Has any one found a data deal for Europe that works. (1 Viewer)

[sallylillian]

I read an article yesterday that said that the only large sim providers that would NOT be charging for roaming abroad are SKY and Tesco Mobile. All others will have a £2 a day or £10 a month for roaming when abroad. How that will work when one supplier offering free roaming piggybacks off another supplier who charges, heaven knows.
My wife had a data usage warning last month from Vodafone (a company card) while we were in Spain, and last Christmas, my phone with a shiny new 100gb data only card from Vodafone UK cut off after 25gb. Subsequent calls to them were fruitless, but they did cancel the contract as I claimed it was mis-sold.
Those of you lucky enough to be able to still use your data abroad may well be better to stick with the current deal they have and hope to stay under the radar!

Is £10 a month to roam a hardship? If it can be selected on the app as and when it would be OK with me. Sites that charge for vastly inferior WiFi are that for a week or so. If its free it's invariably crap. So as long as there is a manageable route to roaming it will work for me anyway.

 

[Fulham Dave]

You only get the 150GB per month in France. In the rest of Europe it's limited to 25GB per month.

Correct

We are in France now and will buy a similar card for Spain, Portugal et al as we travel

 

[Folkranger]

Yes used it a couple of times in the last year for up to 4 months at a time. Don't hammer the internet but have used about 50gb month.
Needs to be first activated in UK subsequent activations can be done abroad.
Runs on the 3 network.

I was with you until you said works on 3 network.

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[The Lobster]

Roaming rules in EU changed this year.

They didn't. The ones we helped write that apply to third countries are just the same. It's just that the UK chose to be treated as a third country in the future. This means our carriers are no longer obliged to follow the EU roaming charges rules - and aren't. So they've put their prices up.

 

[Peter and Julie]

FYI, Free France network are doing a 150GB data on sim for €19.99 per month. We use it in the van for WiFi and make calls via Watts App.

Hi, where did you get it from? I can't sign up on the Free website (I'm in the UK but have a French address).

 

[ChrisL]

Hi, where did you get it from? I can't sign up on the Free website (I'm in the UK but have a French address).

I haven't tried it, but you could try using a vpn connected to a French server, it's likely that the Free website is seeing a British ip address and that's the reason it's denying you access.

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[Fulham Dave]

Hi, where did you get it from? I can't sign up on the Free website (I'm in the UK but have a French address).

Hi Peter and Julie, we just popped into one of their stores and purchased.

 

[2657]

I’ve had a U.K. Vodafone sim only contract for the last 6 years living permanently abroad, in Spain and now Portugal.
Never been turned off, warned, capped or anything! Never had a message about roaming usage, and never a problem!
(…..I do hear stories of folk getting such messages, but usually on U.K. specific providers.).
Maybe it’s because Vodafone seems to be the same all over europe, and doesn’t piggy back other providers like some do.

You must be lucky, I had warnings about both of mine earlier this year, with the option to cancel one without charge, the other was discounted from Fonehouse but only had a couple of months to run.
I was not best pleased I have had Vodafone contracts since 1987, so much for loyalty.

 

[Kups]

A possible solution is to invest in a VPN that masks your location in the EU and allows you to use your full UK data allowance. There are VPNs for the Amazon Firestick which I intend to use for TV in Spain next winter. Plenty of choice. I'll probably use NORD VPN as I've found them reliable in the past.

https://thetopfivevpn.com/vpn-for-f...9709440185&creative=431225601282&search_term={searchterm}&keyword=&network=g&match_type=b&utm_source=searchad&utm_campaign={campaign}&utm_medium=searchad&keyword=&position=&mt=b&utm_content={adgroup}&gclid=CjwKCAjwyvaJBhBpEiwA8d38vJseU3OLpaiva76ecVO3xLAYFBVeVmawZPGn3iLForVv0-WxBaJlCRoCg7cQAvD_BwE

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[Richard n Ann]

A possible solution is to invest in a VPN that masks your location in the EU and allows you to use your full UK data allowance. There are VPNs for the Amazon Firestick which I intend to use for TV in Spain next winter. Plenty of choice. I'll probably use NORD VPN as I've found them reliable in the past.

https://thetopfivevpn.com/vpn-for-f...9709440185&creative=431225601282&search_term={searchterm}&keyword=&network=g&match_type=b&utm_source=searchad&utm_campaign={campaign}&utm_medium=searchad&keyword=&position=&mt=b&utm_content={adgroup}&gclid=CjwKCAjwyvaJBhBpEiwA8d38vJseU3OLpaiva76ecVO3xLAYFBVeVmawZPGn3iLForVv0-WxBaJlCRoCg7cQAvD_BwE

That's handy to know, I can turn on the feature free on my browser - Opera

I suppose they still know you're roaming as the towers your phone connect to aren't theirs .. And they get a bill off Moviestar or whatever.

