Use of phone, mifi and data abroad (2022)

[Dottie]

I’m off abroad (Spain & Portugal) soon and would like to continue to use my phone for data (WhatsApp’s and Life360) when I’m out and about, and data when back at sites (for emails, YouTube’s, uploading photos to cloud, etc. Back at sites, I will use Wi-fi when available, in preference.

Due to the length of time I’m planning for my trip, I am unable to rely on the my O2 contract, which will turn off everything after 63days (I know, this happened to me!), so need to look at alternatives.

Will this work for the uses I have identified for it’s use?
1 turn off Mobile Data and Mobile Data Options (I think this will kill the data, but i need to find out how to switch off calls?)
2 buy a mifi
2 buy local PAYG SIM* (from local supermarket) for the mifi (will have to buy one in Spain and another in Portugal)
3 pair phone to mifi for data use whilst out and about (Whatsapps and Life360). I’d take the mifi out and about with me too.
* can I top up a local PAYG using my credit card, without a local address?

So this is where I’ve got to. I started out looking at Three SIMs but both O2 and Martin Lewis suggest the best option.

 

[WelshGas]

I’m off abroad (Spain & Portugal) soon and would like to continue to use my phone for data (WhatsApp’s and Life360) when I’m out and about, and data when back at sites (for emails, YouTube’s, uploading photos to cloud, etc. Back at sites, I will use Wi-fi when available, in preference.

Due to the length of time I’m planning for my trip, I am unable to rely on the my O2 contract, which will turn off everything after 63days (I know, this happened to me!), so need to look at alternatives.

Will this work for the uses I have identified for it’s use?
1 turn off Mobile Data and Mobile Data Options (I think this will kill the data, but i need to find out how to switch off calls?)
2 buy a mifi
2 buy local PAYG SIM* (from local supermarket) for the mifi (will have to buy one in Spain and another in Portugal)
3 pair phone to mifi for data use whilst out and about (Whatsapps and Life360). I’d take the mifi out and about with me too.
* can I top up a local PAYG using my credit card, without a local address?

So this is where I’ve got to. I started out looking at Three SIMs but both O2 and Martin Lewis suggest the best option.

I use a preloaded 3 data sim from Amazon. Lasts for a year from 1st use.

 

[Dottie]

I use a preloaded 3 data sim from Amazon. Lasts for a year from 1st use.

But are you likely to have to pay daily charges? Rules have changed recently.

 

[The Tall Luthier]

I don’t know whether this helps but…….
I’m off to France next week so I went to Free.fr and bought a mobile data sim online 10€.
The beauty was it was an eSim deal and my iPhone can handle eSim technology.

Briefly, an eSim arrives as aQR code that you scan, your phone then rejigs itself and hey presto you have two phone numbers and two data packages running simultaneously.

I intend on switching my data package to the Free eSim and keep my phone as the UK number when I arrive in France next week.

I assume this is also a possibility with a Spanish phone provider.

Could one of our Spanish members perhaps suggest a good company to use please?

 

[WelshGas]

But are you likely to have to pay daily charges? Rules have changed recently.

No.

 

[Dottie]

But are you likely to have to pay daily charges? Rules have changed recently.

So no additional daily charges, but will it only allow you use for 2months in every 4, like many providers in UK when abroad?

 

[Dottie]

I don’t know whether this helps but…….
I’m off to France next week so I went to Free.fr and bought a mobile data sim online 10€.
The beauty was it was an eSim deal and my iPhone can handle eSim technology.

Briefly, an eSim arrives as aQR code that you scan, your phone then rejigs itself and hey presto you have two phone numbers and two data packages running simultaneously.

I intend on switching my data package to the Free eSim and keep my phone as the UK number when I arrive in France next week.

I assume this is also a possibility with a Spanish phone provider.

Could one of our Spanish members perhaps suggest a good company to use please?

View attachment 90959

Do you put this in your mifi?
Hoping this isn't a stupid question, but does a phone sim work in a mifi?

 

[The Tall Luthier]

Do you put this in your mifi?
Hoping this isn't a stupid question, but does a phone sim work in a mifi?

I’ve never used Mifi so I can speak to that.

However iPhone has a ‘personal hotspot’ option so all of the data can be shared by friends and family.

