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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!
I am not an expert on this, but the couple times I've done it, I just used my regular phone without changing anything. Assuming yours is a newer phone, it'll work fine. It's just a matter of sorting out your phone plan with your provider; figure out how much it's gonna cost you to use the phone on roaming. Maybe switch plans as needed. I (with Verizon) would pay a daily fee that was slightly outrageous, but not outrageous enough for me to not do it for a 10 day trip. Also keep in mind that wifi is everywhere now and it doesn't cost anything extra to use it.
I had friends that got sim cards, and while it's cheaper, it's also not super useful for a lot of things because now you have a new phone number. So anyone texting you or calling you isn't getting through unless they know your number. And if you text or call someone, you're doing so from a random new phone number, so they usually think it's spam. And that means you'll end up switching your sim card back and forth in your phone a lot. New sim card when you're out and about, and then when you get to wifi, you'll switch your "home" sim card back in so you can talk / text like normal. That all seemed like a huge pain the ass for me, so I didn't bother.
gonna be gone 3wks, all in UK
wifi only will not be useful for navigating by car or calling folks
verizon says $100 for a month of service in Europe
i see things like: EE UK with an unlimited data SIM for £35 (+/-$40) for a month + per min charge for outgoing calls
I believe if you use a Google Voice number, you can simply forward your Google Voice number to your temp sim card number and it'll work. But I've not tried this myself... so you may want to confirm, if you find this idea of interest.Quote:
Originally Posted by toast2266
I’ve got an iPhone with dual SIM support (iPhone XS and newer have that, iirc). What I do is
- Use the eSIM for my US mobile provider
- Use the physical SIM for my European provider
- When arriving, set the “Cellular Data” and “Default Voice Line” to whichever plan matches where I am
Regarding what’s involved - not much in my experience - make sure the plan that comes with the SIM card you’re purchasing has the features you want, like amount of data, etc.
My Swedish SIM card is “registered”, so I can, as an additional bonus, use it in any EU/EES country with the same terms as in Sweden. Not sure if that applies elsewhere…
One potential pitfall might be to make sure you’re using the right SIM card/plan when messaging your contacts, as I think it defaults to the one you used previously in your message history?
Download google maps for the areas you are visiting and navigation works fine.Quote:
Originally Posted by ::: :::
I’ve got an iPhone, on Verizon. Verizon charges either $10 a day (that you use it) or $100 for a month for foreign service. I go with the $10/day unless I’m gonna be there for more than 10 days. It isn’t particularly cheap, but the convenience of the same number and texting is pretty significant. And the call quality is great.Quote:
Originally Posted by toast2266
FWIW, a lot of people in Europe use WhatsApp for texting and video and calls etc.
How ever did people navigate Europe before smart phones?
If you’re not there for work it can be great to unplug. If you’re there for work, expense it.
Downloading google maps works though, and most rental cars have navigation these days
i have google maps on my phone -- how do i "download" a given area? [sorry for being obtuse...i don't see an offline mode or a download map function]Quote:
Originally Posted by zion zig zag
i'm guessing they got lost a bunch :)Quote:
Originally Posted by XavierD
i forgot about the potential car satnav system
thanks for the testimonial -- appreciate that experienceQuote:
Originally Posted by Meadow Skipper
only downside is local folks calling a US number to get me -- which maybe is OK? not sure yet if that's essential
this is a family thing assisting my 82yo dad, I gotta be able to call old peopleQuote:
Originally Posted by Meadow Skipper
You're gonna need this then...Attachment 425093Quote:
Originally Posted by ::: :::
I was just in the UK for 2 weeks, I also lived there for 12 years before coming back stateside. Just use your Verizon iPhone and pay the 10 bucks a day - it's by far the easiest. My experience of using local SIM cards is that they can be slow at times. FYI, I'm also on Verizon/iPhone.
Also, confirmed on WhatsApp usage, it's far more popular over there than it is here. For locals calling you, have them call through WhatsApp or Facetime so they are not dialing internationally via the phone network.
