Which PAYG dongle for Spainish Holiday..please

grace2much

Hi all, I need a bit of help. We are going to the El Campello area of Spain in August for 10 days and I need an internet connection for my laptop.

I have asked the apartment owners and they don't have Wi-fi but they can supply a mobile 3g dongle (they use Vodafone) and its 60 euros for 1GB of internet access.

I'm thinking of buying my own PAYG 3g mobile dongle but how would I find out what networks cover the El Campello area and is this buying a dongle a good idea or should I just pay the 60 euros? Also if I buy a UK dongle either Vodafone or someone else would these always work in Spain and cost the same as to use as in the UK?

Lastly, if I did buy a PAYG dongle does the amount credit I buy say £20 last for only a month or is it just when I use it. If it lasts it might be a good back-up as I work from home with broadband 8-10 hrs a day so a emergency dongle would be a viable idea.

Any advice or help is appreciated..............Thanks:)

macman

grace2much wrote: »

Hi all, I need a bit of help. We are going to the El Campello area of Spain in August for 10 days and I need an internet connection for my laptop.

I have asked the apartment owners and they don't have Wi-fi but they can supply a mobile 3g dongle (they use Vodafone) and its 60 euros for 1GB of internet access.

I'm thinking of buying my own PAYG 3g mobile dongle but how would I find out what networks cover the El Campello area and is this buying a dongle a good idea or should I just pay the 60 euros? Also if I buy a UK dongle either Vodafone or someone else would these always work in Spain and cost the same as to use as in the UK?

Lastly, if I did buy a PAYG dongle does the amount credit I buy say £20 last for only a month or is it just when I use it. If it lasts it might be a good back-up as I work from home with broadband 8-10 hrs a day so a emergency dongle would be a viable idea.

Any advice or help is appreciated..............Thanks:)

No it doesn't cost the same! If you use a UK dongle/SIM abroad you will pay data roaming rates, which means you will probably come back to a huge bill. Use a local network SIM or dongle, or local wi-fi facilities.
Vodafone's rates from 10/6 are:

£1 for each MB up to 5MB, then £5 for every 5MB after that

grace2much

macman wrote: »

Vodafone's rates from 10/6 are:

£1 for each MB up to 5MB, then £5 for every 5MB after that

Thanks for the info macman. Is the price mentioned in your quote for a UK dongle or the equivalent one for use in Spain, I'm presuming its for the UK one?

So would it be better to buy a Vod dongle in Spain once I arrive or try to buy a Spainish one here on the internet before I go to Spain? Thanks!!

macman

It's the roaming charge for using a UK dongle anywhere else in the EU. Rest of the World, even higher rates apply.
Yes, best way is to buy a PAYG dongle for any local network on arrival (or a SIM only if you have an unlocked dongle). Why does it have to be Vodafone, just go for the cheapest.

grace2much

macman wrote: »

It's the roaming charge for using a UK dongle anywhere else in the EU. Rest of the World, even higher rates apply.
Yes, best way is to buy a PAYG dongle for any local network on arrival (or a SIM only if you have an unlocked dongle). Why does it have to be Vodafone, just go for the cheapest.

Thanks again macman. And yes I'll buy a dongle once I get to Spain. The only reason I'm thinking about Vod is the apartment owner says that's was she uses and I want to make sure I get one with good coverage and connect-ability.

macman

I think you'll find that any urban area of Spain has better network coverage than the UK, all the main networks should not be a problem.

outlaw777

I think three.co.uk do good deals on this, I know their "MIFI" device has has good reviews.

Donnie

You can buy a dongle here in the UK for £10 and unlock it using DC-Unlocker for around £7.
Then you can buy whichever SIM card is suitable, together with the relevant connection manager.

In this particular case, it appears that the apartment owners aren't adding a premium, it really it that expensive for 1 GB of access with Vodafone. If you are going to use it sparingly, you can get 250 MB instead for 19 Euros or 400 MB for 29 Euros.

Then there is Movistar You can get 1 GB for one week for 19 Euros or one month for 49 Euros. Strange prices I know.

The other option is Yoigo. 3 euros for a day using 100 MB of Data. The Yoigo SIM costs 20 euros and contains 20 euros of credit.

All these prices may need to have tax added.

So the choice depends on your pattern of usage.

Donnie

outlaw777 wrote: »

I think three.co.uk do good deals on this, I know their "MIFI" device has has good reviews.

What are you talking?

mrtwister76

Hi,

Have a look at Movistar (Telefonica's mobile arm).
I know people who have got 3G off them for €10. For that you get the dongle for free and €10 of credit on your 3G account.
It's pay as you go, and they take €3 / day (00:00 to 24:00) off your credit. You get unlimited download for that.

Regards,
Mark

Donnie

mrtwister76 wrote: »

Hi,

Have a look at Movistar (Telefonica's mobile arm).
I know people who have got 3G off them for €10. For that you get the dongle for free and €10 of credit on your 3G account.
It's pay as you go, and they take €3 / day (00:00 to 24:00) off your credit. You get unlimited download for that.

Regards,
Mark

Try to check facts before posting this, for want of a kinder word, nonsense.

It's possible that you might get a SIM only deal, but NO ONE will give a USB modem for free without holding you to a contract.
Not really useful for a 10 day holiday.

Yoigo do the SIM deal you describe. There is already a link to Movistar in my earlier post. No sign of free USB modems there...and don't expect any.


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