Pay as You Go - Lots of questions

[LesBrass]

I've read through lots of the posts and picked up a lot of knowledge but I still feel a little in the dark... so excuse my ignorance but can answer a few questions please.

I'm planning to walk the CF in September - I've allowed 7 weeks for the walk. I plan to carry a smartphone/phablet... it will be my phone, my camera, my guidebook, my map, my book and my link to home and to you lot!

I'm looking to buy a Pay as You Go SIM - ideally in advance so it can be set up before I leave home. (France)

We've looked at a few deals but as i've not used a smartphone before I'm unsure what kind of useage I'll need. How much is 100mb a month? If i'm loading photos to something like skydrive or flickr will that soon get eaten up?

i've been using mapmywalk at home on my laptop and would like to load the app onto the phone to trace my steps... but I'm guessing this will eat into my data usage? i've just no idea how much?

I know lots of folks may feel I dont need the phone... but as I've decided it's the right thing for me, I'd be really grateful for some advice on the kind of usage I could expect. I'd take advantage of free wifi whenever possible but I really like to get this right and sorted before I go... so any clever people out there who can guide me?

p.s. to give you an idea of my skill level... I currently dont have a mobile phone!

p.p.s It seems like vodaphone is a popular choice... is that still the case? And what is happening on the 1st July? Will that impact on my choices?

a big THANK YOU in advance!

 

[Deleted member 3000]

You can top off a data plan with Orange in France, so you do not need to buy a lot up front. Having said that, map applications eat up a tremendous amount of data. Do not use Map My Walk unless you want to pay hundreds of dollars for the privilege. You can add ATT international data for as little as $30. I had to upgrade it to $80 on my last trip to cover the data I did use, which included some mapping. On a previous trip, my brother added $30 before he left home, and had a $600 bill waiting for him when he got home as the result of using map applications. It will be a little less expensive with Orange, but it still will add up. Decide how much you are willing to pay. The basic 100mb will last a couple of weeks for email, but only a couple of days for data intensive applications like maps, Facetime, and Skype.

 

[LesBrass]

Thanks Falcon... that's exactly what we were worried about. I wont keep the mapmywalk on - but I liked the idea of literally mapping my steps and updating 3-4 times a day... but it's a luxury I can live without.

The whole roaming across europe charges is crazy... my son gets a reasonable deal on his phone for almost unlimated usage... but only in France... the changes can't come soon enough and sadly not before September 12th.

We have orange for home phone and internet so I'll investigate that a bit further too

thanks again!

 

[Bajaracer]

1oomb of data goes very quickly, especially with mapping apps and uploading photos as well.
I say find a Spanish PAYG SIM with data and at least 1GB of data, combined with wifi, it will work well for you.
For France, this is a great deal for monthly mobile phone service for €20 a month. https://mobile.free.fr/subscribea/index.php
For Spain try http://www.movistar.es/particulares/movil/tarifas-moviles/tarjeta/Tarifas-Tuenti/
Carphone Warehouse in the UK has good deals on unlocked mobile phones http://www.carphonewarehouse.com/mo...earSession=true&intcmp=SIMFREE_Viewall_211113
Shop around for the best deal for an unlocked phone.
The SIM free iPhone is the easiest to switch SIM cards, no special settings needed when changing SIM cards, all your settings on the iPhone remain the same, contacts, apps, etc. the only thing that changes is your phone number.

 

[LesBrass]

Bajaracer - many thanks! I'll pass this on to my husband - I'm just have no knowledge on phones at all... I've got a learning curve coming! My son uses prixtel at the moment but we'll compare the packages - they are always changing and things are getting better... not as good as in the UK!

We'll also shop around for a phone - my son will possibly get my new phone after my walk as he'll get far more use from it and I'll have his current old HTC - changing number wont be a problem for either of us so we'll look at Carphone warehouse too.

Lots of great ideas... many thanks again

 

[Bajaracer]

Bajaracer - many thanks! I'll pass this on to my husband - I'm just have no knowledge on phones at all... I've got a learning curve coming! My son uses prixtel at the moment but we'll compare the packages - they are always changing and things are getting better... not as good as in the UK!

We'll also shop around for a phone - my son will possibly get my new phone after my walk as he'll get far more use from it and I'll have his current old HTC - changing number wont be a problem for either of us so we'll look at Carphone warehouse too.

Lots of great ideas... many thanks again

http://www.gsmnation.co.uk And yes they ship to europe, the cheapest place for buying unlocked phones when you compare the exchange rates.

 

[NicoZ]

I'm looking to buy a Pay as You Go SIM - ideally in advance so it can be set up before I leave home. (France)

p.p.s It seems like vodaphone is a popular choice... is that still the case? And what is happening on the 1st July? Will that impact on my choices?

No point buying in France. If you have an Android phone it'll auto configure when you put the new SIM in it. That means you can set it up at home in France. Then just change the SIM in Spain.

