Talk:Portugal/@comment-186.188.128.33-20171026055501/@comment-190.218.135.169-20171213205842

Hey, just to update you on my experience. I went to a MEO shop close to where I stayed and all I had to do was ask the salesperson for a TOP Total SIM card and which data plan I wanted. She explained to me how it worked and for how long it was good for and I basically just handed her a 10 € bill, put the sim card in and was all set up. I don't know if she spoke English since I spoke to her in Portuguese but the process is simple enough for language to not be an issue. Some things to keep in mind though:

1-The 3 GB plan is only 0.70 € more than the 1 GB and much better value in my opinion. 2-You usually get charged weekly but I got a text message saying the next four weeks were free. After that, it evens out with the monthly plans at about the 2-3 week mark. 3-As of September 2017 you need to top up at least 7.50 € so roaming is activated on your account. Otherwise, you'll get NO SIGNAL AT ALL outside Portugal.

As for phone service there, it's generally pretty good but sometimes it can be spotty in places where you wouldn't expect it. This is where MEO having the best coverage and data speeds comes in handy. I went to Sintra (a very touristy town 40 minutes from Lisbon) with friends and while I got at least a couple of bars in the hillier, wooded areas, they got no coverage from NOS. I got mostly 4G service while they mostly got stuck with 3G and at times were even down to EDGE speeds. If you stay in densely populated areas like downtown Lisbon it makes no difference which provider you choose but when venturing out it's definitely something to consider. Out of the three main providers, MEO is to me the best value overall specially for short-term visitors.