Think I have it figured out for Italy/France/UK trip
 

I've done a lot of reading and think I've got it figured out, but wanted to double-check.

Next month we're spending time first in Rome, followed by France and a day or two in London. When I'm at home I can't live without my Google maps - let alone on vacation... Not only do we have a bunch of things pinned on our map but it's great to be able to "get lost" and then check the GPS on the map and be found again. :)

It seems like Wind has the better data plans, and it seems like I'd want the Wind9 (Super Senza Scatto if they don't have it) along with the Mega No Limit data plan.

Instead of having to get another sim in France, it seems like I can roam on Wind there and in the UK as well.

For data roaming I'd want the Roaming No Limit as I then pay the usual Italian data rates.

For voice is Easy Roaming only for calling numbers in Italy? If that's the case then it looks like calls in any EU country to any EU country are just 51c without any sort of option.

Finally, since the Call Your Country option is free for the first 6 months it sounds like a good deal for calling Australia and USA.

Do I have them activate all these plans when I buy the sim as well?

If so then I tell the shop I'd like a Wind9 sim (Super Senza Scatto if they don't have any Wind9 sims) activated with:
Mega No Limit (20€/month)
Roaming No Limit (3€/month)
Call Your Country (free for 6 months)

Since the sim is 10€ (with 5€ credit) if I pay 40€ I should end up with 40-20-3-5= 12€ of credit and a huge data allowance, right?

Thanks for helping me - hope this topic becomes helpful for someone else as well!

Was hoping someone could help me with this and answer the few questions I had and let me know if I'm on the right track. Effendi, perhaps? Thanks! :)

I only have one small comment to make which is with regard to Wind's 'Easy roaming' add-on. The 5 Euros that you will need to spend on this will be completely wasted for the Euro destinations that you are going to (UK and France) as voice rates within the EU are now capped to a sensible level as it is.

Yes that's what I thought - Easy Roaming just gets cheaper calls to Italy from outside of Italy but I shouldn't really need that.

Roaming No Limit is the important one for the data!

Does everything I said make sense and sound correct?

Cheers.

Sounds like a good plan. I'd get a UK SIM too, if it were any longer than a day or two, but I think you're fine if you're really not there for long.

Just wondering why you're suggesting that? Can't I use the Wind sim in the UK with the included data for no fee (after the 3€ for Roaming No Limit) and 51c/min for voice calls? We're planning on being in the UK for 4 days now - what does that change? Seems like it would be easier to use that one sim for the whole 12 day trip as opposed to getting multiple sims.

Thanks for your response though - tell me if I'm missing something!

May be because UK sims a very cheap, and in most cases can be had for free. On most of them you can call the USA for about 5p - 7p/min.

I'm going to be using more data than voice and it seems like the Wind data is way cheaper both in Italy and outside, at least compared to the UK providers - or am I missing something?

Otherwise I'd consider getting a UK sim to use elsewhere as opposed to the Wind one.

I think that 40€ should get me pretty far as I'm not planning to talk that much.

That's exactly what I meant. If you want to call the USA, it will cost quite a bit on your Italian SIM (the 51 cents only applies to the EU), and adding 5 GBP to the free UK SIM would be a much better way of calling home. Another reason, probably unimportant in your case, is if you need to give anyone a local number. OTOH, while data is generally pretty cheap in the UK, if you've already paid for a bunch of it in Italy, you might as well use it.

One more thing, if you're planning on coming back at some point, you might want to look at some of the other threads here about the best way to keep the SIM active (ie, in Italy, buy several small top-up codes before you go and apply them once a year; in the UK, send an SMS to someone every six months).

Is it correct that for data it would cost more to get a UK sim and use it in Italy/France as well, compared to getting only a Italian sim and using it in France/UK?

I looked at the sites for the UK carriers and i didn't see a big data bundle package with inexpensive EU roaming from a UK provider similar to the one from Wind. Or did I miss it?

Thanks to all for the responses so far :)



EDIT: Looked at UK carriers sites

I don't understand the question, as I can't see a big roaming data bundle on Wind. I can see €3 per megabyte which is more expensive for roaming than some UK SIMs, and some of them also have fairly modest bundles which work out a bit cheaper pro rata. Outside roaming bundles, if you want more than 20 or 30 or 50 MB a day you certainly need a local SIM anyway, and they'd be better value before that.

The Mega No Limit plan includes 2.6 GB/month for €20.00/month. And for roaming:
So for €23 I don't see how I could use that much data in 10 days! Even at €.51 for roaming outside of Italy I think it will be ok since I don't plan to do much talking.

