When you arrive at your accommodation, the phone will most likely not work until you set up an account with a local phone company (e.g. Virgin Media or British Telecom). You may want to bring a phone card or buy one when arrive here to call home from a public telephone.
Inland calls (calls within the UK) are cheapest between 18:00 and 8:00. International calls are cheapest between 20:00 and 8:00. There are also reduced rates on Saturdays and Sundays. This may differ depending on your phone provider and calling plan.
In general, when using a telephone you may hear the following:
- a continuous tone; this means you have a line available
- a double tone; this means your call is ringing
- a single interrupted tone; this means the line you are calling is busy
- a series of rapid pips; your money or card is about to run out.
Public Phones
Clear instructions on how to use a public telephone are printed inside phone boxes. Payphones accept 10, 20 and 50 pence and £1 coins. An international call costs at least £1.50. Calls in the UK cost a minimum of 40p.
Some telephones are operated by a'phone card' which you can buy from shops displaying the green 'phone card' symbol. Some telephones also have a card reader so that you can use your credit card. On some public phones, even if there is no card reader, you can call 0800 032 0023 and follow the instructions to complete the call using your credit card (minimum charges are £1.50).
Mobile Phones
Most mobile phone networks in the UK use GSM 900, so if you already own a dual/triple band phone you can just buy a new sim card for your phone. If you do not have a phone there are a variety of shops that sell good phone and contract packages.
Make sure you shop around as there are lots of different packages available (e.g. pay-as-you-go, pay-monthly, pre-paid) and some are cheaper than others. Some shops that sell mobile phones and services are; The Carphone Warehouse, The Link, O2, Orange, Phones 4 U, T Mobile or Vodafone.