Where in the UK will you be? Coverage should be sufficient in the cities, but if you are the countryside, can be sketch.
Just add +1 to your number when you give it to them (ie. +1 (xxx) xxx-xxxx) and it’ll go thru, or have them use WhatsApp. They should be able to return a call to you with no problem if you call them first.Quote:
Originally Posted by ::: :::
Edit: also WhatsApp works on wifi. Just sayin’
ScotlandQuote:
Originally Posted by Pins and Skins
Thx for that vote on VZN
prepaid. bring a paperclip and put it in when you get there. these guys might even ship it to you before you leave:
https://www.giffgaff.com/
I'm sure there are other prepaid options and whatever you get at the Sainbury’s will be fine. Don't overthink it and definitely do not give Verizon $100.
Does Apple ID suddenly get bent out of shape if you get a SIM card with anew connection to the web & new number?
Kind of. You get a popup that's like "Do you want this number to now be associated to your FaceTime?". It can be a little annoying untangling that stuff but not really a huge deal.
Click on your profile in the search bar. Then click offline maps. Choose the area you want to download. You won’t get live traffic of course but all other details are there.Quote:
Originally Posted by ::: :::
Thx!
Need one of those long kitchen cords tooQuote:
Originally Posted by NW_SKIER
Hey all you euros/furriners, is the situation the same for you in the US (as in $10.00 a day or whatever?). I always wondered how that worked.
But yeah, WhatsApp.
In France plans are way cheaper than in the US. I had one without contract at 19€ with 210go and 25 go of roaming data. Ifell ripped off since I moved in the US.Quote:
Originally Posted by rideit
For OP, yes buy a local prepaid SIM card if you stay there a significant amount of time (available in most grocery store or even at the airport). If you are there for a week or two you can buy a travel option from your operator. For reference, I have an AT&T prepaid plan and they charge this add-on 35$ for 7days (unlimited talk, message and 5go of data).
signal works as well as a messaging mechanism and is not owned by Zuckerberg.
https://signal.org/en/
That's what we've used for BBI the last year.
I have verizon and generally do the $10/day deal where I really only need cell service when I'm travelling between places or touring, but on the lifts or in the hotels, I can use signal over wifi to do either voice or text.
You can buy a sim card there in the airport, but I _think_ that some phones, if acquired through your service, will block a sim card other than the service provider's sim card. The applicable term is "locked".
If your phone supports esim check out airalo. They offer data esims for most countries that cost less for a few gigs than roaming for a day.
https://ref.airalo.com/fD2c gets both$3 off.
Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk
At the moment, I have a 7…gonna see what makes sense after the 14 releases in a week or so
Another option is to buy a 4g wireless mobile hotspot and a prepaid sim. The benefit is that you can keep your existing phone number and settings while you and everyone else in your party uses the hotspot for connectivity. Prolly more expensive if you're traveling solo but cheaper for sure if you've got a small group.
Who is your provider? We have T*Mobile. I pay $15/mo. for unlimited calling to and/or from Yurp. My wife spends at least 1-2hrs/wk on the phone with Germany.
Attachment 425120
I’m not sure the math works for me to swap SIM cards for a month in Europe. Pay $40 and switch cards, with all that entails (new phone number, can’t check VM, reported spotty service, iPhone hassles, etc.) vs paying $100 to your carrier to just seamlessly use the phone you have, the way you always use it? $60 is kind of a drop in the bucket of the total trip price.
Edit to say: I’m usually in the keep cellular turned off and only use wifi camp anyway. But I have turned it in occasionally when needed at $10 a day.
