SIM card for travelling to Europe from India
I will be travelling to Europe (Amsterdam, Prague and Berlin) from India for 7 days.
I was wondering is it worthwhile buying a SIM card?
I only need to make phone calls in case of emergencies and to bus providers. Also, I need access to data for navigation.
Should I buy a matrix SIM card from India or would buying a local SIM there make more sense?
Best Answer
For those traveling to Schengen countries from India in 2019, with Amsterdam as the first stop, my advice is to take a prepaid sim. I took a 3GB data plan with a 30-day validity from Lebara that came for within 15 Euros (less than 1200Rs in todays forex rate) and I used it for a lot of Whatsapp. Link: https://mobile.lebara.com/nl/en/unlimited/c/prepaid-internationaal-bellen-unlimited
You can use a Lebara App to check on data usage There maybe other options but I didn't bother exploring as the friend who I was traveling with took the same plan a day before I did as the plan came with a liberal Lebara - Lebara plan 500 free mins + 500 free SMS).
About whether 3GB is sufficient: I'd say yes After 14 days of travel across 3 schengen countries (Netherlands, France, Italy) , my friend was left with 0.5 GB and I was left with 2.6GB - I used offline google maps, Uber, basic google and Whatsapp, while my friend was far more liberal in his usage.
PS: Don't forget to disable or take out your indian SIM ASAP, else pay up like I did on international roaming charges.
If you plan to use the indian SIM< bear in mind that just 2 days of using Whatsapp on my generous Vodafone RED postpaid connection plan, cost me close to Rs 5000. (~65 EUR). I am just planning to remove my SIM next time, lesson learnt.
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Can I use Indian SIM in Europe?
Originally Answered: Will Indian prepaid sim cards work in Europe ? Yes, It will work. All prepaid sims come with default activated international roaming. And, once you are there in Europe you have to change your sim setting to International roaming and catch local network of that country.Which SIM card is best for Europe travel?
Best SIM Card for Europe with Data- Three Prepaid SIM with 12GB Data.
- Orange Prepaid SIM Card with 20GB Data.
- Orange Holiday Zen with 8GB Data.
- LycaMobile Prepaid SIM Card with 6GB Data.
- Giffgaff Prepaid SIM with 20GB Data.
- Cellhire Prepaid SIM Card with 12GB Data.
Which SIM card can be used in Europe?
The Orange Holiday Europe Prepaid SIM Card is probably the best all-around option for SIM cards that can be purchased abroad because it offers a lot of data for a good price \u2014 and it includes a lot of worldwide calls and text.Can I buy a SIM card for all of Europe?
If you go for a European SIM card, the majority of SIM cards will let you roam across the entire European Union without needing to buy a new SIM in each destination or pay roaming charges. If you're planning on visiting more than one country on your European adventure, this is a great option.Which Sim Card to Bring to Europe/Sim cost in Europe/Internet charge in Europe/Tim/Vodafone/Wind tre
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Images: Marcin Jozwiak, Maria Orlova, shutter_speed, Maria Orlova