Mobile Roaming: Cheapest Calls When You're Abroad

redux

I agree with grumbler. The only safe assumption there is that a giffgaff SIM is usable there. Roaming use is a whole set of separate tariffs from use here.

Look into local SIM cards for data bundles. See http://www.prepaidgsm.net/en/southafrica.php and click on the network logos for links to their sites, to browse for up to date details.

Or also useful is http://maps.mobileworldlive.com/

s71hj

off to morocco in a couple of weeks. 02 charge appalling prices for data texts and calls although we have got the TUGO app which will give calls texts and data from our standard monthly inclusive 02 allowance. anyone got any suggestions for the best globalsim for morocco which i could take just as a back up for calls.

peachyprice

paulc1008 wrote: »

I plan to install a Giffgaff sim in an Android smartphone, activate it with some airtime, then buy a Gigabag for mobile data which I can use in the phone by setting it as a portable hotspot.

My question is:- can I continue to buy update Gigabags online and use the portable hotspot when I spend several weeks in South Africa? I am, of course, assuming that the giffgaff sim will happily make connection with some local network in South Africa.

No, goodybags do not work outside the UK, the only way to use your giffgaff sim overseas is to top up with PAYG credit and use their very expensive roaming rates.

paulc1008

grumbler wrote: »

Why do you think that any roaming usage is covered by a goodybag? This is absolutely not the case.
I think they make it very clear: "For only £7.50 get our 1 GB mobile Internet data plan for one month mobile broadband usage in the UK."
It will connect happily, but will charge you £5/Mb if you have some balance.

Thank you grumbler, peachyprice and redux for your advice......... but have I completely missed something here? It looked to me as if giffgaff goodybags and gigabags were completely different things.

My original query was about using gigabags overseas, yet all your replies referred only to goodybags. As a complete newcomer to this arena, am I supposed to know ( or guess ) that gigabags are identical to goodybags?

I would appreciate some clarification, please.

(Redux) I have been using local sim cards to run portable hotspot on my android phone in South Africa, but the data rates are many times greater than giffgaff's gigabag rates - hence my question.

visidigi

paulc1008 wrote: »

Thank you grumbler, peachyprice and redux for your advice......... but have I completely missed something here? It looked to me as if giffgaff goodybags and gigabags were completely different things.

My original query was about using gigabags overseas, yet all your replies referred only to goodybags. As a complete newcomer to this arena, am I supposed to know ( or guess ) that gigabags are identical to goodybags?

I would appreciate some clarification, please.

(Redux) I have been using local sim cards to run portable hotspot on my android phone in South Africa, but the data rates are many times greater than giffgaff's gigabag rates - hence my question.

Goodybags or gigabags, the issue you have is still the same.

The gigabag itself only includes UK mobile internet

https://giffgaff.com/goodybags/500MB-mobile-broadband

As Grumbler says, data on giffgaff outside the EU is £5 a mb.

grumbler

paulc1008 wrote: »

It looked to me as if giffgaff goodybags and gigabags were completely different things.

My original query was about using gigabags overseas, yet all your replies referred only to goodybags.

In fact, what I quoted referred to £7.50 'gigababag', and you could have easily checked this.

redux

I say again: "Roaming use is a whole set of separate tariffs from use here."

This applies whatever the product name.

There are some UK brands which allow use of their UK bundle in certain other territories, eg Three's Feel At Home, or certain business tariffs in Europe, or some let you use the UK bundle in Europe for £2 or £3 a day, which despite what their fans say is hardly a bargain.

But giffgaff is not one of them, and no brand includes South Africa on its list.

redux

s71hj wrote: »

off to morocco in a couple of weeks. 02 charge appalling prices for data texts and calls although we have got the TUGO app which will give calls texts and data from our standard monthly inclusive 02 allowance. anyone got any suggestions for the best globalsim for morocco which i could take just as a back up for calls.

I'd be tempted to take a 3g modem, get a local SIM with a data bundle, and try TuGo. Some countries block VoIP, but I don't know if Morocco is one. If so you might just use the local SIM with a separate callback provider.

https://www.iam.ma/Particuliers/Internet/FormulesdAbonnement/Menara3GplusFormuleSansAbonnement/Pages/QsqInternetPrepayeMobile3Gplus.aspx

m.meditel.ma/#Internet/meditel-internet/meditel-internet-sans-abonnement

m.inwi.ma/internet-hdm/hdm-sans-abonnement

Jessi86x

I used to be on o2 contract but the roaming when I went abroad really stung, i went snowboarding in italy and watched a few youtube videos, came home to find a few hundred pound bill .

Now i have a couple of pay as you go sims that i dont mind burning through the odd £5er and have a rule that if i run out of credit, that's it!!

Does anyone else buy local sim cards for the country they go to?? I mainly get by with just wifi at cafes and hotels but it'd be interesting to see if there is a better strategy!:D:D

visidigi

Jessi86x wrote: »

I used to be on o2 contract but the roaming when I went abroad really stung, i went snowboarding in italy and watched a few youtube videos, came home to find a few hundred pound bill .

Now i have a couple of pay as you go sims that i dont mind burning through the odd £5er and have a rule that if i run out of credit, that's it!!

Does anyone else buy local sim cards for the country they go to?? I mainly get by with just wifi at cafes and hotels but it'd be interesting to see if there is a better strategy!:D:D

O2 in the EU (which includes Italy) is £1.99 a day for data. Calls are 50p then taking from your usual bundle.

Bad planning leads to bad experiences