Pay as you go SIM card bought in Torreviega

Lots of questions, but unfortunately can’t be answered without knowing more information.

Depending on which SIM card you purchase will depend how long the card is valid. Some you have a contract, some are renewable ( and can put on hold) monthly, , others may allow you to hold credit for a couple of months.

You are best popping into a sim supplier and telling them want you want, they will be able to advise the best package. There are numerous packages available from Lebara, Lobster, Hits etc. 

Again it’s dependent on your daughters provider and contract type if she would get charged for calls to Europe. If she doesn’t know, then she will have to contact her mobile provider. 

However, as I understand you are on holidaying in Spain, I can’t see the need for having a Spanish mobile number. Almost everyone makes calls through apps such as messenger and WhatsApp, therefore using data. If your UK provider charges you for roaming, then make the calls via Wi-Fi. If you haven’t got the internet in your holiday home, you can make use of the free internet access provided by most bars, beaches, shopping centres etc.

Lynn

I think your best plan of action is to return to the stall from whom you bought the SIM from and direct your questions to them. 

Hi Lynn

Thanks for your advice, it is a pay as you go sim I want to buy.

My daughter will have to check with her provider and see if she will be charged but I think (we are both with the same provider) because the roaming has been taken away it will work both ways.

We do get the internet when we are over in Spain  so we’ll probably stick with WhatsApp while in the apartment and use the access from bars etc when we are out.  I can send her messages when we have access outside, if she has a problem and needs to speak to me she can send a message and I can get back to her.

Thanks again

Hi Gillian

Just a quick question, do you particularly want the Spanish number or do you just want to be in the same position as before roaming was removed ?

Ken

It's a bit of a can of worrms, all the operators have different rules, it will also depend on the caller's operator in the Uk too.

Some are a bit quirky and cover only certain countries for free calls etc, Better to try and use wifi and Whatsapp etc. Data Traffic allowed can also be important if sms and mms are used. These are often limited because Operators use external Companies to provide these services on external servers (Expensive for them ), this is why these messages often arrive sometime after they were sent. They are ultimatly recorded on the operators servers as are are all call/cell data etc.

Do not try and watch say, UK tv or similar, A couple of years ago I heard of someone from The UK being charged 1300 quid for watching an episode of Corrie in Turkey. Just a further point some operators here in Spain refer to reasonable ( whatever that means) usage/traffic when roaming!!

M

In Yes that’s what I want, do you know if there will be a charge for receiving calls from England? 

You will not be charged for receiving calls from abroad on your Spanish contract but depending on the callers contract, they could be charged for calling your Spanish number even if you are in the UK. My brother in law in Italy is charged if he calls our Spanish numbers. If he calls our Italian prepaid number when we are in Spain we are charged and it is quite hefty , 10 euros only lasts a few minutes. No problems with Whatsapp on the Spanish number but our Italian number has a 500Mb limit on data then it starts to cost!!

M

Thank you for your very detailed response, we’ll get a Spanish SIM card with roaming as WhatsApp works very well to / and incoming from England.

My daughter is in Dumai at the moment and the connection is bad from both sides.

Thanks again 

I’m not sure  you are getting the jist of how mobile phone roaming works.

If you have international roaming set up on your phone it allows you to use your phone when you are out of the country.

 As a basic example , say I’m from the UK , with a UK Sim going on holiday to Benidorm. In most cases now you have to set up your phone for international roaming so you can use your phone cheaply in Benidorm. Again each supplier has different rules, so with roaming you could get a limited amount of data and calls to UK phones. It could mean that  although you can phone a friend back in the UK for free, you could still get charged for ringing a Spanish number. Without roaming enabled you could still use your phone, but call charges and data usage could be pricey. 

So say I had a Spanish SIM card  with roaming included in the cost. I could use my phone if for instance I went on holiday to Dumai (using that example as that’s where you say your daughter is now), but it doesn’t  necessarily mean that you can get free calls to that area - it also has no bearing on whether or not your daughter in Indonesia calls you for free - her call charges depend on her contract.

You need a SIM card that will allow you to make international calls and specifically Sumatra as there are a good number of restrictions imposed on mobile telecommunications in that part of the world. You could well find that to phone Indonesia you need to have a monthly contract.

Each mobile sim provider has different options and again they could vary with the tariffs they have- literally giving you a hundred different variations.

You need to go into a mobile phone store , tell them exactly what you need and you’ll then get a face to face explanation. 

Lynn