If you plan to travel to London, you might need to take a SIM card with you on your journey. Imagine visiting London and not having the chance to share your experience with your loved ones. Then, why don’t people think about taking a London SIM card with them? After all, it has become a good idea.
In case you want to know more about the options, you have come to the right place. We will also explain what eSIMs are, an even more efficient solution to physical SIM cards. You will learn about where to buy them, when to buy them, and a lot more that will be useful for future travelers.
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Where to buy a SIM card for London?
In case you are thinking about how someone can take a tourist SIM card on a journey, there are things you still need to understand. One of the things people must understand as soon as they can is to choose where they have to buy their SIM card properly, but it will mostly depend on the needs the person has too.
That’s why we will talk about different things people must take into consideration. The first one is to buy the SIM card before traveling, as some people might want to have it as soon as possible with them.
But there are other methods available too. For example, people can buy it through an online store or once they reach London. How will the final decision be made? Basically, it will be to take the alternative that comes closest to what you want. Here, you will know what possibilities each path gives you.
Easy to buy
If you are a casual tourist, you should not be interested in wasting time looking for alternatives to keep mobile internet in London. If you are looking for an easy way to buy a prepaid SIM card for London, online stores will solve your situation. These providers have websites that are accessible to all types of customers. So finding a SIM and data package for you will not take more than a few minutes. You just wait for the chip to be shipped to your address, and if you bought a virtual SIM card, you will have it with you immediately.
There will always be people who are still not used to online shopping. In case you are one of these, don’t worry. You still have an alternative. This is to look for a physical store once you arrive in London. The local operators have branches you can use to buy a tourist SIM card for London. Remember that you will not have internet until you install the SIM card and that this can be done up the coast in an unfamiliar city.
Buy before you travel.
Although, in recent years, this has been the primary option for tourists, there are still people who are unaware of the possibility of buying a SIM card before traveling. There are a number of online stores selling options for London and many other cities around the world. Usually, the process needs very little personal information. Make the payment and just wait for the prepaid SIM card to be sent. It is also essential to know that with the new digital SIM card for London, you can also receive your service instantly.
Buying an eSIM or SIM card for London before your trip will give you clear advantages, such as being connected from the first moment you arrive in the city. These options are also often cheaper than international roaming or renting pocket wifi. It can make your trip more accessible if you are assured of communication with family and friends before you arrive abroad.
Buy upon arrival
We have recommended you, whenever possible, to buy a prepaid SIM card for London before you arrive. However, you can also do it locally through physical stores nationwide. It is possible to find options at Heathrow International Airport, so you can buy without leaving the city. You can even visit the Heathrow website and see which terminals have stores.
There are three significant operators with coverage and service in London called Vodafone, Three, and O2. All offer data packages and prepaid SIM cards for tourists to help you stay connected. You should be aware that when you purchase a local SIM card in this way, you must go through local registration processes and have valid identification documents for the purchase.
Vodafone, Three, and O2 Stores in London
If someone decides to go and buy their London SIM card in the city, they might want to try using Vodafone, Three, or O2, as they have shown to be the best operators actually working in London and the UK.
You can find stores all over London and in the airport terminals. As mentioned above, you can use the airport website to confirm the terminals or the operators’ websites to find the nearest branches to your location.
Still, there’s something people need to know. Maybe buying a local SIM card as a foreigner is something challenging. It could be due to the terms and conditions of the company. Still, we recommend considering this to avoid future problems!
How much does a SIM card cost to travel to London?
Telecommunications in London follow the same standard as many data packages in Europe. We can pay 15$ for a SIM card with 7GB of browsing to use in a month. There are options with more data, up to 150GB of browsing for 38$. Choosing one plan or another will depend on your consumption type since all of them are for use in thirty days, and if your stay is shorter, you will still have to choose one of these.
