3G/4G internet in Iceland as a tourist
With most cellular subscriptions you can use internet abroad, but the costs involed are usually much higher than in your own country. If your country is a member of the EU this has become significantly cheaper over time, but you can still get a much better deal than 20 cents per MB.
There is a second solution, in Iceland there is only one complete-covering ISP providing the cellular network. This provider is called Siminn. Siminn sells prepaid SIM-cards which you can use for calls, texts and data. This means you get your own local Iceland number, but you can buy 31-day subscriptions much cheaper than pay per MB at your original provider.
To order an subscription you need an Siminn prepaid-card. You can buy these at the grocery store, gasstations and even in flights of Icelandic Air. This will cost you €13 euro ($17 dollar). This amount is returned in credits, which can be used to internet/call. However, since this is prepaid, the €13 equals out to around 250MB. If you are data-hungy (like watching Youtube, netflix, uploading photos etc) I reccomend ordering an internet subscription described below.
Prices for this subscription is as follows (rounded prices due to fluxution of the exchange):
| Subscription | Price kr. | Price € | Price $ |
| 500 MB (31 days, starts after purchase) | 690 kr. | around €4,- | around $5,- |
| 1 GB (31 days, starts after purchase) | 1290 kr. | around €8,- | around $10,- |
| 5 GB (31 days, starts after purchase) | 2290 kr. | around €15,- | around $20,- |
| 10 GB (31 days, starts after purchase) optional USB Dongle | 3290 kr. | around €21,- | around $28,- |
| 50 GB (31 days, starts after purchase) optional USB Dongle | 5290 kr. | around €34,- | around $45,- |
| 100 GB (31 days, starts after purchase) optional USB Dongle | 6990 kr. | around €45,- | around $60,- |
note: You need an creditcard to order these subscriptions.
You need to follow these steps to order one of these subscriptions:
- Buy an Siminn prepaid-card at a grocery store / gas stations / Icelandic Air.
- Insert the SIM-card in your mobile phone and enter provided PIN.
- Download and install the Siminn Mobile Application: (Android | iOS)
- Verify your number (first card: "Siminn pinn" -> enter phone number (present on card) -> Press "Fa SMS lykiloro" -> enter code from SMS).
- Go to "Afyllinger og pakkar" (buying a new 31-day subscription).
- Select "3G gagnapakkar" and choose the subscription you want. You can also buy SMS/minutes or put new credit your prepaid card but using prepaid-credits is more expensive than a subscription.
- Enter your credit-card information at "Greidslumati" and press "Kaupa".
- You've just bought yourself a subscription. You can use the Application to see how many MB you've got left.
For more information go to:
http://www.siminn.is/thjonusta/internet/netid-a-ferdinni/netpakkar/ (Icelandic)
