I have a solution for good Mobile Data (300G) whilst in Spain (then any zone 1 country)

[ChrisL]

Reading all the above information is turning my little brain into a mush. I think I will continue cycling, sightseeing, reading books and enjoying the sun and fresh air. It will be easier.

okay when the weather's good, i was going to get the motorcycle out of the garage today and get over to Mont St Michel but it's blowing a gale and raining so it looks like it'll be Netflix again today

 

[Kups]

Thats a shame, might have to rethink our providers then. 2 phones plus mifi £180 per month.

That sounds alot! We've actually got 3 Sky Sims which together cost £23 per month which gives us 25Gb per month in total with free calls and text. As we generally only use large amounts of data when in the mh we build up our piggybank quickly for our EU trips. You should be able to top up your data in the piggybank via your account if it runs low so that you never get charged for EU roaming.

 

[Carpmart]

Reading all the above information is turning my little brain into a mush. I think I will continue cycling, sightseeing, reading books and enjoying the sun and fresh air. It will be easier.

Yes I understand it’s not for everyone, indeed the post wasn’t intended for everyone’s consumption, but those of us who after cycling, sightseeing, reading and enjoying the sun and fresh air, wish to retire into the warmth (still cold in evenings here in SE Spain) then we can watch a movie, browse the internet, stream music etc with impunity…

 

[Minxy]

That sounds alot! We've actually got 3 Sky Sims which together cost £23 per month which gives us 25Gb per month in total with free calls and text. As we generally only use large amounts of data when in the mh we build up our piggybank quickly for our EU trips. You should be able to top up your data in the piggybank via your account if it runs low so that you never get charged for EU roaming.

The £180 is the £2 a day x 30 days = £60 x 3 bits of kit = £180

 

[Mousy]

Two days. If you want the service, contact Camino and let her know that I can give you one of these (my) SIMs, then she can just send me a couple more direct to the Campsite… if that works for you guys?

That’s very kind of you thanks. Martins emailed her. See you later.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Kups]

The £180 is the £2 a day x 30 days = £60 x 3 bits of kit = £180

All the more reason to load the Sky piggybank to avoid the roaming charges.

 

[Stonemags76]

Those with a sky sim - can you use sky go without using data from your allowance in europe like it says you can in the Uk?

 

[jongood]

All the more reason to load the Sky piggybank to avoid the roaming charges.

I'm reading it that its going to be £2/day if you use the phone while roaming

 

[Minxy]

I'm reading it that its going to be £2/day if you use the phone while roaming

Yes that's my take on it too, it's not just data that will incur the charge but calls and texts too:

Roaming with Sky Mobile from 3 May 2022​

Our Roaming Passport Plus pass lets you access your UK data, calls and text allowances in popular holiday destinations for £6 for 24 hours.
From 3 May 2022, this will reduce from £6 to £2 for 24 hours and it will cover a new list of 55 destinations, including the EU/EEA (excludes Republic of Ireland, Channel Islands and Isle of Man).

Also info on here:

Broken Link Removed

Roaming in the EU / EEA
Roaming Passport lets you use data, calls and texts as you would at home.

EU/EEA roaming destinations​

To check where you can use your phone, see our list of EU/EEA roaming destinations PDF (81KB).

Data​

It works like it does at home, so any data you use will come out of your UK data plan like normal and it won't cost you anything extra*.
If you run out of data while you're away, you can still:

• Broken Link Removed
• Broken Link Removed
• Broken Link Removed
• Broken Link Removed

*Prices will change on 3 May 2022.

Calls and texts​

Any calls and texts will come out of your UK plan. If you have:

• Unlimited Calls and Texts - standard calls or texts to the UK or other EU/EEA destinations, including voicemail are inclusive (e.g. calls to the UK while you're in France or calls to Spain while you're in France).
• Pay As You Use - you'll be charged at the same rate (standard call and text rates) as you do in the UK to make and send calls and texts to the UK or other EU/EEA destinations. For a full list of charges, see the Broken Link Removed.

 

[The Dotties]

My contract phone with vodaphone expires shortly, and I am looking at sky sim only. (EU cover dosnt worry me).
Are sky users happy with the service in general for UK?

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[jongood]

My contract phone with vodaphone expires shortly, and I am looking at sky sim only. (EU cover dosnt worry me).
Are sky users happy with the service in general for UK?

Mostly, but parts of the home counties can be a bit patchy.

 

[Kups]

Yes that's my take on it too, it's not just data that will incur the charge but calls and texts too:

Roaming with Sky Mobile from 3 May 2022​

Our Roaming Passport Plus pass lets you access your UK data, calls and text allowances in popular holiday destinations for £6 for 24 hours.
From 3 May 2022, this will reduce from £6 to £2 for 24 hours and it will cover a new list of 55 destinations, including the EU/EEA (excludes Republic of Ireland, Channel Islands and Isle of Man).

