mobile phone options for Europe

Cycle-touring, Expeditions, Adventures, Major cycle routes NOT LeJoG (see other special board)
aquilo
Posts: 61
Joined: 22 Aug 2011, 8:11pm

Re: mobile phone options for Europe

Post by aquilo »

Hi

I've not done he amounts of research, but for France the last couple of years I've used "Le French mobile". Never had any problems with access or signals when cycling in the Pyrenees and down the west cost of France the last couple, of years. Their data bundles seem good value, also it stays live all the time in that if you are not in France that often you do not lose your credit. I was in France after an 6 month break and I put the sim in and it was working immediately with internet access.

http://www.lefrenchmobile.com/

Good luck
User avatar
mjr
Posts: 20308
Joined: 20 Jun 2011, 7:06pm
Location: Norfolk or Somerset, mostly
Contact:

Re: mobile phone options for Europe

Post by mjr »

mrjemm wrote:As for using a mobile in Europe, I am not sure if anyone's mentioned it, but I think it's worth taking a basic phone- batteries last longer, signal usually better (I find smartphones terrible for this), and newer smartphones don't always give you the option of choosing lower than 3g now (my Lumia 820 only says max speed 3g or max speed 4g!), and if signal is poor, it's good to go lower than 3g seemingly. Lighter and smaller too.

Signal is a matter of design. No reason smartphones should be bad but lots are. Read reviews before you buy. Similarly battery. My Xperia Tipo gives about 4 days unused or 2 with moderately heavy use.

The 2g/3g switching ability is a firmware matter. Three often disable it on their phones. If it's an Android phone then you can flash it back to standard, or ideally to something better like replicant or cyanogen. But Lumia is Windows Phone isn't it? Locked down to the point of paralysis.
MJR, mostly pedalling 3-speed roadsters. KL+West Norfolk BUG incl social easy rides http://www.klwnbug.co.uk
All the above is CC-By-SA and no other implied copyright license to Cycle magazine.
Barrenfluffit
Posts: 797
Joined: 20 Oct 2009, 5:31pm

Re: mobile phone options for Europe

Post by Barrenfluffit »

mjr wrote:
Barrenfluffit wrote:3G access on kindle is limited to amazon and wikipedia. There is a download limit too. Hooked up to wifi should be ok.

Is that new? Wasn't true last May in France and Spain.


1st generation Paperwhite. firmware ver 5.3.9. Is it webmail or a specific email providor?

Just done a update and still no access to sites beyond Wiki and amazon. Must be a version specific thing.
patpalloon
Posts: 390
Joined: 16 Jan 2011, 12:06pm

Re: mobile phone options for Europe

Post by patpalloon »

Barrenfluffit wrote:
mjr wrote:
Barrenfluffit wrote:3G access on kindle is limited to amazon and wikipedia. There is a download limit too. Hooked up to wifi should be ok.

Is that new? Wasn't true last May in France and Spain.


1st generation Paperwhite. firmware ver 5.3.9. Is it webmail or a specific email providor?

Just done a update and still no access to sites beyond Wiki and amazon. Must be a version specific thing.


I have the Kindle 3g from 2010, the one with the little keyboard. You can access any site including yahoo, Facebook etc on 3g. However, last year I was in Egypt and I got a warning that I was over using the Internet and then I could only get limited access. I got the paperwhite for my gf and she can only get amazon and Wikipedia on it unless connected to wifi. Btw there is a really useful ebook called Book of the Web with lots of links to websites made easy for the kindle to read.
I feel sure that the genius that did this, didn't even feel a thud as he drove by.
User avatar
georgew
Posts: 1526
Joined: 27 Jan 2007, 4:23pm

Re: mobile phone options for Europe

Post by georgew »

No sign of "Book of the Web " in Amazon's Kindle store. Is this the correct title?
User avatar
bikes4two
Posts: 1306
Joined: 12 Jan 2010, 10:14pm
Location: SE Hampshire, UK

Re: mobile phone options for Europe

Post by bikes4two »

randomblue wrote:..........the best I've found is £1/20MB (to be used in one day) from EE payg. You can get the SIM itself free from their website. Works out to be 5p/MB which is much much better than the 45p+ you'd be paying on other networks or on 3 in non feel-at-home countries!!

