MTS in Greece for tourists. Telephone communication

Local SIM cards in Greece: is it worth connecting?

Holidays in Greece are becoming more and more popular. Our compatriots often choose this direction. Therefore, the issue of inexpensive mobile communications is relevant. Previously, most travelers opted for local starter packages, however, this option is not the most convenient. Since many countries have their own subtleties with the purchase of a SIM card, its activation, in addition, not all offers are favorable in terms of price.

Services provided in Greece cellular communications such companies:

• Cosmote;
• Vodafone;
• Wind.

Of course, they are not the only ones; there are also virtual or subsidiary branches. Which greatly complicates the choice for a tourist. Therefore, if you decide to take a local SIM card, it is better to study the tariff plans in advance, at least in general terms. Otherwise, you can spend more than in the case of roaming from a Russian operator.

The Cosmote operator offers subscribers high-quality services - coverage throughout the country is excellent, but the data transfer speed leaves much to be desired, at least for now. Wind pleases with its affordable tariffs, but coverage is a minus. In remote areas it is quite possible to be left without communication. Please note that in Greece you need to choose the right one starter pack And tariff plan, based on your preferences: there are SIM cards only for voice services, Internet or sending SMS messages. Price mobile internet in the case of local tariffs, not the lowest. So, for 120 MB, a subscriber who chose Cosmote must pay 3 euros.

In addition to the unfavorable cost, I would also like to note that the SIM card can only be activated by an adult (since identification is required). Be careful: if they offer you more expensive packages (together with a 3G modem), do not agree. This is a trick from local sellers.

As you can see, today buying a SIM card from Greek operators is no longer the best option. You can connect to really inexpensive Internet in Greece from an international company.

Inexpensive mobile Internet in Greece for tourists

A tourist who is going on vacation has plenty to choose from. We bring to your attention the following tariffs for connection. By the way, all the proposed SIM cards are universal (that is, they work in more than one country, you can travel around the world with them).

• Mobile operator Globalsim allows subscribers to connect to the SmartData 1GB package for $19 per month. Plus, the client can call very cheaply to Russia - 3 rubles / min. The SIM card works in 200 countries
• Orange tariff Go Europe - 1 euro for every 100 MB. The SIM card works in Europe (36 countries).
• In addition to Globalsim and Orange, we offer to evaluate the tariffs of Vodafone (Italy), Ortel Mobile (Germany) for Europe and Greece, more details on the Euroroaming website

Greece has well-developed mobile communications. The network covers almost the entire country, with the exception of some very small islands, as well as remote mountainous areas.

In cities the coverage is very good. Calls can even be made from the Athens metro. But it is recommended to buy a local SIM card only in cases where you intend to call Greek numbers.

To make calls to Russia and receive calls, we recommend using roaming services from your operator or purchasing a separate SIM card for travel and providing yourself with Internet anywhere in the world. Moreover, as part of the promotion, you can get 1GB of Internet for only 200 rubles.

Roaming from mobile operators

Russian telecom operators offer tourists on holiday in Greece to use the limits of their plan. The conditions are quite attractive, except for one important point.

Roaming paid daily upon calling or accessing the Internet through a Turkish mobile operator.

Operator	Tariff “Like at home” (calls + internet)
	from 329 rubles/day ()
	from 350 rubles/day ()
	1800 rubles/month ()
	from 149 rub./day ()

Plan Features:

• Tinkoff offers the most attractive roaming rates for vacationers in Turkey:
  • For network subscribers with a permanent number
    • 149 rubles for 100 MB internet per day + 11.90 rubles/minutes of conversation
    • all traffic via messengers is not included in the traffic limit
    • background ads are disabled by default
    • all Tinkoff applications are beyond the limit
  • When purchasing a new SIM card:
    • PROMOTION until July 31, 2019 : 1 GB of traffic as a gift in Europe and Turkey or +1000 rubles for porting a number and doubling the first payment ()
    • unlimited messengers (49 RUR/day)
• Megafon makes it possible to pay as you go for roaming services. Calls to Russia will cost 99 rubles. Internet 10 rubles per 1 MB.
• At MTS you can refuse the Internet and pay only for calls. 1MB of traffic with this plan will cost 875 rubles.
• On Beeline, for 1800 rubles you get 15 GB of internet and 3000 minutes of calls for 30 days. Based on 7 days of vacation, it works out to only 257 rubles per day.