Also info on here:

Broken Link Removed

Roaming in the EU / EEA
Roaming Passport lets you use data, calls and texts as you would at home.

EU/EEA roaming destinations​

To check where you can use your phone, see our list of EU/EEA roaming destinations PDF (81KB).

Data​

It works like it does at home, so any data you use will come out of your UK data plan like normal and it won't cost you anything extra*.
If you run out of data while you're away, you can still:

• Broken Link Removed
• Broken Link Removed
• Broken Link Removed
• Broken Link Removed

*Prices will change on 3 May 2022.

Calls and texts​

Any calls and texts will come out of your UK plan. If you have:

• Unlimited Calls and Texts - standard calls or texts to the UK or other EU/EEA destinations, including voicemail are inclusive (e.g. calls to the UK while you're in France or calls to Spain while you're in France).
• Pay As You Use - you'll be charged at the same rate (standard call and text rates) as you do in the UK to make and send calls and texts to the UK or other EU/EEA destinations. For a full list of charges, see the Broken Link Removed.

Looks like it's WhatsApp or Skype when abroad.

 

[TheBows]

Can you tell me how you got Sky Go on your firestick? I have done all the side loading etc but nothing will actually work. I too am a long standing Sky subscriber so would not see streaming Sky as piracy.

 

[Carpmart]

My contract phone with vodaphone expires shortly, and I am looking at sky sim only. (EU cover dosnt worry me).
Are sky users happy with the service in general for UK?

It’s O2’s Network. All okay from the 2.5yrs we have been using.

 

[DelMar]

Carpmart. Stream on, I must say the older I’m getting, the less I find TV entertaining. When abroad, we don’t even take it with us and don’t miss it. But I realise we are not all the same.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[ChrisL]

Can you tell me how you got Sky Go on your firestick? I have done all the side loading etc but nothing will actually work. I too am a long standing Sky subscriber so would not see streaming Sky as piracy.

I've never been able to make that work either, maybe one of those mini PC's with hdmi output would work or run it on a laptop if your tv has a PC connection, but you can't cast from a tablet or phone unfortunately.

 

[Carpmart]

I've never been able to make that work either, maybe one of those mini PC's with hdmi output would work or run it on a laptop if your tv has a PC connection, but you can't cast from a tablet or phone unfortunately.

My son-in-laws barber (clearly a clever chap) supplied a years ‘subscription’ to sky accessed via an app they load on the Firestick. I did have to download another ‘updated’ app this week, but that is the first change in six months. It’s great TBH.

 

[Carpmart]

Carpmart. Stream on, I must say the older I’m getting, the less I find TV entertaining. When abroad, we don’t even take it with us and don’t miss it. But I realise we are not all the same.

Me too, I’m not particularly keen on watching TV but I do watch a good bit of YouTube content and I just needed my mobile ‘household’ aka the Motorhome connected. Alexa can’t argue with me if she doesn’t have a connection, I have to prat about pairing stuff to use the tablet or the MacBook etc… it just needs to work!

My original post was aimed at those than ‘need’ ubiquitous high volume, decent speed 4G data. I understand your view and appreciate this isn’t important to everyone! I hope it is (will be) useful to some!

 

[ChrisL]

My son-in-laws barber (clearly a clever chap) supplied a years ‘subscription’ to sky accessed via an app they load on the Firestick. I did have to download another ‘updated’ app this week, but that is the first change in six months. It’s great TBH.

I'd love to hear more about that if possible, i already have a sky subscription and have a satellite dish on the van but i'm not expecting that to work when i get further south, at the moment when not using the satellite dish I watch sky go on a 10 inch tablet but would prefer to watch via firestick and tv if possible.

 

[jongood]

Reading all the above information is turning my little brain into a mush. I think I will continue cycling, sightseeing, reading books and enjoying the sun and fresh air. It will be easier.

That's what we would rather do but it's not always possible in the winter.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[GeeCee]

Yup, 'fraid so. Sky have followed the profit herd and will be charging from 2nd May. Here's the info on their website:
Broken Link Removed
The Republic of Ireland, The Isle of Man and The Channel Islands continue to have no roaming charges.

What isn't said but Martin Lewis reported that as long as you're using your piggy bank data you'll not be charged these fees.
Here's what's on his website at https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2022/02/sky-price-hikes-broadband-tv/

EU roaming charges to be brought back from 3 May
In addition to the increases outlined above, Sky has also announced that it will charge mobile users £2 a day for data roaming – using their inclusive minutes, texts and calls – in the European Union from Tuesday 3 May.

Customers can, however, get around this by using unused data from previous months that's automatically stored in their 'Piggybank'. In this scenario, the stored data can be used free of charge in the EU.

