Using a cell phone in Europe

teddykgb · Feb 25, 2015

Verizon makes this slightly tougher, as their CDMA network requires a chipset that won't work everywhere in Europe. I don't remember if the 5c has all the radios necessary, but the short of it is you're looking at either a portable mifi or a SIM you can swap in. There are global operators with decent pan-Europe rates you can use, or you can buy a SIM in each country and use it htere. As an example, I have a Free SIM from my time in Paris and a 3 SIM from the UK (and for Italy). With an unlocked phone, you can just pop the SIM in and if you have data/minutes available you can use your phone like you're at home.

If you've ever considered switching to T-Mobile, they let you roam in these countries for free, which is awesome. Outside of that, your simplest method would probably be to buy a SIM from like Lebara or one of the other global operators and pay the higher rates they have.

mt8thsw9th · Feb 25, 2015

Just get a local SIM at the airport (if there's a kiosk). You can use your phone data as you do here. I use Skype for calls, and iMessage/WhatsApp for texting. I believe Three/O2 would allow you to use the same SIM in Dublin and Manchester (Nils could probably confirm). Cell data is dirt cheap in France. That appears to be the case in Italy as well.

A MIFI-type device means added hassle, and I would imagine you'd need to rent a new one in each country; getting one in the US will mean you're paying more for the rental, and if through Verizon paying $20.48 per MB. That's not a typo, they charge $20,480 per GB on pay-as-you go. If you want their 100MB plan, which is prorated over the month (you get 3.33 MB a day to use). That will save you $2,023 if you use a GB.

edit -
Re: the previous post, the 5C on Verizon is unlocked and has a GSM radio so there would be no issues getting it to work in Europe.

CaptainLaddie · Feb 25, 2015

Zomp, I wouldn't get a MiFi to be honest. My wife and I took a trip in September to France and Spain and we just did the SIM card. MiFi's are notoriously unreliable. I've heard horror stories about how they don't work or have spotty coverage or have horrible battery life. Also, it means you have to carry around another device. It's just... yuck. I considered getting one, and after speaking with a buddy who travels internationally all the time, he convinced me that the SIM was 100% the way to go.

You definitely have access to your numbers and messages. Those are stored on your phone locally -- I was iMessaging and FaceTiming all over the place.

I purchased a SIM card at the airport in Barcelona -- I believe for 7GB of data + 60 min of voice it cost me 20 euros. And in France, it was similar -- I think I got 1GB of data and 30 min of talk (and I topped it off with 5 more GB of data) for about 25 euros. Both allowed me to top off my phone if I wanted, but I only had to in France. Heck, if you were going to Spain I'd send you the SIM from there -- I still have at least 30 min and 2 or 3 GB of data on it.

I believe that all Verizon phones come unlocked. And I believe that they should work just fine in Europe with a local SIM. But, if your phone isn't unlocked this is what I would do (and what I did with my AT&T phone): I called up my provider and explained to them that I've been a customer for 10+ years with them and that I'd like my phone to be unlocked early. I want it to be unlocked so that I can purchase a SIM overseas and use it to stay in touch with my wife in case we get separated while traveling. When they inevitably ask you why you don't want to use their overseas service, simply tell them that it's too expensive to consider using, and cite that for 1 GB of data over there you'd have to spend $20,000 -- and for that you could just buy three new unlocked phones. I had success talking to someone online rather than on the phone to accomplish this, btw. I had to chat with a few people and it took a couple of tries, but eventually someone was kind enough to unlock my phone.

BTW get yourself a safety pin and keep it pinned to your bag -- you can use it to pop open the sim tray very easily.

Edit: just re-read your post. Yeah, if you have a 5c I would just do the SIM. It takes 10-15 minutes in each country to deal with setting up an account w/ the provider and buying a SIM. Well worth the hassle of not using a MiFi.

Red Sox Physicist · Feb 25, 2015

Zomp said:
So looking into it, I could get a mifi device for $200 or so for 2 weeks that covers everywhere I'm going.

If I were to get SIM cards for Rome, Dublin, and Manchester (don't really need it in Paris) what would I be looking for as far as costs go? Also I'd have to pay a fee for the data and minutes I use right? If I pop in different sim cards, I know I won't have access to my numbers and messages but what about apps?

and would I have to get my phone from Verizon unlocked?

I just got back from Ireland. Cell data was dirt cheap. I picked up a nano-SIM (iPhone 5c has this size SIM, too) from Eircom and put it in my Verizon Moto X. All the carriers had similarly priced deals for data, text or voice. You top-up the account with a credit, and then text a code to a special number to activate a deal for 30 days. With Eircom, it was €10 for 7.5GB of data. I just put on €15, used €10 for the data plan, and the extra €5 for any local calls/texts I needed. I think it was 30c/min and 30c/text. I used Google voice over data for calls/texts back to the US. You could also get unlimited calls or unlimited texts for another €10 each if you need that. Vodafone and Three/O2 also had similar plans. As mentioned, Three possibly has plans that work in both the UK and Ireland so you might want to check with them.