 

[Kups]

That's handy to know, I can turn on the feature free on my browser - Opera

I suppose they still know you're roaming as the towers your phone connect to aren't theirs .. And they get a bill off Moviestar or whatever.

Good but no they don't know your location, that's the whole point of a VPN. You determine your location by choosing a UK entry point and that's where your data connection comes from. Well proven technology.

 

[Richard n Ann]

Good but no they don't know your location, that's the whole point of a VPN. You determine your location by choosing a UK entry point and that's where your data connection comes from. Well proven technology.

So would you need a VPN that covers the whole phone rather than just the browser? Otherwise the Facebook app for example will give them your location?

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[sallylillian]

Good but no they don't know your location, that's the whole point of a VPN. You determine your location by choosing a UK entry point and that's where your data connection comes from. Well proven technology.

Wrong I am afraid. A VPN connection only masks your location to Web sites, apps etc. As has been said your network connection is via a roaming provider, they can see you and report your consumption.

 

[zedman]

is that with no contract ?

 

[zedman]

FYI, Free France network are doing a 150GB data on sim for €19.99 per month. We use it in the van for WiFi and make calls via Watts App.

is that with no contract ?

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[sallylillian]

is that with no contract ?

?????

 

[gus-lopez]

So would you need a VPN that covers the whole phone rather than just the browser? Otherwise the Facebook app for example will give them your location?

my vpn covers the lap top. It doesn't just open in a browser?

 

[Kups]

Wrong I am afraid. A VPN connection only masks your location to Web sites, apps etc. As has been said your network connection is via a roaming provider, they can see you and report your consumption.

Maybe not. Most VPN accounts allow around 6 devices to be connected to the internet at the same time. So as long as you connect to the internet through the VPN, your location is masked. Easy for data use for TV (which is what I use, Amazon Firestick has it's own app) but also straight forward for email and VOIP phone calls. Haven't tried it for text messaging or old style phone calls as we usually use WhatsApp and Skype for video calling all of which work through the VPN.
This is the text from Nord VPN:
"One NordVPN account will cover 6 devices at once, providing you 6 times the protection. Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Linux – it doesn’t matter which operating system you use, NordVPN will hide your location, IP address and encrypt the traffic.

Moreover, if you connect NordVPN to your router, it will secure every device on your network, using up only a single space out of the 6 available."
This is what gus-lopez says above.
Try it- it does work.

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[Artful Hodgers]

After much research,, we bought a TP link MiFi and a Sky sim card.

- Sky let you bank any unused data (you have 3 years to use it)
- There's no cap on data usage in Europe
- If you're watching Sky TV no data is used
- You can easily alter your plan online and there's often deals to help build your data
- Customer service is good

We were so happy with it, we switched our mobiles to Sky sim only as well. Now we can transfer data wherever its needed.

 

[sallylillian]

Maybe not. Most VPN accounts allow around 6 devices to be connected to the internet at the same time. So as long as you connect to the internet through the VPN, your location is masked. Easy for data use for TV (which is what I use, Amazon Firestick has it's own app) but also straight forward for email and VOIP phone calls. Haven't tried it for text messaging or old style phone calls as we usually use WhatsApp and Skype for video calling all of which work through the VPN.
This is the text from Nord VPN:
"One NordVPN account will cover 6 devices at once, providing you 6 times the protection. Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Linux – it doesn’t matter which operating system you use, NordVPN will hide your location, IP address and encrypt the traffic.

Moreover, if you connect NordVPN to your router, it will secure every device on your network, using up only a single space out of the 6 available."
This is what gus-lopez says above.
Try it- it does work.

I have used lots of commercial VPNs and now use the VPN server on my home router. Many location specific Web sites and apps monitor commercial VPN IP addresses and gradual add them to their blocked list. But your point was that you believed that a commercial or indeed any VPN connection would mask your location from your UK cellular provider. I was addressing that. But on VPN in general.
If you are competent and have a capable router at home you can get a fixed IP from BT or whoever provides your broadband and run an OpenVPN server on it for FREE.

 

[sallylillian]

my vpn covers the lap top. It doesn't just open in a browser?

Quite right, but does not mask your location from your service provider.

