marta Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 I have got a quick question. I would like to give my parents a short call/send them an SMS as soon as I arrive in Oz so they don't worry. - Do you know if I can do that with a UK mobile (old-fashioned Tesco one)? I am aware similar questions have been asked already but I just would like to know if the UK mobile would work for one short call/SMS WITHOUT changing the SIM card. Any advice would be much appreciated.:wubclub: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petals Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 I use my Aus mobile overseas and get my service provider to put it on international roam before I go. Its an expensive option though but I cannot be bothered changing phones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Revs30 Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 Just put your contracted phone onto pay as you go and pay to end the contract. Then you still have your number on that sim an get a sim only tariff over there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tea4too Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 I use my old fashioned UK 'Pay as You Go' mobile every time I visit OZ. I text family in both the UK and WA with no problems, and without making any special or additional arrangements. It costs a bit more and I could probably make cheaper alternative arrangements,but have never get round to checking out the options. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S92LAME Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 technologically there should be nothing stopping you doing this. check with your provider if there is an international bar on it, but i doubt there is. international roaming should be default on most phones, and you could look online with the help of google to find out whos network tesco would use abroad. i have used my phones all over the world over the years either for work or holiday, and have never had a problem. i use O2 and when i was in Aus last oct i used it a lot, and it wasnt that expensive, even with a smart phone and the data roaming still left on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marta Posted May 11, 2011 Author Share Posted May 11, 2011 Many thanks for your super fast replies!!!:hug: I got my answer! I have an old-fashioned pay as you go and I will just assume it works for sending a little message or so even if it costs much more. Now I only need to arrive safely to be able to send such a message to my loved ones.:wink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockDr Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 Do bear in mind, that depending on who you are with in the UK, they may have agreements with one of the operators over here, so you have to make sure that you select that operator if you want to make a call. Most phones are set to automatic by default, which means they'll automatically select the one with the strongest signal. That may or may not be the one you need to use. You need to select this manually in one of the settings menu on your phone. you can tell it to scan for operators, and then you select the one you want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S92LAME Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 Do bear in mind, that depending on who you are with in the UK, they may have agreements with one of the operators over here, so you have to make sure that you select that operator if you want to make a call. Most phones are set to automatic by default, which means they'll automatically select the one with the strongest signal. That may or may not be the one you need to use. You need to select this manually in one of the settings menu on your phone. you can tell it to scan for operators, and then you select the one you want. i wouldnt worry about any of that for the odd text message. chances are it will automatically go to the right one. they know which network you are on here so its the same there. technology is quite smart these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 Just put your contracted phone onto pay as you go and pay to end the contract. Then you still have your number on that sim an get a sim only tariff over there? To add to this, if you have a contract phone in the UK, most operators should let you cancel the contract and convert it to pay as you go retaining the same SIM card and phone number. You should check before travelling that when you arrive, that new pay as you go arrangement is enabled for international roaming so that it will work in Australia. Also familiarise yourself with your phone's voicemail settings - that way once you've got a new SIM/number in Australia you can record a new voicemail greeting on your UK SIM so anyone who still uses that number is advised of your new Australia number. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parley Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 Or just use a pay phone at the airport... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockDr Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 i wouldnt worry about any of that for the odd text message. chances are it will automatically go to the right one. they know which network you are on here so its the same there. technology is quite smart these days. No, really, unless things have improved in the last couple of years, even sending a text message will be problematic. The only thing you can do on a network that doesn't have an agreement with your home network is emergency calls, and receiving texts. you can't send, it's driven me up the wall on several occasions when I didn't have internet access to look up which networks I could actually use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 Oooh data - that's a good point. Data charges when roaming can be horrific, so familiarise yourself with your phone to check you know how to disable data roaming and check with your UK network as to the charges. I know that when I landed with a T-Mobile SIM, as soon as it found a network they sent me a flurry of SMS's with details of how much I'd be charged for all services. One thing that may be useful to look into is some of those web-based SMS sending services - when I landed at Perth Airport there are free to use internet PC's in the Arrivals area - you can update Facebook to say "landed" :-) or maybe use a web-based SMS sender to send messages to folks back home? Not sure about other airports. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S92LAME Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 No, really, unless things have improved in the last couple of years, even sending a text message will be problematic. The only thing you can do on a network that doesn't have an agreement with your home network is emergency calls, and receiving texts. you can't send, it's driven me up the wall on several occasions when I didn't have internet access to look up which networks I could actually use. i travel abroad a lot to many different countries, and have never ever had a problem making or recieving call or sending texts. and ive never had to mess about with settings. remember though, if sending a text or phoning home ONLY put +44 in front of the number eg, if the number is 07914 336446 then make sure the number in your contacts os saved as +447914336446 (remember to drop the 0) that should work fine. doesnt matter what country you are in. P.S. One time i went abroad, i could get Isreali, Jordanian and Egyptian networks all at once. all allowed me to use them no problem, and i got different ones as i moved around Aqaba! that was 10 years ago! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S92LAME Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 at Perth Airport there are free to use internet PC's in the Arrivals area - you can update Facebook to say "landed" :-) or maybe use a web-based SMS sender to send messages to folks back home? Not sure about other airports. i tried to use those when we got to perth, but they took FOREVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! be prepared to take a while if using them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marta Posted May 13, 2011 Author Share Posted May 13, 2011 i travel abroad a lot to many different countries, and have never ever had a problem making or recieving call or sending texts. and ive never had to mess about with settings. remember though, if sending a text or phoning home ONLY put +44 in front of the number eg, if the number is 07914 336446 then make sure the number in your contacts os saved as +447914336446 (remember to drop the 0) that should work fine. doesnt matter what country you are in. P.S. One time i went abroad, i could get Isreali, Jordanian and Egyptian networks all at once. all allowed me to use them no problem, and i got different ones as i moved around Aqaba! that was 10 years ago! Thanks! So home would be 0049 in my case.:wink: BTW, for Italy you don't drop any zeros! I will just try when I am at the airport in Oz. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tea4too Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 This is all starting to sound horribly complicated!! I have a 5 year old Orange Pay as You Go phone. When I visit Oz I use it in the normal way....texting family and friends after calling up their details from my phone's directory. I do not amend any of the numbers held in my phone's memory nor do I make allowances for international dialling codes. The phone does what it needs to do and sends my messages to the correct people all by itself! When we land in Singapore or Kuala Lumpar I receive a Welcome message from another company (picking up my signal on behalf of Orange), which can feel a bit Big Brotherish.....but at least it means my phone is operable for the entire trip. I've noticed that my credit does run out quicker, so I always make sure that I put a big 'top up' on it before I go. I guess you could also arrange for someone in the UK to buy a top up voucher for you and pass on the relevant details if necessary. The odd phone call has also proved quite expensive, so I stick to texts. My OH has a tesco mobile PAYG phone and his works in exactly the same way.:biggrin: Hope this helps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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