What is the best Europe Sim at the moment?

[mattj]

Has anyone had experience with the TravelSim from Aust post in Europe? Cheers

 

[AngieP]

Has anyone had experience with the TravelSim from Aust post in Europe? Cheers

I purchased the TravelSim just before setting off for Europe in early June. I wanted a SIM card that I set up at home before I left so that I knew for sure it would work and to be familiar with making calls etc. It worked really well. When I set it up the company contacted me and offered half price calls and texts for an additional $2 (I think). Also there was more credit on the sim than the advertised $5 - I think i got about $30 credit. Top ups were easy which I did 3 times in lots of $25 each time. I hadn't anticipated using the phone this much but an emergency arose that necessitated lots of calls. Overall I was pretty happy with the TravelSim. One thing to keep in mind is that the balance on the phone is in US dollars although you load it up with Oz dollars. Happy travels

 

[mattj]

I purchased the TravelSim just before setting off for Europe in early June. I wanted a SIM card that I set up at home before I left so that I knew for sure it would work and to be familiar with making calls etc. It worked really well. When I set it up the company contacted me and offered half price calls and texts for an additional $2 (I think). Also there was more credit on the sim than the advertised $5 - I think i got about $30 credit. Top ups were easy which I did 3 times in lots of $25 each time. I hadn't anticipated using the phone this much but an emergency arose that necessitated lots of calls. Overall I was pretty happy with the TravelSim. One thing to keep in mind is that the balance on the phone is in US dollars although you load it up with Oz dollars. Happy travels

Thanks AngieP, very helpful.

 

[Zulaiha]

I was in Rome last June, and met some Aussie girls, they were travelling UK, Ireland, Scotland, then off to Rome for few days before heading back to Mel. They used 3 and bought the all you can eat data (I could not remember how much was it, but I think they were saying something about GPB15 if my memory did not fail me). She told me that works even in Rome, and they use it to talk on skype with their family back in Mel while I was there too.

I myself am that people who bought local sim and were very angry with Voda Italy, as they sold me SIM that does not work, and did not know how to make it work, and refused to exchange it. Very little of them speak English. I paid EUR 25 for the data that could not be used, and EUR10 for phone that I ended up never use

For UK SIM cards, most of their credit will not expire as long as we use the phone once in 6month, so I have been maintaining my UK SIMcards todate. In NZ I had been using 2 degree which also offer something similar and I keep that too.

 

[newxr]

Hi.

Doing a whirlwind tour of Europe later this year - covering UK/France/Switzerland/Italy and Iceland in 3 weeks! At present thinking of getting the Woolworths global roaming card as I have offline maps and GPS on phone for navigating and am staying in hotels which offer free wifi (mostly). Any other suggestions?

 

[anna2103]

Can anyone advise best sim to buy for UK and mainly Europe - I am not interested in data at all, just emergency phone calls to US and Malaysia if required. Or would I be better off buying a phone card in the country and using hotels phones ( and hopefully just a local call to connect to the phone card servce?) Thanks

 

[DeKa]

Can anyone advise best sim to buy for UK and mainly Europe - I am not interested in data at all, just emergency phone calls to US and Malaysia if required. Or would I be better off buying a phone card in the country and using hotels phones ( and hopefully just a local call to connect to the phone card servce?) Thanks

Do you need to call in-country and back to Australia at all?

If so, a month to month Vodafone AU SIM (not prepaid) with red roaming activated is hard to beat at $5/day

Calls to AU and in-country will all be included. Calls to US and Malaysia would be $3 for 10 min to US and 66c/min to Malaysia.

Of course a local SIM will be cheaper, but if you're travelling to multiple countries this is hard to beat for convenience at a reasonable price.

If you don't turn the phone on, you don't get charged the $5/day.

 

[Isochronous]

I'm doing Poland/Czech Republic/Hungary/Slovakia/Austria/Switzerland/Denmark/Finland. What SIM Card should I get? Data is probably most important for me - internet and google Maps, of course.

 

[marki]

I'm doing Poland/Czech Republic/Hungary/Slovakia/Austria/Switzerland/Denmark/Finland. What SIM Card should I get? Data is probably most important for me - internet and google Maps, of course.

