Home » Frequently Asked Questions

Here we've got a list of the most common questions about the service.

General

How does it work?
Please see our how it works page for more details.

Phones and unlocking

What type of phone do I need?

• You need a tri-band phone—almost any phone bought in the last five years should be fine.
• Your phone must be unlocked. See later questions to find out more about locking.
• If you want to receive calls on your current UK mobile number using Keep Your Number™, you must have call divert on your tariff. All UK pay-monthly tariffs have this feature. Although Keep Your Number™ is convenient, you don't have to use it. Instead, you can use the other UK number which we'll supply for your SIM, allowing to receive calls for free in many countries.

What is locking?
When you buy a phone, it has usually been subsidised by your network. To stop the phone being used on networks, the phone is locked to your network.

How do I know if my phone is locked?
The easiest way to test if your phone is locked is to put a SIM card from a different network in it. If you can successfully use the network, then your phone is locked—otherwise it is locked.

How can I unlock my phone?
Firstly, unlocking your phone is completely legal. In fact, under European legislation, networks are actually required to unlock your phone on request. However, they are allowed to charge, so it might be cheaper to go to your local independent mobile phone shop. Many specialise in unlocking phones.

Is unlocking my phone legal?
Yes.

Service queries

How do I top-up my SIM?
We work in partnership with uk2abroad. Once you've received your SIM you can top it securely wit ha credit or debit card on the uk2abroad web site. If you're not going to have Internet access while you're abroad we strongly recommend adding a larger amount of credit to your account initially.

How much do calls cost?
This varies based on what country you're roaming in and where you're calling. Please use our rate finder tool.

How much does it cost to receive incoming calls?
This varies based on what country you're roaming in, and whether you're using Keep Your Number™. In many countries we offer free calls - please use our rate finder tool.

How much does it cost to send and receive texts?
Incoming text messages are always free. The cost of sending text messages depends on where you're roaming. Please use our rate finder tool.

Can I use your service in the United States?
Our Global SIM can't be used in the US, but you can use our alternative cheap USA roaming package, which allows you to receive calls in the US for just 10p per minute.

I'm travelling to several countries, do I need to buy more than one SIM?
No - this is the great advantage of having a Global SIM. It frees you from messing about with many different SIM cards. Note that you will require a different SIM for the US currently—so if you're travelling to the US, please see our cheap US roaming page.

Why should I use a Global SIM instead of a local SIM?
Getting local SIM cards can sometimes be difficult. Many local SIM cards expire after a short period of time, and in fact, we've heard reports of people buying local SIM cards only to find out that they have already expired. Using a local SIM card also makes it difficult and expensive for people in the UK to call you. As well as this, local SIM cards are a poor solution if you travel to multiple countries. Having many different SIM cards and numbers soon becomes impractical and expensive.

I have seen other Global SIM products, why should I use yours?
With our SIM you can make and receive calls at low rates, and you get a normal, UK mobile number. Many of our competitors assign their SIMs numbers in the Isle of Man, Liechtenstein or Estonia, causing expense and confusion for your callers.

[How it works]

[Frequently Asked Questions]