Purchasing “Prepaid SIM” service at the Airport

December 1, 2009 at 2:01 am | Posted in Uncategorized | 15 Comments
Tags: GSM, international roaming, mobile service, Prepaid, travel

Purchasing “Prepaid SIM” service at the Airport
Example: London Heathrow

An easy way to obtain inexpensive cell phone service in a country is to obtain a prepaid card at your port of entry, such as the airport. At London Heathrow airport, Vodafone has an excellent retail shop in Terminal 5. Unfortunately, Heathrow is a sprawling airport and Terminal 5 can be a (short) train ride away from your arrival terminal. For example, if you arrive from the US in Terminal 1, you can take a free train to Terminal 5 by following the signs to the Heathrow Express and taking the free leg to Terminal 5.

Vodafone Shop at London Heathrow: Terminal 5

Location: Terminal 5, Before Security
Opening Hours: 07:00 – 22:00
Telephone: +44 (0)7826 952 062

The store is situated between the UK side of departures and customs and is therefore open to both air-side passengers and land-side airport staff and visitors. The Terminal 5 Vodafone store at Heathrow airport replaces the Vodafone store in Terminal 1 with an even more comprehensive line up of products and services.

Within Heathrow airport, the location of Terminal 5 is shown in the following diagram:

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Arriving at Terminal 5 I wish to pick up a sim card for my Vodafone. Can I then use a phone card to put in some airtime?
IMCellular: the SIM card already is loaded with air time. You can add air time (“top up”) at any time using standard methods, such as calling an automated service (free) and providing a Credit Card, etc.

How do I know the cost per minute for the places I ring? Would this sim card + phone cards for top ups, allow me to ring a lot more cheaply within the U.K. and back to New Zealand than e.g. roaming?
IMCellular: Yes, exactly! Purchasing service from the destination country is typically a lot less expensive than roaming.

How much is a sim card from the airport? When I go to Austria would I have to buy another sim card which works from there to ring new Zealand?
IMCellular: No, the Vodafone service includes all of Western Europe, including Austria. You can use the same PrePaid SIM in a very wide footprint. Check their website for details fo their coverage footprint–it’s HUGE.

Many thanks

Comment by Margaret Kaiser— April 5, 2010 #

Reply
I purchased my phone at VODAPHONE Auckland NZ (airport) October 2010, used it there for a month. I am going to the UK in May. I understand I can use this phone in the UK? Can I add/buy time for it in Canada before I go – if so where – or do I need to do this in the UK? (I am not technical, please make your reply simple!)
Thanks, D. Horsey

Comment by Derek HORSEY— February 8, 2011 #

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- Probably, you are good to go. Only reason that you would be unable to use your existing phone there is if you your phone has a SIM lock that prevents it from accepting a SIM card from another service provider – inquire of the place where you purchased the phone. If a SIM lock exists, ask for it to be “unlocked” and explan that you are traveling internationally and plan to use a SIM card only on your travels.
  
  Comment by imcellular— March 13, 2011 #
  
  Reply
I have a BlackBerry Torch using Vodacom in South Africa & will be visiting the UK for 2 weeks. I plan to purchase a Vodafone sim card in UK. Will I have access to the BlackBerry Services eg unlimited internet. What are the cost implications?.

Comment by V— September 22, 2011 #

Reply
- YES, to lower your cost when traveling internationally, your best value is to buy services from the local (in-country) provider (unfortunately, as this is inconvenient). This is especially true for mobile data. Roaming costs for mobile data can be 1000X higher than the cost of obtaining them from the local provider. To determine which plan is best for you, review the plans before you get there and select the one that best fits your needs. For example, if you need occasional Internet access (to download a book or check your email), then buy a plan with a small amount of data. Alternatively, if you will be working furiously and need ongoing Internet access, then you may wish to buy a plan with a large allocation of data (e.g., 2 GB) for a fixed cost.
  
  Comment by imcellular— September 25, 2011 #
  
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My friend will come to UK in next week. She has already had a SIM of T-mobile. Could you show me where she can top-up her credit in Heathrow airport?
Thanks in advance.

Comment by Trang Nguyen— November 21, 2011 #

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- Although there is no T-Mobile store in Heathrow (see Heathrow Store Finder), she can Top Up at many other location, including a nearby T-Mobile store. Find a store using the T-Mobile Store Finder (for the UK) at http://www.t-mobile.co.uk/store-finder/ You may also top up at Tobacconist or other stores that sell Top Up (scratch off) cards.
  
