traveling to europe with a smart phone...how exactly?

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Originally Posted by jerlane

Sounds really easy. Any thoughts on how much data to get for one week? I doubt we’d be streaming any videos. Navigation, some web use, and music most likely. 5gb is only $7.99.


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All can really depend on your use. Do you ever track and look at what your last few months of data use has been here in the states? (Android has some data tracking apps- showing wifi and then cellular data use). Many carriers of course have a way to login to the account and look at the data usage, or have a way to text even for a data usage report. Some will if you do 611 provide an account review and discuss the plan you are on and the past few months of usage, and even of course if you are ending up with overages charges maybe a recommended plan change.

Then once you have your normal usage, an estimate of the added needs (photos to social media if not on wifi, Whatsapp calling, turn by turn mapping and the like for the trip that maybe more than what you would be doing in the states. But if the plan with the data bundle is $8,00 and you run out, another $8.00 gets you another block and would as stated be cheaper than the $10 per day some charge for roaming and usage when needed if you do not need to do voice calls regularly on the US carrier telephone number or wifi calling, etc.

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Originally Posted by jerlane

Looks like I may be out of luck with the esim. I bought one (and used dcpnz’s referral code, thanks!),but it looks like your phone has yo be unlocked to use it. Mine’s still under contract and has a ways to go to pay it off. Bummer!


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Still reach out to your existing carrier and ask if they will do a temporary unlock on the esim). If not shop for a used unlocked phone that maybe you could pick up before you leave, or if you have an old phone in a drawer (but be cautious that they may not support esims either), see if that could be unlocked for use- (and see if they could have the plan be set up on a physical sim instead of esim).

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Originally Posted by jerlane

Looks like I may be out of luck with the esim. I bought one (and used dcpnz’s referral code, thanks!),but it looks like your phone has yo be unlocked to use it. Mine’s still under contract and has a ways to go to pay it off. Bummer!


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Yeah, sorry we’ve all overlooked emphasizing that. Unlocked phone prerequisite to using either a physical sim or e-sim from any other carrier. I just paid off mine off a few months early and got it unlocked within hours.

If you can’t figure out a way to use it pm me - if its transferable I’d buy it off you.

Further update on Airalo: it lets you hotspot its service onto other phones. So you could just buy one Airalo e-SIM and hotspot others onto it. Cool.

Mrs C is currently using it off my phone, on a boat...

Does anyone have advice on buying a phone to use in Europe? I had issues last year with my company phone while on vacation (I don’t have a personal phone). It wasn’t the worst deal to not constantly have a phone, but I wouldn’t mind looking in to buying a cheap ass phone and then getting a plan on Europe if I go back next winter.


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Originally Posted by Shred Baron

Does anyone have advice on buying a phone to use in Europe? I had issues last year with my company phone while on vacation (I don’t have a personal phone). It wasn’t the worst deal to not constantly have a phone, but I wouldn’t mind looking in to buying a cheap ass phone and then getting a plan on Europe if I go back next winter.


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Buy it from Amazon in whatever county 6 you will be in, and have it shipped to your hotel or bnb.

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Originally Posted by Shred Baron

Does anyone have advice on buying a phone to use in Europe? I had issues last year with my company phone while on vacation (I don’t have a personal phone). It wasn’t the worst deal to not constantly have a phone, but I wouldn’t mind looking in to buying a cheap ass phone and then getting a plan on Europe if I go back next winter.


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There are some International unlocked model phones out there. Unlocked if you purchase directly from the manufacturer. You want iPhone or some Android model (or do not care and just shopping on price?) Apple iPhones unlocked directly from Apple will from what I know work anywhere and not limited to domestic carriers only.

Have to be careful to see about the bands and frequencies that are supported, most are GSM models, but with 5G things may be different with a few brands and models.

any phone from the manufacturer will be unlocked. most newish phones, you shouldn't have any issues with connectivity. something like a pixel 7a or 6a is a slightly cheaper way to go.

any locked phone, you can _try_ to get it unlocked, but if it's a company phone it's kind of a pain in the ass.

Thanks all, I’ll keep in mind to budget for a phone if I go. I am not about to burn bridges by unlocking a company phone. If I didn’t know any better, our company was guarding nuclear secrets. But at least I get a free vpn to watch out of country movies.


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Does your company not pay for service on said company phone?

My go to in the past has been to ask my company for a loaner phone that would work internationally. (we kept a few on hand, although back then we had a mix of people using company phones and personal phones...I think they are 100% personal bring-your-own-device now)

Then I would just either
1. Use the phone they gave me and not worry about it because they paid the bill.
2. Pull the sim and put it in my phone (we were both on AT&T). I get to keep my apps, use my camera, etc. although I lose access to my personal number and have to use the corporate number for texts/calls.

