United Kingdom and Ireland Service

This service is great for longer term visitors to the UK or Ireland, and for UK residents.

You get a United Kingdom +44 phone number and local rates within the UK and Ireland. The service also works in over 90 countries – perfect for that quick trip to Spain!

Benefits:

  • Includes bonus call credit
  • Receive a United Kingdom +44 phone number
  • Rates from USD 24c (13p) per minute in the UK
  • Free to receive calls in the UK and Ireland
  • No connection fees
  • Free to listen to voicemail
  • Free to receive text messages
  • Send international text messages from USD 49c each (24p)
  • Recharge minutes anytime via the phone or web
  • 24/7 customer service
  • It is prepaid: so no contracts, no credit checks and no monthly fees
  • View call records and receipts online
  • Free call forwarding and easy to use conference calling
  • Use in over 90 countries
  • Great international roaming rates: USD 49c (24p) to call UK landlines and free to receive calls in more than 50 countries

Go to: User guide | Rates | Coverage | Features | Getting started | Making calls | Receiving calls | Recharge | Customer service | Handset compatibility

User guide

Download a print-friendly version of the user guide.

User guide - for US residents (108kb PDF file)
User guide - for all other residents (108kb PDF file)

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Rates

Calling from
Key countries
Per minute rate to call a UK landline
Per minute rates to call a UK mobile
Per minute rate to call an Ireland landline
Per minute rate to call an Ireland mobile
Per minute rate to make an international call to a landline*
Per minute rate to make an international call to a mobile*
Per minute rate to receive a call
Per minute rate to listen to voicemail
Value added services#
United Kingdom
England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales
$0.24
$0.39
$0.24
$0.44
$0.49
$0.84
FREE
FREE
$0.14
Ireland
 Republic of Ireland
$0.29
$0.44
$0.29
$0.49
$0.54
$0.89
FREE
FREE
$0.19
Australia, Austria, Brazil, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland
$0.49
$0.64
$0.49
$0.69
$0.74
$1.09
FREE
FREE
$0.39
Hong Kong, New Zealand, Taiwan
$0.59
$0.74
$0.59
$0.79
$0.84
$1.19
$0.49
FREE
$0.49
Canada, China, Malaysia, Peru, Russia, Thailand, United States
$1.49
$1.64
$1.49
$1.69
$1.74
$2.09
$1.29
FREE
$1.39
Cayman Islands, Dominica, Mexico, Jamaica, US Virgin Islands
$2.49
$2.64
$2.49
$2.69
$2.74
$3.09
$1.99
FREE
$2.39
Cuba, India
$3.69
$3.84
$3.69
$3.89
$3.94
$4.29
$3.29
FREE
$3.39

Determine the zone for the country you are traveling to and use the table above to find the applicable rate. A per minute surcharge applies to call some non-key countries. *View applicable countries

Sending a text message is $0.49 USD and receiving a text message is free in the United Kingdom, Ireland and zones 1, 2 and 3.
Sending a text message is $0.59 USD and receiving a text message is free in zone 4.
Sending a text message is $0.99 USD and receiving a text message is free in zone 5.

All rates are per minute and quoted in US dollars
# Value added services include contacting Customer service and recharging.
* A per minute surcharge applies to call some non-key countries. View applicable countries

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Coverage

Make calls from over 90 countries

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Features

Voicemail Dial 121 from your mobile phone.
The messages will be played in order of last received. Voicemail is automatically enabled. An inbound caller will be directed to voicemail if the call is not answered within 30 seconds, if the phone is switched off or if there is no coverage. A text message will be sent to notify you of a new voicemail.No charge applies.
   
Balance inquiry Dial 187 from your mobile phone.
The account balance will be sent in a text message. Each time you make a call, you will receive a text message notifying you of the cost of the call and your remaining account balance. No charge applies.
   
Recharge Dial 154 from your mobile phone. A per minute rate applies
   
Conference calling Dial #*3 after connecting your first call, then follow the voice prompts. Within moments that person will be added to the conference call. Do not forget to include a + sign when conferencing in additional callers.
A surcharge of USD 50c per minute applies for each additional caller on a conference call, in addition to the standard rate per minute for the country the additional caller is in.
   
Call forwarding Calls to your phone number may be forwarded to any other number.
Turn call forwarding on by dialing 102+ followed by the country code and number you wish to forward to, then press the call or send key (ignoring any messages on the screen).
Turn call forwarding off by dialing 103, then press the call or send key (ignoring any messages on the screen).
No charge applies.

