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Help with SIM-card only plan

dekalbda
2: Seeker
2: Seeker

My son is traveling to the UK to study this summer, and I want to get him a SIM-card only bundle plan.  There is a bundle sale going on now that expires just before he arrives.  Can I purchase the plan in advance and have him pick up the card when he arrives?

8 REPLIES 8

BandOfBrothers
17: Community Champion
17: Community Champion

Hi,

 

Vodafone has these Pay As You Go Tariffs. 

 

Big Value Bundles. 

Freebies. 

 

Found in > https://www.vodafone.co.uk/shop/bundles-and-sims/pay-as-you-go-plans/

 

Is it one of these you have seen ?

Current Phone  >

Samsung Galaxy s²³ Ultra 512gb Phantom Black.

 

 

Thanks.  I know the plan that I want, but live in the States and want to purhcase a plan now before the sale ends.  Can I do that and then have my son pick up the SIM when arrives?

AnnS
17: Community Champion
17: Community Champion

Hi @dekalbda

 

Vodafone will only send SIM cards to a UK address. As you are not a UK resident you would be unable to take out a pay monthly contract.  

 

There is a Vodafone store in every main town in the UK and your son would have no problem getting a payg SIM on his arrival. If your son does not have an unlocked phone, there are some reasonably priced phones available in store for purchase.

BandOfBrothers
17: Community Champion
17: Community Champion

Hi @dekalbda

 

Can you link to the deal you've seen ?

 

If your wanting a Pay Monthly Contract which is a Sim Only for 12 months or 30 days term then you would need to probably take this out under your details due to the criteria needed to be able to have a uk mobile phone contract. 

 

If he's going to use his phone then he'd need to ensure its...

  • Unlocked to All Networks. 
  • The phone supports Vodafone Uk frequencies. 
  • The phone supports Vodafone Uk Bands. 

IMG_0857.JPG

Current Phone  >

Samsung Galaxy s²³ Ultra 512gb Phantom Black.

 

 

Annie_N
Community Champion (Retired)
Community Champion (Retired)

@dekalbda

The SIM only plans that you have been looking at are formal contracts with Vodafone, for which you would have to have a permanent UK address and UK financial details. As AnnS says, it is only the PAYG plans that your son would be eligible for.

As well as one of those plans, he would almost certainly benefit from opting in to Vodafone International to get inexpensive calls home - go here and enter your home country plus PAYG to see the relative costs.

Thanks you. 

 

https://www.vodafone.co.uk/shop/bundles-and-sims/pay-as-you-go-plans/

 

"If you buy a Big Value Bundle between 1 March 2017 and 14 June 2017, you’ll also receive a 30-day roaming allowance of 500MB of data, 100 minutes and 100 texts to use anywhere in our inclusive roaming zone [PDF: 620KB] So you can check in with friends, and check out what’s on – without constantly checking your balance. To benefit from inclusive roaming, you needn’t lift a finger – you’re automatically opted in when you join us or renew your bundle."

Annie_N
Community Champion (Retired)
Community Champion (Retired)

@dekalbda  Ah, I see! I'd thought you were looking at an excellent offer for SIM Only contracts which expires on 9th May.

The offer you mention is a "bridging" situation, as there is a change of rules in June about "roaming" within Europe.  As from 11th June, it will be possible to use the minutes, texts and data allowances within a Big Value Bundle anywhere within the inclusive roaming zone without incurring an additional charge. Effectively, any additional benefit from taking up the offer would only apply if your son were to travel outside the UK, and only until 13th July at the very latest, so I'd reckon that any benefit would almost certainly be offset by the additional cost of starting the plan early.

This is a situation which has been developing over the last couple of years, as the EU has required its member countries to move to roaming within the EU without additional charges - see this for Vodafone's new rules. Inevitably it has proved rather complicated, but it probably looks quite incomprehensible when viewed from the outside! Here in the UK we will just about have got the hang of the new arrangements by the time we withdraw from the EU - but we had better not get involved in the politics of that on this Forum.

Thank you for that explanation!  It was more than I could have reasonably expected and puts my mind at ease about trying to get the card before he arrives.  I really appreciate your taking the time to explain.