The $10/day or whatever international fee is a rounding error on a corporate phone bill.

Not sure if this applies (couldnt see where youre located) but here in BC (maybe other parts of Canada too) companies are legally required to unlock phones for you if you ask, even under contract.


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I’m really only supposed to use the phone for company purposes, but here I am typing this on it. So the company has added me to the international plan (I’ve traveled international for extended periods of time for work), and they don’t mind the bill for the international, but the last time I went, for the life of me I could not get the phone to connect to the local networks in France (or Switzerland). The last thing I wanted to do was start sending emails back to the office about it, so if it’s not a huge cost, I’d rather set myself up for success on having a working phone, and just tell work to fuck off for two weeks. I’d still take the phone I have and use it wifi when needed.


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Bump. What about traveling to the US? Airalo has options but the service is slowish for $26 10gb. Are there any good and cheaper options to buy a sim?

What part of the USA and cities or mountains?

I ask because Verizon seems to perform better in the mountains, but I'll assume their pricing sucks.

I'd imagine that most services will perform well in the major metropolitan areas.

I heard from a foreigner that buying a SIM in the US is a huge pain in the ass, we don't really do that here. That being sell service without a phone or a plan attached. Could try straight talk or Cricket maybe? I think you can reload that service so maybe?

I have an esim card I couldn’t use since my phone was locked. Let me know if anyone is interested. It was pretty cheap.


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Originally Posted by jerlane

I have an esim card I couldn’t use since my phone was locked. Let me know if anyone is interested. It was pretty cheap.


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My Verizon phone was locked for 30 days after I purchased it, after that it becomes unlocked with no need to pay it off. Just in case anyone wondered

I found out that ( at the time) Telus phones were locked when I tried to buy a chip in portugal, fortunately my GF's phone was not locked and so we just used hers for a couple of apps to get around

some locals at an Air BnB told us which apps to use wazee & whatsup for navigating, they didnt have plans it was cheaper to just buy a chip and buy another when it was done

I am on the Oregon coast. Google Fi offers an unlimited plan for $50. If I dont have to sign up for a year or some shit like that it might be the best option.

FWIW just got back from Europe with my family. We have a mix of Pixels and iphones, all unlocked. All of us use Mint physical SIM's in the states. We all added a few dollars of Mint international for phone/SMS in Europe, and downloaded Airolo e-sims for mobile data. All worked fine, with decent network coverage in several countries. This isn't the easiest way, but easy enough, and paying <$200/year for cell service leaves more money for skis.

PSA. In case you travel to the us you can get the Google Fi free 7 day trial. Outside the city centers it was pretty low quality data. I had to wait a while for some uploads to finish on the outskirts of Fresno. I guess Fresno is considered rural? In Bend it was good.

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Originally Posted by ::: :::

it sounds like "get a sim card" is the advice i see most often -- what exactly is involved with that? any pitfalls to consider?
expecting to use mapping, phone, texting & web browser...

how to you install it & adjust settings for travel?

how do you uninstall it & adjust settings when back home?

i've got an iphone, if that affects the answers...

thanks!

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Does your iPhone have an eSim?

Just activate with the eSim here: https://esimdb.com

Many carriers, just pick what plan you’d like.

^^^ but also as Jerlane found out make sure your phone is network/carrier unlocked

Or do what my Thing #2 does - she has a locked phone on payment plan and she’s got around Europe and South America this summer carrying a second older device with data e-sim activated on it as her own personal hotspot.

Like a shameless broken record - Mobimatter is cheapest I’ve found and has worked great for us - thanks to the mags who used my referral code ( DCPAS13473 )

Mobi esim working great in Norway. I used your ref code.
On iPhone, keep primary number active for data also, and just disable data roaming. Texts will then go through.
In 4 days, only used 1gb… and not really trying to conserve or aim for mostly WiFi. That was just using maps, websites and texting. But gigs are so cheap, difference between 3 and 5GB was like $3

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Originally Posted by dcpnz

Yeah, I keep pushing MobiMatter cos it’s cheaper than Airolo and all others I looked at and I had good experience with it. We’ll be using it again this summer. Shamelessly for anyone considering it who wants to save us both a few bucks my MobiMatter referral code is DCPAS13473.

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Bump -- I'm using your referral code on MobiMatter for an upcoming Thailand trip. It's much cheaper than Airalo for Thailand -- going with a Hong Kong based plan for $10 US, which gives 15 gb data over 30 days.

