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European Pay-as-you-go SIM Suggestions

N

NorCalLights

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Apr 24, 2006
600
89
Hi everyone,

I'm sure this has been discussed somewhere on this site, but I can't find it in search... sorry if it's a repeat.

I'm traveling to Denmark and Germany for two weeks this summer, and I'd like to bring my old GSM iPhone 3GS with me (which I understand AT&T will unlock for me). I'd like to be able to make local phone calls, check email, and use Google Maps, so a pay-as-you-go SIM seems like the right thing to do (is it?). I suspect I only need maybe 100 minutes and 250mb of data.

Does anyone have any suggestions on which carrier I should go with? Will I need to get a different SIM for each country? Where can I buy such a SIM card?

Thanks very much.
 
Each country has its own providers, For example Vodafone, O2, T-Mo and Orange are pretty much Europe wide, but if you buy say a German Vodafone card and go into Denmark it will roam, all same network but essentially different if you know what I mean, each country is separate,
 
You will find getting a Micro Sim very difficult in Germany if you have no fixed address there. In my experience you will get away with lying, but make sure you remember the fake address. It is not cheap over there either, I couldn't find a single free Micro Sim when I went. I got a Micro Sim from Vodafone there in the end, cost me over €30.
 
You could get a GO SIM pay as you go card. They're specifically designed for international travelers, so the rates in each country are pretty low and you don't need to get a different SIM when you cross borders. They do microSIMs and data deals, and come with a UK and US number. They even have a deal where they'll give you $10 credit for writing a review on their website!

www.gosim.com
 
Woofski said:
You could get a GO SIM pay as you go card.
Click to expand...

Rates are a bit outrageous when compared to a proper local SIM for Germany. Most retailers will take your hotel address as your fixed address. There are plenty of electronics box stores around usually within a few blocks of the bahnhof where you can buy a SIM.

I've got a FONIC SIM I bought in DE three years ago - €10 for the SIM and €0.09/min voice or SMS to the US, €0.09/MB data. They have other perhaps more attractive plans available now as well for smartphones. I think one plan is €9.95 for one month including 500 MB of data. I just spent 8 days in Europe and used 1009 MB with *very* heavy Pandora and maps use so 500 MB should be plenty if you avoid streaming media.

Check out prepaidgsm.net for information - it's got a lot but not all - and there's lots of discussion there as well.

Can't speak to Denmark but I would expect it to be similar.
 
If you want a Europe-wide SIM for cheaper data and calls, check out Maxroam. $36 for 50mb and then you can top up afterwards, or it's 49c/mb.
 
Maxroam looks like it could be a great solution. I like that I can use it in Denmark and Germany, and I can use it on an upcoming business trip to the UK also.

How do the top-ups work? Do you just add credit and get billed at $0.49/meg or do you buy in packages of 50megs?
 
The EU just passed some legislation limiting the roaming rates within the EU, so many of the carriers have lowered their roaming rates. Roaming may not be such a horrible thing if you stay in Europe. Just check the websites of a few companies and see what their roaming rates are. I think Vodafone has a plan where you got 50 MBytes of roaming data per day for like 3 Euro per day.
 
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