7 days of roaming will cost 1800-2400 rubles.

SIM cards for tourists

If you have an extra phone for Internet distribution, then the option of purchasing a separate SIM card for travel is an excellent budget solution to the situation!

Differences and characteristics tourist SIM cards:

• delivery of cards anywhere in the world leaves cards all over the world
• no monthly subscription fee
• pay only for used (prepaid) minutes and megabytes
• operate in almost all countries of the world

Main Greek operators

In Greece, the "big three" mobile operators include the following companies:

Cosmote is owned by a state-owned company. Has the same connection quality as Wind. The main advantage is good level subscriber services.

Wind was once the only Greek mobile operator and was called Telestet, but it was bought and renamed by Egyptian investors. The company boasts very good coverage and 4G LTE coverage in big cities.

Vodafone is the former Panafone. Currently owned by a large transnational company, which is represented in other European countries, also under the Vodafone brand. It has almost the same quality of coverage as other mobile phone companies, but the quantity dead zones a little more.

Where to buy a SIM card and how to top up your account

You can purchase a SIM card at Greek resorts:

• at branded mobile phone points
• special kiosks
• communication salons
• airports
• from distributors on the street

The last point is very common, since the most interesting plans for tourists are offered by street vendors. They will also need to present a passport, which they will take a photo of on their phone. Therefore, buy only from licensed sellers (they usually wear branded clothing and will not refuse to show their documents).

When purchasing a card, you must present a foreign passport to make a copy. When changing operators, you can keep your previous number. The provision of communication services is possible under a contract and on an advance payment basis, but contracts are concluded only with permanent residents of Greece.

After purchasing the SIM card, you need to register it in a company store or at a communication store.

How much does a local SIM card cost in Greece?

Each mobile operator offers its own solution for tourists. But the best option in terms of price/quality is the following:

• for 10€ you get 2.5-3 GB of internet + a sufficient number of minutes within Greece.

Such plans are offered by Cosmote and Vodafone.

Dear readers, I suggest you familiarize yourself with a brief overview prices for calls and internet in Greece.

Analysis carried out on June 16, 2017

Our respected operators do not let their subscribers get bored and change tariffs twice a year consistently.

Let's see what awaits us in the summer of 2017. Will we go broke trying to portray a pattern of behavior with a phone in our hand, as if we were in Russia?

Let's start with a frequently falling operator - Megafon.

Some subscribers attacked the unfortunate megaphone like wolves. How much dirt has been spilled, how much swearing, how many threats. The term “consumer extremism” perfectly shows what people who spend 200 rubles a month on communications can do.

But we are sports guys, when a bicycle wheel bursts, we don’t sue the tire manufacturers, we just take glue and patch it up.

So: Megafon in Greece

For a nominal subscription fee of 9 rubles per day, we can receive incoming calls and make calls ourselves for 13 rubles per minute.
SMS messages will cost 11 rubles per outgoing message. Inbox is free.
To activate the option, dial *105*708# on your phone.

Internet roaming from Megafon

Without any options, the first time you access the Internet per day, you will immediately be charged 350 rubles. For this you are entitled to 70 megabytes of traffic. After using up the package, you will receive a message on how to get another 70 megabytes. If you haven't used up these megabytes, they don't roll over to the next day.
An interesting offer for people monitoring social media and posting a small number of photographs.

For people who are forced to work on vacation, like me, Megafon offers “unlimited” Internet in Greece for 600 rubles per day. This price includes 1 gigabyte of traffic at full speed, then the speed is reduced to 64 kilobits per second. As practice shows, this speed is enough to chat in messengers, no more.
To activate this “online world” option, dial *136# on your phone and press call.

