Lithuanian mobile operators
Three operators in Lithuania provide quality communication: Telia, Bite and Tele2. All of them have prepaid sim cards: you don’t need a contract or passport to connect. It is enough to find a store, take a box with a sim card and pay for it at the cash desk, and then activate it.
Sims are sold at various places:
- at Lietuvos spauda kiosks;
- at the Lietuvos paštas post office;
- at Maxima, Iki, Narvessen;
- at Neste and Viada gas stations;
- at the phone stores.
Sim-cards with prepaid tariffs are more profitable and affordable than basic tariff plans. If the package is not enough, the account can be easily topped up at the same place where you bought the SIM card. All operators have the same management and payment methods.
How to recharge sim-card in Lithuania:
- with receipts at the checkout counter of any supermarket;
- through FoxBox payment terminals;
- with the help of Swedbank and SEB Bankas;
- with a bank card through the apps;
- with company cards for 2, 3, 10 or 15 €.
If you are traveling around Lithuania for 5—6 days, you will not need to refill your account. The starter kit will be enough to call friends, call a cab or book a table in a restaurant. Internet is more than enough. For example, for 2 € you can find a tariff with 6 GB, 150 minutes and 10 000 sms within Lithuania. The package is valid for 30 days.
In order for the sim card to work, you need to activate it, which is free of charge. The package contains step-by-step instructions on how to do it: by calling a short number, using sms or simply registering in the network.
Prepaid tariffs from Lithuanian mobile operators support roaming in Europe. But you need to activate the service in advance — while you are still in the country. In my personal experience, it is more profitable to travel with a Lithuanian sim card. For example, in Germany it is more difficult to buy a SIM card and communication is more expensive.
Operators and tariffs
Mobile operators in Lithuania change their tariffs from time to time. The only thing they have in common is the excellent quality of communication and low price for services. Otherwise, each has its own bonuses. It can be roaming, unlimited Internet for messengers or convenient top-up. The choice depends on what you need more — calls or access to the Net.
Telia: Extra and Ežys
Telia (former Omnitel) gives, according to reviews, the best coverage and connection quality. On the way from Vilnius to other cities or on the coast of Palanga, 3G/4G Internet receives a signal everywhere. The package contains SIM cards of three sizes: micro, mini and nano.
Telia has two prepaid tariffs: Ežys and Extra. Both offer several connection options: mixed (Internet, sms and calls), calls only and Internet only. You can buy a SIM card with minutes, and if you need to go online, you can activate the service additionally.
Ežys and Extra bonus: traffic on Facebook, Messenger and Spotify is not consumed. Sim-card is valid for 100 days from the moment of activation, you can receive calls and sms for another 250 days. Roaming is not available on these tariffs.
Sometimes at Vilnius airport they hand out free sim cards from Ežys with 50 MB, 5 minutes and 50 sms.
Bite: Labas
Labas is the most popular and favorable prepaid tariff. For 0.99 € you can buy a sim card with unlimited Internet for a day, and for 1.99 € — for three days. Internet is not used for Facebook, WhatsApp, Viber, Snapchat and Messenger.
Labas sim cards have many advantages:
- tariffs for every need;
- replenishing the account with a check from the store;
- roaming outside Lithuania.
Labas SIMs work for 150 days from the last recharge, then there is a grace period of 120 days, when the SIM works only for receiving calls and sms. A week before the blocking, the operator will send a warning SMS. Or you can download an application for data control.
Roaming is automatically activated for Labas sim cards. There are two tariffs in Europe: for 3.99 € you get 20 minutes, 20 sms and 400 MB for a week, and for 9.99 € you can get 60 minutes, 60 sms and 1 GB for a month. The coverage is slightly worse than Telia’s.
Tele2: Pildyk
Tele2 has a prepaid tariff called Pildyk. The cost of the SIM card depends on the plan. A comprehensive plan with calls, sms and Internet costs from 4.99 €. You can buy a sim card with Internet only: 1.5 GB for a day costs 1.5 €, and unlimited for a day costs 1 €. The coverage of the mobile operator is excellent.
Pildyk SIM card is valid for 100 days from the moment of activation. Then 180 more days in the mode of incoming calls and sms. If the balance is zero, the number will be disconnected after 80 days. You can recharge your account from abroad via Ding or Recharge. It is not possible to recharge directly from a Russian bank card.
The Pildyk SIM card can be used in European countries. For 1 € you get 10 minutes, 10 sms and 50 MB per day, for 4 € you get 50 minutes, 50 sms and 300 MB.
Free Internet in Vilnius
There are not as many Internet access points in the center of Vilnius as in neighboring Riga. You can connect to the network near McDonald’s, KFC and Čili Pica, near Coffee Inn, Double Coffee, in shopping centers and at Statoil gas stations.
In Lithuania, you can find prepaid plans with great prices and offers. To save on traffic, you should disable unnecessary applications or updates. This will allow you to stay online at all times.