Idiot's Guide to Data Roaming with Tesco

pigeonpie

switch off mobile data and use any of the hundreds of free wifi hotspots in Paris (MacDonalds, cafes, hotels, stations etc).
Hope she doesn't call home a lot - it's about 8p a minute (I think...) to receive a call so better if she texts you and you call her.
Hope she's having too much fun to be stuck on her phone.

NFH

pigeonpie wrote: »

switch off mobile data and use any of the hundreds of free wifi hotspots in Paris (MacDonalds, cafes, hotels, stations etc).

Who said anything about Paris? The OP's daughter is going to Normandy.

In any case, why not also follow your advice while in the UK? Why not just have an iPod Touch and save a lot of money everywhere, both in the UK and abroad?

Toxteth_OGrady

@albionrovers

The best advice needs can only be tailored to how your DD wants to use (or is advised to use) the phone abroad.

SMS only?

SMS and calls?

If calls, just to UK numbers, to friends' UK numbers in France with her or to French numbers?

Mobile data/internet?

Can you give an indication of likely use?

pigeonpie

Oops, sorry. Normandy. This site is used by a friend's teenage daughter but obviously she checks it out before she travels.
All branches of macdonalds have free wifi as well and there are 'macdo' s in every sizeable town.
http://www.iciwifi.com/trouver_hotspot_wifi/basse_normandie/

NiftyDigits

pigeonpie wrote: »

Oops, sorry. Normandy. This site is used by a friend's teenage daughter but obviously she checks it out before she travels.
All branches of macdonalds have free wifi as well and there are 'macdo' s in every sizeable town.
http://www.iciwifi.com/trouver_hotspot_wifi/basse_normandie/

Useful as a supplement(especially to save on data), but not as an alternative.

NiftyDigits

NFH wrote: »

One reason to consider Lycamobile in preference would be if the trip is some kind of exchange trip involving local French schoolchildren. If so, it could be very useful to have a French mobile number.

Fair enough.

albionrovers

Thanks folks. Like i say she is very disciplined and really wants her Iphone for her music, with any data allowance a secondary 'nice-to-have'. Most (if any) emergency phone calls from her to us will be made by teachers and vice versa.
I've gone with the 02 (Travel) PAYG micro-sim and top-up voucher. Makes sense to me for a 5 day trip with very little/no free wi-fi on the beaches of Normandy!
You are very thorough, people, great attention to detail. It is to be commended.

tyllwyd

albionrovers wrote: »

... Most (if any) emergency phone calls from her to us will be made by teachers and vice versa. ...

I did find that when my DD went away, I was much happier knowing that she had a phone so she could contact us if she wanted to - that way, I knew that if I didn't hear from her, it meant that she was happy and busy! I hope she has a great time.

NiftyDigits

albionrovers wrote: »

Thanks folks. Like i say she is very disciplined and really wants her Iphone for her music, with any data allowance a secondary 'nice-to-have'. Most (if any) emergency phone calls from her to us will be made by teachers and vice versa.
I've gone with the 02 (Travel) PAYG micro-sim and top-up voucher. Makes sense to me for a 5 day trip with very little/no free wi-fi on the beaches of Normandy!
You are very thorough, people, great attention to detail. It is to be commended.

Don't forget that if she doesn't utilise the extra Topup voucher, you can use it on her capped tariff at any point within it's expiry date.

System

Roaming on all the networks is a moot point as i've never been able to get my O2 phone to register on SFR. Not a major point but my friend seemed to be roaming on it when I had no coverage. Mine only switched between Orange and Bouygues.

If data is an issue then ask Tesco to place a GPRS bar on the phone and also bar international calls except back to the UK (only local and calls back to UK are allowed) texts still work internationally. It means can't be used to call 3rd party countries if stolen even before it can be disconnected.

NFH wrote: »

I still don't see your point. If it's sufficient in the UK to have the use of only one network, why is it not sufficient also in France to have the use of only one network? Should the OP likewise obtain a non-UK SIM for his daughter to use in the UK, just to ensure that she has access to all four UK networks? You still haven't justified this point.