Greece/Europe Cell Plans? Something like Roam mobility?

[BokCh0y]

Has anyone had to travel to Greece for a week+? If so, what did you do for cell phone plan? Did you use the Rogers roam at home thing for $10/day? I'm looking for something similar to roam mobility but for international rather than only the US.

I searched and it looks like i can pick up a pay-as-you-go sim and plan when I arrive in Europe. Wondering what everyone has used or suggests.

Thanks.

[BokCh0y]

Morning bump. Someone's gotta have some experience with this. Thanks.

[Mitsu3000gt]

I literally just rented from these guys today:

http://hippocketwifi.com/en/pocket-wifi-europe-rental/

Data is the only thing I care about since I can call, text, and browse with it, and this seemed to be the easiest for two of us with multiple devices wanting unlimited data everywhere.

[tonytiger55]

Im in London right now.
I just picked up a pre loaded sim card for $27ish. 4g of data, unlimited texts and 1500 minutes. I think Greece would have something similar with European law coming down on the mobile companies years ago. But don't take my word on it.

[phreezee]

They are pretty much everywhere selling them from kiosks especially in airports, seaports, malls.

[hampstor]

Talked to coworker who recently went to Europe - they used the Rogers Roam Like Home ($10/day with max billing of 10 days). He did it because it was easier to keep in touch with people back in Calgary (eg. in an emergency, the person would call his local Calgary number v. having to look for the phone # for a prepaid sim/other service).

[BokCh0y]

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Im in London right now.
I just picked up a pre loaded sim card for $27ish. 4g of data, unlimited texts and 1500 minutes. I think Greece would have something similar with European law coming down on the mobile companies years ago. But don't take my word on it.

Yeah I'm hoping Greece will have this since they're part of the EU, thanks for the rough pricing. Did you just grab this from the airport or a vendor? Passport as ID yes?

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I literally just rented from these guys today:

http://hippocketwifi.com/en/pocket-wifi-europe-rental/

Data is the only thing I care about since I can call, text, and browse with it, and this seemed to be the easiest for two of us with multiple devices wanting unlimited data everywhere.

Where did you get that from? Just one of the local shops?

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Talked to coworker who recently went to Europe - they used the Rogers Roam Like Home ($10/day with max billing of 10 days). He did it because it was easier to keep in touch with people back in Calgary (eg. in an emergency, the person would call his local Calgary number v. having to look for the phone # for a prepaid sim/other service).

Yeah I'm considering that too since I can use my own data, I just want to see if I can do it for cheaper haha.

Thanks to everyone for the responses btw, much appreciated.

[RX_EVOLV]

Going on a European cruise over 3 countries next month. That pocket wifi is interesting but Rome like home is cheaper.. hm,

[tonytiger55]

I got it from the high street. You can get it from anywhere. You can get cheaper ones too for like $5. Then you just add credit from a ATM. Its pretty easy.
You don't need a passport or anything. Just make sure your phone is unlocked.

DO NOT BUY from the airport. The mark up is insane.

[Mitsu3000gt]

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Where did you get that from? Just one of the local shops?

If you go to the link you will see They mail it to you anywhere (either at your destination or in Canada) and then it has prepaid shipping envelope to return when your trip is done. The company is based out of France but they service all of Europe.

They are shipping it to me here in Canada, and then I just take it with me so I will have unlimited data fast WiFi everywhere from the moment I land. When I'm done I just toss it in a post box. Used the same thing in Japan last year and it was amazing.

[RX_EVOLV]

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If you go to the link you will see They mail it to you anywhere (either at your destination or in Canada) and then it has prepaid shipping envelope to return when your trip is done. The company is based out of France but they service all of Europe.

They are shipping it to me here in Canada, and then I just take it with me so I will have unlimited data fast WiFi everywhere from the moment I land. When I'm done I just toss it in a post box. Used the same thing in Japan last year and it was amazing.

Hmm actually this seems like a better option than Roam like Home because we can connect multiple devices. How long does it take them to mail it to Canada?

[Mitsu3000gt]

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Hmm actually this seems like a better option than Roam like Home because we can connect multiple devices. How long does it take them to mail it to Canada?

They told me it's very fast, 1-2 days. I just ordered it though so I can't confirm just yet. My research suggested this was the best company to go with. You can also pick it up at your hotel, AirBnb, etc.

It's a bit expensive (it was cheaper in Japan) if you check all the options boxes but it's just so damn convenient, especially for multiple devices (up to 10 devices, up to 100Mbps, unlimited data and anywhere in Europe). Just keep it in your backpack while you're walking around and your whole family or travel group gets WiFi so you then all have unlimited calling, texting, file sharing, streaming, browsing, etc. I just keep a charging pack around to make sure it doesn't die if it's going to be a long day.

[RX_EVOLV]

You are right. Looking more into this it's actually quite expensive. $25 Euro ($37CAD) to ship to Canada, and probably the same, if not more, to ship back. It says if you return from anywhere outside of Europe you have to pay for your own shipping cost?

Maybe too expensive for a 9 day trip...

