Toggle Sim Cards

[ZigZaging]

Hi all
Re - Toggle Sim cards

I’m looking for a different solution for this summer’s outing in the Med, we tried Gymsim last year. Seen these Toggle sims and they look promising - anyone had any experience of this company?

It will be interesting to see the mobile phone main players tariffs for roaming in July when the EU directive should be enforced - but I’ll need to be all setup by the end of next month. Any thoughts?

 

[Forty_Two]

I believe that all that will change this year is that incoming roaming calls will be free as texts are now. The EU has given the mobile companies till 2016 for true free roaming & they are fighting this.

I have just moved to EE as they have EU & US roaming (excluding data) included in our unlimited mins/texts plan.

For data I use a Mifi with Sfr sim in France (30€/mth PAYG) or '3' PAYG sim for Italy as that's an included country.

 

[DaveRo]

I've not used one but here's a long thread about them
http://www.prepaidgsm.net/forum/showthread.php?t=6765

 

[TonyMS]

As far as I can see, 3 charge £100 a Gig in Italy, for both contract and PAYG, which doesn't seem very included!

 

[charles_reed]

As my mobile usage for calls and texts is now minimal, but my use of mobile data high, I'm not bothered much about roaming. However, I'm currently in Finland and have discovered roaming texts and making calls are now cheaper than UK.
This means that, in Greece, it's no longer overwhelmingly cheaper to have a voice/text local SIM, than to use my UK Vodafone SIM roaming.
However, as UK mobile data is ridiculously expensive I'll still continue with my Greek data SIM which gives me 5Gb for €30/month.

 

[Forty_Two]

As far as I can see, 3 charge £100 a Gig in Italy, for both contract and PAYG, which doesn't seem very included!

Here you go

http://www.three.co.uk/Discover/Phones/Feel_At_Home

 

[RobbieW]

Here you go

http://www.three.co.uk/Discover/Phones/Feel_At_Home

Had a look at that as SWMBO is looking at changing her contract. Down in the Ts and Cs it says if you use the service more than 3 times a year or for a full month it can be withdrawn - I dont think this works for liveaboards then, even part time ones. I'm drawn by an O2 contract with their O2 Travel option at the moment, like charles_reed we're primarily interested in voice/texts - data stays with a local SIM.

 

[ZigZaging]

Had a look at EE Forty_two and as a new customer it’ll cost about £21pm for 60 mins roaming calls, so that’s something to consider.
DaveRo now that is a long thread and quite technical.
Tony I think we may well be laid up in the same yard as Razzmatazz. Well we did take your advice you posted some time ago.
Yes the T&C’s for 3 are a great shame - sounded just the job otherwise, what we really need is a sim that friends & family can call us using their bundled minutes ie at no extra cost and a free to receive calls while roaming sim for us. The O2 option sounds interesting too. More trawling to be done me thinks..
Like the quote Robbie

 

[DaveRo]

DaveRo now that is a long thread and quite technical.

Indeed, and I haven't read it all. But Toggle is obviously not just another international SIM, it's aimed at folk with particular requirements. As one poster says:
I have been struggling to understand Toggle for about a week now (post 109)

We don't know what you want. Data? Voice/SMS? And what countries? France, Italy, Greece, Turkey all have their own best solutions - and those are the ones I know something about.

Cheap data roaming in the EU is years away IMO. So local SIMs (or 3 in Italy) are cheapest.

 

[Forty_Two]

Had a look at EE Forty_two and as a new customer it’ll cost about £21pm for 60 mins roaming calls, so that’s something to consider.

Interesting, we took the 4GExtra deal which includes free unlimited call/text roaming for two years which will see us to the time when roaming will be included for all (according to the EU). I assume that price you quoted is for an Addon pack, not the included roaming. They did say it was only included upto 31st Jan but it's not been taken off the website. I don't suppose 12 months roaming would be acceptable though!

 

[ZigZaging]

to Toggle or not

We'll probably be in Sardinia, Corsica & Italy this year completing a figure of eight and then hopping down the Italian coast towards Sicily (loose plan, maybe) and only looking for voice.
The EE Deal was pay monthly sim - only 4GEE 21 plan -12 months plan - unlimited minutes & texts £16.00 a month (12 months)
then add an “extra” 60 Global Roaming Minutes £6.00 per month (they said £5 on the chat window)
Decisions Decisions

 

[LadyInBed]

How do these Toggle data packages compare to a local sim?
http://www.togglemobile.co.uk/toggle-bundles/en

 

[DaveRo]

How do these Toggle data packages compare to a local sim?
http://www.togglemobile.co.uk/toggle-bundles/en

Very similar to giffgaff 'gigbags' which I use. That's only for the UK of course.
Giffgaff SIMs are free, Toggle cost £25 with £20 credit I think, though it's probably possible to get a free one.
Both use O2's network. I've also used 3; it has unlimited data bundles which includes some voice/SMS - cost £15 IIRC.

Toggle looks OK for voice roaming to me, but I haven't studied the intricacies.

I find, when ringing businesses in Greece (chandleries, restaurants) they sometimes don't answer a call from a UK number. And maybe they're more likely to ring you back on a local one.

 

[Hoolie]

SWMBO has a Toggle SIM. It can not be used for data tethering so realistically limited to voice. Call charges are reasonable, but the scheme seems a bit flaky. Assigned foreign numbers don't always work even though they're within the duration paid for. Easy enough to sort out by contacting them, but it's a hassle if you're 12,000 miles away.