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Roaming in Switzerland

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  • 31-01-2012 9:48pm
    #1
    plu
    Registered Users Posts: 237 ✭✭


    Switzerland not in EU. Just checked 3 roaming rates. Very high.

    How easy is it to pickup a Swiss sim card and what do they charge back to Ireland.

    Any other suggestions?


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    #2
    deRanged
    Registered Users Posts: 3,744 ✭✭✭deRanged


    I use a maxroam sim when I'm in Switzerland.
    Saves me quite a bit of money, though I'm with O2 so I'm not sure what the price difference to 3 would be.


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    #3
    coylemj
    Registered Users Posts: 25,459 ✭✭✭✭coylemj


    plu wrote: »
    Switzerland not in EU.

    What's the EU got to do with it? Foreign networks can charge whatever they like, regardless of whether they're in the EU or not.


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    #4
    blaz
    Registered Users Posts: 590 ✭✭✭blaz


    coylemj wrote: »
    What's the EU got to do with it? Foreign networks can charge whatever they like, regardless of whether they're in the EU or not.

    No they can't. There are caps on wholesale prices for roaming in the EU.


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    #5
    machalla
    Registered Users Posts: 1,523 ✭✭✭machalla


    I think you can pick up a sim easily enough over there. I saw a lot of Swisscom places and the various major operators over there before Christmas.

    I took a hammering on my phone bill with 3 while over there. Added about €80 to my bill between a few texts and one 10 minute phone call at one point.


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    #6
    blaz
    Registered Users Posts: 590 ✭✭✭blaz


    machalla wrote: »
    I took a hammering on my phone bill with 3 while over there. Added about €80 to my bill between a few texts and one 10 minute phone call at one point.

    Even with Three's horrendous roaming tariff for Switzerland this sounds wrong. A 10 minute phone call back to Ireland while roaming in Switzerland will cost €17.8. You would have to send an additional 174 text messages to get a bill of €80.

    http://apps.three.ie/applications/modules/roaming/select_plan.php?type=pay_monthly&country=ch&submit=Submit


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    #7
    machalla
    Registered Users Posts: 1,523 ✭✭✭machalla


    blaz wrote: »
    Even with Three's horrendous roaming tariff for Switzerland this sounds wrong. A 10 minute phone call back to Ireland while roaming in Switzerland will cost €17.8. You would have to send an additional 174 text messages to get a bill of €80.

    http://apps.three.ie/applications/modules/roaming/select_plan.php?type=pay_monthly&country=ch&submit=Submit

    I went back to check the bill to see if I'd read it wrong. I had included some texts send abroad which bumped the cost up by about €12 or so. I'm on the classic flex max package, €25 before vat per month. The bill for last month is €106 approximately, up from around about €34 on average.

    Using the phone in Switzerland cost €65 (vat inclusive) approximately as I'm rounding figures here.

    Voice calls abroad €50 (mostly incoming) (33:30)
    Text messages €15 (around 62 texts) so more than I thought on that score.

    That 11 minute (incoming as it turns out) call cost €20.

    So that might give the OP a better idea of the cost of using 3 in Switzerland.


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    #8
    plu
    Registered Users Posts: 237 ✭✭plu


    deRanged wrote: »
    I use a maxroam sim when I'm in Switzerland.
    Saves me quite a bit of money, though I'm with O2 so I'm not sure what the price difference to 3 would be.

    What incoming number do you get with a MaxRoam sim? Irish mobile?, Irish Landline, etc?
    coylemj wrote: »
    What's the EU got to do with it? Foreign networks can charge whatever they like, regardless of whether they're in the EU or not.

    Tariffs not subject to EU caps


    If I don't go for the MaxRoam, I'm going to port off my 30 day plan with 3 to Vodafone PAYG


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    #9
    The Corinthian
    Closed Accounts Posts: 19,777 ✭✭✭✭The Corinthian


    Both Switzerland and Lichtenstein (essentially they share the same telcos) are not in the EU and thus not subject to roaming tariff caps.

    If you've a smartphone, one option is to roam using Vodafone or similar and make your calls using Skype, but your 50mb limit will run out quickly, so use sparingly and shut down all unnecessary services.

    Alternatively, when there, you can pick up a SIM for very little (free + your credit) and pop it in your phone, although again calls to Ireland are pricy (still cheaper than 3 though) - for that you can use a service such as RapTel. You'll need your passport to get the SIM, BTW. You'll see cheap international call cards advertised in the airports too.

    You should find a Swisscom shop that'll sell you a SIM in any of the airports, easily enough.

    Or if you're in Basel, you should be able to roam on the German/French networks in parts of the city ;)


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