If roaming is important to you, see our Cheap mobile and data roaming guide for info on how to use your phone abroad for less, including info on the providers that will continue to offer inclusive 'free' roaming.

I don't know if what you read has changed since you poosted the above but it now says - Customers can use any unused data from previous months that's automatically stored in their 'Piggybank' to avoid extra costs if you exceed your monthly allowance, but you'll still need to pay the £2 roaming charge.

So that's £60 - 62 a month. That said there are several Spanish campsites where the wifi is free (never come across a French one though) and you can avoid using your mobile hotspot. Also the option of Spanish/French PAYG SIM.

 

[Minxy]

My contract phone with vodaphone expires shortly, and I am looking at sky sim only. (EU cover dosnt worry me).
Are sky users happy with the service in general for UK?

It’s O2’s Network. All okay from the 2.5yrs we have been using.

Tesco is on the O2 network so check the sim deals with them too.

 

[Minxy]

I don't know if what you read has changed since you poosted the above but it now says - Customers can use any unused data from previous months that's automatically stored in their 'Piggybank' to avoid extra costs if you exceed your monthly allowance, but you'll still need to pay the £2 roaming charge.

So that's £60 - 62 a month. That said there are several Spanish campsites where the wifi is free (never come across a French one though) and you can avoid using your mobile hotspot. Also the option of Spanish/French PAYG SIM.

I suspect the writer (Emily) has corrected a mistake that she made previously when writing the article and publishing it on 17 Feb however she hasn't made it clear that she has 'edited/updated' it since ... very naughty of her!

 

[Kups]

I don't know if what you read has changed since you poosted the above but it now says - Customers can use any unused data from previous months that's automatically stored in their 'Piggybank' to avoid extra costs if you exceed your monthly allowance, but you'll still need to pay the £2 roaming charge.

So that's £60 - 62 a month. That said there are several Spanish campsites where the wifi is free (never come across a French one though) and you can avoid using your mobile hotspot. Also the option of Spanish/French PAYG SIM.

Yes, Martin Lewis's website advice changed during the day to now read as shown above. So there seems no way of avoiding the £2 per day. Seems like a VPN at £9 a month is going to be the best bet, there's some specifically for the Firestick which are worth checking.

 

[jongood]

Yes, Martin Lewis's website advice changed during the day to now read as shown above. So there seems no way of avoiding the £2 per day. Seems like a VPN at £9 a month is going to be the best bet, there's some specifically for the Firestick which are worth checking.

Ive just spoken to Sky and had it confirmed that any day you use the phone in EU the £2 will kick in. He reckoned that 15% price rises are imminent at most providers, but that O2 are still the ones saying that they won't be charging for roaming, however fair usage cap of 25gb and 2 months in any 4 applies. For us this will mostly work Ok apart from the winter so looks like its going to be Moroccan simcard and a vpn to bridge that gap.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Kups]

Ive just spoken to Sky and had it confirmed that any day you use the phone in EU the £2 will kick in.

Thanks that saved me a call. I presume then that any use of the sim card in the EU will be charged. Still looking like a VPN and sky sim is the best formula for anything over a week outside UK.

 

[Kups]

Those with a sky sim - can you use sky go without using data from your allowance in europe like it says you can in the Uk?

No sorry Sky terminated the service in January 2021. Broken Link Removed

 

[ChrisL]

Thanks that saved me a call. I presume then that any use of the sim card in the EU will be charged. Still looking like a VPN and sky sim is the best formula for anything over a week outside UK.

Personally i think Tesco mobile unlimited is the best current deal, no data cap and up to two months in every four, unless you’re going for longer, then Carpmart's deal would seem to be better.

 

[Bolti]

I have been testing out vpnuk as it was the cheapest I could find.
The initial trial cost £1.75 for a month then if you wish to continue it is £3.50 a month stop and start as you wish.
For that you get access from one device ( the app can we installed on numerous device but only one connected at a time, hotspotting is classed as one device).
It installs really well on the firestick and I have only had one occasion where I had to change severs to get a connection for iplayer.
For 4 years I had a subscription to purevpn and to be honest they were crap also their firestick app did not work.

VPNUK: Secure and Fast VPN Service for Online Privacy and Freedom

Protect your online privacy and enjoy unrestricted internet access with VPNUK. Our secure and lightning-fast VPN service ensures your data remains private and your online activities anonymous. Browse the web safely from anywhere in the world with our global server network. Experience the...

www.vpnuk.net

 

[Raul]

Existing EE contracts do not have additional charges, until contract expires. Ours is up in summer. Currently, during pandemic, EE do no apply fair usage policy. I just had welcome texts crossing borders, and no additional charges on any limits within EU.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}