In today's society, the mobile phone has become one of the most indispensable items. If there is no Pr phone cards, then the mobile phone has lost its soul, so how to apply for a mobile phone card used in the UK?
Students can first open their domestic mobile phone card for international roaming service, and then apply for a mobile phone card from each major mobile phone operator when they arrive at the airport or in the UK. They can also buy a mobile phone card in the UK in advance in China.
Purchase way
In the UK, there are two ways to purchase cards: Pay Monthly and Pay As You Go.
Pay Monthly
Similar to the domestic mobile phone network, when you apply for a card, you need to provide a passport and sign a purchase contract. The contract duration is mostly one year, and a variety of packages are provided.
Pay As You Go
This kind of mobile phone card does not need to register, do not need to sign a contract, use as much as you want, do not want to use can just throw away.
After arriving in the UK, students can use the domestic mobile phone card to open the international roaming service or use the Pay As You Go card. It is recommended that students apply for the Pay Monthly card as soon as possible after they have applied for the bank card, which has more packages and is cheaper.
Operator,
The main mobile operators in the UK are:
Vodafone, O2, EE, 3 (Three), Giffgaff, Lebara, Lycamobile, Talkmobile, TescoMobile, CMLink (China Mobile), CTExcelbiz (China Telecom)
Vodafone
Vodafone (Vodafone) is a British multinational telecom company. It is the world's second largest communication network company. In the UK it has more than 500 physical stores, providing 3G and 4G network services.
Advantages:
The Internet is fast, the signal coverage is good in the UK, even in some basements and rural areas, and there are many unlimited data packages for a single App, which are free of roaming charges in 48 countries, including outside Europe.
Students who choose a Pay Monthly card can also enjoy a 10% student discount, which can be used on a contracted phone or SIM Only.
Disadvantages:
The call fee and data are quite expensive. It is recommended that the call time and data should not exceed the plan.
O2
O2 is the UK's second largest mobile phone operator, with more than 23 million users in 450 stores across the UK, offering 3G and 4G Internet services and O2 Wi-Fi.
Advantages:
With fast Internet speeds and high signal coverage, it is the most satisfying operator in the UK.
Users download the O2APP and register with their mobile phones, and the system automatically connects to O2's Wi-Fi hotspots across the UK, including those on the London Underground.
O2 also has the World Chat App, which allows users to download and sign up for five minutes of free calls and then make international calls at 1p per minute.
O2's International Sim or Airtime Bolt On are also cheap to make international calls.
You can also join O2 Reward for free, and every time you recharge, you will get 10% cash back.
Disadvantages:
It's a bit expensive and probably not a good choice for people visiting the UK for a short period of time.
EE
Formed by the merger of Orange and T-Mobile, it is the first UK operator to offer 4G services.
Advantages:
The network speed is fast, the service is good, and the signal is stable. It has the highest network signal coverage rate, the fastest 4G network among the four major operators, and there are more packages to choose from.
Disadvantages:
3G network coverage is not high, speed is not fast.
3 (Three)
Hutchison Whampoa, the British communications subsidiary of Hutchison Whampoa, founded by Li Ka-shing, provides 3G and 4G services, supports video telephony and accounts for 40% of Internet usage in the UK.
Advantages:
It's faster, it's cheaper, and data plans are cheap.
Disadvantages:
The signal is not as stable, indoor coverage is low, and rural coverage is low.
Giffgaff
Giffgaff is a virtual operator, which uses the base station and network of O2, and the overall coverage signal is good. It is loved by the majority of students in the UK, and has the highest reputation among Chinese students.
You don't need to sign a contract, it is convenient to buy, you can buy it in many supermarkets, and then you can register on the official website to recharge and buy packages! If you run out of minutes and data for the current month, you can start the next month's plan early on the website.
Advantages:
It has the best value for money, with rates as low as £5 a month, and unlimited data plans, where calls and texts between the same cards are free.
It has International Calls, which cost 2p per minute to call into the country.
Disadvantages:
The customer service is general. If there is a problem, it will be asked through the official forum. The signal is relatively weaker than the four major operators in front of it, especially in the train and remote areas.