[Mitsu3000gt]

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You are right. Looking more into this it's actually quite expensive. $25 Euro ($37CAD) to ship to Canada, and probably the same, if not more, to ship back. It says if you return from anywhere outside of Europe you have to pay for your own shipping cost?

Maybe too expensive for a 9 day trip...

I paid $269 CAD for 19 days of unlimited everything anywhere in Europe with shipping and all fees. It's expensive but it's just so convenient and we both have phones and tablets, as well as some long train rides to stay entertained on. The same thing in Japan for 15 days was $140 CAD. We're also going to 3-4 countries so you pay more to have it work anywhere.

If you want to save money, shipping it to the airport post office or your accommodation is the first thing you can do. Also if you can live with being throttled after 1GB of data usage (per day), you can save a good chunk more. We actually probably could have got away with 1GB/day which is quite a lot but I just wanted to guarantee no issues. The GF needs that FB/Insta

There is a 10% off code (WIFI10) not sure if it still works but it worked for me yesterday even though the promotion was supposed to be over.

[Thaco]

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I paid $269 CAD for 19 days of unlimited everything anywhere in Europe with shipping and all fees. It's expensive but it's just so convenient and we both have phones and tablets, as well as some long train rides to stay entertained on. The same thing in Japan for 15 days was $140 CAD. We're also going to 3-4 countries so you pay more to have it work anywhere.

If you want to save money, shipping it to the airport post office or your accommodation is the first thing you can do. Also if you can live with being throttled after 1GB of data usage (per day), you can save a good chunk more. We actually probably could have got away with 1GB/day which is quite a lot but I just wanted to guarantee no issues. The GF needs that FB/Insta

There is a 10% off code (WIFI10) not sure if it still works but it worked for me yesterday even though the promotion was supposed to be over.

couldn't you do the same thing with roam like home and just run your hotspot? it does seem convenient, but that's a huge premium over roam like home... i suppose the one advantage is unlimited usage, where as roam like home you are still confined by your normal plan

[Mitsu3000gt]

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couldn't you do the same thing with roam like home and just run your hotspot? it does seem convenient, but that's a huge premium over roam like home... i suppose the one advantage is unlimited usage, where as roam like home you are still confined by your normal plan

Depending on your plan it might not be too bad, but with 4 devices and the want for unlimited data, it doesn't work for me personally.

If RLH is $10/day my trip would cost me $380 for both of us with a small data cap, so I think it would be more expensive unless I'm misunderstanding something. With Fido anyway, you can only RLH for up to 10 days, so I would need a solution for the other half of my trip too. I'm also happy to pay for convenience, at least to a point. And I know it will work on all the European networks at max speeds.

[Thaco]

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Depending on your plan it might not be too bad, but with 4 devices and the want for unlimited data, it doesn't work for me personally.

If RLH is $10/day my trip would cost me $380 for both of us with a small data cap, so I think it would be more expensive unless I'm misunderstanding something. With Fido anyway, you can only RLH for up to 10 days, so I would need a solution for the other half of my trip too. I'm also happy to pay for convenience, at least to a point. And I know it will work on all the European networks at max speeds.

you are mistaken, you can use roam like home every day for your entire billing cycle, but will only be charged a maximum of 10 days per billing cycle.

So even if you had 3 separate devices (potentially on different plans), you're looking at $300, more or less the same price as your hotspot.

I personally have a family plan with a shared data pool, so its much cheaper to just use one phone and everybody else tether to it. the max it'll cost me in a billing cycle is $100 assuming we stay within our data pool limit (which is 30gb so thats not an issue) and we use free public wifi whenever possible too.

[Mitsu3000gt]

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you are mistaken, you can use roam like home every day for your entire billing cycle, but will only be charged a maximum of 10 days per billing cycle.

So even if you had 3 separate devices (potentially on different plans), you're looking at $300, more or less the same price as your hotspot.

I personally have a family plan with a shared data pool, so its much cheaper to just use one phone and everybody else tether to it. the max it'll cost me in a billing cycle is $100 assuming we stay within our data pool limit (which is 30gb so thats not an issue) and we use free public wifi whenever possible too.

Yeah I noticed that after, it's a max of 10 days - but you're limited to your plan's data for the month, right? If you have 30GB though that is quite a lot, might be better in your situation to stick with your carrier. What I don't know either is if most people's phones get 4G speeds there if you are roaming, and/or how easily that single device can re-broadcast similar speeds out to multiple devices or if it becomes slow and crappy.

The other thing I need to do is upload photos for backup, and that could potentially chew up a ton of data.

[BokCh0y]

Thanks for the info mitsu. I only need it for 9 days tops and only for me. RLH may be cheaper for me unless I can find a local pay as you go Sim package.

[Mitsu3000gt]

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Thanks for the info mitsu. I only need it for 9 days tops and only for me. RLH may be cheaper for me unless I can find a local pay as you go Sim package.

Anytime, hope it works out for you either way.

If one of you is doing it, RLH is probably cheaper if you don't need more data than your home package. If 2 or more of you need it, the hotspot might be better.