Roaming in Greece from Beeline

With this operator, everything is simple: 10 rubles for incoming and outgoing calls per minute, and 5 rubles per megabyte.
After the first minute of conversation, 200 rubles are debited from your account, and for this money you can talk for 20 minutes. If these minutes are exceeded, further charges will be 10 rubles per minute.
After your first access to the Internet, you are also charged 200 rubles, and you can use 40 megabytes of traffic. Then you receive an SMS notification that the quota has been exceeded, and all subsequent megabytes cost 5 rubles.
What else does Beeline offer? “Unlimited” Internet in Greece for 350 rubles per day.
What do you get for this money - 100 megabytes of traffic at full speed, then the speed is cut to 128 kilobits per second.
Practice has shown that it is very uncomfortable, but you can continue to do something on the Internet.
To activate this option, dial *110*20171# on your phone and the call button.

And the latest offer from Beeline is the “All for 1800 plus roaming” tariff.
This is a tariff that provides 3,000 local minutes, 15 gigabytes of Internet in Russia and 90 other countries. The price is 60 rubles per day.
In countries, the speed is immediately reduced to 128 kilobits per second. As I already said, this is not enough for comfortable work, but it allows you to upload photos (very slowly) and communicate on social networks.
To connect, you need to dial 0674002017 on your phone and press call.
If you have an old favorite tariff on your phone, I strongly advise against switching to this tariff; it will not be possible to switch back.

Roaming in Greece from MTS

For several years now, MTS has been offering an option for international roaming"Zero without borders."
Its essence boils down to the fact that you can receive incoming calls for free. Calls lasting up to ten minutes are free of charge. If the connection duration exceeds 10 minutes, you pay 25 rubles for 11 or more minutes. Life hack - you can call for 9 minutes, hang up and call again (receive the call). Well, or a lot of short calls.
Anti-life hack - it is possible to receive only 200 incoming “free” minutes per month.
Outgoing calls - first minute 65 rubles, second, third, fourth and fifth 25 rubles per minute, then again 65 rubles.
This is such a clever option. And the most important thing is subscription fee 95 rubles per day.
Another life hack :). MTS gives bonuses to everyone. As a rule, there are enough bonuses to activate this option for 7 days. Then they will charge you 95 rubles per day. I recommend turning off this option upon arrival in Moscow; it will not turn off on its own.

Internet MTS in roaming

Option Bit abroad. I recommend turning it on, just in case. *111*2222# and call. She does not ask for bread, and in various situations she will not allow you to become slaves to MTS.
If you go online in Greece with the Bit Abroad option enabled, you will immediately be charged 450 rubles, you will receive 100 megabytes of traffic at full speed, then the speed is cut to 128 kilobits per second, and you can surf the Internet as long as you want.
Interesting observation: 128 kilobits from Beeline is slower than 128 kilobits from MTS :)
If you need more Internet gold, then you can activate the “maxi bit abroad” option.
Cost per day is 700 rubles. For this you already get 200 megabytes of traffic at full speed, then as much as you want at a speed of 128 kilobits.
And for the most die-hard Internet users, MTS offers a mega option - super beat Abroad.
Only 1600 rubles per day, and no one will cut your speed, do what you want.
However, the note says that if a certain load on the network is exceeded, your speed will be reduced.
This means only one thing, no torrents.

Have a nice holiday, dear travelers! Don't let yourself be caught off guard, save your money!

Tourists for whom maintaining contact with their homeland during travel is an important nuance, it is advisable to seriously think about saving. Calling from Greece to the Russian Federation while roaming is expensive. But SIM cards for tourists or offers local operators will help you save significant money.

Tourist cards

One of the popular ways to save money among tourists is to purchase special tourist SIM cards. A common card is from " Goodline”, which provides profitable roaming services, including in Greece.

Goodline offers quite competitive rates. For example, incoming call will cost $0 per number provided by this operator. If you want to keep your usual number, an incoming number will cost $0.15. You will spend the same amount on a call to St. Petersburg and Moscow, to other regions - $0.29. By connecting to the “Favorite Number” service, the cost can be reduced as much as possible to $0.05. An SMS will cost $0.25 on average, a call to Greek number - $0,49.

