Tesco Mobile (1 Viewer)

[DumfriesDik]

I know it's an old chestnut and I am in search of the Holy Grail.

I would love a data sim that can be used to roam in the EU. Tesco Mobile at the moment seem to be a good option. Does anyone here have experience of using a Tesco data sim in their mifi and does it work okay for the EU and your thoughts on the fair usage policy? I have read it but have you fallen foul?

 

[EuroTrotters]

We use lebara, but don’t use much data

 

[DiggerJon]

I had no problems using my Tesco PAYG SIM in France in April/May(PAYG was very expensive though!) but I've now upgraded to a £14 monthly contract with 100 GB per month data, unlimited texts and calls which includes the EU with no roaming charges. In non-EU countries, it depends but the Tesco App you can download details the charges by country world wide. Once you've signed up, the monthly fee remains the same and so do the terms and conditions. I'm using the tethering facility whilst in North Devon, and it works a treat on a 4G network, more than enough to view YouTube content on a 7.35 Mbps download and a 5.77 Mbps upload.
Hope this helps.

 

[PP Bear]

Tesc mobile is O2, so should be good coverage and even better with the deals they have on now.

They also promise not to do the usual rip off annual price increase like the big wigs do.

 

[Stealaway]

As above. Tesco is O2 (Telephonica)
I've just changed from 3 to O2 because of the roaming charges.
I was disappointed with how long it took them to port my existing number across but I now have 20gb data for £8 and no roaming charges

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[RedFrame]

I use it in a router UK and europe (unlimited), my wife works from the van while we're away (voice over ip and data), and I stream using a Firestick, no issues at all.

Cheers
Red.

 

[Bolti]

I know it's an old chestnut and I am in search of the Holy Grail.

I would love a data sim that can be used to roam in the EU. Tesco Mobile at the moment seem to be a good option. Does anyone here have experience of using a Tesco data sim in their mifi and does it work okay for the EU and your thoughts on the fair usage policy? I have read it but have you fallen foul?

O2 the network that tesco use do not allow phone sims to be used in mifi's or routers. Hotspotting from a phone no problem.
this is an extract from Tesco t&c's

using a Tesco Mobile SIM card other than for the purposes advertised, described in any user guides, or instructed by us or using a Tesco Mobile SIM card in, or connected to any device or hardware other than a mobile phone or tablet. For example, using your Tesco Mobile SIM card in a router for broadband;

 

[Dorwyn]

I changed Tesco phone SIM to Smarty (3), hotspot, but also have a mifi with a Three SIM. I do not find a substantial difference between the two methods. Some say that Three is not so good in EU, but you get your signal from local suppliers anyway, do not sure why that would be.

 

[DumfriesDik]

O2 the network that tesco use do not allow phone sims to be used in mifi's or routers. Hotspotting from a phone no problem.
this is an extract from Tesco t&c's

using a Tesco Mobile SIM card other than for the purposes advertised, described in any user guides, or instructed by us or using a Tesco Mobile SIM card in, or connected to any device or hardware other than a mobile phone or tablet. For example, using your Tesco Mobile SIM card in a router for broadband;

Aaargh, I hadn't seen that.

The search continues!

 

[DumfriesDik]

Chatted with Tesco mobile - you can get a data only sim card from store or telesales. And you can use them for mifi! Clear as mud.

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[Minxy]

O2 the network that tesco use do not allow phone sims to be used in mifi's or routers. Hotspotting from a phone no problem.
this is an extract from Tesco t&c's

using a Tesco Mobile SIM card other than for the purposes advertised, described in any user guides, or instructed by us or using a Tesco Mobile SIM card in, or connected to any device or hardware other than a mobile phone or tablet. For example, using your Tesco Mobile SIM card in a router for broadband;

We had a discussion about using Sims in mifis in February, O2 mention modems not routers (or used to) so might be worth having a chat with them to confirm exactly what it means.

