Where to buy?
 

I haven't been to Europe in years, and will be meeting my wife in London after her business trip at the end of the week for a week in Scotland. I'm flying into Heathrow and meeting her at a train station. I'm sure my old German T-Mobile prepaid sim is long dead, and my US CDMA Verizon phone doesn't do international GSM frequencies. My options are to switch US phones or carriers before I leave, or pick up a UK SIM as soon as I land. If I understand correctly, there are SIM vending machines (Vendpoint?) around LHR. Is this my best option? I want to be able to call my wife after I land so we can coordinate on meeting up for the train ride to Edinburgh

Which terminal at LHR are you arriving at? Terminal 5 has a Vendpoint machine airside (in baggage reclaim) and Terminal 3 has one landside (next to the ramps down to the Tube).

It sounds as if there isn't enough time for me to send a free giffgaff SIM (with £5 free credit) to you in the US.

I arrive on United, so I assume Terminal 1 at LHR. From their web site, it looks like Vendpoint has several machines there, as well as every other terminal

Any recommendation on the various flavors of SIMs from the vending machines?

I would go for Lycamobile (O2 network), otherwise EE (deteriorating coverage). Both have 4G. Vendpoint has neither giffgaff nor Three SIM cards, which are the ones I would recommend.

http://community.giffgaff.com/t5/Sub...idc-p/12485766