Mobiles Abroad ( sim card)

S

Spyro

Well-Known Member
Joined
18 Jan 2003
Messages
7,591
Location
Clyde
Visit site
I'm off Majorca shortly for a weeks sailing, I have a mobile Phone supplied by my employer which I'm not allowed to use abroad. So I intend to buy a separate sim card for my own use. My dilemma is wither to by a new sim card here or Buy one in Spain. Any recommendations?

Thanks
 
From my experience international calls made abroad (i.e. from Majorca to the UK) are cheaper when made with a local SIM card. I don't know the Spanish market but getting a pay-as-you-go SIM card is pretty straightforward. You would, however, have to buy a certain amount of units that you may or may not use.

Also bear in mind that if you bought a pay-as-you-go in the UK you may have to pay a premium to use it abroad AND you may be charged for receiving calls. With a Spanish pay-as-you-go you probably wouldn't be charged.

But if it's only for a week do you really need it?
 
It's possible that you may have to have the phone 'unlocked' to use a different suppliers SIM card.

When I came back from France last year I had a French phone with a Bougues Telecom SIM card in it. As I wanted to change to an English provider I had to have the phone 'unlocked' so that I could use another providers SIM card.
 
I'll be phoning home to Uk and also receiving calls. so I suppose anyone calling me would pay the whole price of the call if I have a Spanish Sim?
 
To check whether this might work,find somebody using a different net work to you,and swap the SIM cards if theirs works in your phone chances are that your phone is unlocked,if it doesn't then you will need to get it unlocked.
In sunny Canterbury theres a chap at the Friday market who does this for a fiver,and if he can't unlock it, will sell you a second-hand phone to do the job for a tenner!
I'm sure there will be similar bods north of the border!
 
Being a cheap skate I bought a 2nd hand mobile from Virgin - pay as you go. I used it abroad after I gave them authority to debit my a/c monthly. Same tarrif, just a heck of a lot easier
 
and you have to offset the cost of unlocking your phone, buying a sim and the price of pay as you go credits. Probably not worth it for a week. An English sim card you could still use when you got home.
 
My impression is that prepaid in UK are the most expensive anywhere. A Vodaphone cost 15quid plus 10 quids for some credit that seemed to go no where. Here in Oz $30, (12 quid) will get you a SIM including $30 of calls so my guess that any other countries prepaid will be a lot cheaper than UK also. (may be wrong) I'd say go for a local SIM. olewill
 
Assuming the phone is unlocked then definitely buy a SIM over here. Using a UK SIM over here is expensive so go native.

If you use UK SIM and someone calls you from the UK then YOU will also pay a price for receiving the call. (As per my previous posts - DO NOT USE Vodafone)

Amena are a pretty good provider - check out there web-site for coverage for where you are going. 25€'s will get you the SIM and about 12€'s of calls.
Now you want the "EuroDirect" calling card for 6€'s to then call the UK (and elsewhere) cheaply. Get this from most tobaconists but it must be the €direct card for best value. Tobaco shops can also top up your payg sim.

Steve
www.seraph-apartments.com
 
I use Movistar pay-as-you go SIM when in Spain and am sure it must work out cheaper than using a Brit SIM abroad, and it means receiving calls is free as you don't have to pay the abroad section of the cost as you would with a Brit SIM.
The only thing is whether your current phone will take a Movistar card as not all phones do. The cost of the SIM usually includes a fair chunk of call balance too - though can't remember exactly how much.
 
In Baltic .... many use them ...

Pay as you go cards are everywhere .... at cashiers in supermarkets, most shops etc. have a box full at the desk ... And you get a reasonable number of mins. for your money as well ....

When I employ a new Inspector etc. - I give pay as you go cards while they complete 3 month probation period ... once accepted - they go onto company a/c cards ...
The difference in charges is actually quite small out here ...

And we are lucky that most phones are NOT locked and able to swap cards as and when you like !!
i don't know why they insist on locking phones now - considering that unlocking can be done by anyone who downloads the software from internet. So its lost its security value to keep you oin 'their' network. As each phoine id's itself on the cells by a unique number - it is simple for the networks to block your phone if using another card - just as it is when its stolen ... (I take it you all have noted down the ID code of your phone - obtained by keying a sequence to get it displayed ?? The International Mobile Equipment Identity - a unique 15-digit code used to identify an individual GSM mobile telephone to a mobile network. It can be displayed on most phones by dialling *#06#. It is also usually printed on the compliance plate under the battery. )
 
Re: In Baltic .... many use them ...

Just found out that you need to be careful with using Vodaphone ES pay and go cards in Spain.

In my ongoing problems with (UK) O2 complete lack of customer service and competency they again decided to bar my phone (Nokia 6310i)... So I brought a local SIM for my unlocked phone - it receives calls, sends and receives SMS but I can't make outgoing calls. The Vodaphone shop was unable to resolve this and the card worked in their phones so blamed the fact the phone is English. At the same time another UK customer was in the shop with an identical problem.

Have since tried a UK vodaphone SIM and it works fine, as does my spare Orange SIM.

Vodaphone ES was charging 60 cents per text...

PW
 
We used to bring in used mobiles ...

In early days out here mobiles were real expensive - soi it was common to buy up second-hand contract expired UK phones and bring them out here for the inspectors etc. - they were heavy handed with the gear and spending $700+ on a phone for them to wreck was not on !

BUT we found that often a call would have to be dialed 3 or 4 times to get out ... calls in were ok. Later we found out that the UK phones were 'detected' on the network and were effectively blocked ... not fully but in not conforming to local - they made it difficult ...
In the end phone prices came down here and recently contract style phones as in UK have started up ... so we no longer bring them in ....

So watch out using UK based mobiles elsewhere - on their own cards etc. OK - try and cheat - ZAP !!
 
I also went for Movistar on the grounds that it is the largest in Spain with the best coverage and most offices. It seems fine - we occasionally buy 'Happy' cards from tobacconists which give cheap calls to UK via your mobile, without using your Movistar balance. We have taken the tariff that is cheap after 1630 and at weekends and it works out fine.

Actually, we Skype for a fraction of the cost of a mobile call 98% of the time and mainly use the mobile for incoming calls.

If you ask them, the Movistar office will arrange your PAYG account so that all messages are in English.
 
vodafone

I bought a pay as you go in Spain with a fone,coz I dont want to pay for the calls thats are made to me. The spanish sim card will not work in my UK vodafone alltho it is a spanish vodafone -
There never seems to be enuf on the card and I am gonna get a contract one next time
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top