Enjoy your trip ..... I am a nutter and used a local sim each time ..... The value is always better.



Sent from my iPhone using AustFreqFly

 

[marki]

Can anyone advise best sim to buy for UK and mainly Europe - I am not interested in data at all, just emergency phone calls to US and Malaysia if required. Or would I be better off buying a phone card in the country and using hotels phones ( and hopefully just a local call to connect to the phone card servce?) Thanks

In UK used 3 good prices ...... Rates too


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[Isochronous]

Enjoy your trip ..... I am a nutter and used a local sim each time ..... The value is always better.



Sent from my iPhone using AustFreqFly

Not staying more than 5 days in any place though.

 

[RooFlyer]

Enjoy your trip ..... I am a nutter and used a local sim each time ..... The value is always better.
Sent from my iPhone using AustFreqFly

I've never caught up with this practice. How do people at home keep in touch with you? ie emergencies, kids, work even (if needs be)? Do you configure the phone each time for e-mails etc?

Or do you take a separate phone for the local SIMs?

 

[RooFlyer]

Not staying more than 5 days in any place though.

Note that Helsinki has free public Wi-Fi in the city. Not that strong, but its there for Google maps on your phone when wandering about.

We didn't find out until the second day

 

[DeKa]

I'm doing Poland/Czech Republic/Hungary/Slovakia/Austria/Switzerland/Denmark/Finland. What SIM Card should I get? Data is probably most important for me - internet and google Maps, of course.

For those countries, for less than 5 days each I would be using Vodafone Red Roaming @$5/day. It covers them all. If you don't need it on any particular day turn aircraft mode on and you won't get charged the $5

 

[marki]

I've never caught up with this practice. How do people at home keep in touch with you? ie emergencies, kids, work even (if needs be)? Do you configure the phone each time for e-mails etc?

Or do you take a separate phone for the local SIMs?

Two phones one with Ozzie sim or I divert to local sim. With modern smart phones had no issues changing sim in out at whim.



Sent from my iPhone using AustFreqFly

 

[RooFlyer]

For those countries, for less than 5 days each I would be using Vodafone Red Roaming @$5/day. It covers them all. If you don't need it on any particular day turn aircraft mode on and you won't get charged the $5

Thanks; had a quick look. Have to be on an eligible Vodaphone plan (so if I'm with Telstra, that's a cost) then $5/day activated and $1/MB data (plus call, text etc).

Doesn't sound that great for me, not being a current Vodaphone customer. I'm on call business-wise when I'm travelling, but have managed with internet at my accommodation (natch) plus the odd free Wi-Fi locations found in most cities these days. (When I was touring in Jordan last year, the driver had his phone hot spot on all the time ). I cache Google maps of my destination cities on my phone so can still use the GPS to get around that way. I am stuffed if I need to suddenly find something on Google etc while I'm out and about, but I'm also a map carrier most times

 

[Isochronous]

Not on Vodafone either so need an alternative.

 

[Disco]

Hi Rooflyer,
Not sure if this is the best way for a question but you have a refreshingly down to earth, not too technical (sorry) way of reporting your travels and experiences. By the way, I did read your Saint Petersburg report from last year and it sounds great. Question: using your Aussie sim and hotspotting etc with WiFi, did/do you tether a tablet? And, if so, did it chew up a lot of the data allowance? Which I found mine does when travelling in Aus at some distance. Normally I don't use much as I have a home computer. Anyone else who can offer an explanation (for a very non-tech kind of person) and/or recommendation for overseas data roaming with a tablet please feel free to add to the post.
happy travels, Di

 

[PLANT]

Need an update for 2016 trip around Europe please....landing in Amsterdam!

 

[EestiTiger]

I have used TravelSIM for many years and am very happy with them. The customer service is top notch on the couple of occassions I had issues (the joys of Meego and Windows Phones!)

Not sure if people are aware of the new EU laws coming into effect in 2017 Mobile phones: Data roaming charges will be abolished - BBC News This should make it better to just buy a local SIM and use that for your travel, assuming all your travel is within the EU.