Will let you know what the cheapest French sim works out to be =)


The above tariff of £1/20Mb is for Pay Monthly accounts, not PAYG. If you are PAYG it is £35 for 200Mb valid for 30 days or £10 for 50Mb valid for 30 days. Link is here - be sure to press the PAY AS YOU GO tab on the web page.
temp1.jpg
Without my stoker, every trip would only be half a journey
nmnm
Posts: 470
Joined: 14 Nov 2010, 6:03pm

Re: mobile phone options for Europe

Post by nmnm »

georgew wrote:No sign of "Book of the Web " in Amazon's Kindle store. Is this the correct title?

Number one result if you type Book of the Web on google uk site.
randomblue
Posts: 224
Joined: 28 Aug 2013, 5:09pm

Re: mobile phone options for Europe

Post by randomblue »

bikes4two wrote:
randomblue wrote:..........the best I've found is £1/20MB (to be used in one day) from EE payg. You can get the SIM itself free from their website. Works out to be 5p/MB which is much much better than the 45p+ you'd be paying on other networks or on 3 in non feel-at-home countries!!

Will let you know what the cheapest French sim works out to be =)


The above tariff of £1/20Mb is for Pay Monthly accounts, not PAYG. If you are PAYG it is £35 for 200Mb valid for 30 days or £10 for 50Mb valid for 30 days. Link is here - be sure to press the PAY AS YOU GO tab on the web page.
temp1.jpg


I thought that at first too, but if you go to this page select EE and put in Germany for example (or France or Spain etc), when you hit enter, on the page for the country you entered there are 3 tabs just under the country name and if you select pay as you go and scroll down a little on the right hand side there are roaming data bundles, including 20MB/£1 over 24 hours, 100MB/£3 over 24 hours or 200MB/£35 over 1 month.

For some reason the options and costs don't seem to be consistent across EE, Orange and T-mobile so you have to make sure its on EE and not one of the other two! Looks like on the page you added a picture of it's got t-mobile selected =) I imagine having better/more varied deals on EE is an attempt to get new customers to go for that so its easier to merge old customers into the new system.
bg
Posts: 48
Joined: 5 Nov 2007, 10:12am
Location: Kent

Re: mobile phone options for Europe

Post by bg »

Try toggle mobile. Their call rate is 3p per minute but not sure of the data cost at present.
User avatar
georgew
Posts: 1526
Joined: 27 Jan 2007, 4:23pm

Re: mobile phone options for Europe

Post by georgew »

nmnm wrote:
georgew wrote:No sign of "Book of the Web " in Amazon's Kindle store. Is this the correct title?

Number one result if you type Book of the Web on google uk site.


Found it now. Thanks.
User avatar
al_yrpal
Posts: 11537
Joined: 25 Jul 2007, 9:47pm
Location: Think Cheddar and Cider
Contact:

Re: mobile phone options for Europe

Post by al_yrpal »

I am going to opt into the Vodafone £3 a day option on my 7 day trip to Brittany. That allows me to use my monthly tariff of 100 minutes, unlimited texts and
1gb of data. If I don't connect on some days the £3 is not charged. I shall take advantage of free WiFi where I can. Can't be bothered with Simms etc

Al
Reuse, recycle, thus do your bit to save the planet.... Get stuff at auctions, Dump, Charity Shops, Facebook Marketplace, Ebay, Car Boots. Choose an Old House, and a Banger ..... And cycle as often as you can......
User avatar
bikes4two
Posts: 1306
Joined: 12 Jan 2010, 10:14pm
Location: SE Hampshire, UK

Re: mobile phone options for Europe

Post by bikes4two »

randomblue wrote:
bikes4two wrote:
The above tariff of £1/20Mb is for Pay Monthly accounts, not PAYG. If you are PAYG it is £35 for 200Mb valid for 30 days or £10 for 50Mb valid for 30 days. Link is here - be sure to press the PAY AS YOU GO tab on the web page.
temp1.jpg


I thought that at first too, but if you go to this page select EE and put in Germany for example (or France or Spain etc), when you hit enter, on the page for the country you entered there are 3 tabs just under the country name and if you select pay as you go and scroll down a little on the right hand side there are roaming data bundles, including 20MB/£1 over 24 hours, 100MB/£3 over 24 hours or 200MB/£35 over 1 month.



