PAYG Data Sim for Roaming

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 :)

This might have the information you require

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

Tim

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Originally Posted by Tim SPRACKLEN

This might have the information you require

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

Tim

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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 :confused: 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.

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Originally Posted by Harters

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Originally Posted by Tim SPRACKLEN

This might have the information you require

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

Tim

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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 :confused: 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.

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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

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Originally Posted by Tim SPRACKLEN

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

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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 :D

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

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Originally Posted by 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

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Thanks very much for your help and advice Tim :)

Sent from my iPad 2 using iPF

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

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Originally Posted by DontUnderstandMyIpad

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

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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

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