SIM card for Eastern Europe, Finland & Sweden

[Netty]

Hi, Can anyone direct me to any threads which may help me to find a SIM Card for my iphone for 7 weeks of travel throughout Eastern Europe etc. so I don't have to pay huge Data Roaming & Phone call costs from Australia?

 

[Simo]

Do you have an I phone 3 or a 4.Make sure the I phone is not locked to your current network in Australia.Different sim card size between 3 an 4.If you have a 4 take a sim cutter with you so you make it fit.Some mobile phone retailers sell them for app $50.Try travelsim... Or google Vodafone Europe and see what deals they have for what you want to do.

 

[Netty]

Do you have an I phone 3 or a 4.Make sure the I phone is not locked to your current network in Australia.Different sim card size between 3 an 4.If you have a 4 take a sim cutter with you so you make it fit.Some mobile phone retailers sell them for app $50.Try travelsim... Or google Vodafone Europe and see what deals they have for what you want to do.

Thanks for great help. Bought TravelSIMs at Aust Post for unlocked iPhone 3's. Activated on-line, put $ 50 on each phone. Deducts from C/C when balance goes below $ 10 . TravelSIM has some great features; Anyone can send us free SMS through the TravelSIM website, outgoing calls from Europe etc. seem cheap. Really easy to set up. Had a call from their Excellent Customer Service within minutes to explain & offer tips. From now on will take to NZ; Ozzie mobile in NZ is poisonous. Downside; Calls & SMS from Australia to your TravelSIM # go via Estonia at (Telstra) $ 1.21 per minute...so tell your family to SMS you through the website. In the end, I still have to take the (Telstra) iPhone 4's as well - PITB

 

[Vinny]

Thanks for great help. Bought TravelSIMs at Aust Post for unlocked iPhone 3's. Activated on-line, put $ 50 on each phone. Deducts from C/C when balance goes below $ 10 . TravelSIM has some great features; Anyone can send us free SMS through the TravelSIM website, outgoing calls from Europe etc. seem cheap. Really easy to set up. Had a call from their Excellent Customer Service within minutes to explain & offer tips. From now on will take to NZ; Ozzie mobile in NZ is poisonous. Downside; Calls & SMS from Australia to your TravelSIM # go via Estonia at (Telstra) $ 1.21 per minute...so tell your family to SMS you through the website. In the end, I still have to take the (Telstra) iPhone 4's as well - PITB

I found Travelsim a huge ripoff. You pay $50 at Australia Post. Why? All calls are via Estonia and calls to and from a Travelsim card are expensive. Check it. There are much better options around. I used it once only to receive an email from their customer care saying their database of customers - names - credit card details etc had been breeched and they were looking into it. Emails by me to them were responded by an immediate 'yada yada we know' response. Phone calls didn't make it before the expensive call costs depleted my account. I contacted my bank liaison guy in Australia to refuse any further credit card transactions with them and to carefully check credit card transactions I was making.

I ended up buying a cheap sim card for each country as I have yet to find a one size fits all sim card for a number of countries. Google sim cards for the countries you are visiting and compare Travelsim.

 

[Homer]

We are currently in North America and I have an unlocked iPhone 4. I bought a T-Mobile SIM for the US and a Fido SIM for Canada from Tim at Travel Gear: Everything a traveller needs: travel accessories, SIM cards, backpacks and luggage, outdoor gear, sleeping bags, language courses, etc. before I left home.

The T-Mobile SIM was about $30 plus I spent $60 on a monthly pre-paid plan that offers unlimited calls within the US plus unlimited calls to landlines in a couple of hundred countries, including Australia. This included a 2Gb data plan as well. T-Mobile isn’t the fastest network for data but as I understand it, it’s the only real option for this type of thing unless you sign up for an AT&T plan and mess around with your phone which has variable results. Anyway the data is good enough for maps, emails and simple browsing. Just no good for Skype or video but there is so much wifi in the US it’s really a non-issue. The Fido SIM for Canada isn’t as generous. I spent $50 on a pre-paid plan but there is a cost for non-local calls, though it is much cheaper than roaming. This also includes a 500Mb data plan which is more than it sounds - certainly enough for my email to remain on “push” for the next four weeks. The bottom line is that you have a predictable/capped spend versus a potential shocking roaming bill.

Also I have a Skype local number in Sydney so I diverted my home phone and mobile to this before I left home, so people can just call me on the usual numbers and I receive the call either on Skype if I’m online (on my iPhone) or else Skype forwards to my local mobile number if I’m offline. It works surprisingly well.

I just wanted to plug Tim at Travel Gear: Everything a traveller needs: travel accessories, SIM cards, backpacks and luggage, outdoor gear, sleeping bags, language courses, etc. one more time . I found his service to be beyond great. He’s a small operator so you get to speak to Tim himself for any issues, either over the phone or via chat or email. I am not affiliated with Tim in any way other than being a very happy customer.

 

[Vinny]

I bought a T-Mobile SIM for the US

I agree totally. T-mobile for the U.S. is the best value I found and it worked everywhere.

 

[Netty]

Back after a long break. The TravelSim was a big pain. Ended up keeping in contact via Skype, Viber & Facebook. Free WiFi in most hotels in Eastern Europe and all Hotels (inc. in room) in Norway, Finland & Sweden. Mainly to take your mind off the horrible rooms