Having just returned from the US, my experience navigating what the heck to do about my cell phone when moving to London is top of mind. For future expats, especially those moving from the US to UK, I have some tips that made the transition for me much easier.
For my future expat readers, in England they call them mobile phones. While the whole what to do with your phone aspect of moving seems like it will be a nightmare (especially for those who are more technologically impaired), it is actually not very difficult and it is very possible to arrive at a great solution. For me, the process was much easier and cheaper than I anticipated.
Moving from the US to UK Cell Phone Guide
Having a functional phone, a US number, a UK number, and service that works when you travel is as easy as 1, 2, 3, 4… if you know what you’re doing! It took me a couple months, but I was able to figure it out on the fly and here are my tips to make moving abroad to the UK easier with a phone that works!
Get your phone in the US (or anywhere)
For the majority of people, you don’t need to get a new phone when you move abroad. And, chances are, no matter what phone you have, your phone is going to be cheaper in the US. If you’re a die hard Apple fan like me, it makes the most sense to buy your iPhone in the US. Since it is an American product, you’ll get a better price.
In my case, back in 2016, once I paid off my iPhone through my carrier, it was mine and all I needed was a UK SIM to make it work in the UK. There is something nice about bringing a device that has all your pictures, all your contacts, apps and everything all set up when moving somewhere new. If you already own your phone outright, you will likely be able to take it with you to the UK and all you’ll need to do is change out your SIM.
Save your American number
I’ve had my cellphone number since I was 16 years old. Going through this process has made me realize how attached I am to that number and how much a part of my identity I consider it!
I originally thought I would have to save my number through Verizon and would be paying something like $5 a month to keep it. That seemed like a pretty crazy expense and maybe I should part with my number. Luckily, my future brother-in-law told me about Google’s number porting service. He had ported his own US number to Google ages ago and used the Google Voice app on whatever phone he had at that time instead of the phone’s number.
Porting my number to Google Voice has exceeded my expectations. When you port your number to Google, it will automatically cancel your cell phone plan, but if you have a US cell phone plan, you have to be in the US to do it. I waited until we were at the airport to set mine up (it is VERY confusing and Google Voice’s help section is very outdated), so it was a little bit of a scramble, but I was able to figure it out. It takes 24 hours to process and costs $20.
The service is honestly awesome. I have yet to set up the app on my phone, because I haven’t really needed it. I can take (and make!) calls for free using my American number on my laptop using Google Hangouts, which has been so unbelievably helpful with banking and wedding planning things. It allows you to receive voicemails and emails you the transcriptions once a voicemail is received (love that! Though, sadly, my dad’s butt dials arrive as blank transcriptions, haha).
Texts arrive as emails in your inbox, all you need to do is reply to the email to respond. This has been great for anyone trying to get in touch with me who doesn’t have iMessage or my UK number. It allows me to stay up-to-date on the family group text, and text for free with my American friends when I’m home, as long as I’m on wifi.
Plan to get a pay as you go plan first
I had heard that EE has the best service throughout England, but knew more people who had O2. The line was shorter when I walked into O2, so I went with that. Within five minutes, I had a to pay as you go SIM card installed and I was up and running on data, text and cell in the UK. Because these plans are so cheap, I am still paying as I go. Andrew has a cell phone plan through work, so it’s just me and it is working out well!
The draw back of the pay as you go plan is that it only works in the UK. I have no international phone capabilities. With iMessage, WhatsApp and Google Voice, I’ve been fine traveling, using wifi when I can get it and relying on Andrew’s international phone when we need navigation or anything timely. For solo travelers, you may want to look into another solution.
I’d love to hear tips from other expats – what tricks and advice do you have for getting up and running on a cell phone when moving abroad?
Jenn is an American expat living in London, spending her time freelancing, traveling and writing on this here blog. Thank you for reading. Are you planning a trip here? Tell me your plans in the comments!
