Moving to UK, want to keep Irish number

Faith

Hi all,

I'm moving to the UK in 2 weeks for college. I want to keep my Irish sim card so people from home can easily keep in touch, but I have an iPhone 4S, meaning I've a microsim. I want to keep the iPhone as my primary phone, so I don't want to switch my microsim back to a normal sim to put it in an old phone, because then I won't be able to use the iPhone when I'm home. I'm currently on Meteor, but considering switching to another network.

My OH is on 3, and thinks that he can use his phone in the UK as normal and the units used will just come out of his bundle as if he were in Ireland. Is that correct? If I could find something like that, it would be ideal, because then I could just get a normal UK sim and stick it into an old phone for when I need it. Any ideas what the best way forward might be, which Irish networks offer the best UK rates? Thanks!

/edited to add: I'll need data too, because I can see myself frequently getting lost and the like, so I need a plan that will allow me to use my data bundle in the UK.

whiterebel

Go to Three.ie and look for 3like home. You can use 50% of your units, and use data as you want. I found it works brilliantly in the UK.

mathew

I'm fairly sure you can buy adapters. You can even just carefully align the micro sim and wedge it in place, but a cheap adapter off ebay is probably as handy. http://www.ebay.ie/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570&_nkw=microsim+adapter

Faith

Oooh, an adaptor sounds like a great idea!

Davy

whiterebel wrote: »

Go to Three.ie and look for 3like home. You can use 50% of your units, and use data as you want. I found it works brilliantly in the UK.

Or use prepay €20 a month to get free calls to anyone on 3, texts to any network and AYCE data at anytime as well as free calls home at weekends to any network. So the €20 topup will only be used when making calls monday to friday to people not on 3. To get this, you just need to be on 3 network uk. Select the network manually so it wont try to connect to another.

Faith

So the prepay option will still allow me to use things like free texts and AYCE data while I'm in the UK?

Davy

Faith wrote: »

So the prepay option will still allow me to use things like free texts and AYCE data while I'm in the UK?

Yes, anything you do here, will be the same over there. You will be charged for ring Uk numbers of course, but cant have it everyway :pac:

Faith

Thanks! I think I'll switch to 3 anyway because it's better value, and probably get an adaptor thingy so I can have the best of both worlds .

Davy

Faith wrote: »

Thanks! I think I'll switch to 3 anyway because it's better value, and probably get an adaptor thingy so I can have the best of both worlds .

Just make sure your on 3 UK

and be carefull with the sim adapter. Some phones (mostly newer) do not like them. You push the sim in ok, when you push it out, the pins get damaged.

Faith

Is it the sim or phone that's at risk there?

Davy

Faith wrote: »

Is it the sim or phone that's at risk there?

The pins in the phone, that make contact with the sim. It doesn't effect old types where the sim is placed in flat (example under the battery) Its where you push the adapter in to a spring loaded mechanism, similar to a lot of memory cards.

Faith

Ah, I understand now! That's grand, it's an old phone I'd be putting it until, where the sim goes under the battery. Thanks for your advice!