  Comment by imcellular— November 22, 2011 #
  
  Reply
Hi, I am flying into heathrow and have a short layover before flying to Lux, I would like to obtain a sim for my blackberry bold out of the US and am more concerned with data messenger, email etc than talk and text.. can i get a sim in Heathrow for UK< LUX, france etc.. that will be good for a couple of weeks??

Comment by eric— November 22, 2011 #

Reply
- Yes! Just purchase the SIM from a major carrier that serves the locations where you will be travelling.
  
  Comment by imcellular— December 25, 2011 #
  
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Good morning, I will be in Heathrow in 3 weeks time and seek your advices as to making phone calls both international and domestically from / within the UK, Scotland, Ireland,France, Belgium,Switzerland, Germany,The Nederlands areas. I need to be sure that say in Belgium I can ring a Belgium number as well as ringing number say in Switzerland or Australia.

Can I bring over my own mobile phone-( I admit I am not a Vodafone customer here -your competitor in Australia has recommended me to you.) and place your SIM card in it ?

What pre-paid plans do you have and.can I purchase a plan / simcard for cash ?

I believe I will need say a pre-paid amount in the vicinity of say $300 Australian.
Your advices would be greatly appreciated.

Comment by Brian Bennett-Sydney,Australia— February 24, 2012 #

Reply
- > Can I bring over my own mobile phone?
  
  Yes, you can bring over your own phone if (a) it is UNLOCKED (contact your current Carrier to inquire and get the unlock code before you travel), and (b) it is a “World Phone” that supports the European Bands (this is typical these days, unless you have a phone that is many years old). Bringing over your own phone is ideal, as you know how to use it, it contains all of your frequently-called phone numbers, and have the charger handy.
  
  To avoid costly International calls to the wrong number: When making a call and you are roaming outside of your normal coverage, even if it is a “local call, you need to always prefix the dialed number with the Country Code. This makes the destination unambiguous.
  
  Example: You have stored a 7-digit local number for your friend in your mobile phone. You travel to Belgium, and dial that number from your phone’s Address Book. Because you are in Belgium, using a Belgium mobile network, your number will be interpreted as dialing a local number in Belgium … unless you prefix the number with the Country Code.
  
  > What pre-paid plans do you have?
  
  I’m not a rep of any Mobile carrier. I recommended Vodafone since, when I last looked, they had the best coverage across Europe with a single PrePaid account, for reasonable rates. Check out the plans before you travel so that you know what you want to buy before you get off of the plane, exhausted.
  
  > can I purchase a plan / simcard for cash ?
  
  Yes. Please see my post on the Vodafone office in the airport (just outside of Security, so it is accessible by all).
  
  Bon voyage!
  
  Comment by imcellular— February 24, 2012 #
  
  Reply
  - Thanks mate, That’s what I call a bloody good answer-well done. Can I buy you a beer ?
    
    One less thing to worry about.
    
    Comment by Brian Bennett-Sydney,Australia— February 25, 2012 #
We shall be flying into Heathrow on the 27th March until the 19th April.Shall need two pre paid Sim’s.Just checking the following: Does Vodafone UK offer free calls between Vodafone accounts ie NZ Vodafone Add On (Best Mates),also we will have Vodafone NZ Mobile Internet Modems,I presume it is just a matter of changing sims with data pack and away we go

Comment by Ian Heays— March 15, 2012 #

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- By all means, get a PrePaid SIM for your European travels. You can top up if and when you need.
  
  > Does Vodafone UK offer free calls between Vodafone accounts?
  
  For specific features (free calls between accounts), please review the Operator’s service description (I’m happy to describe the method of using PrePaid to reduce roaming costs, but do not plan to answer specific questions about current offers).
  
  > we will have Vodafone NZ Mobile Internet Modems
  
  Just as with a mobile phone, be sure that your mobile internet modem is unlocked to permit you to use another Operator’s SIM card. Best to call Customer Service and tell then what you plan to do.
  
  Comment by imcellular— March 15, 2012 #
  
  Reply
  - Thanks, I had forgotten about the Modem being possibly locked.
    
    Comment by Ian Heays— March 15, 2012 #