An alternative that gives you more flexibility and plan options is the virtual SIM card for London from Holafly which we will see below. With these, besides having mobile internet in London, you will have immediate delivery anywhere in the world.
eSIM card for London, the new alternative
eSIM cards are nowadays being used more and more by travelers around the world. We know that SIM cards are working in an international way now, and their younger brother couldn’t stay behind. Obviously, London is part of the destination where people can take an eSIM to.
Among the most used stores to buy virtual SIM cards for London is Holafly. This remote provider has excellent experience offering these services to travelers from all over the world. They have multiple payment methods to make your purchase and then instantly send your eSIM to the email you use to buy.
But there are some doubts regarding how people can use eSIM cards due to them being somehow new. So, you might want to pay attention to what we’ll say about eSIMs.
- When buying an eSIM, people must exactly choose a destination or region to complete the purchase.
- eSIM mainly works on last-gen mobiles and smartwatches, such as iPhone 13 and similar devices. You can quickly check this list of phones that have eSIM for London available for use.
- To receive your eSIM as a QR code, you must have a valid email address to which you have access. Otherwise, you will not be able to install your eSIM.
- It is imperative to know that you must have an internet connection for the purchase and the installation process for the first time. We recommend doing it before your trip, or if you are already in London, do it from a secure wifi network.
Holafly online store
It is one of the leading online stores where you can buy your embedded SIM card for London. Travelers around the world widely use it due to the accessibility it offers to its customers. With multilingual websites and 24/7 customer service, it is positioned as one of the best options to have internet abroad.
Another benefit of Holafly over competitors is that all its data packages with the eSIM for London include unlimited data for surfing. You only have to choose a plan with the number of days of stay you need. In case you need more, you can buy a top-up for the same destination and extend the coverage of your service in a few steps.
As for the speed of navigation and coverage, Holafly is supported by the best local operators in many destinations. This is something you can easily verify on their website in the technical specs section. In the case of the eSIM for London, it enjoys the support of Vodafone, one of the leading operators in Europe.
An important thing for many travelers is to stay in touch with their family and friends. With these eSIMs, you will not have to change your WhatsApp number. You can use at the same time your crazy SIM card from your home country and your virtual SIM card for London without any problems.
Disadvantages of Holafly’s eSIM card
It is time to discuss some not-so-favorable points of Holafly’s eSIM for London. Currently, this service does not allow you to make local calls or send SMS because it does not include a local number. You can make as many calls as you want using apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, or Skype because there is no data limit.
How can I shop at Holafly?
You will be surprised how easy it is to buy a virtual SIM card with Holafly. All you have to do is visit their online store, choose your travel destination, and then you will see the data plans available. Choose one to place in the shopping cart, and you can proceed with the payment. Before paying, you will be asked for an email, your name, and your surname. Remember to put an email address to which you have access. Now you just need to make the payment, and you will receive an email with the QR code to scan and install your eSIM for London.
How much does the eSIM for London cost
You can see in the table below all the plans available for purchase with the eSIM for London. Will also notice that they offer unlimited data and are cheaper than other alternatives, such as renting a pocket wifi or using the roaming service of your local operator.
| Days of use | Available Mobile Data | Price (USD) |
| 5 Days | Unlimited Data | 21 USD |
| 7 Days | Unlimited Data | 29 USD |
| 10 Days | Unlimited Data | 37 USD |
| 15Days | Unlimited Data | 51 USD |
| 20 Days | Unlimited Data | 62 USD |
| 30 Days | Unlimited Data | 75 USD |
| 60 Days | Unlimited Data | 107 USD |
| 90 Days | Unlimited Data | 139 USD |
Frequently Asked Question about the data SIM Card for London
Not actually. The SIM card will be ready to be used once you put it on your phone!
This depends entirely on the operator with whom you contract your service. You should check with them before sharing data because some will not allow you to do so. Others may even charge additional fees to use the hotspot service.
As a matter of fact, it is. People can rely on it as much as they want without worrying about not being able to contact other people due to the virtual SIM card.