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I haven't had any trouble with the bargain sims outside of the number associated with the account bs (provided your phone is unlocked). Service is just much cheaper everywhere outside the USA and Canada. My last trip in mexico was about 15$ on the burner sim, I never ran out of data or minutes. Here I think the sim alone is more than 10.
this is certainly still in my head as a viable optionQuote:
Originally Posted by zion zig zag
For 3 weeks? Just eat the $100. I have At&t and it's $10/day, capped at 10 days per month. And if you're traveling with a partner or family, they can hot spot off you.Quote:
Originally Posted by zion zig zag
Here's what an extra 60 bucks saves you in hassle:
-You can turn on your phone the minute you land vs finding a cellular store once you land and purchasing it with your passport
-Keep current phone number and possibly having to change languages
-Having to keep track of your US SIM card and not losing it
-Must have an unlocked GSM phone
-Traveling through multiple countries and having to using different sim cards
-You get to use your US data and minute plans
YMMV
In Portugal maybe 5 yr ago we bought a sim for 15 euro's each, the local we talked to would buy as needed instead of having a plan,
they also put us onto a couple or sites for navigating that were really good I think it was moovit & Waze
wazee for navigating the freeways was amazing I would have been lost without it
Moovit found obscure walking paths in old neighborhoods that You couldn't notice when they were right i front of you
If you have a local number it means you'll get a call back when you try to make a reservation or text somebody. With an international number they might not bother to get back because it looks like spam or a hassle. 100 for a whole month isn't a big deal, i agree with f=ma but after a few days when you achieve local status you might want it.
See: https://support.google.com/maps/answ...Platform%3DiOSQuote:
Originally Posted by ::: :::
We did the "wifi only, no Sim card" travel for a lot of international trips over the last 15yrs. We pre-downloaded google maps for our areas and also used Maps.Me app for redundancy. Kinda clunky when you need to get a hold of someone fast, but ultimately worked out fine. Finally bought a cheap burner in Oman and used it on other trips to Africa, France, Mexico. I also have some old, banged up iPhone 4/5's that work well as international, SIM-ready phones.
For SIM's, the cheapest way is to pre-order and have it shipped to you. Something like this should be totally sufficient for the UK, where you'll have a lot of wifi as needed: https://www.amazon.com/Vodafone-Pay-.../dp/B014OOQ3MG
thanks all - appreciate all the input
there is a certain inertia to just forking over the $100 for simplicity & most access
tbh, my dad is picking up the airfare on this trip (at least from DC) so i shouldn't fuss on this particular cost, as noted it's minor in the grand scheme of things and keeps it all simple
Tmobile has had essentially worldwide free data roaming for quite a while now. I've traveled quite a bit in Europe in the last 10 years or so, have just used my phone like normal with no extra charges. $40 a month for everythingQuote:
Originally Posted by ::: :::
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A few things- is wifi going to be good enough (will you have wifi where you are staying as one example) and all the data and something like Google Voice (which you have to give out a US telephone number and see about having it forward to the foreign country number) or more likely WhatsApp for the calling? Or do you just get some US cellular plan that includes calling and data at the foreign countries? This could be something like the Visible $30 per month plan that includes calling to 200 some countries (but not sure if you get data and calling outside the US or just calling TO other countries as it is a pretty new plan in the last month or so. Contact the carrier you are using also to see what they offer (if anything) and what the charges would be for where you are going- but many times you do end up with a pretty expensive solution for an international offering through some carriers but very convenient also because it is the phone and number you use regularly and not a work around. Google Fi is offering a bit of cellular data usage outside the USA (through I believe T-Mobile side of their carrier offerings from what I understand and T-Mobile may have cheap data options also if they are not your cerrier...)
So your other option is either research or when you land talk to a few locals about getting a prepaid sim from a local carrier and pop that into an unlocked cell phone and use that (but then you still do the WhatsApp or Google Voice as much as possible because that can be given out to the important contacts before you leave for the trip...)
Also WhatsApp works on both Wifi or any cellular data plan you have also. FIFYQuote:
Originally Posted by Meadow Skipper
so does zuckerberg free signal
The only thing I'll add here is that last time I was in Europe, Verizon limited my data speed to 3G for whatever reason. Made trying to navigate most app experiences basically useless without wifi, but did allow straight texting and calls just fine. iMessage was hit or miss. That was a few years ago, so maybe that's changed.