Goodline offers several tariffs to choose from. One of the most profitable is Good-Travel, which costs 599 rubles when you connect. the client will have the opportunity to receive incoming calls completely free of charge, call your favorite numbers for $0.05 and call any Russian numbers for $0.15. By connecting to another tariff (Good-Rest) for 250 rubles, the client will receive free incoming calls and the ability to call home for $0.15.

Greek operators and the best rates

Other tourists prefer to save on telephone communication in Greece, purchasing local SIM cards. In this case, you need to be prepared to provide passport details and, possibly, the hotel address. There is no intercity roaming in Greece, so you can safely move around the country without fear of extra costs.

Choosing favorable tariff, you need to inquire about the quality of communication in a particular region. If the coverage of the selected operator in a given area is poor, then problems with calls will cause a lot of trouble.

In Greece, there are undisputed leaders and bright players in the communications market, among which tourists make a choice. These are Vodafone, Cosmote and Wind. To be able to use the services, you will first have to purchase a number (up to 10 euros), and then the main package.

It is believed that the best coverage has Wind, which has a subsidiary called Q that issues the Q Card. Calls to Russia for Q Card holders will cost 0.0075 euros (sec.). Wind also offers to pay 3-5 euros and get 60 minutes of calls with your homeland - the price and number of minutes depends on the subscriber’s choice.

Cosmote owns the company Frog, an inexpensive operator that allows you to pay 5 euros and get 40 minutes of calls for that amount. You can send an SMS to a foreign number for 0.05 euros, call - for 0.0042 euros (sec.).

Vodafone which many criticize for poor coverage and connection problems, offers 70 minutes of talk time for 5 euros. It is also profitable to take the Vodafone International tariff. Its owners pay 10 euros and receive 1000 minutes to talk with Russia.

You can look for SIM cards in kiosks and stores mobile operators or Germanos stores (for Cosmote). You can top up your balance in mini-markets, kiosks, shops - they sell cards with a face value of 5-15 euros. There are also inexpensive cards available at kiosks or supermarkets Face(5 euros) for calls via telephone booths. The subscriber receives approximately 2.5 hours of talk time.

Of the foreign IP telephony calling cards, in terms of cost and quality of communication, one of the most popular are FACE Card, distributed in Greece telecommunications company Algonet. The FACE card comes in two types: costing 5 euros and 10 euros.

Please be aware that if you try to dial a VoIP operator from a private Greek telephone company landline, you will most likely fail. Most of these operators have their own favorable tariff plans and, accordingly, the numbers of IP companies are blocked. Therefore, ask the owner of such a phone what tariff plan he has, perhaps he will allow you to call like that. Many private operators calls from Greece to the EU, Russia and the CIS very cheap or free.

The OTE operator also produces IP telephony cards, called “chrono cards”, which cost:

• 6 euros, with call time €6.36;
• 13 euros, with call time €15.50;
• 25 euros with call time €30.50

A call through a "chrono card" within the city will cost you €0.032, outside the city - €0.07, on mobile numbers€0.18. With EU countries, USA, Canada, Australia - €0.30, with Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus - €0.36.

OTE periodically issues “chronocards” for special promotions with reduced prices in certain areas. Externally different from standard cards, are valid for certain areas and are usually limited to three months.
For example, you can speak from Greece with the UK/Germany/France/Cyprus/USA/Canada at a price of €0.0227/min and with Ukraine at a price of €0.10/min.

Tariffs for telephone calls within Greece

Local calling in Greece(at a distance of up to 45 km) from an OTE landline phone:

• lasting up to 2 minutes at any time of the day and day of the week, as well as over 2 minutes on a working day from 8 to 20 hours - €0.03094;
• more than 2 minutes on a working day from 20 to 8 am and all day on Saturdays - €0.02975;

Call from OTE landline phone to any Greek mobile number costs €0.1149 with per-second billing.

Call within Greece(over a distance of over 45 km) from an OTE landline phone:

• lasting up to 25 seconds on a working day from 8 am to 8 pm / up to 28 seconds on a working day from 8 pm to 8 am / up to 28 seconds all day on Saturday / up to 2 minutes on Sundays - €0.03094;
• more than 25 seconds on a working day from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. - €0.07378;
• over 28 seconds on a working day from 20:00 to 8:00 and over 28 seconds all day on Saturday - €0.06545;
• over 2 minutes on Sundays - €0.02856.

