Using your mobile abroad

MrRockliffe said:
I used Maya Mobile recently for a trip to Spain.


It worked well, except for the fact that the speeds were abysmal compared to just using my EE sim.


On the same network, I topped out at 5 ish Mbps on Maya and would be able to hit max speed on EE, at times this was in excess of 100 Mbps.



It frustrated me endlessly, as it was seemingly always slower than just using my normal sim.




Any recommendations on a better provider that cheaper enough than £2.50 a day to warrant using it?
Click to expand...
Lebara SIM if you have a SIM slot eg https://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/ge...ing-contract-ps190-for-first-6-months-4378204
 
I used Airalo in Indonesia and Singapore recently and it worked well.

One downside I did not anticipate when using an e-SIM on a Samsung S22 Ultra is that you can't have your main sim and the e-SIM active at the same time, meaning you have to switch sims to check for texts/missed calls on your home number.
 
weringo said:
I used Airalo in Indonesia and Singapore recently and it worked well.

One downside I did not anticipate when using an e-SIM on a Samsung S22 Ultra is that you can't have your main sim and the e-SIM active at the same time, meaning you have to switch sims to check for texts/missed calls on your home number.
Click to expand...
Really? You should be able to have 2 sims active
 
Looking at buying a couple of esims for travelling to USA. I don't use a lot of data - 10gb will do me for the duration we're away.

Options:
1. £25 to extend my UK plan to USA with network.
2. Sparks esim - 10gb for $12.90 (£10ish)
3. Globalyo - 10gb for $10
I'll keep looking for other options rather than turn this post into a price comparison.

I haven't used esims before. Do they all provide 5G or will the cheaper options likely result in poorer providers, low coverage and slow speeds?
 
Last edited:
Cadder said:
Looking at buying a couple of esims for travelling to USA. I don't use a lot of data - 10gb will do me for the duration we're away.

Options:
1. £25 to extend my UK plan to USA with network.
2. Sparks esim - 10gb for $12.90 (£10ish)
3. Globalyo - 10gb for $10
I'll keep looking for other options rather than turn this post into a price comparison.

I haven't used esims before. Do they all provide 5G or will the cheaper options likely result in poorer providers, low coverage and slow speeds?
Click to expand...

AFAIK, esims don't really have their own network, what they do is just buy data from a local providers that is what you are getting.

Generally Airalo provide a fixed data package and Holafly provide unlimited. You just compare the 2 for the duration and data and see which is cheaper.
 
Last edited:
I've looked a bit more into it and apparently Sparks uses the AT&T network which should be fast enough for me.

I'd have thought esims would need to be registered to a certain network(s) so this makes sense.
 
Cadder said:
I've looked a bit more into it and apparently Sparks uses the AT&T network which should be fast enough for me.

I'd have thought esims would need to be registered to a certain network(s) so this makes sense.
Click to expand...
It is much simpler than it sounds.

Simply install it while in the UK before you leave, then turn off that "line/sim".

When you are on the plane, turn off data roaming in UK sim/turn off allow data switching in the settings. This is important. Mine is permanently switched off.

Turn on Sim 2.

Once you land, it will connect to both sim. But because you turned off data roaming in the UK sim, it should not incur data charges but will still allow phone calls and text to come through and Whatsapp will still work because the sim is still on.

All data should now be connect through esim.

If you want to be extra careful, you can switch off UK sim and test that the data is coming through.

When both are on, the signal bar icon changes to looks like this.

l8nZJJYh.png
 
Last edited:
I've decided to switch from Smarty to Lycra (can use in India for Data only) just for a few months as I'll need data when I'm in India mid October. It's just a back up really incase I have problems getting an Airtel SIM at the airport.

Lycra is on offer at the moment - 100gb for £10, 3 months only before reverting back to £20. All that data will be very useful...as long as it's a reliable service over there (Vodafone?).
 
PishY said:
I’ve been with EE for years and just buy the roaming add on for £25, can use my phone data, minutes and texts for that and not have a nasty bill at the end
Click to expand...

Exactly what my lad is doing, however, he has been told he has to a US number :(

The US Uni he is at are giving out Mint Mobile sim cards. seems a good provider. They also have an offer on atm, $15 per month.

There's also a refer-a-friend scheme if the OP wants a referral code.
 
J.James said:
I've decided to switch from Smarty to Lycra (can use in India for Data only) just for a few months as I'll need data when I'm in India mid October. It's just a back up really incase I have problems getting an Airtel SIM at the airport.

Lycra is on offer at the moment - 100gb for £10, 3 months only before reverting back to £20. All that data will be very useful...as long as it's a reliable service over there (Vodafone?).
Click to expand...

Should be noted as above that Lycra are in a bit of hot water at the moment, would not recommend them!
 
Ouch. just for 2-3 months, no more, then I'll probably switch back once I come back from holiday when that offer ends. Just been reading about Lycra on these forums - unauthorised credit card use and other mysterious goings on..all pointing to Lycra.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom