SIM card for foreign travel

HarperBoy

Please be patient - I'm more ignorant of the basics than you can possibly imagine!!!!
I have a fairly ordinary smartphone (Samsung Galaxy S10) that I normally use to get data when I'm away from my desk, mainly for internet searches, email, and WhatsApp messaging.   I have a SIM-only Vodafone contract that includes as much data as I normally need.  However, when I travel outside UK I have to pay a roaming charge which is not too bad in EU but gets expensive elsewhere eg Caribbean.
I have now acquired a MiFi gadget (TP-Link M7200, though I suspect my query isn't machine specific). I would love to use it on my travels for the kind of thing I would otherwise do with my phone.  It does not include a SIM card, and my query is what one(s) to get.  What I can't work out from my reading is whether there are SIM cards that would let me use the TP-Link M7200 independently of my phone, to connect a laptop to the internet without paying roaming charges.
One example I have looked at is one I found on Amazon - Lebara UK Unlimited Data Pay As You Go SIM Card, Unlimited UK Minutes & Texts, 100 International minutes for £25.  Would this work independently of my telephone if I just put the card into the MiFi and hooked up to my laptop?  Is there any need to use my telephone number at all?  I don't seem to be able to get answers from Lebara, who probably don't believe that I have no idea how any of this works!

oldernonethewiser

The new SIM would have nothing whatsoever to do with using the SIM in your phone so you could use the laptop connected to the MiFi.

flaneurs_lobster

Most (all?) UK sourced SIM card deals will have a "Fair Usage" limit on how much data can be used when roaming overseas. For Lebara that limit is 30GB when roaming in Europe and India, outside these areas extra add-ons are required and they are expensive.

A Three PAYG SIM will allow roaming in 70-odd countries, again it has a limit of (I think) 20GB. Costs about £20.

Your best bet in most cases is to buy a local data SIM on arrival, and fit that in your MiFi.

There are specialist worldwide data SIMS designed for frequent travellers. They cost £££s.

HarperBoy

Thanks to oldernonethewiser - my concern over using the MiFi with laptop is whether there would be extra charges. If there are, then I might as well use my phone with its Vodafone data allowance and pay them a couple of pounds a day for roaming (EU, at least).

Thanks also to flaneurs_lobster - same question applies.  As for buying a local SIM, I often travel on cruises so can be in a different country day after day, hence my interest in finding a 'one solution fits all'   You mention 'specialist worldwide data SIMs' - how do these differ from the others you mention, and where do I find them?

flaneurs_lobster

Agree that for European travel then the Vodafone £2.25/day or £10/15 for 8/15 day passes are the way to go.

As for International data SIMS, no personal experience but a bit of research for an upcoming Asia trip has turned up this typical round-up:

https://www.thebrokebackpacker.com/best-international-sim-cards/

Personally, I'm starting to think that Vodafone's £6.85/day charge is probably the easiest way to stay connected (I have a need to be able to stay in contact with UK), it's not excessive when considered as part of the total travel cost. May supplement with a local SIM for data if I get anywhere near my 25GB roam limit.

oldernonethewiser

You would know when you buy the SIM what is included. What extra charges do you you think you might incur?

jbrassy

flaneurs_lobster said:

Agree that for European travel then the Vodafone £2.25/day or £10/15 for 8/15 day passes are the way to go.

As for International data SIMS, no personal experience but a bit of research for an upcoming Asia trip has turned up this typical round-up:

https://www.thebrokebackpacker.com/best-international-sim-cards/

Personally, I'm starting to think that Vodafone's £6.85/day charge is probably the easiest way to stay connected (I have a need to be able to stay in contact with UK), it's not excessive when considered as part of the total travel cost. May supplement with a local SIM for data if I get anywhere near my 25GB roam limit.

£6.85 a day is a lot though. For a 2 week holiday, £6.85 a day will cost you nearly £96. It would be much cheaper to get a local SIM.

As for Three, they have a limit of 15GB per month for roaming abroad in Go Roam destinations. I don't know where you're going in Asia, but I went to Indonesia in October and used a Three PAYG SIM for the 2 weeks I was there. I paid £15 for 20GB of data (of which I could use 15GB in Indonesia). When I have been to countries in Asia which are not part of Three's Go Roam, I just buy a local SIM at the airport. It's not difficult.

Keeping in touch with the UK is easy so long as you have data since everyone uses WhatsApp. If you have to ring a landline in the UK, use an app such as Rebtel.

Red08

I'm currently sim-o with Vodafone, my account is showing 50gb with xtra roaming in 83 countries for £31pm so I can use my package as I would at home in pretty much all countries for that price -seems a no brainer for someone travelling a lot for peace of mind.

I used the Vodafone & Lebara roam packages frugally last year and racked up the equivalent of what it would cost to just buy the full package I'm offered this time and not have to worry!