If your numbers are stored on the SIM card, then you won't be able to access them when you swap SIMs. I have mine stored with my Gmail account, so I got them over data. You will have access to all your apps.

All Verizon phones with SIMs come SIM unlocked for foreign carriers so you don't have to worry about that. You will need a paperclip or special tool to remove the nano-SIM.

Edit: http://www.three.co.uk/Discover/Phones/Feel_At_Home Three's add-on plans for data cover you in France, UK, Ireland and Italy with cheap billing for voice and text.

mt8thsw9th · Feb 25, 2015

Mobile data is very cheap in Europe. I can't see it costing more than $100 for both, but I'd have to double-check the rates. Most carriers will give you a flat fee for a GB (or whatever amount you want), and reasonable prices for calls/texts (iMessage--when the text is blue, not green-- and WhatsApp don't use SMS, so you aren't charged for those).

No need to do anything to unlock your phone. It's locked to Verizon while in the US, but is unlocked everywhere else.

Nothing will happen with your apps; you'll have all your numbers and texts, as those live on the phone, not on the SIM like they did with older phones. One thing to note, though, is US numbers will come in wonky if the person you're texting has their iMessage account tied to their phone number and not their email address (the +1 causes some weird issue). I've covered any gaps that iMessage has by also using Skype messaging, Google+ app, Facebook Messenger, and WhatsApp.

mt8thsw9th · Feb 25, 2015

Good note regarding the paperclip. At this point I have a paperclip in my passport that serves two functions: to avoid countries stamping visas a number of pages ahead (thanks, Ukraine), and to have a SIM tray opener handy when I'm swapping SIMs. After getting dinged for $5 for a SIM tray opener at JFK a few years ago, I always make sure to have a paperclip on me while traveling.

canderson · Feb 25, 2015

With a foreign SIM how does the existing phone number work?

Red Sox Physicist · Feb 25, 2015

canderson said:
With a foreign SIM how does the existing phone number work?

It doesn't. You get a foreign phone number. (By numbers I meant his address book).

canderson · Feb 25, 2015

Red Sox Physicist said:
It doesn't. You get a foreign phone number. (By numbers I meant his address book).

That's what I thought; having my number work is integral so we just suck up the AT&T charge and hope for wifi.

Red Sox Physicist · Feb 25, 2015

Zomp said:
So if I'm reading this right, I can order a sim card from Three that will let me use my phone in all of the countries I'm going to? I wouldn't have to switch it out in every country? Should I be looking into purchasing a SIM only plan like these? http://www.three.co.uk/Store/SIM/Plans_for_phones

I'd confirm with Three, but it looks like that it would work in all 4 countries.

This suggests that there is EU roaming legislation that is setting those prices: http://kenstechtips.com/index.php/best-sim-cards-for-using-smartphone-in-europe

I'd be looking at one of the Pay-as-you-go SIM plans: http://www.three.co.uk/Store/SIM/Pay_As_You_Go

The £15 plan is 25GB, 300 minutes and 3000 texts in the UK with free data roaming in Ireland, France and Italy, and 18.8p/min for calling abroad.

CaptainLaddie · Feb 25, 2015

I went through about 12-14 GB in two weeks and I use data like it's my job. I was tethering and skyping and facetiming everywhere. 25GB is a LOT of data.

CaptainLaddie · Feb 25, 2015

Unrelated but helpful:

GET TRIPADVISOR. Get that app. It's the best. It's more popular in Europe than the US as far as I can tell, and it was immensely helpful.

What's really cool is for something like the 300+ biggest cities, you can actually download their entire guide right to your phone - no need to use data.

CaptainLaddie · Feb 25, 2015

Zomp said:
Sweet. Looks like I'll try this route.

Also, if I do go over my data, since its prepaid I'm assuming they just shut it off? Not like they could charge me more.

Not sure how it works with that provider, but with Orange it just shut off until I topped it off with more data. Took all of 3 minutes in an Orange store.

derekson · Feb 25, 2015

canderson said:
That's what I thought; having my number work is integral so we just suck up the AT&T charge and hope for wifi.

Couldn't you just setup call forwarding from your standard number to the temporary number for the duration of your trip?

mt8thsw9th · Feb 25, 2015

Zomp said:
Sweet. Looks like I'll try this route.

Also, if I do go over my data, since its prepaid I'm assuming they just shut it off? Not like they could charge me more.