Calling outside Greece from OTE landline phone:

• EU countries, day and night tariff: per landline phone€0.2493, to mobile €0.33732;
• Australia, Canada, Singapore, USA, Turkey, Japan: for all phones, day and night tariff €0.29334;
• Belarus, Moldova, Russia, Ukraine: to all phones, day and night tariff €0.34908;

Detailed tariffs for calls outside Greece, unfortunately, only in Greek.

• INMARSAT A: €4,522
• INMARSAT B: €2.0944
• INMARSAT BGAN: €1,785
• INMARSAT M: €2.4395
• INMARSAT M mini: €1,785
• INMARSAT FLEET-GUN (M4): €1,785
• INMARSAT AERO: €9.7461

Mobile communications in Greece

Greek standard GSM phones- 900/1800. Everyone's mobile numbers Greek mobile operators just like city landline numbers - ten digits, but they start with 69. (for example) 69 44 44 44 44

To call from Russia to a Greek mobile number, you need to dial the following combination of numbers:

8 - 10 -30 - 69 - subscriber number(for example, 8-10-30-69-44 44 44 44)

To call Russia from a Greek mobile:

7 - city code (or operator code) - subscriber number

As for the roaming services provided by the three leading Russian mobile operators, the picture is as follows:

call to Russia - about 50 rubles. / min., in Greece - about 50 rubles. / min.

Beeline

call to Russia - 69 rubles. / min., in Greece - 69 rubles. / min.

Megaphone

call to Russia - 86 rub. / min., in Greece - 36 rubles. / min.

In addition, there are so-called international travel SIM cards, providing an acceptable cost of a call while abroad of their country. In the CIS, one of the most common is SIM card "Goodline". All information is available on the company website in Russian. For example, a call using a Goodline card from Greece throughout the country and to Russia will cost 0.65 $/min.

Greek mobile communications are divided into two types: contract connection (bills received at the end of the month are paid, available only to permanent residents of Greece) and prepaid packages (available to everyone, including foreigners). It should be borne in mind that since the summer of 2009, all prepaid cellular communication packages must be purchased only with the presentation of identification documents. This requirement applies to both residents of the country and foreigners. Therefore, from now on you can only buy a Greek SIM card in communication stores. Top-up cards are still available for sale in supermarkets and street stalls.

All incoming calls to mobile numbers in Greece are free. IN Greece 3 mobile operators:

• COSMOTE, a subsidiary of the state-owned OTE operator;
• WIND, first mobile operator Greece, first called Telestet, then bought by the Italian operator TIM, and eventually ended up in the ownership of an Egyptian businessman and was renamed WIND;
• VODAFONE, the second Greek mobile operator Panafone, was bought out by the English operator Vodafone;
• Operator Q-TELECOM, former mobile division computer company Info-Quest was bought out by the WIND operator in 2007; only the prepaid package was retained under the Q brand.
• FROG Mobile is not a separate operator, but simply a trademark of the COSMOTE prepaid package.

The best coverage is considered to be from the WIND company, the worst is from VODAFONE (especially in the subway and basements). Although this division is quite arbitrary. COSMOTE often wins over the quality of its coverage in the mountains. For extreme sports enthusiasts, especially in the winter mountains of Greece, it is highly recommended to carry phones different operators to accurately guarantee connection in case of emergency when calling for rescuers. When located in border areas near the borders with Turkey, Bulgaria, FYR Macedonia, Albania, it is advisable to switch the network selection to forced mode to your operator, in automatic mode You may suddenly find yourself roaming. In the Ionian Islands, with good conductivity, Italian mobile operators can also reach you.

In each of Greek cellular companies we have our own paid connection packages, in Greek “kartokinito” - “card mobile phone" (the name means that the account is replenished with prepaid time cards). The SIM card in prepaid phones is valid for a year after the last replenishment of the account; if all funds in the account are spent, calls continue to be received. If you are outside Greece for more than a year, but want to keep your Greek number (perhaps so that your Greek friends will find you upon arrival), ask someone in Greece to top up your account. This can also be done from a landline phone.

