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Need SIM for 3weeks roaming in EU

  • 09-08-2015 5:33pm
    #1
    mel.b
    Registered Users Posts: 3,130 ✭✭✭


    I'm travelling for a bit over 3weeks soon in Northern Ireland, norway, Czech Republic, France & Germany. I'm looking to get a sim for my iphone 5 (unlocked) to use while away, mostly for roaming, GPS when driving and for when in hotels that don't have free wifi.

    I saw on another post the 3UK pay as you go sim that includes unlimited data? Is that my best option? I have a friend going to the UK soon - they could pick me one up - what ID do they need, do you need a UK address to get one? Also does anyone know if i put the sim into my ipad (they take the same size) would i be able to access the internet on that as well? I din't think that payg allows for tethering.

    Thanks heaps :)


Comments

  • #2
    StaticNoise
    Registered Users Posts: 2,402 ✭✭✭StaticNoise


    Three's Pay as you Go SIM would be the best for you. Plans include tethering, so you should be covered. That said, if you are using your iPad as a device, that isn't really tethering as it is a sole device. The plan is not device dependent- it's based on a service, so it shouldn't matter if you want to use one device or ten: it is the one device being used at a time.

    That said, as much as Northern Ireland is covered (as it is Great Britain/United Kingdom), as is France; Germany and Czech Republic are NOT available using Three's European pass. You will pay for usage in these destinations.

    My suggestion:

    - Northern Ireland/GB & France: use a Three SIM (unlimited data)
    - Czech Republic: Vodafone 'Pro Studenta' (1.2GB data, calls and others) - http://www.vodafone.cz/tarify/tarif-pro-studenta
    - Germany: T-Mobile - https://www.t-mobile.de/xtra-datentarife/0,27493,29072-_,00.html?WT.svl=100


    Yes, it is a pain that you have three different SIMs, but for the area you're going, you've no choice.


  • #3
    mel.b
    Registered Users Posts: 3,130 ✭✭✭mel.b


    Thanks for that. With the three sim, do you mean an irish one or uk one? I can see from the uk terms and conditions that tethering isn't allowed and you can't use it in a difference device. On the irish website i can't see that roaming is inlcuded in the all you can eat data?


  • #4
    OldMrBrennan83
    Closed Accounts Posts: 26,658 ✭✭✭✭OldMrBrennan83


    This post has been deleted.


  • #5
    StaticNoise
    Registered Users Posts: 2,402 ✭✭✭StaticNoise


    mel.b wrote: »
    Thanks for that. With the three sim, do you mean an irish one or uk one? I can see from the uk terms and conditions that tethering isn't allowed and you can't use it in a difference device. On the irish website i can't see that roaming is inlcuded in the all you can eat data?

    Three UK. You can even buy one online from Amazon. You can top up online using card.



    I cannot see any mention of tethering being prohibited, and the website even tells you how to turn on the service on your handset, so you should be fine. I do know that you've only got a certain amount of your monthly allowance to use on tethering/hotspot, so plan ahead.

    The roaming of Three Ireland is good but nowhere near as comprehensive. As none of your destinations have a sister network, I'd avoid the Irish company.


  • #6
    mel.b
    Registered Users Posts: 3,130 ✭✭✭mel.b


    StaticNoise wrote: »
    Three's Pay as you Go SIM would be the best for you. Plans include tethering, so you should be covered. That said, if you are using your iPad as a device, that isn't really tethering as it is a sole device. The plan is not device dependent- it's based on a service, so it shouldn't matter if you want to use one device or ten: it is the one device being used at a time.

    That said, as much as Northern Ireland is covered (as it is Great Britain/United Kingdom), as is France; Germany and Czech Republic are NOT available using Three's European pass. You will pay for usage in these destinations.

    Is France definitely included? Reading the fine print of what i think are the 'feel at hime' countires...


    To help you manage your roaming costs, we’ll text you information about call charges and roaming rates when you’re abroad for each country worldwide. We’ve also arranged for you to take your UK plan and Add-on allowances away with your to seven countries (Austria, Australia, Denmark, Hong Kong, Italy, the Republic of Ireland and Sweden) so you can take your device away with you to call and text the UK and get online17, and instead of our standard roaming rates, you’ll be using your UK plan and Add-on allowances, so you don’t need to worry about extra charges to your bill (don’t forget you’ll still be charged to call or text local numbers while abroad, at our standard roaming rates). We call this additional service “Feel At Home” but reserve the right to extend, withdraw or modify the terms of Feel At Home and/or the countries included at any time. See three. co.uk/feelathomeinformation for full details. If you don’t get an allowance of calls, texts or data as part of your plan (e.g. because you’re on PAYG), we recommend buying an Add-on for use in a Feel At Home country.
    StaticNoise wrote: »
    Three UK. You can even buy one online from Amazon. You can top up online using card.

    However in other places i've seen Norway and the USA mentioned so i don't know



    I cannot see any mention of tethering being prohibited, and the website even tells you how to turn on the service on your handset, so you should be fine. I do know that you've only got a certain amount of your monthly allowance to use on tethering/hotspot, so plan ahead.

