Phones in Scotland

[Scot Kortegaard]

Thanks for all the input folks - much appreciated. As to all the rest of the conversation, not useful - but thanks for that too

I'm not sure which way I'll go just yet, though I do like the idea of "WhatsApp". Last time over, we used wifi w/FB Messenger a fair bit, and that worked. Would like the option of the cell network if needed though. We'll see ...

Have a good evening folks, and thanks again.
Scot.

[Randy McIntosh]

Why don't you just use your ordinary phone?

I'm heading over this summer and that is what I plan on doing as it will only be for emergency communications. I will not be using data (unless it is an emergency and the taxi driver can't find the pub) nor sitting on the phone talking and texting all day. So I figure maybe $15 extra on my bill for the 2 weeks away.

I do this when on holiday down in the Caribbean and for my usage costs a little over a buck a day..

[ChampionBagpipe]

I have bought phones from Carphone Warehouse, and they can sell you a SIM card for only 1 or 2 pounds. Loads of people in our band buy them to use on the trip, and share with others when they can't make the journey.

https://www.carphonewarehouse.com/

[dwindbag]

I go to the UK 4/5 times a year for twof weeks. About half of those trips include a visit to RBS in Edinburgh. I have been doing it for 7+ years. I'm on my 2nd UK phone. Inexpensive local phone and local sim card (carphone warehouse). The rule varies by carrier, but if you use it once very ___ months, the number stays active. My customers have my UK number and it has not changed.

They have this cool thing called 'pay as you go'. Each time I leave I make sure there is 10GBP in my acct. When I land and make a call, it debits my account and it works. I 'top-up' the account as some point during the trip.

One other cool feature from the EU. Incoming calls are free. I have a skype2go number set up with a local US number that rings my phone there. I pay cheap skype minutes and the incoming is free.

[SquintingPatrick]

The last time I was there, I had Verizon set up my phone in the US for the UK network beforehand. It costs $10 USD a day if you invoke mobile data, and otherwise no extra cost on WiFi. There were some minor complications but got sorted out on the first day. It is not just a phone anymore, but also your map and compass, which comes in handy when you are navigating the Glasgow cityscape. It is, of course, also a camera and a video recorder. You've got to have that in Scotland, and at the Worlds too. It is also a metronome, a bagpipe tuner, and a collection of books, among other things.

Having said that, I bought a cheap phone with a sim card when I was last in China, and I did not miss my regular phone. It was good to be free from all that once in a while, so that I wasn't stopping every few seconds to take pictures, missing the real thing for the digital version. I got lost on a regular basis too. Part of the charm of international travelling.

[Green Piper]

And that is kind of my point. If you need all the bells and whistles AND if those require data access, then that's one issue and it comes at a cost.

If all you need is a phone then buying a cheap one locally would be better.

For example, my family will be in the U.K. for a month. I am not going to pay $10 per day for a data plan. I don't have an iPhone anyway. I'll buy a cheap phone and use wireless when possible on my version of a technological pacifier - iPad. It does have a cell capabilities, but I'll likely never use it.

Charlie

[John Haack]

Call your current carrier before you buy something. It's the texts that'll get you if you don't pay attention. Unless you need to make actual phone calls.

My son's off to Germany for 3 weeks.

Verizon offers

1...a $40 add-on for a month. It's 100 talk minutes plus 100 texts sent/received.
He's a teenager. My guess, even though they plan to use WhatsApp....he'll get more than 100 texts.

2...$10 per 24 hour period to match our current plan (unlimited phone, texts, and access to our shared data plan). If you don't make a call or send/receive a text in a 24 hour period....no charge. Turn off LTE on your phone....or most phones you just put it in airplane mode and then turn wifi back on LTE should be off. If you do that....and don't make a call or turn on LTE again....you won't spend a dime.

We're going with the $10/24 hour period. This gives him any emergency access to telephone. His texts aren't that important to him. Unless he needs to make a call....he might not ever even wind up 'turning it on' for a 24 hour period the whole time he's there.

[john amaro]

Originally Posted by John Haack

Call your current carrier before you buy something. It's the texts that'll get you if you don't pay attention. Unless you need to make actual phone calls.

My son's off to Germany for 3 weeks.

Verizon offers

1...a $40 add-on for a month. It's 100 talk minutes plus 100 texts sent/received.
He's a teenager. My guess, even though they plan to use WhatsApp....he'll get more than 100 texts.

2...$10 per 24 hour period to match our current plan (unlimited phone, texts, and access to our shared data plan). If you don't make a call or send/receive a text in a 24 hour period....no charge. Turn off LTE on your phone....or most phones you just put it in airplane mode and then turn wifi back on LTE should be off. If you do that....and don't make a call or turn on LTE again....you won't spend a dime.

We're going with the $10/24 hour period. This gives him any emergency access to telephone. His texts aren't that important to him. Unless he needs to make a call....he might not ever even wind up 'turning it on' for a 24 hour period the whole time he's there.

Whatsapp is a great option to use, especially for messages and calls because no other app like it offers such a service. If you are thinking of using your WhatsApp then I recommend you to use this WhatsApp Plus modified app of WhatsApp. I would suggest doing this because with this app you can use WhatsApp with even better features and functions and also you can use two WhatsApp at the same time. With this app you can use all the features and functions of WhatsApp that are used in WhatsApp. It is almost impossible to do

[pancelticpiper]

Last year I spent a week in London and a week in Dublin and, not needing to be in constant communication with work (as many people have to be) I kept my phone on airplane mode except when in a pub, eatery, or lodging with free WiFi.

That gave me as much contact with social media and my emails as I wanted or needed, and I had no additional charges to my phone bill.

The funny thing was that it gave the impression to people back home that I was spending all day in pubs!

[Mac an t-Sealgair]

Originally Posted by Scot Kortegaard

Thanks Paul. The last time I was over, I did exactly that. I bought a cheap phone from Tesco. The staff there were very helpful with my questions, but no one there at their tech counter could tell me how to text my wife's phone (from Canada). The thing was basically a paper weight/waste of money.

Write the text, put in your wife's phone number with country code and press send.