Tourist scam at Budapest Airport revealed? – VIDEO
TravelTomTom, a travel enthusiast from the Netherlands, has visited nearly every corner of the globe despite his young age. Recently, he stumbled across what appears to be a tourist trap at Budapest Airport. But is he right to be outraged by the price of a prepaid SIM card?
Dutch globetrotter outraged at Budapest Airport
TravelTomTom, as his website reveals, is a Dutch dude with a serious case of wanderlust who shares his thoughts on a myriad of travel-related topics, from chilling on idyllic tropical islands to venturing on cross-country expeditions and soaking in the world’s most stunning infinity pools. One of his recurring content themes is buying e-SIM cards in different countries.
He recently uploaded a video to YouTube calling out Budapest Airport’s Terminal 2 (aka AirportHUB) for selling SIM cards at eye-watering prices.
He starts off saying that tourists have limited options to buy a SIM card at Budapest Airport. Then he points to AirportHub, a partner of Budapest Airport offering the very product. “It is a drugstore, but they also sell SIM cards“, he shares. “As you can see, it is not a joke. It’s 50 euros for the cheapest SIM card. So, if you are asking me for tourist scams here at Budapest Airport, this is the one. It’s a Yettel SIM card. How dare you ask for EUR 50? In the city they are not even asking EUR 15!“, he complains in the video.
Budapest Airport was pleased to announce the new SIM cards
We’ve found Budapest Airport’s announcement to hype up the newly dropped SIM cards. It turns out they have been available in in AirportHub since last May, and Budapest Airport was quite pleased with their arrival.
“Passengers have a choice of two different packages. The Travel package includes a 50 GB domestic data plan and 25 minutes of domestic calls for 15 000 HUF (EUR 38 – DNH), while the Travel Max package includes an unlimited domestic data plan and 50 minutes of domestic calls, for 20 000 HUF (EUR 51 – DNH). Both deals are valid for 30 days and are exclusive to the airport. The card can only be activated if the customer is over 14 years of age, and a passport or personal ID card is required to sign the contract”, Budapest Airport wrote enthusiastically.
It seems like TravelTomTom’s got a bone to pick, especially with that pricey Travel Max package. But the price difference is down to the constantly changing euro-forint exchange rate. Wanna see what got him wound up? Check out TravelTomTom’s video HERE and decide for yourself.
Read also:
- Emergency landing in Budapest: smoke detected in the cockpit of an Air France flight from Paris – Read more HERE
- Stay alert: Scammers try to collect tourist tax from guests staying in Budapest – Details in THIS article
Featured image: AirportHub at Budapest Airport
That IS a scam, in the sense of being grossly overpriced for what you’re getting. I’d definitely not buy that.
Word to the wise: Before going to a new place, do a search about the country’s cell operators and the (prepaid!) packages they offer, including their costs. Check out also where they have their branches. That way you know what you’re looking for and are prepared. Also, you don’t necessarily need a S.I.M. card right at the airport and can wait till you get downtown.