Best UK sim card for use in the TRNC?

Advice on using Mobile Phones within the TRNC: SIM Cards, Repairs, cheap calls to UK...

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LizA
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Best UK sim card for use in the TRNC?

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Post by LizA »

I would be interested to find out which company in uk offers the best rates for calls from trnc/turkey.

I know that vodafone changed their tariff a while ago and roaming become very expensive.

My uk banks are recommending I have a uk phone for account security checking. Plus one bank cannot even type the whole trnc number in their system as they don't have enough spaces to accommodate the country code!

I guess these phone verifications will become the 'new normal' now. So need to get a sim card sent over as can no longer access an account!

Also is there anything we need to ensure about the sim card, ie it is unlocked, can make international calls etc, or anything else recently introduced I may not be aware of?

thanks.

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Re: Best UK sim card for use in the TRNC?

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Post by alphamike »

I've got a Vodafone pay as you go sim, but don't actually use it, other than for banking apps. Have to send a text every so often to keep it live. I use Skype if I have to make a telephone call to UK.
Quite a few of us here came across the same problem as you, in that UK banks no longer seem to allow foreign phone numbers, or at least not TRNC ones.

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Re: Best UK sim card for use in the TRNC?

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Post by Chriswright03 »

If you have a dual sim card phone. Use the cheapest sim card you can get on PAYG for here and keep your original phone number. Then if you need to make calls buy a PAYG sim card for here. Use wifi here and use Whatsapp or Facebook messenger to make free calls.

Your bank will still be able to contact you via your UK sim card and you will still be able to be in touch with those you need to mostly by free calls on wifi.

LizA
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Re: Best UK sim card for use in the TRNC?

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Post by LizA »

Thank you so much for your helpful replies. I use a dual sim phone but it is for turkcell and telsim (for my uk calls and wifi/internet back up system). However I can just buy a second hand old phone for the uk sim.

The next question is roaming charges from the uk. So I was thinking of keeping it switched off to prevent bank messages etc that I would have to pay for if it is live 24/7. Then only switching on when i intended to do onine banking or internet shopping.
Would that be a practical workaround? As Vodafone roaming can now be 6 pounds or more per call I think to Turkey.

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Re: Best UK sim card for use in the TRNC?

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Post by alphamike »

You won't pay for incoming text messages from your bank (or anyone else), so there is no need to switch the phone off, unless you want to. Just don't answer any incoming calls, as you will be charged then, and obviously don't do outgoing calls either.

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Re: Best UK sim card for use in the TRNC?

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Post by LizA »

Thanks for that info Alphamike. I didnt know that. Great news. I will go ahead and get my family to send me a Vodafone sim! :-)

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Re: Best UK sim card for use in the TRNC?

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Post by alphamike »

No problem, glad to be of help.
Now I may be talking a lot of rubbish, but there is something at the back of my head about activating the card in UK before using abroad. Maybe check the T's & C's on their website. Probably best to get family to activate at UK end before bringing over here. I honestly can't remember, but I was in UK when I got the sim, so it wasn't an issue.

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Re: Best UK sim card for use in the TRNC?

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Post by Ace123 »

All very expensive god luck

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Re: Best UK sim card for use in the TRNC?

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Post by alphamike »

It's not expensive if you go for the basic pay as you go package where you just top up when you need to, although it would be if you went for one of the bundles. As long as you send a text every so often (can't remember if it's 90 days or 180) to keep the sim activated. Mine is only used to receive sms messages from banks, which as I've said, are free to receive, and not for making or receiving calls.

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Re: Best UK sim card for use in the TRNC?

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Post by Chriswright03 »

No the PAYG isn't expensive at all and as Alphamike says all you have to do is periodically send a text to keep it activated. When Vodafone changed their rules the first time we changed one of our UK phones to PAYG but kept the other on as Unlimited because at that time it included Turkey. Since then they have changed the rules yet again and because I have been out of the UK for so long I may be charged for unfair use.

This was discussed before on here but basically Vodafone say they changed the rules because they had to conform to the Government rules and regulations citing it was EU rules. No matter how much I explained to them that neither the UK nor TRNC are in the EU it made not the slightest bit of difference. So I may receive a warning that I am using my phone too much here and have to pay extra. As yet I have not had any warning.

My contract is due for renewal alter in the year but I am eligible to change it in January and at that time I will change it to PAYG and buy a local phone and PAYG sim card for here at some point. It is vital to keep a UK sim card as others have mentioned for Banks and the like but we never make phone calls on the Vodafone network and use wifi to make calls on Whatsapp.

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Re: Best UK sim card for use in the TRNC?

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Post by alphamike »

LizA, as you were considering Vodafone sim, have a look at Asda sim card too which runs off the Vodafone network and is seemingly cheaper. I haven't looked into it, you'd have to check yourself.

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Re: Best UK sim card for use in the TRNC?

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Post by LizA »

My sister has been trying to get a Vodafone sim card to send out to me here for use with my Aqua account. My Halifax and Lloyds are fine about registering my Turkish number but Aqua does not have the facility on their software to type in foreign (longer) numbers it seems.
However, in vodafone yesterday she was told that ALL uk simcards are to be blocked from roaming/using abroad soon - mentioning a new edict coming inn soon as not being part of the EU any more.
Has anyone heard of this?
Each time she goes in she is given a different story as to why a uk sim card will no longer be eligible for use abroad??

