Pre -pay mobiles: advice please!

Pepi · Post by **Pepi** » Tue Jul 01, 2003 8:33 pm

Hi everybody!

Coming To Finland for a couple of weeks and was thinking of buying a Finnish pre-pay SIM to stick into my mobile rather than using my UK connection and paying silly money. I have a pre-pay mobile over here as well so changing the SIM shouldn't be a problem as I'm not tied down to contract.

I've had loads of info from friends etc but everybody seems to say different things, "do this", "this connection is the best", "do that". So now I'm all confused!

What do you guys think: who's connection is the best? Who's the best value? I'll be mainly texting, maybe 10-20 calls during the 2 weeks. Radiolinja's Nopsa-connection seems to be the overall favourite...

Also I'm going to be in Joensuu to start off with so if anybody knows a good shop to get one from...

Thanks guys, any advice will help! :D

**Sponsor:**

brendan_uk · Post by **brendan_uk** » Tue Jul 01, 2003 10:13 pm

I got Telia pay as you go thing, didnt have to buy a top up card for about 6 months

Kemars · Post by **Kemars** » Tue Jul 01, 2003 10:44 pm

Ya. the prepaid Telia cards are a pretty good value and you can get them at any R-Kioski.

last I check i think it was 45 euros??

Hank W. · Post by **Hank W.** » Tue Jul 01, 2003 10:52 pm

And you can "feed" the telia card off a wall with a credit card too.

Sara · Post by **Sara** » Wed Jul 02, 2003 1:06 am

In Joensuu, Go to Anttila, its down the 'main' shopping road anyway so its not hard to get lost there! Instead of going in the main shop door, walk down the side so there is a car park on the other side of the road and go in a door there. There is a nice little phone shop that is very helpful.

Although its a while since Ive been there, so Im asumming its still there.

Ill check with my other half to see if he remembers the name of the shop.

Ectomorph · Post by **Ectomorph** » Wed Jul 02, 2003 3:26 pm

I am hoping to visit Finland sometime at the beginning of September and was also thinking of using a mobile phone whilst travelling. I have a UK mobile phone (unlocked) which I want to put a Finnish SIM card in. Any info would be gratefully received.

Carl.

Pepi · Post by **Pepi** » Wed Jul 02, 2003 8:50 pm

Firstly:Sara, Thanks for the Joensuu info, sounds good, I'll look for that shop.

And Carl, sounds like you're thinking of doing exactly what I had in mind. So far everybody I've talked to about this have said that Sonera is the most expensive one, and Radiolinja's Nopsa-pre-pay connection and Telia's pre-pay connection are the favourites.

They both charge the same for txts and calls (E 0.16 per tx/E 0.24 per minute per call) and are easily available from R-kioskis and mobile phone shops and supermarkets.

Basically as far as I understand you just buy the pre-pay SIM-package, slap it, the SIM, in your mobile and you're ready to go. They txt you when you're down to your last E10 and then to put more credit in you buy a credit voucher, again easily available from shops ans kioski's.

I had a look at the websites, they've got info in English as well: http://www.radiolinja.fi, http://www.telia.fi

I'm a bit worried though...I don't know if my phone is "locked" or not. I'm not quite sure but I think if you have a pre-pay UK phone, the phone isn't locked as you're not tied down to a contract like with pay monthly phones.

I have a pre-pay Orange phone so hopefully it should accept the Finnish SIM. If not I'll just have to buy a new handset over there, you can get a new Nokia for about E90 I've been told.

So we'll see, fingers crossed! Have a nice time in Finland in September!

Sara · Post by **Sara** » Wed Jul 02, 2003 9:04 pm

your phone probably is locked even on PAYG. would be worth checking that out before you go. Just call your provider or pop into a phone shop.

New phones are not cheap to buy here!

Whoever told you a new Nokia was about €90 must have been having a nice dream!

You can probably buy a older Nokia for about €100 but often that is also with them taking your old phone as part of the bargin.

Pepi · Post by **Pepi** » Wed Jul 02, 2003 9:23 pm

Ok, thanks for that. I'll phone Orange and ask them...

Tom and Jerry · Post by **Tom and Jerry** » Wed Jul 02, 2003 9:25 pm

In many shops you can buy a second-hand nokia 5110 or 6110 for twenty or thirty euro. It works for a few weeks in Finland with your prepaid card. The nokia 5110 model is (was) by the way one of the best, I think.

The buttons are so small on the newer ones, that I can't find them. I don't like those miniature models.

I like my old 6110, so during the years I have bought three of them, that means I have alway one battery completely charged. I can't get used to the newer models yet.

Hank W. · Post by **Hank W.** » Wed Jul 02, 2003 11:21 pm

Sara wrote: Whoever told you a new Nokia was about €90 must have been having a nice dream!

Well, with a trade-in a 3310 is 99 euros.

List prices,
3310=114,-
3510i=169,-
6610=299,-

Trying to buy a used phone, better make it before the Russians...

Ace · Post by **Ace** » Wed Jul 02, 2003 11:55 pm

brendan_uk wrote:I got Telia pay as you go thing, didnt have to buy a top up card for about 6 months

I think there are a few defective Telia pay as you go sims, one of my friends has one, he's never topped it up and has been hammering it for 6 months now, lucky sod. My last Radiolinjia contract bill still has me pissed off

Sara · Post by **Sara** » Thu Jul 03, 2003 12:57 am

Like to talk do you Olly?

Im a good girl, my montly bill is usually around €25

But then again I dont use my phone to call home

gavin · Post by **gavin** » Thu Jul 03, 2003 1:43 am

Hm.

I'm on Radiolinja Tandem Pro, and my monthly GSM bill is usually between 750 and 1000 eur...

Well, it IS mostly business...

Ace · Post by **Ace** » Thu Jul 03, 2003 12:53 pm

gavin wrote:Hm.

I'm on Radiolinja Tandem Pro, and my monthly GSM bill is usually between 750 and 1000 eur...

Well, it IS mostly business...

Frothing hell gav and I was pissed that mine was €45

The differences between a penniless student and a captain of industry eh ?

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