Sims for roaming through several countries in the EU

[GoldenVision]

It seems that the best EU roaming allowance for a 1 month contract is 30Gb (and probably the same for a 12 month contract?).

In the good old days we were used to a monthly 100Gb allowance which suited our needs perfectly.

But what do people do now when travelling through several different countries?

Staying in one country would be straightforward enough by just buying a local sim - but doing that in each country would result in a lot of faffing around.

So the solution would seem to be several sims each 30Gb?

Any other ideas?

 

[Manxcat]

When we pop up from the tunnel I download Maya esim. Works very well for us throughout France, I think that they also cover other EU countries. Worth investigating.

 

[fishplug]

A word of caution - eSIMs are great. You just buy online and activate directly on your device. No searching for a shop to buy a physical SIM and you usually get more for your money than a conventional SIM.

However, you do need a device that is eSIM compatible. Not all of them are so please do check before buying.

I haven't found anything convenient for multi-country travel yet. My solution is the Three mobile 'data passport' which you have to buy each day (which is a faff) but it does give you unlimited data for £5 per day.

Fine for a week or two, but it would start to be expensive for longer trips.

 

[Carpmart]

A word of caution - eSIMs are great. You just buy online and activate directly on your device. No searching for a shop to buy a physical SIM and you usually get more for your money than a conventional SIM.

However, you do need a device that is eSIM compatible. Not all of them are so please do check before buying.

I haven't found anything convenient for multi-country travel yet. My solution is the Three mobile 'data passport' which you have to buy each day (which is a faff) but it does give you unlimited data for £5 per day.

Fine for a week or two, but it would start to be expensive for longer trips.

£150 per month; Jeezo! Makes Starlink seem good value at €81 per month!

 

[MichaelT]

I bought a Tiekom 400GB sim. You get 400GB in Spain and 200GB elsewhere in EU including UK. You ncan pause the sim when not in use and they charge 3 or 4 Euro a month. Cost is €43 when being used so pretty cost effective. Just had 6 weeks through France into spain and back and all worked well.

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[fishplug]

£150 per month; Jeezo! Makes Starlink seem good value at €81 per month!

Which is exactly why I said it's OK for a week or so...

I do miss the good old days when it was just 'roam like home' and my £17 unlimited data plan was good to use across all of Europe.

I'm looking at upgrading my van router to one that will accept eSIMs though as I think that's the way forward.

 

[Ernesto]

Which is exactly why I said it's OK for a week or so...

I do miss the good old days when it was just 'roam like home' and my £17 unlimited data plan was good to use across all of Europe.

I'm looking at upgrading my van router to one that will accept eSIMs though as I think that's the way forward.

Esim routers do look like a good thing... the prices are still pretty chunky though. Just had a look Teltonika's range and they have a couple - a 4G Cat 4 one at £223 and only one 5G Cat 20 at £1100

 

[fishplug]

They do the RUT241 which is the Cat 4 one you referred to but they have two 5G ones.

The RUTM52 is the Cat 20 one but they also have a Cat 19 one which is the RUTM54 which is a snip at £540 (it's the one I'm considering)

The RUTM52 can also be found much 'cheaper' for a mere £900 inc VAT

Hard to justify as my RUTX50 actually does a really good job and I'd need to spend quite a time roaming before the eSIM capability of the RUTM54 made any financial sense.

I'd love a RUTM52 purely because it's completely insane with the dual modem - but that's on the "lottery win" shopping list...

 

[Bessy765]

I bought a Tiekom 400GB sim. You get 400GB in Spain and 200GB elsewhere in EU including UK. You ncan pause the sim when not in use and they charge 3 or 4 Euro a month. Cost is €43 when being used so pretty cost effective. Just had 6 weeks through France into spain and back and all worked well.

I have the same works great had good signal most of Europe. Just had the monthly parking the sim charge £3.00. They need 48 hrs to re activate it. If you want one allow enough time to get it delivered, it will only activate when you are ready.

