mobile communications" and is the standard for most cell phone communications across the globe, with the exceptions of South Korea and Japan.
- How much is shipping?
Free shipping comes standard with SIM card purchases and rentals, but if you need to expedite, we have 3-day, 2-day and overnight shipping options available.
- When will I receive my SIM Card?
Free shipping guarantees your delivery in 5-7 days via USPS. For next day delivery, you must order your SIM Card before 1:30pm PST.
- What happens if I run out of credit during my trip?
Recharge vouchers are almost always available at local retailers like newsagents or grocery stores, but if you can't locate any, you can call Cellular Abroad at +1-310-862-7100.
- Are there any surcharges or hidden fees?
Unless you are roaming outside of the country or countries for which your service is offered, the rates are fixed according to our posted rate chart and coverage areas. All orders are subject to our Terms & Conditions.
- Does Cellular Abroad offer insurance against loss or damage?
Insurance for cell phones and rental items is available, but currently there is no SIM-card purchase insurance. See what is covered here.
If you need more information regarding the United Kingdom SIM Card, including how to dial, service life, how to check voice mail and how to register your SIM Card, please check out our United Kingdom SIM Card instructions.
Multi-Country Travel
You can also purchase other SIM cards as well for other countries to where you may be traveling. (This option is good for those planning on doing a lot of local calling.) We also offer an international roaming Talk Abroad™ SIM Card that is convenient for travel to multiple countries. (This option is useful for those wanting a single number for use in multiple countries and who will be making more calls back home than locally.)
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