Best network for travelling abroad?

SandLake

I know this is subjective but what are the opinions on who is best when traveling abroad. I know about 3 Feel at Home service but I have an upcoming trip to Spain which will not be covered. I am thinking I might move networks and might as well factor this in.

Thanks

grumbler

"Abroad" is far too vague/general. I am sure that the 'best' simply doesn't exist, especially as you don't say what exactly you want and how much.

If it was that simple, there would be no need in big articles like MSEs Mobile Roaming

For calls and texts only check, say, Togglemobile.

NiftyDigits

Local SIM or LycaMobile Spain.

SandLake

I appear to have an accidental habit of being too vague - I apologise for that.

I am currently with Tesco Mobile and here at home they are fine and (in my opinion) the price is right. Unfortunately they have no deals for travelling abroad at all as in Vodaphone allow you to take your existing UK allowance abroad for an extra £3 per day (£5 outside EU).

I don't travel abroad that often and I would just like to be able to take my phone/number with me and use my phone - I expect there to be an extra charge.

Being away from home I don't expect to make long calls or really even to call home, likely send a few texts home and not having access to broadband would probably use quite an amount of data. £3 per day or £21 per week is good - anything upto £30 per week would be fine depending what is on offer. Some sort of EU or Worldwide bundle.

I have been looking at various network operators offerings but in my opinion they all try to sound as if they are the best while not actually being comparable to anyone else.

Vodafone is looking like a good contender - but I would like some feedback from people who have used these type of products.

Thanks

redux

There is a standard Eurotariff which applies to all networks, unless the customer has opted out of it into another scheme offered by their network.

From December next year, all extra costs for roaming will have been abolished, so it will cost the same as at home.

Vodafone's extra charge of £3 a day, for using the same tariff as you have at home, presumably an option bundle added to pay as you go in your case, sounds unlikely to be the right option for you if you envisage modest use.

If you expect significant data use, get a local SIM card, with a data bundle for a few euros.

If not, or as well, maybe just paying 4 pence a minute to receive on your normal number will be fine. Or look at Toggle as already mentioned, or some Spanish SIMs have cheap international calls.

gjchester

redux wrote: »

From December next year, all extra costs for roaming will have been abolished, so it will cost the same as at home.

Sounds great, but why do I expect the networks to raise UK call prices, so their profits don't fall too much.

Richard_T_

Local sims are usualy the best option, however if you are unable to obtain one easily i would strongly recommend putting a UK active pay as you go sim card in your phone and then setting it up for topping up via credit card while in the UK before you go.
if you have a smart phone on contract - put the sim card from that into an old 'dumb' phone ( you may need a sim adaptor ) and take that should you need to respond to any incoming calls.
regardless of what you do, or how you do it, make sure that you have the phone locked with a pin/unlock code and that the sim is also pin locked, keep your contract sim somewhere safe and if you loose it call your UK network operator imedialty.
take your uk network operators phone number with you just in case.

Im_just_careful

I don't think any of the "mainstream" operators is sufficiently better for roaming to choose them for going to Spain.

I use "3" PAYG and benefit from their "feel at home"roaming deal in countries covered. I have a Vodafone PAYG SIM for general European use as that is the "least bad" alternative. If in Spain on holiday for a couple of weeks I buy a local SIM and use it in my unlocked MiFi.

I've used Lyca Spain and Lebara Spain recently.

For example:

http://www.lycamobile.es/en/bundle?id=2