Mobile phones for children in the UK

[Harry 16]

My kids are off to UK for college so I plan to get them UK mobiles (just so they don't forget to call me!).

 

I see on the web that there're a couple of sites offering cheap international calls from the UK (e.g. Justdialstudent; Rebtel).

 

Does anyone have practical experience or recommendations?

 

Thanks

[YorkshireLad6 7,152]

One of the O2 prepaid packages in UK is called "Your Country" which gives 50 minutes of free international calls for each £10 of top-up (or 100 free minutes for £15). After the free quotat is used up calls cost 7p/minute abroad. National calls are 25p/min for the first 3 minutes of every day, 5p/minute thereafter. It's a pretty fair service which I can recommend. Provision of the SIM (service) is free - you just need an unlocked mobile phone to use it. Top-ups are easy over the internet, so you can make remote donations to your kids phone service at any time. O2 run regular promotion deals related to top-ups. Last time I topped up I got "happy hour" free calls every day for a week between 18:00-19:00...

[DaveCasey 6]

Or there's Lebara Mobile in the UK. 4pm/min to German landlines and 15p/min to German mobiles, 10p a text to anywhere in the world and 10p/min for all national calls. They use the Vodafone network so coverage in the UK is good.

[dangermouse 81]

Don't forget that apart from the mobile phone option, they will presumably have internet access, so you could get Skype and have calls with them free of charge.

[pappnase 2,568]

Following up on that idea of Skype from dangermouse,

 

If you have skype at home then you could even look at something like this...

http://threestore.three.co.uk/PAYG/dealsummary.aspx?offercode=DSL0PP030&id=1404

 

Skype to skype calls free from the mobile (so they can call you), normal PAYG mobile so that they can use the phone and pay their own call charges for calling mates etc.

[hughk 39]

Our daughter Anya did an Erasmus semester (two terms) in the UK. Her phone is unlocked so she borrowed an old pay as you go SIM for the UK. This was easy to get hold of and gave her a UK number. She also had Skype on her PC with a webcam and access to the college WiFi (she was staying at college). We would make call appointments via mobile and use Skype to properly keep in contact. It worked well. She would pop her German SIM into the phone from time to time to check on SMS texts. We hope to do the same with our son who will be studying in the UK starting this Sep.

 

If your kids are in the UK, you may want to consider a contract phone in the UK. They are typically 12 or 18 months rather than two years as they are here. However with no UK credit history, they can be harder to get and you may be asked for a hefty deposit for international call access. With prepays that is a less of a problem.

 

Last time I needed a pay as you go phone in the UK, there was no identification obligation. This may have changed.

[Harry 16]

Thanks to you all for your answers & ideas!!!