Getting a mobile connection in Malta is very simple. The easiest way is to buy a pay as you go sim card, which you can purchase from your chosen suppliers store. They usually need to be topped up of 10€ worth of credit in order to be be activated. If you are only staying in Malta for a short time these are a quick, cheap and useful option. It is worth pointing out that Vodafone offers add ons such as extra internet access for small additional fees.
If you are planning on staying in Malta for a longer time or want more services from your mobile then you should consider setting up a pay monthly contract. You can also get these from suppliers stores; you will need to have a e-Residence card, credit card or bank account details and proof of address.
Costs per month vary greatly depending on the services you choose: the cheapest options for those who want the basics cost around 20€ a month. The more expensive contracts, with all additional features such as data plans and unlimited calls and texts can cost up to 99€ a month. There are no start up fees for opening a new contract unless you want a specific model to come with the contract in which case you may have to pay some additional costs towards the phone itself.
Vodafone are the only provider that offer 4G services which are available as part of all their monthly contracts. They also offer add ons which are specifically useful to expats such as Add Traveller, which significantly reduces the roaming charges, or costs when outside of malta. Melita’s “The ultimate one” plan includes 500 free minutes to all countries in EU zone 1 per month which is useful to expats who want to call home.
EU zone 1 includes; Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
Call and message costs
The average cost per minute for domestic calls currently sits at 0.09€ and for international calls it is 0.13€. Domestic text messages on average are 0.02€ each and international texts about 0.06€ which is very affordable and great news for expats. There is no charge to receive calls unless you are abroad and this can be removed with travellers add ons.
Paying your bill
Pay monthly contracts need to be paid by a credit card, bank transfer or direct debit, however there is a fee for not paying by direct debit which you should be aware of.
Pay as you go sims can be topped up in a number of ways, from the suppliers stores, some shops, MaltaPay Kiosks, ATM machines and online.