    The roaming of Three Ireland is good but nowhere near as comprehensive. As none of your destinations have a sister network, I'd avoid the Irish company.

    This is the info about tethering and using the sim in a different device...
    17. Feel At Home is an additional service which Three makes available to its customers. Three reserves the right to extend, withdraw or modify
    the terms of Feel At Home and/or the countries included at any time. If your plan or Add-on allowance comes with All You Can Eat Data, your data use while abroad in a Feel At Home Country
    is limited to 25GB of data. In addition, customers cannot use their smartphone as a modem to connect other devices such as laptops and tablets - also known as “tethering”, whilst in a Feel At Home Country. Customers may be able to (i) stream; and (ii) connect over a virtual private network (VPN), while in a Feel At Home Country, however, both browsing and streaming may be slower than in
    the UK. Three reserves the right to suspend this service if we reasonably believe that the customer is using VPN for accessing illegal or improper content or in contravention of our use requirements set out in our terms and conditions.

    Use your SIM in the device category of your price plan.
    You can’t put your voice SIM into anything other than a phone (e.g dongle, laptop, tablet). For example, if you’re on The One Plan you must use your SIM in a mobile handset only, you can’t remove it and place it in a mobile broadband dongle.

    I found an amazon page selling the sims and people were asking the same question. It seems as though it may work initially but somehow 3 are able to detect you are not using the sim on a phone and send a message to put the sim in a phone or they block it.


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  • #7
    mel.b
    Registered Users Posts: 3,130 ✭✭✭mel.b


    Edit - i just googled the three 'feel at home' and it comes up with their main page listing Australia, Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, hong kong, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Macau, new Zealand, Norway, Ireland, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland & USA, so that is good :)


  • #8
    reni10
    Registered Users Posts: 1,151 ✭✭✭reni10


    StaticNoise wrote: »
    Three UK. You can even buy one online from Amazon. You can top up online using card.

    The roaming of Three Ireland is good but nowhere near as comprehensive. As none of your destinations have a sister network, I'd avoid the Irish company.

    Can you buy the 0.1p 3 UK SIM card from Amazon.co.uk or do you need to buy a specific one?

    A link to the cheapest one that would work for the unlimited roaming data deal on amazon.co.uk would be great!

    Also it looks like you need to top-up by £20 to activate the roaming deal?


  • #9
    whiterebel
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 14,830 Mod ✭✭✭✭whiterebel


    You need to buy one from Amazon with the credit already loaded, as I found out you can't top up online unless you have a UK billing address.


  • #10
    StaticNoise
    Registered Users Posts: 2,402 ✭✭✭StaticNoise


    whiterebel wrote: »
    You need to buy one from Amazon with the credit already loaded, as I found out you can't top up online unless you have a UK billing address.

    You can top up. There is a plethora of third party top up websites where you pay a small fee and get the credit. One I posted in another thread was the credit cost + £1.50.

    Edit: apologies- 99p.

    http://www.myphonecard.co.uk/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=64


    (I'm not affiliated with the site)


  • #11
    reni10
    Registered Users Posts: 1,151 ✭✭✭reni10


    So which SIM on the Amazon site then to buy??!

    Link please...


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  • #12
    StaticNoise
    Registered Users Posts: 2,402 ✭✭✭StaticNoise


    reni10 wrote: »
    So which SIM on the Amazon site then to buy??!

    Link please...

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00ABJ0WA8/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?qid=1439987787&sr=8-4&pi=AC_SX110_SY165&keywords=Three+uk+sim&dpPl=1&dpID=41uRsMQTBFL&ref=plSrch


  • #13
    reni10
    Registered Users Posts: 1,151 ✭✭✭reni10


    StaticNoise wrote: »
    http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00ABJ0WA8/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?qid=1439987787&sr=8-4&pi=AC_SX110_SY165&keywords=Three+uk+sim&dpPl=1&dpID=41uRsMQTBFL&ref=plSrch

    Can't seem to buy that only Add to Wishlist is available?


  • #14
    mel.b
    Registered Users Posts: 3,130 ✭✭✭mel.b


    I can't see any on amazon at the moment, but this one is on ebay.co.uk

    http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/221856133584

    Another option i found while researching these is a sim with ortel in germany. They have a 'cross' option which allows you to roam throughout Europe, includes 750mb data and 300min calls so might be an option for people who won't use as much data (although an add on can be purchased)

    http://www.ortelmobile.de/en/crosseurope.html

    I have ordered the ortel simcard from ebay.de for my parents and the Three UK one for myself for our trip.


  • #15
    flexcon
    Registered Users Posts: 1,618 ✭✭✭flexcon


    Going to the USA back and fourth and the THREE UK sim card pay as you go is a life saver for data.

    order on the official three.co.uk website and get it shipped to a parcel motel in northern Ireland. ( check out parcel motel online to see what they do ) It is a forwarding postal and package address

    I top up by £20 and get the £20 offer which includes unlimited data when roaming ( limited to 20GB roaming and no tethering )

    Obviously for calls and texts it is not so good back to ireland but for data fantastic. I use the T mobile network in the US


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