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Originally Posted by dcpnz

^^^ but also as Jerlane found out make sure your phone is network/carrier unlocked

Or do what my Thing #2 does - she has a locked phone on payment plan and she’s got around Europe and South America this summer carrying a second older device with data e-sim activated on it as her own personal hotspot.

Like a shameless broken record - Mobimatter is cheapest I’ve found and has worked great for us - thanks to the mags who used my referral code ( DCPAS13473 )

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yup i was awhile ago but my phone was still locked so we took the chip back, at the time a local in Portugal was telling us they don't have plans they just buy a chip use till gone and buy another

Does anyone have experience with an eSim provider in Portugal? We expect to be along the coast for 3 weeks in early Summer.

Vodafone worked well this summer in Portugal and the Azores. I've used them a couple other times in Europe (and maybe Northern Africa?). I wouldn't hesitate to use them again. I think I bought it directly from their website but I usually compare a few companies like Airalo, Nomad, or check esimdb. Most countries only have a couple providers anyway (with sub-sellers using the same networks, like Cricket in the US). In a country as developed as Portugal they should all work pretty well.

I think GoogleFi is a good option for US based travelers not spending continuous months overseas. I’d already have jumped ship if my primary plan wasn’t paid for by work.

If you have Verizon, just switch your plan to the highest tier option Unlimited ultimate for $fifty-five/month total per line (not an additional charge) and you get “unlimited” international talk and data (really ten gb high speed data a month). You keep your number

For most who already have an unlimited plan it’s only an extra ten dollars for an entire month. Or even less if you switch back sooner

When you’re back in the states you can drop back down to your regular unlimited plan.

I’ve always found it easiest just to use Verizon over there. No faffing about and only a few bucks a day.

Google Fi has worked seamlessly for me in Belize, Switzerland, and France.

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Originally Posted by Muggydude

If you have Verizon, just switch your plan to the highest tier option Unlimited ultimate for $fifty-five/month total per line (not an additional charge) and you get “unlimited” international talk and data (really ten gb high speed data a month). You keep your number

For most who already have an unlimited plan it’s only an extra ten dollars for an entire month. Or even less if you switch back sooner

When you’re back in the states you can drop back down to your regular unlimited plan.

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This is the way. I've used. Verizon in Iceland, Switzerland, France, Portugal with no issues whatsoever. Whatsoever. Much easier than getting a local Sim and having different numbers to deal with

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For ease of use Verizon is pretty hard to beat.

<p>
I&#39;ve been using Airolo (iPhone and Android app) when international. As long as your phone is compatible with eSims, it allows you to purchase local pay as you go eSims at basically local prices. Much easier than tracking down a kiosk or telco store after you land. I&#39;m also on T-Mobile so have free low-speed data in most countries already as a backup plan. But Airolo has been super easy and pretty cheap.</p>
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Used it in Portugal, Azores, Brazil, Mexico, Ecuador, Phillipines, Hong Kong... maybe some others?</p>

My kid is currently in London and having a hard time getting her eSIM over there to work properly. There’s some conflict w her domestic eSIM set up and it’s kind of a mess. Has anyone had that issue? I thought it would be a simple toggle between the two. One part I’m confused by is the new eSIM still uses her US number. I assumed the intl eSIM would be a different number, no?

Great info but I have ATT. https://media3.giphy.com/media/T1WqK...hbu6/giphy.gif

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Originally Posted by mcski

My kid is currently in London and having a hard time getting her eSIM over there to work properly. There’s some conflict w her domestic eSIM set up and it’s kind of a mess. Has anyone had that issue? I thought it would be a simple toggle between the two. One part I’m confused by is the new eSIM still uses her US number. I assumed the intl eSIM would be a different number, no?

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What phone? Is it unlocked?

Most travel esims I’ve used don’t have a number at all. They’re just data sims.

One thing I’ve needed to check is that data roaming for the esim is turned on

@Peruvian&hellip; I&rsquo;m ATT as well. I&rsquo;ll let you know what I find out for my trip to Switzerland in a few weeks. IIRC when I went to Japan a couple years ago, I just added service for a month for international&hellip; phone,text, and web worked fine while I was there. It was maybe $50 for the month

Quick ATT search reveals International Day Pass at $12 a day capped at 10 days per billing cycle so max $120 a month. I’ll confirm when I follow up directly with ATT representative.

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Thanks, SC - I didn&#39;t realize there was a cap after 10 days. That&#39;s good info although still 2-3 times more expensive as a local eSim as Europe seems to have very inexpensive coverage.</p>
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It also looks like I&#39;ll have to accelerate my payment plan to ensure I can unlock my current phone.</p>