Occasional Use Data SIM

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CIT
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Occasional Use Data SIM

Post by CIT »

I visit my house in the region for around 8 weeks a year and have no fixed line phone or internet. I am on Three UK and can make use of my 4GB per month data whilst I am roaming. However if I want to tether another device to my phone for e.g. TV watching, I have to but a ‘Data Passport’ costing 5GBP per day, which also gives me unrestricted use. Works fine but the costs. I want a French SIM only deal, which I can use in my phone, and provide about 8 GB data a month, with tethering included, and where I can only pay in the months I’m using it, maybe in dreamland here but worth a try!
Browsing the various offers available a number state ‘sans engagement’ or ‘sans abonnement’. Does this mean that I can pay monthly without having to sign up for say 12 months. How does it work? I know that there are prepay/pay as you go options but these seem rather expensive
Thanks
Allan
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Re: Occasional Use Data SIM

Post by Allan »

CIT wrote:I visit my house in the region for around 8 weeks a year and have no fixed line phone or internet. I am on Three UK and can make use of my 4GB per month data whilst I am roaming. However if I want to tether another device to my phone for e.g. TV watching, I have to but a ‘Data Passport’ costing 5GBP per day, which also gives me unrestricted use. Works fine but the costs. I want a French SIM only deal, which I can use in my phone, and provide about 8 GB data a month, with tethering included, and where I can only pay in the months I’m using it, maybe in dreamland here but worth a try!
Browsing the various offers available a number state ‘sans engagement’ or ‘sans abonnement’. Does this mean that I can pay monthly without having to sign up for say 12 months. How does it work? I know that there are prepay/pay as you go options but these seem rather expensive
Thanks
Have a look at Free, their 19.99€ a month phone simm gives you 100gb of 4G per month and you can cancel it with 10 days notice. I use one in a router to provide internet for multiple devices. If I wanted to use it for phone calls then it is unlimited to landlines in many countries including UK

Also look at Vente-privée.fr they sometimes have offers on Simms. I got 2 from Free for less than a euro a month each, again with no contract.
martyn94
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Re: Occasional Use Data SIM

Post by martyn94 »

Allan wrote:
CIT wrote:I visit my house in the region for around 8 weeks a year and have no fixed line phone or internet. I am on Three UK and can make use of my 4GB per month data whilst I am roaming. However if I want to tether another device to my phone for e.g. TV watching, I have to but a ‘Data Passport’ costing 5GBP per day, which also gives me unrestricted use. Works fine but the costs. I want a French SIM only deal, which I can use in my phone, and provide about 8 GB data a month, with tethering included, and where I can only pay in the months I’m using it, maybe in dreamland here but worth a try!
Browsing the various offers available a number state ‘sans engagement’ or ‘sans abonnement’. Does this mean that I can pay monthly without having to sign up for say 12 months. How does it work? I know that there are prepay/pay as you go options but these seem rather expensive
Thanks

Have a look at Free, their 19.99€ a month phone simm gives you 100gb of 4G per month and you can cancel it with 10 days notice. I use one in a router to provide internet for multiple devices. If I wanted to use it for phone calls then it is unlimited to landlines in many countries including UK

Also look at Vente-privée.fr they sometimes have offers on Simms. I got 2 from Free for less than a euro a month each, again with no contract.
As Allan has indicated, you need to remember to switch it off. But also remember to get it going again next year. A friend did something similar, and he always found it a faff to restart. But that was with Orange.
CIT
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Post by CIT »

Thanks!
Allan
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Post by Allan »

I think that with Free, once you have cancelled the Simm, you just throw it away and on your next visit pop into a Free boutique and get a new one which you can activate immediately.
Anthea & Tim
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Post by Anthea & Tim »

For Allan

Can you please tell me which router you use with the Free Sim
Allan
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Post by Allan »

Anthea & Tim wrote:For Allan

Can you please tell me which router you use with the Free Sim
I use a Huaweii 315

https://www.amazon.fr/gp/product/B00UTY ... UTF8&psc=1!
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Post by Anthea & Tim »

Thank you Allan
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Post by Allan »

A bit of clarification.

The sim from Free that I use in a router is exactly the same as a telephone sim and their sims work in either type of device.

If you pay their 19.99€ a month subscription, you get 100GB of 4G data and unlimited calls to landlines in most countries.

If you put the sim in a router then you will need a phone if you want to make calls. The Huaweii router has a socket for a plain ordinary telephone. I have to admit I have never tried calling through it but have no reason to doubt that it will work.
martyn94
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Post by martyn94 »

Allan wrote:I think that with Free, once you have cancelled the Simm, you just throw it away and on your next visit pop into a Free boutique and get a new one which you can activate immediately.
You don’t need a Free boutique. They have electronic SIM vending machines in various places, including my maison de la presse/tabac in Port-Vendres. Find them on the internet to find your nearest one, and generally get the griff.
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how many hours tv / netflix with 100 gb ?

Post by rhys »

Could anyone advise roughly how many hours of online TV / Netflix films one would expect to watch with 100 GB ?

Is it a realistic solution for that kind of internet usage ?

Or is there a danger you would go over your limit and end up with a magnificent bill / additional charge ?
Allan
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Re: how many hours tv / netflix with 100 gb ?

Post by Allan »

rhys wrote:Could anyone advise roughly how many hours of online TV / Netflix films one would expect to watch with 100 GB ?

Is it a realistic solution for that kind of internet usage ?

Or is there a danger you would go over your limit and end up with a magnificent bill / additional charge ?
Firstly, with Free, you don’t get charged for extra data, it just slows down.

In answer to your question, it depends on the quality of stream that you are watching.

A rough rule of thumb is 1GB per hour watching in standard definition and 3GB per hour in HD. Netflix will allow you to specify what quality stream you want to use.
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Post by rhys »

thanks. useful info.
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Post by rhys »

On the subj. of the FREE data sim - do I gather that the only way to obtain this amount of GB at this price is via an annual / ongoing sign up online ?

If so, is a UK bank card accepted in the system ?

Is it really easy to cancel, or are all kinds of hoops and obstacles put in the way ?

I suppose it must require one's card details to be saved on the company's server.......and I am getting more anxious about all that than I used to be. Strong pref for PAYG with no saving of bank details anywhere.
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Post by Allan »

rhys wrote:On the subj. of the FREE data sim - do I gather that the only way to obtain this amount of GB at this price is via an annual / ongoing sign up online ?
As stated earlier in the thread, it can be cancelled at any time, just give them 10 days notice.
rhys wrote: If so, is a UK bank card accepted in the system ?
No idea, ask Free or just try it.
rhys wrote: Is it really easy to cancel, or are all kinds of hoops and obstacles put in the way ?
Very easy to cancel, no hoops or obstacles
rhys wrote: I suppose it must require one's card details to be saved on the company's server.......and I am getting more anxious about all that than I used to be. Strong pref for PAYG with no saving of bank details anywhere.
Pretty much all commerce these days is done electronically, I think you would find life very hard trying to do everything on a PAYG basis
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