Unfortunately, I'd take a look at the fine print. Data is 10p per MB ($.16 USD). That's $160 per GB in overages. Why I don't mind the hassle with prepaid SIMs is that the second you run out of data, you have no more data.

That said, 25GB is tough to blow through, especially on 3G. To put 25GB into perspective, you'd need to listen to 15.5 hours of Pandora every day on your trip to polish off your data allowance.

The other thing is, it appears they throttle data if you're a heavy user from what I'm reading. The pro to that is it will be tougher to get to 25GB. The con is that you'll have data speeds that are basically worthless, so you'd need to buy another local SIM to use GPS, or anything really.

Dollar · Feb 25, 2015

canderson said:
That's what I thought; having my number work is integral so we just suck up the AT&T charge and hope for wifi.

Look into whether AT&T offers any sort of international plan that you can add to your phone while traveling. I'm not familiar with AT&T, but with Verizon I was able to subscribe to their international plan for the period which I was traveling (it was like $10 a month, prorated so that I only ended up paying for a week or two of it). I forgot the exact terms of it, but I think it made my minutes cost half as much as usual, which paid for itself after about 10 minutes of calling.

mt8thsw9th · Feb 25, 2015

Dollar said:
Look into whether AT&T offers any sort of international plan that you can add to your phone while traveling. I'm not familiar with AT&T, but with Verizon I was able to subscribe to their international plan for the period which I was traveling (it was like $10 a month, prorated so that I only ended up paying for a week or two of it). I forgot the exact terms of it, but I think it made my minutes cost half as much as usual, which paid for itself after about 10 minutes of calling.

Verizon phased out the useful plan a while ago. The cost now is prorated, and so is the data (250MB a month).

AT&T charges $120 a month for 800MB, and charges $.15 a MB over that allowance. If you were to use 5GB of data, that would set you back $750.

The reason they did this is because most people using phone/data overseas are riding company expense accounts, so they weren't concerned about the cost. Really slimy to not offer competitive plans for non-corporate account users, but brilliant in a sense since they probably get tens of millions in revenue by doing so, so fuck the average consumer. Conversely, tourists are dumping millions into overseas carriers, so I'm sure they're ecstatic as well.

CaptainLaddie · Feb 25, 2015

I'm telling you Zomp, just get the SIMs when you land. They're super-easy to install (it's a 10 second process) and the people who sell them are typically able to modify a larger SIM to a microSIM for you.

You mentioned to me privately that you're going to be in Paris only for a short time -- thats the only flaw in this plan, as the SIMs don't work between countries, even with the same carrier (Vodafone Spain didn't work in Vodafone France which was SUUUUUPER annoying).

Red Sox Physicist · Feb 25, 2015

CaptainLaddie said:
I'm telling you Zomp, just get the SIMs when you land. They're super-easy to install (it's a 10 second process) and the people who sell them are typically able to modify a larger SIM to a microSIM for you.

You mentioned to me privately that you're going to be in Paris only for a short time -- thats the only flaw in this plan, as the SIMs don't work between countries, even with the same carrier (Vodafone Spain didn't work in Vodafone France which was SUUUUUPER annoying).

He needs a nanoSIM for the iPhone 5c, not a microSIM. The carriers usually have nanoSIMs available these days because of the iPhone.

HriniakPosterChild · Feb 25, 2015

mt8thsw9th · Feb 25, 2015

CaptainLaddie said:
Unrelated but helpful:

GET TRIPADVISOR. Get that app. It's the best. It's more popular in Europe than the US as far as I can tell, and it was immensely helpful.

What's really cool is for something like the 300+ biggest cities, you can actually download their entire guide right to your phone - no need to use data.

One side note, but there's also a separate app called Tripadvisor City Guide that I would also recommend. What's cool about it is if you're not sure what you want to do on a particular day, download the city you're in, and there are a ton of self-guided tours that people have added. It saved me probably half a day bouncing around Tokyo by train trying to visit a handful of sites.

canderson · Feb 25, 2015

Dollar said:
Look into whether AT&T offers any sort of international plan that you can add to your phone while traveling. I'm not familiar with AT&T, but with Verizon I was able to subscribe to their international plan for the period which I was traveling (it was like $10 a month, prorated so that I only ended up paying for a week or two of it). I forgot the exact terms of it, but I think it made my minutes cost half as much as usual, which paid for itself after about 10 minutes of calling.

Oh that's what we do - add the ATT international plan. It's pricey but necessary.

However! I've never thought about setting up call forwarding. If that works I'm now Carphone Warehouse's best friend.

Marceline · Feb 25, 2015

CaptainLaddie said:
I'm telling you Zomp, just get the SIMs when you land. They're super-easy to install (it's a 10 second process) and the people who sell them are typically able to modify a larger SIM to a microSIM for you.

