Vodaphone Spain pay as you go account transfered to UK, and rest of Europe? Possible?

[saren]

Vodaphone Spain pay as you go account transfered to UK, and then rest of Europe? Possible?

I have a Tmobile pay as you go account from the USA as well (just in case it's easier to transfer with Tmobile than it is with Vodaphone).

I have an international mobile problem to consider

I have several SIM cards in my collection from traveling around the world (i.e. spending 6-10 weeks in different countries). I have a Vodaphone pay as you go number/SIM from Spain, and a Tmobile equivalent from the USA. I used these numbers on my triband Nokia 3000 series phone througout Spain, and Morocco (no problems, though Morocco was really expensive). In the USA, I have no problems with Tmobile, but it was really expensive in Canada. The numbers are still active, and will be so for quite some time. There is about $20 credit on the prepay account I have with Vodaphone Spain, and $60 with Tmbolie. NOte: The SIM cards are in my pocession. I don't use the services anymore because it's too expensive here in London.

My question is how can I adapt, upgrade, or modify my current Spain Vodafone or USA Tmobile pay as you go accounts, SIM cards, and numbers to to use in Europe (starting here in London). How does it work?

Remember, my goal here to make really cheap calls (no more than 30UScents/minute) to mobile numbers in Europe. I wish to use my current phone, stay on the same network, use prepay, and figure this all out.

I plan to hop around Europe for the next 2 years (spending at least 1 month in each country).

Thanks for any and all advice

[andy]

No, despite the same name, the SIMs are on different networks and none can be ported to a different country. You could use them at roaming rates, but as you've already decided, there isn't much point as it would be fairly wasteful. Maybe you could sell or exchange them.

From the UK, you have a choice of SIMs to make calls to European landlines, USA and Canada from 3 or 4 pence a minute, such as T-mobile with the callthrough provider Yourcallworld, or IDT Mobile, Lebara or Nomi. Calls from those to European mobiles start at around 10p to 15p a minute or so, or you can explore callthrough services perhaps from VoIP providers

If you call a lot of foreign mobiles, then O2 UK has an option with 100 minutes of international calls free for a month in which you top up by £15 or more, then the credit still to spend. I look forward to trying this to Liechtenstein or somewhere even more expensive, but not yet as prepaid SIMs don't support call diversion ...

Travelling throughout Europe, the EU countries' networks have adopted the standard Eurotariff of 59 cents outgoing, 28 cents incoming or something better. Potentially cheaper deals are Vodafone Passport, or the 3 networks with cheaper tariffs anyway and free roaming on some sister networks, or O2's My Europe Extra, with a monthly fee then free incoming calls, lending it to potential use with callback services.

There are several global roaming SIMs with either free incoming calls in several countries, or with a landline number and charged call forwarding to the SIM. You'll find plenty of discussion of these on here, with problems with one or two at the moment or in the recent past

But it will still turn out cheaper to get a local SIM in quite a few of these countries, sometimes in conjunction with callthrough or callback providers, and especially as cheaper mvno providers seem to be springing up all the time.

[petkow]

If you have all those SIM's and want to be travelling then I am sure you will make plenty of use of them then. There is no point trying to 'convert' them (and as has been pointed out this is not even possible). As Andy has mentioned it is worth picking up new cheap SIM's in the UK for while you are here. In most case these only cost a few pounds, include credit and if you know what you are doing international calls are extremely cheap.

If you really wanted to make use of your Vodafone Spain SIM before you even get there, you can activate Passport on it. In this case, if you use it in most European countries, you will pay local rates plus a one off €1 flat rate per call. If people call you on your Spanish number you can recieve the call anywhere in Europe and you only pay €1 per call to receive the call! This can be useful if you know people in Spain and are expecting calls from them whilst you are travelling or in my case if you need a 'Spanish contact number' (for work or otherwise) whilst you are in the UK or elsewhere.

One thing to note: With Vodafone Passport Spain, the call cap is at 20minutes. With Vodafone Passport UK , the call cap is a more generous 60minutes. After this you pay normal roaming rates.

[saren]

ok thanks for all that

I should mention i don't really need people to call me from the places i have already visited (ie. USA, Spain). I don't plan to revisit those countries in the next decade, so let's forget about them. Also, receiving calls aren't all that important to me, neither is SMS.

What's important to me is making outgoing calls to mobiles in each respective country I visit.

For example, I'm going to spend 2 months in UK (I will be calling UK mobiles, and that's about it - therefore outgoing calls to mobiles are the seller for me.

I am looking for the cheapest outgoing rates/minute to mobiles in the uk, and then keep those rates going to the next 10 or so european countries i plan to visit (i.e. norway, sweden, finland, holland, germany, etc...)

The idea of recieving a call for 1 euro per call seems too expensive to me. This vodafone passport option sounded good until you mentioned the 1euro flat rate per call.

As such, I feel inclined to either continue purchasing local SIMS in each country I visit (thus adding to my collection of old SIMS) or buy a world SIM (like TRAVELSIM)

[petkow]

If that is the case then don't use roaming at all! It is by far cheapest for you to just to buy cheap prepaids in every country you visit. It may be best to research them here on this site and order some in advance on the internet if you have adresses/contacts in the countries you are visiting. In many countries you will get an equal amount of credit to what the card costs. e.g. a €10 SIM pack may include €10 of credit, or you may even get a SIM for free!