Prepaid time cards are sold in all street kiosks, mini-markets, consumer electronics stores, supermarkets and, of course, in operator branded stores. You will also find Q and MO "MAD cards in WIND, Q stores and in the offices of the ACS courier service. FROG cards - in the same place as COSMOTE. (Keep in mind that the Germanos chain of stores was bought by COSMOTE and from now on offers only COSMOTE products Sometimes, instead of a card, you receive a printout of a cash receipt with the account replenishment code indicated on it. Top up by voice or by sending SMS.

Our recommendation for making mobile calls and sending SMS to CIS countries is Q card, FROG Mobile or VODAFONE International. Unfortunately, not everyone supports the Internet. To do this, choose other paid connection packages.

Calls between Q phones, within Greece and to 25 countries in Eastern Europe - €0.324, EU, USA, Canada, etc. - €0.438. There is a special package for conversations with WIND and Q subscribers: for 3 euros 300 minutes per month, can be topped up 4 times a month. Call 12200 and follow the instructions (of course, the amount of 3 euros should already be in your account).

SMS within the Q network, within Greece and abroad - €0.0644, MMS within Greece - €0.3721.

Mobile Internet has already appeared: 500 MB for 5 euros per month (if 500 megabytes are selected and the month has not yet ended, then the further prices are 0.92 euros/MB). To activate, send message 500 to number 1210. Without this package better than the internet do not use - default prices are 6.96 euros per 1 MB.

Top-up cards are available in: €5, €10, €15.

The cost of a SIM card is 5 euros, allowing you to spend 1 euro per month from this amount. The menu is available in Albanian, Bulgarian, Georgian, Russian, and can be changed by calling 1252.

Calls between VODAFONE International phones and to landline numbers in Albania, Bulgaria, Georgia, Russia, Ukraine - €0.12, to mobile numbers in Albania, Georgia, Russia, Ukraine and Greece - €0.222, to all numbers in the USA and Italy - €0 .21, EU countries - €0.87.

SMS within Greece and abroad - €0.0414, MMS within Greece - €0.36.

For 3G devices, video calls within Greece are €0.996, abroad €2.856.

Top-up cards are suitable for other VODAFONE prepaid packages and are available in: €3, €10, €15, €20, €30, €36.

VODAFONE a"la Carte

Another VODAFONE prepaid package. The cost of a SIM card is 5 euros.

A call within Greece is €0.354, when topping up an account with an amount over 20 euros - €0.252, within Europe - €0.87.

SMS within Greece €0.11, abroad €0.2618, MMS within Greece - €0.4641, abroad €0.69.

On cards starting from 10 euros, there is additional call time in Greece, which must be spent within a certain time period: 24 hours, 7 days, etc.

Mobile Internet without a subscription it costs €0.006 / KBt, there is a 30 MB subscription - 3.50 euros, if you exceed 30 MV, then the prices are further than €0.0009 / KBt. Subscriptions for larger volumes are not available for prepaid packages. The first month of Internet use is free for each new client. To activate, you need to send an SMS with the number 2 to the number 19109. Telephone settings for the Internet - .

VODAFONE CU

Another VODAFONE prepaid package for SMS lovers. The cost of a SIM card is 5 euros.

Call between CU - €0.294, within Greece - €0.348, within Europe - €0.87.

SMS within Greece €0.0514, abroad €0.1714, MMS within Greece - €0.4641, abroad €0.69.

Mobile Internet- similar to the "A" la Carte package.

There are many top-up options for sending cheap SMS and talking within the CU network. .

COSMOCARTA

The price of a SIM card is 5 euros.

The cost of a call in Greece is €0.354, Western Europe - €0.858, the Balkans and the CIS - €0.774, the minimum tariff is 30 seconds, then per second.

SMS within Greece €0.11, abroad €0.2202, MMS - €0.4403. For 3G devices, video calls within Greece are €0.996, abroad €2.856.

Top-up cards are available in: €3, €9, €15, €20, €30.

On cards starting from 9 euros, there is additional call time in Greece, which must be spent within a certain time period: 24 hours, 7 days, etc.