Phone/Data Package

Just registered with this forum and currently waiting on delivery of our Wildax Europa. Could anyone offer an guidance on what they think is the best phone/data package to use in Europe and anything we should be wary of. We won't be streaming movies so will use data for facetime/WhatsApp...

www.motorhomefun.co.uk

 

[dunnah01]

O2 the network that tesco use do not allow phone sims to be used in mifi's or routers. Hotspotting from a phone no problem.
this is an extract from Tesco t&c's

using a Tesco Mobile SIM card other than for the purposes advertised, described in any user guides, or instructed by us or using a Tesco Mobile SIM card in, or connected to any device or hardware other than a mobile phone or tablet. For example, using your Tesco Mobile SIM card in a router for broadband;

No issues using my Tescomobile SIM in a Huawei MIFI router in UK or France

 

[Kannon Fodda]

Tesco Sim did not work in my Huawei router

Seems to be pot luck if you can or cannot use it.

 

[RidersofRohan]

I have Tesco sim in HUAWEI mifi. Tesco know I’m using it in the mifi because I told them. Just returned from 4 weeks touring Germany and didn’t have any problem other than running out of data as my original plan I underestimated the usage. I rang them and we added data and the next month set the plan to a higher data.
One thing I did need to do was change some settings in the HUAWEI to initially get the sim to work. I got them from using search on this forum and it brought up a thread that explained what to do.

 

[Kannon Fodda]

Yes there are settings to change for the Tesco sim in the Huawei, for an APN. Despite that it wouldn't work. Took a couple of hours with different phone support staff (their recent radio add where they claimed phone support wouldn't be like some networks asking if you have turned round three times, was actually quite close to how the first people reacted) and the third agrees sometimes it wouldn't work, as they didn't test with routers so was an unknown, rather than outright preventing use.

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[Millcourt]

Just had a look at the Tescomobile website and noticed that the SIM-only contracts now all say “EU Roaming for 2022”……. Perhaps this is being discontinued or capped in future years? Looking carefully at the FAQ’s, on the PAYG SIM-only deals the Clubcard price reverts to the full price after 12 months.

 

[BikerGraham]

It appears that the free roaming with Tesco is ending from 2023.

Current existing contracts will be honoured till they end but all new contracts from 16th June will start charging from start of 2023.

The exploitation is expanding folks if this is true.

 

[pagey]

If correct I must have trod in something as my 2 Yr contract started on the 15th

 

[Minxy]

Info here ref the new roaming costs:

Tesco Mobile quietly scraps free EU roaming from 2023 as networks cash in post-Brexit

There was no public announcement of the change, which was quietly slipped into new contracts earlier this week

inews.co.uk

 

[DumfriesDik]

Aaargh!!

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[Grianan]

Info here ref the new roaming costs:

Tesco Mobile quietly scraps free EU roaming from 2023 as networks cash in post-Brexit

There was no public announcement of the change, which was quietly slipped into new contracts earlier this week

inews.co.uk

That is bad news. One of the main reasons we use Tesco. May now swap at end of contract …

 

[Howard B]

Anita ishas a Tesco sim deal and I was going to switch when my curent Vodafone deal finished in August. May have to look at O2.

 

[DumfriesDik]

May have to look at O2.

Look long and hard, 25gig roaming limit

 

[VXman]

It's so much easier (and cheaper) just to buy a data sim locally when you get here. We also use a old phone as a 'router'. Just switch hotspot on and you are done. No real problems with reception generally.

 

[pagey]

i was really lucky as i opened a tesco mobile contract on the 15th and new nothing about this so i just phoned them and it does not effect my contract as it starts from the 16th

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[DumfriesDik]

It's so much easier (and cheaper) just to buy a data sim locally when you get here. We also use a old phone as a 'router'. Just switch hotspot on and you are done. No real problems with reception generally.

We are off to (Republic of) Ireland later in the year, I think this is what I will try and do. I have had a quick look around (Google), and even sims bought there have a restriction in other parts of the EU.