I had understood that, from June last year, I could use my Virgin chip in the EU on the same terms as in the UK. Roaming charges were abolished. I have a 3 Go anywhere chip for my mifi device so we can both use our iPads.
It works ok, but buying a local sim (data only) was supposed to avoid the 'strangling' of bandwidth of UK chips by their partners abroad. So when we arrived in Portugal in January, we bout a NOS card which was brilliant in Portugal,unlimited data for 15 days for €15. I assumed because of the end of roaming etc, that the NOS chip would work in Spain. It didn't. So, bought a Vodafone chip in Sevilla that offered 4.5gb for 15 days for €10. Worked for the 15 days and was recharged for €10 but although the mifi showed that it was connected to Vodafone, 4G with a strong signal, nothing loaded on either iPad. We restarted both the mifi and iPads several times to no avail.
€10 down, we entered France. Bought a data sim at Orange which was 5gb for €14.90 which was said to be unlimited in time and when the 15gb was used up you could simply recharge. The 15gb seems to have lasted less than a day, with 15 minutes of radio and a few emails. Now when we go to recharge, the offers are so poor, it would be a waste of time, for example 1gb for 14 days for €10. Given how little access the 15gb gave, what would be the point of 1gb. There were higher gb offers available but at hugely higher monthly prices.
What a shower! So we go back to the 3 chip which at times is as slow as old time dial up. What I don't understand is why the end of roaming charges hasn't resulted in simplification so that you could buy data in one's own country, use it abroad and result in competition giving similar (cheap) packages wherever you are.
It works ok, but buying a local sim (data only) was supposed to avoid the 'strangling' of bandwidth of UK chips by their partners abroad. So when we arrived in Portugal in January, we bout a NOS card which was brilliant in Portugal,unlimited data for 15 days for €15. I assumed because of the end of roaming etc, that the NOS chip would work in Spain. It didn't. So, bought a Vodafone chip in Sevilla that offered 4.5gb for 15 days for €10. Worked for the 15 days and was recharged for €10 but although the mifi showed that it was connected to Vodafone, 4G with a strong signal, nothing loaded on either iPad. We restarted both the mifi and iPads several times to no avail.
€10 down, we entered France. Bought a data sim at Orange which was 5gb for €14.90 which was said to be unlimited in time and when the 15gb was used up you could simply recharge. The 15gb seems to have lasted less than a day, with 15 minutes of radio and a few emails. Now when we go to recharge, the offers are so poor, it would be a waste of time, for example 1gb for 14 days for €10. Given how little access the 15gb gave, what would be the point of 1gb. There were higher gb offers available but at hugely higher monthly prices.
What a shower! So we go back to the 3 chip which at times is as slow as old time dial up. What I don't understand is why the end of roaming charges hasn't resulted in simplification so that you could buy data in one's own country, use it abroad and result in competition giving similar (cheap) packages wherever you are.