This option is/was controllable by the phone company, in this case Free.fr allow it.

Your Mifi device must be eSim compatible, which some are, to do that which I outlined in my previous post.

 

[kp64zl]

Do you put this in your mifi?
Hoping this isn't a stupid question, but does a phone sim work in a mifi?

Yes - there was an EU law passed a few years ago enforcing this -

 

[kp64zl]

Something like “net neutrality “ as up to that point some providers were charging more to use sim in iPads, mifi etc

 

[Dottie]

Thanks for help.
I’ve a tp link mifi on order along with three sims and will look for a local sim, if nec.

 

[Ting Tong]

Practically all UK providers now have a fair usage cap for EU roaming of about 12gb and charge £5 a day thereafter. We previously used a Superdrug sim for EU data but they applied that cap last month.

iDmobile currently have no roaming cap unless they detect you’ve roamed more in 4 months than you’ve been at home. £17.50 for unlimited data on rolling 1m contact.

The other option is to rent an unlimited sim for €1.50 a day from SpainInternet.net and collect from a MrW store when you arrive.

Reglo mobile 100gb sim from Leclerc is the best if you’re in France but you can only use 10gb EU roaming.

EU Roaming Fair Usage | Help & Advice | iD Mobile Network

Read everything you need to know about our fair usage policy designed to prevent our inclusive EU roaming feature from being misused.

www.idmobile.co.uk

 

[Dottie]

Practically all UK providers now have a fair usage cap for EU roaming of about 12gb and charge £5 a day thereafter. We previously used a Superdrug sim for EU data but they applied that cap last month.

iDmobile currently have no roaming cap unless they detect you’ve roamed more in 4 months than you’ve been at home. £17.50 for unlimited data on rolling 1m contact.

The other option is to rent an unlimited sim for €1.50 a day from SpainInternet.net and collect from a MrW store when you arrive.

Reglo mobile 100gb sim from Leclerc is the best if you’re in France but you can only use 10gb EU roaming.

EU Roaming Fair Usage | Help & Advice | iD Mobile Network

Read everything you need to know about our fair usage policy designed to prevent our inclusive EU roaming feature from being misused.

www.idmobile.co.uk

Perfect, I’ll make a note of the Spain internet.net option.
I have been caught out with the fair usage policy recently, thus my planning ahead on this one...I’m likely to get caught out again.

 

[Ting Tong]

Perfect, I’ll make a note of the Spain internet.net option.
I have been caught out with the fair usage policy recently, thus my planning ahead on this one...I’m likely to get caught out again.

Yes we just used it in Spain for the second half of our trip when we’d used up the Superdrug data. We collected it from MrW in Ronda. It’s a Telefonica sim and worked faultlessly in our HUAWEI E5577 mifi. I’m going to give idMobile a go when we goto NL later this month.

 

[kp64zl]

Sorry to hijack this thread …..

I’ve a Question — has EE actually reintroduced roaming charges yet?
I entered france on 10th March and it was still free (I’m on pay as you go) despite the website saying that they would introduce charges from 2nd March…


- wonder if it’s changed as back to france next week. ??

—————————————————————

message from EE on 10th March:

Welcome to France. Great news, if you have a pack, Free Boost or add-on, you can now use your allowances in France at no extra cost.

If you don't have any of these, standard UK rates apply - calls cost 35p/min and texts 15p each. Picture Messages cost 40p each. For Customer Services call +447953966250. In case of Emergency, dial 112. Enjoy your trip!

For the best possible network coverage please make sure your handset can automatically select a network. If you need help to do that, go here: http://ee.co.uk/help/phones-and-device

We're not enforcing our roaming fair use policy for the duration of this pandemic but for info of the terms for when we do, see ee.co.uk/paygfairuse

 

[Dottie]

Just for info...I learned about these policies simply cos I got cut off after a number of weeks abroad this winter. This meant I couldn’t phone O2 for guidance and they couldn’t contact me, I couldn’t receive texts to access/pay things and lost connection to friends and family.
So now I am being ultra cautious....and making notes of what I need my phone for so that I can update banks, etc of any new number.

however, I’m hoping I can carry around my mifi and use WiFi calling on my phone...and only connect to the network if I absolutely must in order to minimise the count of the days abroad. ill report how this went on my return. I’m a novice abroad with my campervan! First time....

