Diane Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 Not sure where to put this... so thought I'd start off here! My daughter is off for the start of her gap year to the UK in just over a week - she has an iPhone on contract with Vodafone here. When she gets to the UK, can she go to a mobile phone place and get a UK PAYG sim for the iPhone, or would she need to go to an Apple shop (I think the nearest one to where she will be staying in Essex is at Bluewater)? Alternatively would she be better off getting a cheap phone handset when she gets there? We don't want to get international roaming on her existing plan as it costs a fortune, so she'll turn off mobile data on the iphone unless there is free wifi anywhere, but again I don't know if it will be an issue that the existing phone is on contract and presumably locked to Vodafone Australia. Anyone done something similar and got any hints/tips/advice? Thanks... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amibovered Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 Is the phone unlocked? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diane Posted January 7, 2013 Author Share Posted January 7, 2013 No I don't think it is, although I remember a while ago I unlocked mine (which is on the same contract/supplier): I will google and try to remember how I did it!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Collett Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 Yes, make sure the phone is unlocked. Then go for a microsim and a SIM only plan, maybe with Vodafone UK: http://shop.vodafone.co.uk/shop/sim-only/sim-only Use Skype or Viber apps for texting and voice calls between you - texting Australia from the UK using your phone plan generally is an additional cost. Far better to use your data allowance. Best regards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dublin4 Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 Just get her to unlock it when she gets to the U.K. You can do it yourself, but they do it for £5 in loads of corner shops now. Don't unlock it in Oz! They charge a small fortune! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Collett Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 Just get her to unlock it when she gets to the U.K. You can do it yourself, but they do it for £5 in loads of corner shops now. Don't unlock it in Oz! They charge a small fortune! My son had his iPhone unlocked in the Voda store in Geelong before he went to the UK - for no cost. Best regards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicolac34 Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 If you go to the vodafone site there is a form you can complete to unlock the phone - for free, so I'd recommend she does that. Make sure you then sync the phone with itunes and a box will pop up saying 'this iphone is now unlocked'. My mum forgot this step when she came over to Oz with her iphone and nowhere would unlock it for her and the apple shop couldn't help. If you get it done any other way (even if you can) then it's jailbroken and isn't covered by Apple any longer and you could face issues in the future, not worth the risk when you can do it for free anyway! Plenty of PAYGO sim cards to choose from in the UK all with varying degrees of free stuff, I use o2 when I go back, but there are plenty of others (Orange, T-Mobile, Vodafone, Three etc) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozbeachwalkers Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 Hi. Bluewater is in Kent. Thro the tunnel / bridge crossing form Essex. There is an Apple shop in Chelmsford, Essex chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
memmymooch Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 Don't wait to get it unlocked in UK it's around £80 for iPhone unlocking I know as needed to get mine done before our trip to oz to use oz sim whilst there. If has had phone for more than a year then network supplier will authorise unlock you just follow a sequence through iTunes on computer takes a while though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 Hi. Bluewater is in Kent. Thro the tunnel / bridge crossing form Essex. There is an Apple shop in Chelmsford, Essexchris There's an Apple Store in Thurrock Lakeside (that's on the Essex side of the tunnel / bridge). M25 Junction 30. But as others have said you don't need to buy the sim from Apple. Just make sure the phone is unlocked and that you buy a micro sim (they're available from any service provider these days as a variety of phones use them now not just iphones). PS I'd generally recommend a Lebara sim to Oz (or other foreign) tourists (although I don't know if they do a micro sim yet) as it comes complete with low cost overseas calls. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diane Posted January 9, 2013 Author Share Posted January 9, 2013 Thanks all. When we were in Chelmsford in 2011 there wasn't an Apple Store there - they told us the nearest was Bluewater, but I'm glad they've got one there now. She'll unlock the phone before she goes through the vodafone site here and try and get a micro sim for it - thanks for all the help everyone. Now on a different matter (I should probably start a new thread but...) does anyone know if an Australian P-plate driver's license is fully valid in the UK, as they don't do the P-plate thing there? I know the other way round, a teenager who has passed their UK test can come here and swap their license straight over to a full SA one, even though they probably haven't done anywhere near the number of hours a P plater has to do here before getting off their L's, but how does it work the other way round? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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