Randomblue - I've re-checked what I THOUGHT I'd looked at and you are correct and I was wrong :oops: - my apologies - EE is indeed a good rate for PAYG Data whilst roaming - I'll be getting a SIM card for myself :) :) :)
Without my stoker, every trip would only be half a journey
Psamathe
Posts: 17650
Joined: 10 Jan 2014, 8:56pm

Re: mobile phone options for Europe

Post by Psamathe »

bikes4two wrote:
randomblue wrote:
bikes4two wrote:
The above tariff of £1/20Mb is for Pay Monthly accounts, not PAYG. If you are PAYG it is £35 for 200Mb valid for 30 days or £10 for 50Mb valid for 30 days. Link is here - be sure to press the PAY AS YOU GO tab on the web page.
temp1.jpg


I thought that at first too, but if you go to this page select EE and put in Germany for example (or France or Spain etc), when you hit enter, on the page for the country you entered there are 3 tabs just under the country name and if you select pay as you go and scroll down a little on the right hand side there are roaming data bundles, including 20MB/£1 over 24 hours, 100MB/£3 over 24 hours or 200MB/£35 over 1 month.



Randomblue - I've re-checked what I THOUGHT I'd looked at and you are correct and I was wrong :oops: - my apologies - EE is indeed a good rate for PAYG Data whilst roaming - I'll be getting a SIM card for myself :) :) :)


Does the EE roaming allow your phone to roam to any provider in France (or other EU country) or have they just cut a deal with a specific carrier. I never really knew what the coverage was like as, whilst I had a "pay monthly" on Orange, I never used the phone so never noticed the coverage. But, if travelling in the UK rural areas there are some providers that would be better than others.

Ian
randomblue
Posts: 224
Joined: 28 Aug 2013, 5:09pm

Re: mobile phone options for Europe

Post by randomblue »

bikes4two wrote:
randomblue wrote:I thought that at first too, but if you go to this page select EE and put in Germany for example (or France or Spain etc), when you hit enter, on the page for the country you entered there are 3 tabs just under the country name and if you select pay as you go and scroll down a little on the right hand side there are roaming data bundles, including 20MB/£1 over 24 hours, 100MB/£3 over 24 hours or 200MB/£35 over 1 month.



Randomblue - I've re-checked what I THOUGHT I'd looked at and you are correct and I was wrong :oops: - my apologies - EE is indeed a good rate for PAYG Data whilst roaming - I'll be getting a SIM card for myself :) :) :)


Ahah no problem! Glad to have found you a better deal ;) My desk job can be super boring with not much to do sometimes so I somewhat sadly fill said time with obsessing over stupid things like this =P I may or may not be using a combination of 5 different SIMs during my 4 months tour this summer as a result... but considering the SIMs themselves are generally free it can only end up saving money so hopefully it'll be worth it! x.X
bohrsatom
Posts: 807
Joined: 20 May 2013, 4:36pm

Re: mobile phone options for Europe

Post by bohrsatom »

For France I have just picked up a Joe Mobile SIM. They seem to be the French version of giffgaff and have a package where for 20E a month you get unlimited calls/SMS in france, unlimited calls to UK landlines (+ other countries too) and 3Gb of data.

You can only get a SIM sent to a French address however I found a website posted on the giffgaff forums where a guy in France will send you a SIM to the UK for postage only (currently 1E20).

I took a chance and my SIM turned up a few days later. I will be activating it just before I go to France, as I understand it you can use a UK debit card although now I have double checked and the website does not say this any more. Guess I will find out soon enough!

Not affiliated in any way other than a customer, the link is http://jmsim.eu/.
Post Reply