WHAT'S UP

Another prepaid package from COSMOTE is intended for lovers of SMS and cheap calls between owners of the same package. The price of a SIM card is 5 euros. Can be activated various packages communications for calls within WHAT"S UP, for example, 10 hours for 5 euros. There are also packages for sending SMS at reduced rates. Activation of all packages by calling 1330.

The cost of a call (without activation or after the expiration of special communication packages) in Greece is €0.372, Western Europe, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa - €0.8856, Balkans and CIS - €0.7968.

SMS within Greece €0.09, abroad €0.21, MMS - €0.4403, Internet Day Pass: €1.00 - 24 hours - 20 MBt. Or Internet on the Phone 60: 120 MBt per month for 3 euros.

FROG Mobile

Another prepaid package from COSMOTE.

The cost of a SIM card is 5 euros, allowing you to spend 1 euro per month from this amount.

Call between FROG - €0.1002, Greece, Balkans and CIS - €0.21, Europe and USA - €0.426.

SMS between FROG - €0.02, within Greece and abroad €0.04, MMS - €0.36.

Top-up cards are available for: €3, €7.

WIND F2G (Free 2 Go)

The main WIND prepaid package has been turned into a tool for very cheap communication, but only between F2G owners. For example, you can choose a communication package for 5 euros per month, which allows communication between F2G owners for 10 hours. The cost of calls to other networks in Greece is €0.366/min, SMS within Greece is €0.05. SMS abroad €0.1808. Call within Western Europe and Russia/Ukraine €0.9446. Video call within Greece €0.738.

WIND CARD to ALL

Another prepaid package is WIND, which is designed for calls to phones of all Greek operators and abroad, a kind of “golden mean”. When updating an account with an amount of 10 euros or more, an additional 50% is added, which must be spent within 30 days.
Call within Greece €0.402, call to Russia/Ukraine/Western Europe, USA/Canada €0.4651, call to the Baltic countries and Belarus €1.0791. Billing for 30 seconds. SMS within Greece €0.12, SMS abroad €0.177.
Details are on the WIND website.

All prices above in the text are indicated in euros per 1 minute of conversation, including VAT 23%.

What is more justified - to use roaming, a tourist card or buy a SIM card from a Greek operator, I think, is quite clear if you look at these prices. But, again, we should not forget about the various special promotions, which are arranged from time to time by both Russian and Greek operators, and at one point, prices within one of them may drop sharply. We advise you to familiarize yourself with the ongoing promotions in more detail on the eve of your trip, at least this will help you decide which option is more suitable, taking into account the fundamental ratio “Call price / Call quality”.

Mobile Internet in Greece

About mobile internet in Greece already mentioned above in which Greek mobile packages it is available. In addition to connecting to the Internet directly from telephone set, in Greece, access to the network is also available via a USB modem with a SIM card, which allows you to use the Internet from a laptop anywhere in Greece where there is mobile coverage.

As one of the options for mobile Internet in Greece, we can recommend the package mobile internet connection WIND Mobile Broadband from Greek WIND operator. To do this, you need to purchase a Mobile Broadband package in one of the WIND communication stores for €34.90 (from time to time there are promotions at a price of €29.90 and a month of internet as a gift). Next, simply insert the SIM card into the USB modem, and the WIND Connection Manager program will launch. After installing the program, you will need to enter the PIN code of the card and you can immediately start working on the network. To check the balance of money on the card, you need to send an SMS from the program with the text “balance” to number 1228.

Prices for mobile Internet from WIND:
1 day - 5€ - 1GB
7 days - 10€ - 2GB
30 days - 30€ - 3GB
To top up your account, you need to buy a scratch card and send a 16-digit SMS number to 1268 (also from the Connection Manager program).

3G+ network speed up to 7.2 Mbps download / 2 Mbps upload. If a 3G network is not available, the connection will be established via GPRS at a speed of 45Kbps. The package includes a Huawei E173 USB modem.
WIND 3G network coverage map.

