PrePaidGSM.net Forum (Archived) - View Single Post - Exploring spanish 'prepaygo' mobile internet

a-mac · 14-07-2009, 10:04

Hi

Thanks for the correction in my spelling. I was doing it all from memory from back home, and now I see it written as prepago, I remember it was that!

Yes €59 is a lot for one month's internet BUT, for someone on holiday, the prices in Option B, compared to roaming with a UK dongle, aren't as high.

I spent ages in an internet cafe looking up all the info and you're right. I recall that I did discover I could get a YOIGO SIM at a Phone House but I couldn't find out about the dongle side of things with YOIGO. The closest Phone House to where we were was in Altea and so without driving, it wasn't easy to research. Mileage of course costs euros in fuel!! Now I have an unlocked dongle, I can be more flexible. I'd also heard that Carrefour sold YOIGO SIMS but they didn't have them when we went.

HOWEVER, although it's cheap to use, one of the things I found when researching YOIGO was that there's a €6.00/month minimum charge and some users were saying that there is a limit of 10-20 MB then the speed is limited to 10 kbps (not usable). With a mimimum spend, that makes it impractical for short-stay visitors - I go twice a year. So it would mean paying €72 per year minimum anyway and if I decided to go away somewhere else, I'm still committed to the €6 pm minimum charges.

Also at €3 per day for YOIGO, that's more expensive than the €39 for 2-weeks of unlimited usage on Vodaphone and the same price as Movistar prepago. In the Orange shop, the guy did mention YOIGO using the Movistar network but he said it 'roamed' on to the Movistar network, and that made me wonder if that meant additional cost?

Compared to the almost £100 I spent on using my T-Mobile roaming on movistar, €39 for Option B on Vodaphone will be a steal for unlimited MBs during my 2 week holiday periods in Moraira. (I would never go for Option A anyway)

PETKOW, it's great that you have put this aditional info down for people such as myself, and corrected my errors, as the database of information needs completing and Google does pick up on forum comments, which is useful. Very few people seem to know about the smaller providers it would appear.

What I really wanted to get was a SIMYO SIM but I knew I couldn't get it without being at a Spanish address to receive delivery, and without some form of acceptable ID. My mobile phone was able to pick up Movistar, Vodaphone and Amena signals where we stay, so presumably the Orange signal was available through Amena. However when I tried to connect to Amena with my T-Mobile dongle, it wouldn't connect, even though they are the preferred provider. It was fine on Movistar though.

QUESTIONS:

1) How much is the actual SIMYO SIM to buy? I know it's done online, but the timing would be crucial within a holiday period.

2) How quickly do they deliver? (timing is clearly crucial if I have to sign for it!)

3) If I can stay at my usual villa and have the SIM delivered during my stay and sign for it myself, would my UK passport be acceptable as ID?

4) Does the SIM become obsolete after several months of non-usage like with other providers?

5) Why does the SIMYO SIM have to be tied specifically to me anyway? Surely as a prepaid option, there is no financial risk to the providers so why this Spanish domicile thing, and ID, etc?

PETKOW, if you could answer the above questions and also list the pricings for unlimited usage with the SIMYO SIM for prepago usage, that would be great.

If there's someone out there with more Movistar prepago info, that would be helpful to add as well. I know the basic cost per MB but don't kmow about any minimum usage or if the SIM becomes obsolete after not being used for a while, etc.

	(#4)
a-mac (Offline) Junior Member Amateur Member Posts: 14 Join Date: 03 Jun 2009 Country:	14-07-2009, 10:04 Hi Thanks for the correction in my spelling. I was doing it all from memory from back home, and now I see it written as prepago, I remember it was that! Yes €59 is a lot for one month's internet BUT, for someone on holiday, the prices in Option B, compared to roaming with a UK dongle, aren't as high. I spent ages in an internet cafe looking up all the info and you're right. I recall that I did discover I could get a YOIGO SIM at a Phone House but I couldn't find out about the dongle side of things with YOIGO. The closest Phone House to where we were was in Altea and so without driving, it wasn't easy to research. Mileage of course costs euros in fuel!! Now I have an unlocked dongle, I can be more flexible. I'd also heard that Carrefour sold YOIGO SIMS but they didn't have them when we went. HOWEVER, although it's cheap to use, one of the things I found when researching YOIGO was that there's a €6.00/month minimum charge and some users were saying that there is a limit of 10-20 MB then the speed is limited to 10 kbps (not usable). With a mimimum spend, that makes it impractical for short-stay visitors - I go twice a year. So it would mean paying €72 per year minimum anyway and if I decided to go away somewhere else, I'm still committed to the €6 pm minimum charges. Also at €3 per day for YOIGO, that's more expensive than the €39 for 2-weeks of unlimited usage on Vodaphone and the same price as Movistar prepago. In the Orange shop, the guy did mention YOIGO using the Movistar network but he said it 'roamed' on to the Movistar network, and that made me wonder if that meant additional cost? Compared to the almost £100 I spent on using my T-Mobile roaming on movistar, €39 for Option B on Vodaphone will be a steal for unlimited MBs during my 2 week holiday periods in Moraira. (I would never go for Option A anyway) PETKOW, it's great that you have put this aditional info down for people such as myself, and corrected my errors, as the database of information needs completing and Google does pick up on forum comments, which is useful. Very few people seem to know about the smaller providers it would appear. What I really wanted to get was a SIMYO SIM but I knew I couldn't get it without being at a Spanish address to receive delivery, and without some form of acceptable ID. My mobile phone was able to pick up Movistar, Vodaphone and Amena signals where we stay, so presumably the Orange signal was available through Amena. However when I tried to connect to Amena with my T-Mobile dongle, it wouldn't connect, even though they are the preferred provider. It was fine on Movistar though. QUESTIONS: 1) How much is the actual SIMYO SIM to buy? I know it's done online, but the timing would be crucial within a holiday period. 2) How quickly do they deliver? (timing is clearly crucial if I have to sign for it!) 3) If I can stay at my usual villa and have the SIM delivered during my stay and sign for it myself, would my UK passport be acceptable as ID? 4) Does the SIM become obsolete after several months of non-usage like with other providers? 5) Why does the SIMYO SIM have to be tied specifically to me anyway? Surely as a prepaid option, there is no financial risk to the providers so why this Spanish domicile thing, and ID, etc? PETKOW, if you could answer the above questions and also list the pricings for unlimited usage with the SIMYO SIM for prepago usage, that would be great. If there's someone out there with more Movistar prepago info, that would be helpful to add as well. I know the basic cost per MB but don't kmow about any minimum usage or if the SIM becomes obsolete after not being used for a while, etc.