Agree with this. There's absolutely no reason to worry about having it shipped to the US and all that.

When I last visited London, I got off the Heathrow express, walked into the nearest mobile shop, and took all of 5 minutes to get a Vodafone sim with plenty of data and put it into my phone and was up and running. It should be just as easy in pretty much any of the major cities in Europe.

TFP · Feb 25, 2015

Does getting these SIM cards change your number if other people are trying to text you (non iMessage)?

derekson · Feb 25, 2015

The Four Peters said:
Does getting these SIM cards change your number if other people are trying to text you (non iMessage)?

Yes. Your SIM card is what is actually tied to the phone number, not your phone. So any phone that you place your SIM card into will then have your number, and if you put a different SIM card into your phone then your phone is tied to the number that SIM card corresponds to.

CaptainLaddie · Feb 26, 2015

Red Sox Physicist said:
He needs a nanoSIM for the iPhone 5c, not a microSIM. The carriers usually have nanoSIMs available these days because of the iPhone.

Ahhhh that's right. My bad.

CaptainLaddie · Feb 26, 2015

Actually it looks like there's a store in T1 that sells them: http://www.telecomitalia.com/tit/en/archivio/media/note-stampa/market/2013/04-19.html -- it's called TIM.

And if you're not flying into T1, there are stores EVERYWHERE in Europe that sell SIMs. In fact, if you take the train into Rome, there's a TIM shop right in Termini (Termini is the main rail station in Rome).

Edit: there's actually two shops in T1 that sell them - the other is Vodafone. You'll be just fine.

saintnick912 · Feb 27, 2015

Anyone have info on a good carrier to get a SIM for in Sweden? Flying into Stockholm in a couple of weeks. Should I write down the carrier setting stuff (access point name) so I can add it in my phone, or should it just work?

trekfan55 · Feb 27, 2015

Check out OneSim. You can buy it on Amazon, comes with all instructions and provides you with 2 numbers, one in Europe and one US number. It includes data in almost every country in the world but very cheap data across Europe (with some exceptions). Maybe getting a SIM in Europe would be cheaper but you're not guaranteed it will work across all countries.

Amazon link

singaporesoxfan · Mar 3, 2015

mt8thsw9th said:
Verizon phased out the useful plan a while ago. The cost now is prorated, and so is the data (250MB a month).

AT&T charges $120 a month for 800MB, and charges $.15 a MB over that allowance. If you were to use 5GB of data, that would set you back $750.

The reason they did this is because most people using phone/data overseas are riding company expense accounts, so they weren't concerned about the cost. Really slimy to not offer competitive plans for non-corporate account users, but brilliant in a sense since they probably get tens of millions in revenue by doing so, so fuck the average consumer. Conversely, tourists are dumping millions into overseas carriers, so I'm sure they're ecstatic as well.

You can get AT&T Passport, which is a one-off plan for overseas travel. Just set it up for my wife. Essentially gives you unlimited texting and 120 MB of data for $30 (calls are $1/minute); plan expires after 30 days. Not the greatest but works fine for shorter trips if you need to keep your number.

singaporesoxfan · Mar 3, 2015

canderson said:
Oh that's what we do - add the ATT international plan. It's pricey but necessary.

However! I've never thought about setting up call forwarding. If that works I'm now Carphone Warehouse's best friend.

Two things: AT&T doesn't let you forward to an international number, and in any case forwarded calls are billed airtime for the call. So even if it were possible it would still cost you international roaming fees.

TFP · Mar 3, 2015

singaporesoxfan said:
You can get AT&T Passport, which is a one-off plan for overseas travel. Just set it up for my wife. Essentially gives you unlimited texting and 120 MB of data for $30 (calls are $1/minute); plan expires after 30 days. Not the greatest but works fine for shorter trips if you need to keep your number.

I've done this so far on my two trips overseas and it's worked great. You use up 120mb of data alarmingly quick, but if you're smart about downloading stuff to your phone beforehand (offline Google Maps, music, etc) it's not too bad. Only thing that is annoying is that iMessage only works when data is turned on (cell service alone doesn't count) so messages get backed up until you connect to wifi.

CaptainLaddie · Mar 4, 2015

Considering I probably used Trip Advisor for at least 1 GB of data on my trip, I can't fathom using 120mb of data over two weeks. I'd be lucky to last a day.

mt8thsw9th · Mar 4, 2015

Yes.

You'll typically get an on-screen message from the carrier (in their home language) stating you have run out, and how to re-up your balance. Check the documents they give you, but I would write down the number you can text to get an updated balance, and the instructions on how to add more credit. For example, Telcel in Mexico lets you pull up a website (while on wifi) and add data. Just ask the policy of the carrier when you're acquiring the SIM.

Using a cell phone in Europe

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