At the operator COSMOTE prepaid mobile internet is offered in two packages:

SIM Pack, worth 20€, including 20€ for internet and SIM card;

Full Pack, worth 50€, including 20€ for Internet use, SIM card, and modem type USB Stick with speeds up to 7.2Mbps.

Three mobile internet packages from COSMOTE are available:

1 day - 5€ - 1GB

10 days - 15€ - 2GB

30 days - 40€ - 5GB

Many homes and businesses, especially in Athens, now use wireless modem routers. Connection to fast internet in Greece it is only possible via ADSL and recently the connection package includes a wireless modem-router. So wherever you are, check availability Wi-Fi connections. It is possible that you will encounter an open connection. There is also a little trick - many have an ADSL connection from the OTE operator under the CONN-X brand. If you notice an available connection under this name, then try entering the password 1234567890123, this is the factory code that many people do not change.

Many hotels have local Wi-Fi and the number of such hotels is increasing. When placing hotels on our map, we will try to monitor the presence of such a plus. We also ask all our users not to forget the issue with Wi-Fi when posting a description of the next hotel.

The private Forthnet provider offers paid connections at Forthnet stores, Starbucks, McDonalds, six Minoan Lines ferries, and some other cafes and hotels.

To connect, you need to buy a NetKey Wi-Fi card worth 6 euros for 2 hours of access or 14 euros for a day of access. Cards for regular terrestrial Internet NetKey cost 5 euros (100+100 minutes of access) or 10 euros (200+200 minutes of access) are also suitable.

In case of urgent need, you can get access for 20 minutes by sending an SMS with the word WiFi to the number 54350, the cost is 1.19 euros. If you wish, you can sign up for a monthly subscription for 21.30 euros with access to any Forthnet Wi-Fi point.

Greek Post ELTA

A few words about Greek mail. Post offices in Greece operate on a shortened schedule: from 7:30 to 14:30, Monday - Thursday, Friday from 7:30 to 14:00. All government agencies and banks in Greece work according to this schedule; Saturday and Sunday are days off. At other times, post offices may only be open in tourist areas. Most Greeks also use post offices for payments and utilities. Above the entrance to the Greek post office there is usually a sign with the inscription "ELTA" and the head of Hermes. You can exchange currency in branches with the "Exchange" sign. You can also buy tickets for public transport at Athens post offices.

Letter boxes are marked in one of several colors: green - mail within Athens, white - within Greece, blue - international mail, respectively. The red color of the box indicates that it is intended for letters with express delivery, which is paid at an increased rate, although the delivery time of the letter in this case is reduced by several days. Letters sent by air mail will reach the vast majority of European countries in 3-6 days, to the USA or New Zealand - in a week and a half. Postcards take longer, so you can safely add a few days to these deadlines. If you need to send a parcel to a country outside the European Union, try not to seal it. Such parcels are usually checked for contents, and they will still be opened before sending.

Once at the post office, you should take a ticket with a number from the machine and start waiting for this number to appear above one of the windows. Typically, window and queue A are for parcels, windows and queue B are for other services. Accordingly, press A or B on the machine and look at the letter in front of the number on the scoreboard. In small branches there may be a general queue, but you still need to take a ticket. Your ticket number and average waiting time in line will be written on the ticket. The queue at Greek Post offices is electronic.

A letter to non-EU countries will cost you:

regular size weighing 20g - €0.70 regular / €3.20 custom; 50 g - €1.20 / €3.70; 100g - €1.70 / €4.20. For example, a letter big size 100 grams - €2.15 / €4.65; non-standard 100 grams - €2.40 / €4.90. The price for express letters is usually in the middle between regular and registered.

Parcel to non-EU countries: 1 kg - €24.00; 2 kg - €26.60; 5 kg - €39.70; 10 kg - €65.50.

All major international courier services: DHL, TNT, UPS, etc. Information about their Greek branches is available on the international versions of their websites. Among the Greek couriers, the most popular is ACS. The most affordable price, both within Greece and abroad, is the state-owned ELTA Tachymetaphores, a division of the ELTA post office.

A letter of up to 100 grams to Russia or Ukraine will cost about 20 euros, will arrive in 2-3 days to Moscow/Kyiv and 4-6 days to the provinces.