I assume July 1st you're asking about the drop in roaming fees. All that's changing is the law. I think all the companies have already adjusted rates.

If you must buy in France check what roaming packages they have. Roaming deals tend to start at €3 a day but many companies offer a weekly rate.

Best to buy a local SIM once you cross the border. There isn't a huge difference in prices with the local providers. Honestly if the difference is €5 a month I'd be amazed.

I don't know the app you're asking about but you could load Googles Mytracks. Tracking your walk and then uploading on Wifi. Most of the things you want can be done on wifi.

If you can manage on wifi voice roaming is very cheap. No point getting a local SIM if all you're looking at is voice. Voice roaming is capped at 30 cents a minute.

 

[LesBrass]

Bajaracer - thanks for the link

NicoZ - Fair point about the SIM - if possible I would like to have everything sorted in advance before I leave... even if I dont use the SIM... but I'm not sure this will be possible.

We thought/hoped that we would see big changes after July 1st and hoped that some of the better deals we see in the UK would be transported to our side of the chanel but that doesn't seem to be happening at the moment.

We've been told to look at the Carrefour PAYG SIM card in Spain - problem is that the nearest carrefour is in Pamplona... not too far into the trip but it would just be good if I could have it sorted when I start. We tried to order on-line but you need a Spanish address and they were out of stock!!

I'm not too worried about voice - it is data download that I'm interested in... I've seen a couple of Apps talked about on the forum which look good and also I'll look at the Mytracks too. And as you say, I will try and use wifi whenever possible.

I do get frustrated but the complexity of the contracts and offers... as you say there really isn't too much between them but it's the 'what if' clauses that I want to be sure on. I look forward to the day when a national boundary doesn't involve this very silly cost implication and also it would be nice if the huge international companies such a Vodaphone/Virgin/Orange and the like could create some consistancy in pricing and also perhaps even create a multi-language website so we're not having to read the small print via google translate!

As you can tell I'm a little grumpy with this... sorry! I am grateful for the advice and we'll look into your ideas

 

[LesBrass]

ps. a friend just sent me this link http://www.simcardspain.es/en/

I'll have a look and see if this is going to help us

 

[NicoZ]

Honestly you're worrying too much. Buy the phone in France. Get a French sim. Set the phone up and learn how to use it.

When you cross the border go with one of companies and change your SIM. Send your new phone number to who ever might need it. That's it.

When you cross the border back into France change back.

Only other thing. Before you leave France go into the settings and turn off data. Leave it that way until you get your Spanish SIM.

Lebarra is in Spain. If my experience in Germany is any guide they'll happily sell you a SIM without any questions asked.

 

[LesBrass]

Nico - I think you're right, I'm over thinking it. I've had a look again at the maps and the GPS offline options and I think this will work fine for me... one less thing to think about. Just talked it over with my husband and I think we're getting there now... and I should go back to worrying about possible blisters

12 weeks to go and I think I'm just starting to everso slightly panic

thank you!

 

[Bajaracer]

Don't look at Google Maps if you're wondering how far it is to the next town, you'll only get frustrated!

 

[koilife]

Nico - I think you're right, I'm over thinking it. I've had a look again at the maps and the GPS offline options and I think this will work fine for me... one less thing to think about. Just talked it over with my husband and I think we're getting there now... and I should go back to worrying about possible blisters

12 weeks to go and I think I'm just starting to everso slightly panic

thank you!

You might look at GPS Essentials as a good app for tracking your progress. It will capture GPS tracks as you walk, and then you can map them once you get to a place where you can run over WiFi.

I kept my phone in "airplane" mode (with GPS on) while walking and only turned on data when strictly necessary. All bandwidth intensive stuff (Skype, uploads, mapping, etc.) was exclusively over WiFi.

No, don't worry, but DO think it through well so as not to be surprised or caught w/o access when you need it. This is one of those topics that's harder to fix once you've left, so better to work it out and test it out in advance.

 

[hotelmedicis]

The whole roaming across europe charges is crazy...

Roaming charges will be a thing of the past in the European Union by December 2015. Parliament voted to abolish them in April and so, as you see, hope springs eternal!

 

[Bajaracer]

Roaming charges for residents from EU countries within the EU is not bad at all, for Americans, Australians, and Canadians, we get hammered with high roaming expenses, hence the need to get a local SIM card.

 

[hotelmedicis]

Roaming charges for residents from EU countries within the EU is not bad at all, for Americans, Australians, and Canadians, we get hammered with high roaming expenses, hence the need to get a local SIM card.

Unfortunately the roaming charges are high enough to warrant the purchase of a local SIM card when staying for lengthly periods in another country even within the EU. This will end in December 2015. When I'm in the Netherlands, the UK or Spain for a month or so I always buy a local SIM card. Same thing when I leave the EU for the states, I always buy an AT&T SIM card. I've had dozens!