LizA
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Re: Best UK sim card for use in the TRNC?

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Post by LizA »

It appears what she was actually told is: You can get sims cards but you can't use the credit outside UK and the roaming charges have shot up from 1st Jan 2022 as the rules for coming out of EU come into force today.

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Re: Best UK sim card for use in the TRNC?

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Post by a1sysman »

Received from VodafoneUK on Wednesday, when we crossed south…
Hello. Welcome to CYPRUS. We wanted to let you know that it?s one of our Roam-free destinations - you can use the calls, texts and 25GB of data from your plan here at no extra cost. Head to www.vodafone.co.uk/travellingabroad for terms. Any spending limits you?ve set will stay the same as at home. Please note: using your phone abroad for long periods of time may incur additional charges. See our acceptable use policy, at www.vodafone.co.uk/terms for more information. For emergency services call 112. Have a great trip!
… and when we returned north…
You're probably expecting a text about roaming charges - but no! As you have Vodafone Global Roaming Plus you can now use the minutes, texts & data from your plan while abroad to stay in contact with friends & family back in the UK and in TURKEY at no extra cost. Go to www.vodafone.co.uk/travelling for info and terms. Please note: using your phone abroad for long periods of time may incur additional charges. See our acceptable use policy, at www.vodafone.co.uk/terms for more information. Stay safe while abroad, if you need the emergency services call 112
libens volens potens

alphamike
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Re: Best UK sim card for use in the TRNC?

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Post by alphamike »

I had a message from Vodafone the other day, but deleted it, am on the basic PAYG, no monthly package. Was the standard message I receive periodically saying that I'm in Turkey, 60p a min for calls etc. Will see what the next one that comes through says and try to remember to post it here.

I can't see how Vodafone would stop you using your credit abroad, sounds nuts. As I said before, you only need to send a text every so often to keep the sim live, and it costs nothing to receive texts.

Charges in Turkey & N. Cyprus
Make calls
60p per minute
Receive calls
36p per minute
Text messages
8p per text
Picture messages
66p per text
Using data
12p per MB

https://www.vodafone.co.uk/help-and-inf ... ing-abroad

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Re: Best UK sim card for use in the TRNC?

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Post by alphamike »

LizA, just dawned on me that you mentioned that Halifax and Lloyd banks are fine with your TRNC number. They certainly have my TRNC number, but it stopped working a few months back now, as in no call or SMS received. Others have found the same, there was a thread on here about it at the time. I've got UK Skype tel number logged with Halifax, but also added UK Vodafone number too, so can either get a call or SMS from them now, as it's needed for security to log in to online banking.

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Re: Best UK sim card for use in the TRNC?

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Post by LizA »

I too find it veey barmy. I have turkish sim cards - Turkscell and Telsim are live. No probs with Halifax though I was not surprised when I read the thread.
I have had problems with other sites whereby no call or text came through. I don't have a uk Skype number but I think I will just ask her to buy a basic payg sim card from Vodafone and send it across. Will see how it goes. Thanks everyone for your kind replies.

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Re: Best UK sim card for use in the TRNC?

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Post by alphamike »

Glad that you at least have access to Halifax, although it's a mystery then why some of us don't.

Do check on whether your new Vodafone sim has to be activated in UK first, and if so get your sister to activate it prior to sending. I have a feeling it does, but I could well be wrong.

LizA
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Post by LizA »

Thanks Alphamike. Will do!

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Post by alphamike »

One thing I noticed on Vodafone PAYG pages is that now you are encouraged to add a monthly bundle, there's no longer a box just to add say £10 credit for basic PAYG. So if your sister cannot get them to add say £10 (which is the minimum you can add), for basic PAYG you can do it online, once you know the Vodafone Tel No, or obviously your sister can do it for you.
https://www.vodafone.co.uk/my-vodafone- ... ner_Top-up
You can also top up through Vodafone App which you can download to your phone.

It's a bit sneaky of them, they are obviously encouraging everyone to have a monthly bundle. :roll:

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Re: Best UK sim card for use in the TRNC?

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Post by Barbaraford »

All are expensive according to my knowledge. So good luck.
Last edited by Barbaraford on Thu 03 Mar 2022 12:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Best UK sim card for use in the TRNC?

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Post by MnM »

When my Vodafone Unlimited Data Max Extra Global Roaming plus contract expired last October, rather than do a "free" upgrade as they call it, ie take out a new contract on a new phone, i got a Sim only with the same unlimited this and that and according to Vodafone i can still use my unlimited this and that in "Turkey) (Kibris) at no extra cost. £15 a month.

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Re: Best UK sim card for use in the TRNC?

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Post by Soner »

Be careful when switching suppliers. I recently changed from Vodafone to O2, big mistake. O2 will charge £4.99 every time you make a call or send a text or receive a call or text in TRNC/Turkey. You cannot do anything about it accept remove your Sim and use Wifi only. I had a 14 day cooling period in which I had managed to cancel the contract and moved back to Vodafone. My wife missed the deadline and is now stuck with O2 on 2 year contract.
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