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Getting Started

Your United Kingdom and Ireland Service SIM card is already active for you. Your phone number and PIN are printed on the enclosed letter. Please read it carefully and keep in a safe place. When you receive your package, you should:

  1. Check that the SIM card is correctly inserted and secure.
    * The SIM card is already inserted into your phone if you ordered one. The SIM card is the small chip card located in the back of the phone. It allows you to connect to the network.
  2. Attach the fully charged battery to the phone.
  3. Turn the phone on.
    * Refer to your handset user guide on how to turn it on.
  4. Enter the 4-digit PIN found in your enclosed letter and press OK.
    * Your PIN code is a four digit code printed on the enclosed letter.
    * Please enter the PIN correctly. The service will be blocked if the PIN is entered incorrectly 3 times. If your SIM is blocked you will have to contact Customer service to unblock it. When the phone registers with an available network (30-120 seconds) it is ready for use.

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Making calls

Using the United Kingdom and Ireland service is a little different from normal calling but so easy!

Important:

  • Always dial the full international phone number
  • After dialing, you will be briefly disconnected and receive a call back. Answer normally like when receiving a call and wait for your call to be connected.

How to make a call

  1. Enter + (Hold down the + key until you see a + on your screen).
    Entering '+' replaces the need to dial the international dialing code for the country you are in.
  2. Enter the country code (US is 1), area code (without the leading 0) and phone number.
    Example, to the US dial +16171231234, to the UK dial +442079432772 and to Australia dial +61396747000.
  3. Press the Answer key and wait for the call back.
    Ignore the text shown on your screen such as 'Call Waiting' or 'Call Blocked'. You will be briefly disconnected for 10-30 seconds then will receive a call back.
  4. Press the Answer key to answer the call.
    After 10-15 seconds your call will be connected.
  5. Press the End key to finish the call.

Menu based calling

If you hear a message saying the call cannot be completed, or if the phone does not ring back, it means that you may have to place calls via the menu.

How to make a menu-based call:

  1. Go to the Menu section of your mobile phone.
  2. Select "Services".
    * It may be located under "Extras", "Options", "Tools" or similar.
  3. Select "Callback".
  4. Select "Manual number".
  5. Enter the country code (US is 1), area code (without the leading 0) and phone number, then select "OK" or similar.
    * Ignore any messaging that may appear on the screen
  6. Your phone will ring back and your call will be connected.

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Receiving calls

How to receive a call

Just like at home…when your phone rings simply press the Answer key to answer the call.

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Recharging your account

Buying more calling time is simple. Use your American Express, Mastercard or VISA card to add US$30, $50, $100, $150 or $200 to your mobile account.

There are three easy ways to recharge your United Kingdom and Ireland service account.

Using the website

Recharge online now!

Using a landline, hotel or payphone (toll-free call)

  1. Dial the toll free access number for the country you are in.
  2. Enter your phone number then press the hash key.
  3. Press 1 to recharge using the Self-service phone menu.
  4. Follow the voice prompts to recharge your account.

Using your phone (a per minute rate applies)

  1. Dial 154 from your phone
  2. Press the Answer key and wait for the call back.
  3. Press the Answer key to answer the call.
  4. Press 1 to recharge using the Self-service phone menu.
  5. Follow the voice prompts to recharge your account.

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Contacting Customer service

From landlines, hotels and payphones:

  1. Dial the access number for the country you are in.
  2. Press 0# to speak to Customer service.
    Press 0 for English
    Press 1 for French
    Press 2 for German
    Press 3 for Portuguese
    Press 4 for Spanish
    Press 5 for Italian

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Handset compatibility

This service works with virtually all handsets. If you have difficulty using the service in your handset, please see our Buying Tips for information on handset frequencies and how to unlock your handset.

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Tips

Making calls

  • Before you go, enter all your phone numbers into the address book of your new mobile handset for quick and easy dialing when you are traveling.
  • Enter all phone numbers in international format. Enter + followed by the country code (US is 1), area code (without the leading 0) and phone number. For example +16177373040
  • To enter + on your phone, press and hold the 0+ button until a + appears on the screen. If this does not work, press the 0+ button twice. It varies depending on your phone.

Messaging

  • This service does not support Multimedia Messaging (MMS). So if you have a camera phone you will need to use the USB cable to download to a computer and send them via email.

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