I think you might be missing something here. Were you thinking that you would continue using your 2.6GB allowance when you leave Italy?
(from: Wind - Privati - Mega No Limit)

Basically, you cannot use your allowance of Mega no Limit when you are in UK and France. The 3 Euro option you are buying into is merely guaranteeing your rate of around 3 Euros per MB whilst you are roaming. That is all. You will still need to pay for that separately. As Andy points out, 3Euros/MB is hardly a rate to write home about!

At least for the UK you are much better off using a UK SIM for your data requirements. Some UK SIMs even have similar prices of roaming within Europe to the Wind rate, but without needing to cough up 3 euros for the 'privilege' of doing so.

Yes, I was thinking that based on the quote from this page: PrePaidGSM: Wind (Italy)

I was reading it as you get €8000.00/month (~2.6GB) data bundle for €30/month, and the Roaming No Limit option lets you use that bundle for roaming as well. I guess I'm reading it wrong? Would help if I could speak Italian ;)

So then it sounds like I'm back to the drawing board again. Will any one sim from Italy/France/UK get me reasonably priced data roaming in the other two countries? I looked around and don't see any reasonable data offers for the International providers either.

So should I just get 3 different sims?

IMO, if you main need is data, then the best solution is probably to get a separate sim for each country. That's the only way you can get cheap data rates. Data roaming is expensive in general. And the international sims are not any better. In most cases, they are more expensive.

I'm realizing that makes the most sense. Any suggestions for providers with a good but inexpensive data plan in France and the UK? I did some brief research but need to do some more. Wish there were more pages like this PrePaidGSM: Prepaid Data in Italy for other countries!

Yes 3 separate national SIMs will certainly make more financial sense. I am not sure about France, but in the UK you are spoilt for choice. Most UK prepaid SIMs are free, and many will give you a free bundle of data just for topping up with £10 (or in some cases less). If yours is a 3G phone you could consider "Three". https://www.three.co.uk/Pay_As_You_G...der_a_free_SIM
The other advantage with three is that they give you free Skype access which does not count towards your data allowance. o2 have a similar deal where a £10 topup entitles you to free SMS and internet (I believe 500MB). http://freesim.o2.co.uk. I think T-Mobile have something similar too.

Other SIM's have capped data, no matter how much you use per day (within reason). Perhaps a UK member will be more up to date with the prepaid data deals than me?

Have you looked at Low-cost Europe cell phones and European SIM cards they have a data system to work in all three countries. Look at the T&C I think there is a $60.00 a year charge to keep active. I have never used them so I do not know how the service is. They charge your credit card after you use the service. It is not prepaid. They are based in NY so you get the sim before you go. I myself use local sims. This is just another Idea.

Seems like Wind is the way to go? We're starting off in the UK, going through France, Italy, Austria, Croatia and then Bosnia.

We have post-paid 3 Australia accounts, and I believe the 3 Like Home system is pretty good? Or is Wind better? We also need Google Maps access, we'll die without it, and most SIMs I have looked at including Global SIMs have INSANE data prices.

Any suggestions?

HTC Desire (UK Version Unlocked) / 3 Australia Post Paid SIM

No I do not think so. If you are starting off in the UK, you may as well just pick up any SIM for data usage there, as the roaming data rates in your other countries are comparable (if not cheaper) than Wind. This will probably be your best option even in your other countries if you anticipate light data use. The cheapest would of course be to pick up a SIM in each country, but that choice is yours. As it is France has very poor prepaid data offerings, but on the other hand Austria have very good deals (especially at Hoffer/Aldi). Just search through this forum for details.

Likewise when in Italy, if you anticipate high data use, then get a Wind card for use there. As mentioned higher in this thread, I do not think its roaming deal is anything that special.

Three like home? Does this still exist? Not in the UK at least, but you may be able to get one in Australia and Austria. Bear in mind that you are usually restricted to the use of the Three network in each country, which is often rather poor.

Can I pop a Wind SIM in my phone and make and receive calls or is it just for mobile data? I will get one for my wife and I. Be nice if we can call each other cheaply too. I will just get SIMs for each country then. What's recommended for UK and Austria for data and voice access via smartphone? Gawd we'll die without live GPS.

Search through this forum for info on yesss!. I think they still have the best offer, and you can pick up their SIM's at any Hofer supermarket, which are all over the place.

Works for me then.. Does this Yesss have coverage across Austria and out of the towns? And when I get one of these things, what about instructions on how to use them? All in German? And getting credit balance?

Do I need ID or anything else to get pre-paid SIMs?

Great!!! So Three pre-paid for the UK, Wind for Italy, Yesss for Austria, now just France, Croatia and Bosnia to sort out! VIPNet seems quite good in Croatia..

And how much can you generally expect to pay for a SIM and to activate it, is it expensive?

And these will just work in our unlocked 900 / 2100 UK model phones?

I suggest discussing Yesss questions here: http://www.prepaidgsm.net/forum/euro...e-austria.html