 

[VXman]

I just picked up 2X Lebara sims 50G each in UK and 30G Each EU. 69p a month for 9 months!! (No contact)

Add that to my regular Lebara (5OG at 69p) and my wife's we have over 100G in EU for less than £2.50

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[Skez]

I bought a Tiekom 400GB sim. You get 400GB in Spain and 200GB elsewhere in EU including UK. You ncan pause the sim when not in use and they charge 3 or 4 Euro a month. Cost is €43 when being used so pretty cost effective. Just had 6 weeks through France into spain and back and all worked well.

This - Its working like a dream

 

[Terry242]

When we landed in Bilbao I picked up a Vodafone 240gb PAYG for €15. It has Europe wide roaming. Tethering included.
I wonder if you can get the same sort of deal when landing in France?

Terry

 

[Sue Parsons]

We have used these on a couple of occasions. Brilliant for all our needs. NOTE, they are data only

Data SIM for Europe & UK Travel (200GB)

Stay connected across Europe and the UK with a 200GB data SIM. Avoid roaming fees, enjoy high-speed internet, and make your travels stress-free. Order now!

uk.simcorner.com

 

[Geoff51]

It seems that the best EU roaming allowance for a 1 month contract is 30Gb (and probably the same for a 12 month contract?).

In the good old days we were used to a monthly 100Gb allowance which suited our needs perfectly.

But what do people do now when travelling through several different countries?

Staying in one country would be straightforward enough by just buying a local sim - but doing that in each country would result in a lot of faffing around.

So the solution would seem to be several sims each 30Gb?

Any other ideas?

We bought a 1 month unlimited physical SIM card for Portugal from Vodafone Coimbra 35€. I could then watch 6N using our VPN.
Now in Spain and the best deal for our needs (15 days) is 300gb which gives 14gb for France and 14gb for UK.
We use a Hiawei mobile WiFi.

We have used these on a couple of occasions. Brilliant for all our needs. NOTE, they are data only

Data SIM for Europe & UK Travel (200GB)

Stay connected across Europe and the UK with a 200GB data SIM. Avoid roaming fees, enjoy high-speed internet, and make your travels stress-free. Order now!

uk.simcorner.com

 

[GoldenVision]

I just picked up 2X Lebara sims 50G each in UK and 30G Each EU. 69p a month for 9 months!! (No contact)

Add that to my regular Lebara (5OG at 69p) and my wife's we have over 100G in EU for less than £2.50

Looks good! Where did you get the dins from?

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[GoldenVision]

When we landed in Bilbao I picked up a Vodafone 240gb PAYG for €15. It has Europe wide roaming. Tethering included.
I wonder if you can get the same sort of deal when landing in France?

Terry

Yes, we'll be landing in France.

Does anyone know if this deal is available there?

 

[Orion]

Looks good! Where did you get the dins from?

I think that deal may have finished and been replaced with one for 50gb data @£1 per month for 8 months. Still pretty good value.

https://www.lebara.co.uk/en/msm/p/44000053?utm_source=impactradius&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=2096376&utm_content=&utm_clickid=1B0WZrxNYxyKUcd3HvzUXwiAUkswGSw0C18oTE0&utm_iradid=917923&utm_clickref=&default=page&irgwc=1

 

[Genear]

I've been playing around with my new GLiNet router, and I bought it with an EIOT Esim which is a Physical Esim.

Basically a physical SIM that you 'program' with an Esim profile which essentially gives Esim capabilities to devices that don't support it.
You can buy an Esim from whichever provider you want, then load that profile onto your Eiot physical Sim.

Early testing appears to work very well

Eiotclub® |Smart IoT Solutions for a Connected World. Transform Today!

Transform your world with Eiotclub® reliable and secure IoT devices and services. Experience seamless connectivity with our high-speed 4G LTE and industrial-grade SIM cards. Join the revolution and make the smart choice for your connected world. Shop now and discover the power of Eiotclub®

www.eiotclub.com

 

[TheBows]

I too tried an esim adaptor (from Switch) in my Huawei E5785 router. It did not work. The router simply did not acknowledge the card. The very same adaptor did work in my phone.