There is so much choice here in the UK and depends on if you will make long calls or short ones and at what times. If it's a bit of everything and mainly mobiles (and not landlines) you will be calling consider http://www.asda-mobile.com. Calls with their prepaid card costs 16p/min for the first 3 min of calls per day to any mobile and then 8p/min after that!

When you move onto the next country, come back here and check whats new. Things change all the time.

[saren]

ok thanks i will just keep buying local sims in each country i visit.

asda is for uk only right/ i assume in norway (my next stop), i will have to switch it to a norway equivalent.

my calls are always outgoing, short, (anytime of day), are are almost always to mobiles (on all networks). Most of my calls are for the purposes of setting up a rendezvous. SMS and other features are non-important.

i also use voipwise, and before it (webcalldirect) for internet calls. The rates are the cheapest i have ever seen (landlines are free, for example).

I need a SIM for emergency calls on the street. The only other option was using payphones with calling cards. Now, I know i can just switch SIMS over, and over.

But, what to do with the old SIMS?

I have USA, MEXICO, Hong Kong, and Spain (some of which still have credit and are valid).

[saren]

By the way, I think Tmobile prepay tariffs are cheaper than Asda, no?
http://www.asda-phones.co.uk/tariff_...10&tc=14&stg=2

[petkow]

Originally Posted by saren

By the way, I think Tmobile prepay tariffs are cheaper than Asda, no?
http://www.asda-phones.co.uk/tariff_...10&tc=14&stg=2

Well it all depends on how many minutes you will talk in a day. T-Mo's cheapest deal is 15p/min. Asda is 16p/min but after 3 mins of collective calls in a day the rate halves. That does not happen with T-Mobile. It stays at 15p. If you are expecting to make more than 4mins of calls on any day Asda is cheaper. If not, it is only 1p/min more expensive! See: http://www.t-mobile.co.uk/shop/mobil...home_paygplans and look at the call costs to call other networks!

With regards to your other points:

You are right: Voipwise (part of Betamax) will give you the cheapest calls by far for landlines etc. There are many brands of the same company to chose from. For a smaller outlay you could consider voipraider. The min topup is US$10 (less than €10 needed on other brands).

As I said, by the time you are ready to go to Norway, bin your Asda card and research what local SIM will be best for there here on prepaidgsm. If you are really only considering making very few calls "emergency-only" type calls throughout your whole stay in any country and not getting to be using it for incoming or SMS, you could really consider a single roaming SIM. There are quite a few that will let you call from anywhere in Europe to anywhere for around 40c/min.

With regards to what you can do with your other cards why not flog them off here or on ebay?

[saren]

When ASDA says the rate will be halved, is that calculated per day or per call?

As for the global sim, I am considering it but which one is best? Probably one without a setup/connection fee per call, and the cheapest outgoing per minute rate to mobiles around the world (with europe (including east europe) as the priority). I am moving in an easterly direction (next major stops are all of Europe, then the New European countries, Middle East, Asia, and finally Australia. The Americas are least important).

How do I compare the best global SIM vs. local SIMS (in each country) for the type of calls I plan on making. What's the deciding factor?

Asda for example is really cheap per minute, and the SIM itself is almost free (so it sounds perfect). If it's possible to find ASDA equivalents in most countries around the world, then what's the point of purchasing a Global SIM (and its expensive per minute rates)?

As for ebay, I have never used it (so it may be complicated for me and I don't have a physical address (that doesn't change every month)...

By the way, what's flog?

[petkow]

Originally Posted by saren

When ASDA says the rate will be halved, is that calculated per day or per call?

I can't understand this question. It's all on the site anyhow! If you call person A for 2 mins. This call will cost you 2x16p = 32p. If you then call person B for 2 mins. This call will cost you 16p + 8p =24 mins. If you then make any other call for 10 mins that call will cost you 80p.

How do I compare the best global SIM vs. local SIMS (in each country) for the type of calls I plan on making. What's the deciding factor?

Deciding factors: Price, card validity, incoming calls free in which country etc. It's all here on the site. You'll have to look for it a bit first or I could write volumes. Just remember though you say incoming doesn't bother you, in most cases calls are made via a callback mechanism.

Even if not considering a Global SIM, with roaming with a normal local SIM is fairly cheap these days. e.g. UK o2 MyEuropeExtra calls are 25p/min from anywhere and to anywhere in Europe.

Asda for example is really cheap per minute, and the SIM itself is almost free (so it sounds perfect). If it's possible to find ASDA equivalents in most countries around the world, then what's the point of purchasing a Global SIM (and its expensive per minute rates)?

Well that's what I said initially. Thats definately what I would do. Prepaid SIM packs are dirt cheap or even free pretty much anywhere these days (well apart from the Americas).

As for ebay, I have never used it (so it may be complicated for me and I don't have a physical address (that doesn't change every month)...

As you say!

By the way, what's flog?

Sell