Which SIM card is better to buy for a foreigner? The answer to this question was reported by the Russian in his Zen channel. A Russian tourist compared all mobile operators in Turkey and gave Russian tourists detailed advice.
The first piece of advice when buying a local SIM card is to think about how often a tourist plans to make calls and use mobile Internet during a trip. The cost of mobile communications in Turkey is quite high, in addition, you will have to pay 250-350 liras (1000-1400 rubles) separately for a SIM card only. At the same time, the cheapest SIM cards are sold far from popular tourist places. In official communication salons in the city, prices will be the most favorable, and at the airport, hotel, train station, beach – the most expensive. When buying a SIM card, you will need a passport.
Next, the expert goes into details: there are three main telecom operators in Turkey: TurkCell, Vodafone, TurkTelekom. The cost of mobile communication in any city of the country is the same.
TurkCell: this operator has the maximum coverage: 2G operates throughout the country, 3G – in 95% of the territory, 4G – in all major cities. The most common version for foreigners is the Tourist Welcome Pack for 349 lira (a little over 1.4 thousand rubles). Within 30 days after connection, 20 GB and 200 minutes for calls within the country are provided. If the Internet limit is exceeded, the user pays 1.8 lira for every 100 kb.
Vodafone: 2G is distributed throughout the country (except the desert and eastern mountains), 3G – in all settlements, 4G – in all major cities and popular resorts. “After purchasing a SIM from this provider, the subscriber immediately needs to activate the Internet package. Otherwise, money will be debited from the balance, according to the current standard billing, at 0.02 lira for every 100 Kb,” the tourist writes. The most common offer for tourists – Turist Kolay Paketi is available for 300-350 liras. It is available for connection only once and offers the user 20 GB, 750 minutes and 100 SMS within the country. Once this package is used up, you will need to pay for another one.
TurkTelekom: “This operator is not as popular as those listed above, but its communication quality is good. First, you buy a SIM card for 250 lire and then activate the service package,” the tourist explained.
Also, according to the tourist, there are options such as eSim and Drimsim. The first is a built-in chip in the device that works like an electronic SIM card, in order to use such a chip, you need to load the operator's settings into the device. But not every phone model has such a chip. Drimsim is a virtual operator with special SIM cards for travelers. One SIM card with one balance for 197 countries, including Turkey. But the tourist has not personally tested these versions.
“Foreigners who have issued a residence permit in Turkey can purchase a permanent SIM card with lower rates or unlimited internet. It makes no sense to buy a Turkish SIM card, especially if you come for no more than a month, ”the author of the blog said.
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