 

[starquake]

Yes, we'll be landing in France.

Does anyone know if this deal is available there?

You can get a Reglo sim in France for about 15 euro with 350Gb valid in France, with it being around 35Gb valid n spain (ehough time to get a Spanish sim).

Similarly when you hit Spain, you can get a digi sim thats similar money for unlimited data in Spain.

Yes you need to swap sim, but it's also cheaper than any deal you can get that avoids this.

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[kev54]

I just picked up 2X Lebara sims 50G each in UK and 30G Each EU. 69p a month for 9 months!! (No contact)

Add that to my regular Lebara (5OG at 69p) and my wife's we have over 100G in EU for less than £2.50

Watch out for Lebara’s ‘fair use’. It kicks in about 60 days. Also you need to use the SIMs in the UK first.

 

[Wh05apk]

Id mobile currently have unlimited data/mins/text for £17 on a 1 month contract, currently have full 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

The benefit is as you are roaming it will pick the best network rather than being tied to one as you would be with a local SIM.

 

[kev54]

Id mobile currently have unlimited data/mins/text for £17 on a 1 month contract, currently have full 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

The benefit is as you are roaming it will pick the best network rather than being tied to one as you would be with a local SIM.

… with time limits (same as Lebara)

Quote > Permanent Roaming.​

We understand that sometimes you will want to roam abroad for short periods of time. Our Roam Free feature is available to our UK resident customers who travel occasionally, rather than those living abroad. If over a 4-month period you spend 63 days or more in our free roaming destinations, you will be subject to further charges.

 

[Carpmart]

I’m after a phone sim, not lots of data a GB or two a month… Anyone know of any UK SIM (need UK number) I can use for around four months, then back in UK for 2-3 weeks, then 4-5 months in EU again?

 

[kev54]

I’m after a phone sim, not lots of data a GB or two a month… Anyone know of any UK SIM (need UK number) I can use for around four months, then back in UK for 2-3 weeks, then 4-5 months in EU again?

I can only suggest you stay off mobile data while away and use WhatApp for calling/receiving via WiFi. Not easy. Interested if anyone has a suggestion

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[Carpmart]

I can only suggest you stay off mobile data while away and use WhatApp for calling/receiving via WiFi. Not easy. Interested if anyone has a suggestion

Thanks but it’s the continuous phone service that’s important to me, as in being able to make and receive calls from UK number, and NOT the data part…

It’s working on Popit but just expensive.

 

[Wh05apk]

… with time limits (same as Lebara)

Quote > Permanent Roaming.​

We understand that sometimes you will want to roam abroad for short periods of time. Our Roam Free feature is available to our UK resident customers who travel occasionally, rather than those living abroad. If over a 4-month period you spend 63 days or more in our free roaming destinations, you will be subject to further charges.

Yes, but I assumed 63 days would be sufficient?

 

[Carpmart]

Yes, but I assumed 63 days would be sufficient?

Not for many who look to max out 90 day periods…

It’s a bit sneaky isn’t it really.. be good if they matched what the regulations allowed 90/180

 

[GoldenVision]

You can get a Reglo sim in France for about 15 euro with 350Gb valid in France, with it being around 35Gb valid n spain (ehough time to get a Spanish sim).

Similarly when you hit Spain, you can get a digi sim thats similar money for unlimited data in Spain.

Yes you need to swap sim, but it's also cheaper than any deal you can get that avoids this.

Unfortunately we're heading east from France - for 90 days (I know I should have said that )

 

[GoldenVision]

I think that deal may have finished and been replaced with one for 50gb data @£1 per month for 8 months. Still pretty good value.

https://www.lebara.co.uk/en/msm/p/44000053?utm_source=impactradius&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=2096376&utm_content=&utm_clickid=1B0WZrxNYxyKUcd3HvzUXwiAUkswGSw0C18oTE0&utm_iradid=917923&utm_clickref=&default=page&irgwc=1

Thanks