Buying a Swiss prepaid SIM at Zurich Airport?
 

Hello guys,

I'll be spending some hours at Kloten Airport next wednesday, waiting for my connecting flight to Johannesburg. I was wondering if there's a possibility to buy a swiss prepaid card in the passenger area of this airport since I want to improve my collection of foreign prepaid cards :D I've seen that Sunrise and Swisscom outlets are located in the public area, which I won't enter though. I've also noticed that in the passenger area there is a K-Kiosk, don't know if they sell cards. Is some ID-proof required in order to activate a swiss card?

Thanks/Grazie :cool:

Except for the shops of Swisscom, Sunrise and Orange in the public area ("Airport Shopping Plaza") there's no place to buy SIM cards at Kloten airport. But distances are not too far - I think 20-30 minutes should be enough to get a SIM card and pass security check again.
When buying a SIM card in Switzerland you are required to show your ID for registration, however you don't need to be a Swiss resident.
If you want to get online in Switzerland I would recommend a Swisscom SIM with the "Natel Easy Be Free" prepaid plan, which gives you unlimited internet access for CHF 5 per day (for details check Switzerland - Swisscom - Prepaid Wireless Internet Access), which is significantly cheaper and more secure than the unencrypted WiFi network at the airport.

You can now buy SIM cards at the k kiosks.

ok.- Mobile | Smart und günstig ist voll ok.

There should be quite a few of them at the Airport.

Internet is 2.- / day.

Ok mobile is on the Orange network. So, you have to recharge the Sim once a year (and sometimes the system looses your number despite that) ....

Bought OK Mobile at a k kiosk, worked like a dream! :)

Thanks for the tip 90180360.

Hi inquisitor,
May I know that the APN for Swisscom prepaid sim card? And, this sim card can be used in Huawei mifi? Besides, Swisscom just provide day plan only? No weekly plan? Will the Swisscom staff helping for the SIM card activation? Thanks a lot.
Kimdo

Yes: Let me google that for you

You can use every GSM/UMTS SIM card in your Mifi. No need to ask this again and again for each country and network.

I'm only aware of two monthly plans including 300MB for CHF19,- and 2000MB for CHF39,-, which however can only be ordered from an iPad: Internet iPad - Tarife iPad - iPad 2 - Swisscom - NATEL® data start - NATEL® data easy flex

They will sell it activated and remember to bring your identity card as the SIM card will need to be registered upon purchase.

Thanks again.

For about 12 days travelling in Switzerland, the "Natel Easy Be Free" prepaid plan and 2 GB iPad monthly plan, which one more suitable for me? Do you think unlimited daily plan is better?

Planning a trip to Switzerland. Would fly into ZRH and then board a 3-hour train ride for Wengen.

Is the Swisscom shop near the train station? Or the OK vending machine?

Even though Swisscom costs more, I would imagine you're likely to have better coverage in the mountains, like most of the Bernese Oberland?

Is the activation instant? Can I use it immediately for data?

This page indicates it's 4 CHF per day for data?

Mobile phone tariffs ? Mobile phone flat-rate tariffs ? NATEL® Easy BeFree ? Swisscom ? Mobile phone flat ? Surf flat-rate mobile phone ? Flat-rate mobile ? Daily flat rate - Residential Customers - Swisscom

If I only use data on a given day, I'd only be charged the 4 CHF, not the rates for the calls or texts?

Swisscom, sunrise and Orange all have shops at the airport which are opened daily from 8am to 9pm:
http://www.zurich-airport.com/deskto...id-816/csec-1/

Also there are a KKiosks which sell OK mobile SIM cards that offer some interesting data options.

Except for Orange you will also find all these shops in the underground mall "RailCity" beneath Zürich main station: SBB: ShopVille-RailCity Zürich: Shops.

With a swisscom "Natel Easy BeFree" SIM card you can immediately start using data at CHF 4.00/day (you won't be chared the call or text rate unless you place an outgoing phone call or send a text). For other SIM cards it will take a couple of minutes before your ordered data option has been activated (wait for a confirmation by text).

Hmm, OK Mobile sounds good, esp that 1 GB for 15 CHF.

But is there network good as those of others?

The Orange one is a bit confusing. It's 2 CHF a day but there's a 500 MB threshold per month after which they can throttle, according to the fine print.

But they say if you top up, there are bonuses, one of which is free surfing. Does that mean the overall threshold still applies but they don't take the 2 CHF for some period of days?

OK Mobile is an MVNO on the Orange network, which was tested best for smartphone usage by the "Connect" magazine last year. Despite swisscom has reached higher peak data rates in cities (7.9 vs. 3.5 MBit/s) and has a wee more 3G coverage all Swiss networks provide excellent coverage in global-scale comparison. Especially in the tourism regions, including alpine terrain, you will hardly find coverage gaps since inbound roaming is a significant revenue contributor for Swiss operators who therefore put great stress on covering these areas.

Regarding Orange I can't find the free data bonus on their website but if they throttle paying customers, they will throttle bonus users all the more.

OK, that's good to know. I do recall seeing Swisscom Wifi hotspots in Grindlewald on my previous trip.

Actually would be using this in a Mifi and possibly using it at the hotel as well, which is why the "unlimited" nature of Swisscom's product was appealing.

This is just in case the place I want to stay in charges for Wifi or has throttled speeds. I want to be able to download podcasts and in a trip to Cannes, the hotel Wifi was only about 200 Kbps, so an hour podcast would take way more than an hour to download.