Using foreign mobile phones in the UK

[helluvatime]

Hello. We recently came to the UK on holiday and unfortunately found out that since March this year the UK is no longer included in our free roaming. (Wish they had told us before draining our credit....) Anyway, what is the cheapest way to use foreign mobiles in the UK? I vaguely think maybe getting a new SIM card but dont actually know if that is correct or how to do it. Thanks!

Yes, a replacement SIM will be the easiest. If there's a branch of Currys near you you can pick up an ID Mobile SIM from there and I think they'll accept an overseas credit card to pay for it.

eSIM Holafly

Stupid question but if you use a replacement SIM does that mean you have a different number?

Thanks but that is really expensive!

It is a temporary number.

Not sure about comparative cost. I use mine for work so it’s about connectivity and data allowance.

Might be cheaper to buy a sim locally when you get there.

You can always buy Giff gaff and use the monthly subscription, then not renew. Think you’d need to order a sim or buy one at Curry’s as suggested above

Get a new sim from a supermarket. All your Whatsapp etc will be fine. Lebara, 02 etc

Yes, you'd have a UK number if you take a SIM from a UK network - as far as I know none of the UK networks will let you port a foreign number on to their network and systems (being their direct customer is different to being a roaming customer via your home network).

If you've got a SIM that takes 2 SIMs (or one physical SIM and an e-SIM) you could have both your home network SIM in there for incoming calls from people who use your normal number, and the UK SIM/e-SIM for data usage etc.
(I've never used two SIMs but I know it's possible)

Have a look at Money Saving Expert for the best SIM-only price for your requirements:

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/cheap-mobile-finder/

You would have a UK number for direct calls but your Whatsapp registered number wouldnt change unless you manually changed it.

If you say no - I honestly have no idea what WhatsApp would do if you changed mobile numbers from a non-UK one to a UK one 😀

Nothing changes with WhatsApp. It isn't actually tied to your usual number, even if it seems so.

Most modern phones have two SIM card slots, or support one physical SIM and one eSIM.
Once you have both SIMs in (your home one and your traveling one) you go to your settings, and allocate the different SIMs to different tasks. So when I'm abroad I generally have my own SIM active for receiving calls, and my local SIM for data. But you can swap around at will, so if you want to make a call within the UK @helluvatime , you just alter the settings, make the call, and then swap back if you need to.

Either way, WhatsApp just carries on regardless. You don't have to do anything, at long as you have data.

I travel a lot. I've not had much luck with eSIMs so I just buy a local SIM as soon as I arrive. They're usually as cheap as chips. Just get familiar with the SIM bit in your phone settings

I've attached what my SIM manager looks like (you'll need to click on it to see the whole thing). The eSIM is my UK usual number. SIM 1 is the one I bought on my last trip, which is now off as I'm back on the UK. But you can see that at the bottom you can select which SIM you use for what.

(Android on a Samsung S24)

Do you need calls or is mobile data (for WhatsApp, maps etc) OK? I've used Airalo to buy an eSim for roaming before, but they tend to be data only. They have the benefit of being a short number of days, but tbh if you have a 2nd SIM slot then giffgaff is probably cheaper!

Yep travel eSIMs are generally data only. So you're better of with a physical SIM if you want or need to make calls outside of WhatsApp.

We travel quite a bit (UK based but go to France regulary). I now have an ID mobile contract as roaming in Europe is included within the data package.

Is there a service in your country that includes roaming the UK?

*Edited to say that Ive just realised you are already in the UK. This advice is only applicable for the future if you travel frequently.

Thanks everyone- it's been educational! We're back home now but I will get this sorted for next time. It's 20 euros to add the UK to our Italian plan for a month but there are 5 of us so it's a bit steep for something that was free up until a few months back! The kids used wifi but it was annoying not to be able to call them when they were out on their own (All teenagers).

@YetAnotherAlias62

I was saying so because I have done it several times. All my family members live in different countries.

@helluvatime the advice about 2 sims and the settings was spot
on.

How is it so expensive? Both Vodafone and Wind have weekly offers of 2,99€ for 5GB roaming in the UK. Wind is 4,99€ for 10GB across a month. Relatively affordable IMO.

I guess my problem is not being with Wind or Vodafone then!

Have you had a look at roamcompare? You can compare a load of Travel eSim companies and filter to add calls. Might be more convenient that going into a shop? A plan with 10GB of data for 30 days would be about £5.

I'd also recommend Smarty Mobile (from Three), they're pretty good and competitive.