Dearest UK friendses:

[jawnbc]

Can you recommend a mobile company from whom to buy a prepaid SIM card? I'll be in the UK for a week, mostly Belfast but also London a bit.

Want to receive free incoming calls (international and not), cheap SMS international would be good too.

I've been trying to sort it myself, but with no luck.

Comments

[timbear.livejournal.com]

Virgin mobile.

Available in many high street stores, particularly Carphone Warehouse, Virgin, etc.

£10 with £5 call credit. Calls cost 15p per minute for the first five minutes each day, then 5p per minute thereafter. Texts 10p to other UK networks, 3p to Virgin phones, 30p international. Top up by voucher from the phone or with cash/card in any store with a "Top up" symbol (most supermarkets, petrol stations, newsagents, comvenience stores, etc) OR at many ATMs using the swipe card that is supplied with the SIM.

[timbear.livejournal.com]

Oh, I forgot, the charging model for UK mobile phones is such that all incomming calls are free in the UK on a UK SIM. Watch out for roaming onto Irish networks if you get close to the border though, that'll push prices way up. If you want to lock to the Virgin network by doing a manual network selection in your phone be aware that they are a virtual network that uses T-Mobile for service so lock to T-mobile and you'll be right.

[jawnbc]

Tim, once again you're awesome. Diolch yn fawr iawn!

[timbear.livejournal.com]

No, I just have too much time to waste on Internet research :-)

I found a whole lot more tarrif info at http://www.virginmobile.com/vm/genericContent.do?contentId=payasyougo.tariff.howdoi.sm131 but I think the one you need is 20p per minute to Canada.