PAYG Data Sim for Roaming

[Harters]

I currently use a T-Mobile data sim for my iPad 2 which works great. The 'package' I am using is £20 for 6 Months Unlimited (FYP 1GB).

I am going on a cruise shortly so would like to be able to use my iPad rather than paying for the ships WiFi. I don't want to risk using my current sim as I don't think it would work, so I thought about buying a '3' data sim with 3GB of preloaded data off Amazon for about £8, but I am not sure if these sims will roam??

My question is, would the '3' sim work OK and how long would 3GB last when roaming? I wouldn't be doing loads of surfing, just checking emails and internet for a few minutes each day.

Its will be so much easier when I go to Florida later in the year as I can just pick up a PAYG AT&T sim and load it up for when I am away from our Villa's Wifi, but Europe seems to be much more difficult to get a PAYG data sim.

Any help appreciated

 

[Tim SPRACKLEN]

This might have the information you require

Three - Help & Support - International - Going abroad - Pay As You Go

Tim

 

[Harters]

This might have the information you require

Three - Help & Support - International - Going abroad - Pay As You Go

Tim

Thanks for your speedy response and link Tim which is very useful.

I have looked at that before, so reading it confirms that the sim will roam ok which is great, however they state how much the data costs (£1.28/MB), but its difficult trying to relate that to browsing.

I guess it depends on how many pictures etc the web pages have and is 3GB really that much when used for roaming I guess once I run out of credit my service stops.

They say I can register a credit card before I leave which as I understand will only have money taken from it when I request a top up.

 

[Tim SPRACKLEN]

This might have the information you require

Three - Help & Support - International - Going abroad - Pay As You Go

Tim

Thanks for your speedy response and link Tim which is very useful.

I have looked at that before, so reading it confirms that the sim will roam ok which is great, however they state how much the data costs (£1.28/MB), but its difficult trying to relate that to browsing.

I guess it depends on how many pictures etc the web pages have and is 3GB really that much when used for roaming I guess once I run out of credit my service stops.

They say I can register a credit card before I leave which as I understand will only have money taken from it when I request a top up.

I think what they're saying is that, when abroad, they will charge you at £1.28 per megabyte (MB) and that your 3GB allowance is 'suspended' - i.e. it's a non-roaming allowance. Given that there are 1000 megabytes in a gigabyte - well, you can do the math. I wouldn't even go there...yes, you got it right - if their published figures are correct they'll charge you.....sit down......£1280 per GB......I can't believe that's true but it's what their figures suggest....

I don't think even your cruise line operator will charge you that....

Tim

 

[Harters]

I think what they're saying is that, when abroad, they will charge you at £1.28 per megabyte (MB) and that your 3GB allowance is 'suspended' - i.e. it's a non-roaming allowance. Given that there are 1000 megabytes in a gigabyte - well, you can do the math. I wouldn't even go there...yes, you got it right - if their published figures are correct they'll charge you.....sit down......£1280 per GB......I can't believe that's true but it's what their figures suggest....

I don't think even your cruise line operator will charge you that....

Tim

Hmmm, thanks for pointing out my slight oversight and setting me straight. Very much apprecited. How they can justify that I don't know.

Now what's Anne Robinson's number

 

[Tim SPRACKLEN]

It might be worth calling them - I thought there was some recent EU ruling that capped roaming charges. If those charges are 'capped' I'd love to see the uncapped charges!! For that money, you could buy a couple of iPads and then simply throw them away when you return to the UK. In fact, your roaming charges might very well exceed the cost of the cruise......buy a local SIM in each country that you visit and buy a SIM cutter before you go so that you can cut a regular SIM down to microSIM size....

Tim

 

[Harters]

It might be worth calling them - I thought there was some recent EU ruling that capped roaming charges. If those charges are 'capped' I'd love to see the uncapped charges!! For that money, you could buy a couple of iPads and then simply throw them away when you return to the UK. In fact, your roaming charges might very well exceed the cost of the cruise......buy a local SIM in each country that you visit and buy a SIM cutter before you go so that you can cut a regular SIM down to microSIM size....

Tim

Thanks very much for your help and advice Tim

Sent from my iPad 2 using iPF

 

[DontUnderstandMyIpad]

I don't know where you are heading, but if you're entering the ocean, 3G may not be available.

 

[Harters]

I don't know where you are heading, but if you're entering the ocean, 3G may not be available.

When we are fully at sea I will have to rely on the ships satellite internet either wifi on iPad or their pc's, but I wanted to use it whilst at port really.

Sent from my iPad 2 using iPF

 

[Tim SPRACKLEN]

It seems strange, in this day and age, that the concept of 'roaming' is virtually a licence to print money by the mobile operators. After all, going abroad is hardly an unusual activity. When we can make calls for next-to-nothing worldwide, how do operators such as '3' justify a charge of £1.28 per megabyte for roaming data. Yes, I accept, there are additional charges - both operational and administrative - that the operators have to bear - but £1.28 per **megabyte** - outrageous.

All this does is force consumers to purchase local PAYG SIMs and then the domestic operator gets no income at all. Surely a commercially 'savvy' operator would dramatically cut roaming charges in an attempt to dissuade consumers from using the local SIM option - yes, they could still charge a premium, we're all prepared to pay for convenience but, come on, £1.28 a megabyte - they just have to be joking....

I wonder if this is even 'sharp' marketing practice - they suspect that the less tech-savvy consumers may not notice it's 'per MB' rather than 'per GB' that they're charging.

Shame on you '3' - and I'm a UK customer of theirs too.

Tim