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[Richard n Ann]

If a VPN masks your devices IMEI number it can't connect to the local cellular network
If it doesn't mask your devices IMEI number it connects and they know where you are.
Maybe there's a mixup here with home broadband providers.

 

[John Barrett]

I've been tethering my Superdrug Unlimited SIM for a week now, running TVMucho in the evenings. I've had a good connection in rural Normandy, Nantes and now Royan. Well pleased with it so far!

 

[Kups]

Maybe not. Most VPN accounts allow around 6 devices to be connected to the internet at the same time. So as long as you connect to the internet through the VPN, your location is masked. Easy for data use for TV (which is what I use, Amazon Firestick has it's own app) but also straight forward for email and VOIP phone calls. Haven't tried it for text messaging or old style phone calls as we usually use WhatsApp and Skype for video calling all of which work through the VPN.
This is the text from Nord VPN:
"One NordVPN account will cover 6 devices at once, providing you 6 times the protection. Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Linux – it doesn’t matter which operating system you use, NordVPN will hide your location, IP address and encrypt the traffic.

Moreover, if you connect NordVPN to your router, it will secure every device on your network, using up only a single space out of the 6 available."
This is what gus-lopez says above.
Try it- it does work.

Agreed. It's a "dance" between the VPN providers and those trying to stop them accessing UK feeds. I've not had any problem connecting to the VPN UK locations offered, some are just faster than others. Long may the dance continue.

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[sallylillian]

If a VPN masks your devices IMEI number it can't connect to the local cellular network
If it doesn't mask your devices IMEI number it connects and they know where you are.
Maybe there's a mixup here with home broadband providers.

How To Guide: Set Up & Configure OpenVPN Client/server VPN | OpenVPN

This How TO guide provides step-by-step instructions for configuration and set up of OpenVPN 2.x client/server VPN.

openvpn.net

Maybe for the technically tested, but your home router will have a UK specific IP. With a VPN you are attempting to spoof your location as a UK one so "they" think you are at home. But you could select a US vpn and spoof being in the states. If you run an OpenVPN server on your home router you are essentially creating exactly what Nordvpn and others are offering. You are routing through your home router to the Web site or whatever. So they see your UK home IP. Sorry I am not explaining this very well. But have a look at the above link.

 

[Fulham Dave]

is that with no contract ?

That is correct, no contract, renewable monthly

 

[Fulham Dave]

Agreed. It's a "dance" between the VPN providers and those trying to stop them accessing UK feeds. I've not had any problem connecting to the VPN UK locations offered, some are just faster than others. Long may the dance continue.

Agreed, we use Nord VPN, covers different countries around the globe, can link 5 on 6 applications including phones, computers etc, never had an issue watching US, UK or Irish television

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[John Barrett]

I forgot to mention that a friend told me that if you want to watch 'Adult' material, Superdrug will want you to prove your age via a £1.00 charge on your credit card...

 

[Kups]

After much research,, we bought a TP link MiFi and a Sky sim card.

- Sky let you bank any unused data (you have 3 years to use it)
- There's no cap on data usage in Europe
- If you're watching Sky TV no data is used
- You can easily alter your plan online and there's often deals to help build your data
- Customer service is good

We were so happy with it, we switched our mobiles to Sky sim only as well. Now we can transfer data wherever its needed.

Yes BUT the Sky GO app does not work now in the EU. Just checked with Sky Customer Services (yes I spoke to a real person). However, you can roll your data and use as you say. So you'll need a VPN to access Sky GO. https://www.streamingrant.com/uk/channels/sky-go/

 

[corconx]

We are at the end of our current contract with vodaphone.
we are sim only as this works better for us In the long term as the company pays for both the hardware and the running contract costs.
We had 3 devices 1 data only unlimited iPad plus 2 phones on 100gb limit, before brexit we could use 25gb on the data sim and 200gb from the phones.
This for us was a great system allowing us to stream in the uk with no hassle and gave us enough to stream whilst travelling europe.
Its all change now isn’t it with limits of 12gb on uk devices whilst in Europe.
Are all the networks the same ?
we could in theory get a Spanish pay as you go for the iPad but will this then lead to problems viewing the British fire stick.
Advice required please.
(I’m not sure I’m going to like the information but still need to sort something out)

after the announcement on to television I went into my local Vodafone shop and asked about the situation as I have 100 GB Sim only

What they told me is do not renew on any other contract and when mine comes to an end To go in and see them and it should be able to be continued.


Hope that helps

Carol

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