ccarlson

We will be in Poland next month and Greece in November. I am from the US and have an Iphone 6. Because my spouse and I need to reach the office (and my special needs daughter) we need an internet option on the go because we have a 9 hour time difference from home. We have rented hot spots per day that you can use for multiple devices before but I am wondering if it is better to buy one and just change SIM cards. Any recommendations?

rs899

Why not buy a cheap android phone and use it as a hotspot? You can find SIM cards and plans that will support the most data hungry nerds for about a dollar a day.

ccarlson

I can use my Iphone as a hotspot. However, it is a pain to go buy SIM cards that work best in each country. I would rather buy it a head of time. I did this recently in Tahiti in March and it worked great but I had someone buy them for me a head of time. We will hit the ground running on this trip and want to be armed before we land. I have yet to find an online company that offers SIM cards for each country based on the best service.

rs899

There have been a few threads lately on this, mostly related to an Amsterdam trip one poster recently took.
Andrew bought a Dutch Vodaphone SIM that worked well and hotspotted in several countries. I would recommend threeUK, which I used, but it probably will block your using it as a hotspot.

Recently the law changed and all euro SIMs are supposed to roam, so you might find a lot of SIMs now that will support Greece and Poland.

rs899

Here is a primer on prepaid sims. The polish and Greek options look to be hard to get started as they want ID.

http://prepaid-data-sim-card.wikia.c...ategory:Europe

Andrew

My Dutch Vodafone SIM worked beautifully in Slovenia, Italy, and France. (I never even visited the Netherlands - bought it ahead of time on eBay.) It should work in Poland and Greece the same way.

I used it as a hotspot everywhere for my laptop and tablet, using my Android as the hotspot. However, Vodafone technically does not allow hotspot with this SIM, as I understand it. But for some reason, they are unable to prevent it with Android, which may be why I never had an issue. It might not work with an iPhone. Your solution there of course is just to get an Android phone if need be. You can even buy a cheap Android in Poland if you find hotspot will not work on your iPhone.

Of course, you can always use a US carrier's international roaming plan. T-Mobile and Sprint both offer free unlimited data (2G limited) in most European countries. Verizon and AT&T have roaming plans that cost $10/day and only on days that you use the phone. Not sure how hotspot works for any of them.

rs899

Might want to have a look at Giffgaff:

https://www.giffgaff.com/sim-only-plans


They seem to cater to US clients. They will send you a free SIM within a week (I got one). You MAY even be able to fund it with a US credit card (I didn't try it, but I heard it works= if not mobiletopup.co.UK will work). And tethering seems to be legal.

Andrew

I browsed GiffGaff's website and found this in their FAQ:

<i>Fair use while roaming
Inclusive roaming is created for giffgaff members who typically reside in the UK, and is ideal for short trips to other places in the EU. To make things easy, we do a few quick checks for UK usage, just to make sure you meet the basic criteria, before automatically turning on EU roaming as part of your goodybag. Alternatively, you can submit proof or UK residency in other ways. Find out more

If you don’t meet the necessary criteria, or go against our fair usage guidelines, then the inclusive roaming may be switched off. You’ll still be able to use your phone in the EU, but if you have a goodybag you'll be charged 3.2p/minute, 1p/text, 0.78p/MB.</i>

So whether they enforce it or not - they claim they do "quick checks for UK usage" to make sure you are eligible for EU roaming. That sounds like they are trying to avoid non-UK residents using the phone exclusively outside the UK. The EU roaming is intended for be short-term with the phone uses mostly in the UK.

I assume Vodafone and the other providers could have the same stipulations, enforced to varying degrees. Still, Vodafone Netherlands did allow me to top-up with a US credit card on their website, without a Netherlands physical address, and it would have been fairly easy for them to block me had they wanted to. I assume they didn't want to.

ccarlson

I bought Orange SIM cards over Amazon. It says it tethers, gives 10 gig of data, 1000 SMS messages. I am hoping to works. After Poland in September, I have Greece in November, fingers crossed.

Andrew

Orange SIM for what country? It matters. SIM cards are specific to a country, even though you can roam with them to other countries. Orange operates in several countries and the rules are a little different in each.

How much credit? When does it expire?

ccarlson

This has a LONG list of countries on it with 4G. It only expires if you don't register it. 10 gig, 120 min of calls and 1000 SMS messages.

SIM formats available: triple SIM card usable whatever the phone type and brand (pre-cut into standard, micro, nano formats). Services included : #123# free of charge to check your credit + text messages sent by Orange to inform you about your credit balance
Countries are...Andorra, Azores, Aland islands, Austria, Balearic islands, Belgium, Canary islands , Cyprus, Corfu, Crete, the Cyclades, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Faeroe islands, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Guernsey, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Jersey, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madeira, Malta, Isle of Man, Norway, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Rhodes, Romania, Spain, United Kingdom, San Marino, Sardinia, Sicily, Slovakia, Switzerland, Sweden, Vatican

rs899

>Orange SIM for what country?<

Yes, there are several Oranges... I would like to know who the native Orange country is and what you are expecting to pay for 10 gig.

And then please keep us informed of how well it works...

Andrew

Right, I know it will roam in those EU countries. But all of these SIM cards come from one country or another. Orange operates in several countries.

Alas, I think I found the SIM you are talking about on Amazon. It appears to be a French SIM, if this is the one you bought:

http://www.amazon.com/Orange-Holiday.../dp/B06XBYMX58

Interesting, because technically, French SIMs must be activated IN FRANCE with your passport before you can use it. I'm curious as to how they got around that constraint? I assume they wouldn't be able to sell this SIM unless they had gotten around it.

According to what I read, your 10GB of data is good for only 14 days when used outside of France. (Can you top it up after that without being in France?) If you need a ton of data for two weeks, I guess that's an OK deal. But I'd say my Dutch Vodafone SIM for only $30 for 3GB (good for a month) is a better deal if you will be there more than two weeks - and I know I can top it off online. Still, you can always buy an Orange Poland SIM or some other SIM in Greece if you run out of data.

ccarlson

Yes - that is the card and I have asked all those questions. You can top off the card online. I am asking but I think the 10 gigs is good for the 14 days and then you just top it off and it is good - at least for 6 months - but I am clarifying. I haven't registered the card yet. Maybe it asks for my passport online?

Andrew

Well, please report back how it works out for you. Although I think it's a slightly pricey option for a lot of people, some people headed for France might like the option to buy a French Orange SIM before arriving in France - because they'd have a French phone number to give out ahead of time to people in France who will need to contact them, they won't have to go find an Orange store upon arrival, etc. One less thing to worry about.

ccarlson

Will do!