 

[Dottie]

Practically all UK providers now have a fair usage cap for EU roaming of about 12gb and charge £5 a day thereafter. We previously used a Superdrug sim for EU data but they applied that cap last month.

iDmobile currently have no roaming cap unless they detect you’ve roamed more in 4 months than you’ve been at home. £17.50 for unlimited data on rolling 1m contact.

The other option is to rent an unlimited sim for €1.50 a day from SpainInternet.net and collect from a MrW store when you arrive.

Reglo mobile 100gb sim from Leclerc is the best if you’re in France but you can only use 10gb EU roaming.

EU Roaming Fair Usage | Help & Advice | iD Mobile Network

Read everything you need to know about our fair usage policy designed to prevent our inclusive EU roaming feature from being misused.

www.idmobile.co.uk

Any thoughts on Portugal?

 

[Parkinjm]

Cheap sim deal for Spain is Lobster The data and phone allowance can be used anywhere in Europe and UK. They don’t offer an eSIM option so sim has to go in phone or Mifi device. As a regular visitor to Spain, I like the fact that you can park the card (suspend it) until you return within the 12 month period. It’s all in English for those who don’t speak Castellano.

 

[Ting Tong]

Any thoughts on Portugal?

IDmobile or Lobster as @Parkinjm says. Their Large plan was just a small 55gb for €25 but I see they’ve increased it to 75gb: free roaming into Portugal.

 

[Tarquers]

May not help you but Vodafone have continued to honour the previous rules, my phone hasn’t been back to the U.K. since September 21 and roams happily over Europe and beyond with no issue. Have just got another line for a colleague where we ordered the roaming pack as part of the contract and same applies. Not cheap monthly but saves the £6 a day charge.

Worth noting that a lot of European carriers have terrible roaming deals especially for prepay so I would suggest a solid plan before you get a shock of running out of credit at an inconvenient time.

 

[kp64zl]

I’m on a £15/month EE pay as you go deal that offers 15GB per month (increased with free boosts) — to use in EU I would have to pay £2 per day.

Looking into French prepaid SIM cards the best deal I can find is 20 Euros per month (on ‘Free Mobile France’), which is approximately £16

Therefore for a standard week‘s holiday that we usually do as a family, the cost is the same whether to pay the EE daily fee or to install a French SIM card (because I won’t cancel the UK contract)….

Then I also looked at EE contracts that include ‘free roaming (a ’smart benefit’) and I think the cheapest was £20 per month (website offline at present) which means I’d need to spend 60 days in Europe per year to make it worth while…

So for the average holiday maker who does one/two week trips to France it seems like there’s not much advantage to go searching for French SIM cards. Perhaps other EU countries are much cheaper and then the maths will be different…….

 

[Celia Vanchez]

I’m off abroad (Spain & Portugal) soon and would like to continue to use my phone for data (WhatsApp’s and Life360) when I’m out and about, and data when back at sites (for emails, YouTube’s, uploading photos to cloud, etc. Back at sites, I will use Wi-fi when available, in preference.

Due to the length of time I’m planning for my trip, I am unable to rely on the my O2 contract, which will turn off everything after 63days (I know, this happened to me!), so need to look at alternatives.

Will this work for the uses I have identified for it’s use?
1 turn off Mobile Data and Mobile Data Options (I think this will kill the data, but i need to find out how to switch off calls?)
2 buy a mifi
2 buy local PAYG SIM* (from local supermarket) for the mifi (will have to buy one in Spain and another in Portugal)
3 pair phone to mifi for data use whilst out and about (Whatsapps and Life360). I’d take the mifi out and about with me too.
* can I top up a local PAYG using my credit card, without a local address?

So this is where I’ve got to. I started out looking at Three SIMs but both O2 and Martin Lewis suggest the best option.

We trialed an eSIM from Maya which you download onto your phone which can then be used as a hotspot for other phones/ipads. Installion was simple and it worked pretty well. Will consider using again if my telecoms company doesn’t improve its roaming offering which is more expensive than Maya by comparison.

 

[Nigel Herriott]

I use giffgaff, which works fine although I have not been for that length of time. No contract, renews monthly on auto renewal until you stop it. Uses thr O2 network.