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

[Cocximus]

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.

[johnnyg82]

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!

Does your iPhone have an eSim?

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

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

[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 )

[tang]

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

[El Chupacabra]

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.

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.

[XXX-er]

^^^ 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 )

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

[Peruvian]

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

[TexasGortex]

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.

[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.

[m2711c]

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

[Danno]

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

[Duffman]

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.

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

Sent from my Pixel 7 using Tapatalk

[Meadow Skipper]

For ease of use Verizon is pretty hard to beat.

[flip]

<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>
<p>
Used it in Portugal, Azores, Brazil, Mexico, Ecuador, Phillipines, Hong Kong... maybe some others?</p>

[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?

[Peruvian]

Great info but I have ATT.

[dcpnz]

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?

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

[singlecross]

@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

[singlecross]

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.

[Peruvian]

<p>
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>
<p>
It also looks like I&#39;ll have to accelerate my payment plan to ensure I can unlock my current phone.</p>

[El Chupacabra]

IMHO the only reason to avoid using a cheap eSim is if you absolutely need to have your home number active for voice calls at all times. Or if your phone can't use an eSim.

Otherwise, an eSim for travel is cheap and easy to install and use. It's worth checking the different service providers for prices - I used Airalo several times in Europe and Mexico, and it was cheap there, but pricey for Thailand recently - so I used Mobimatter, which was dirt cheap and worked fine.

On my Pixel at least (dunno about other phones), I can activate the travel eSim and use data everywhere, and also keep my home Sim active - which allows for texts (on my home number) to work via wifi. If I need to make a voice call, I use WhatsApp, which works over the eSim data.

[mcski]

I asked elsewhere but didn’t see a response so,

My daughter got an eSIM added to her phone for her stay in London but it was still assigned to her US number. Which is creating some use headaches. Shouldn’t her UK eSIM come w a UK number?

[Peruvian]

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.

dcpnz had some questions above.

el chup - still need an unblocked phone for a cheap eSim though, correct?

[zion zig zag]

<p>

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

</p>
<p>
&nbsp;</p>
<p>
Also important to note that if you are on a shared ATT plan then one daypass applies to all phones. In other words, when my wife and I travel, if I activate daypass she can use her phone with no additonal charge for that day as well.</p>

[mcski]

[emoji638]][emoji640][emoji639]][emoji637][emoji[emoji6[emoji640][emoji638]][emoji640][emoji6[emoji640][emoji637]]][emoji6[emoji640][emoji637]][emoji[emoji6[emoji640][emoji638]][emoji640][emoji6[emoji640][emoji638]]][emoji640][emoji[emoji6[emoji640][emoji638]][emoji640][emoji6[emoji640][emoji638]]]]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

iPhone. Unlocked. Her tmobile works over there but the local eSIM is much less expensive. It just seems to be configured incorrectly somehow so her texting is limited