Recommendation on European Cell Service Providers?

[acwmom]

I don't have T-Mobile, and AT&T's plans for Europe look pretty pricey - $10/day per phone. Does anybody know if I got a European sim whether I could forward my Google Voice number to it?

 

The $10/day is only on days you use it. Having said that, it ended up being far less than the packages we have gotten from them in past years, which limit the amount of data you can use in a 30 day period, and charge you for phone calls. It's $10/24 hour period....and that's it. It was wonderful knowing how much I would be spending, and not having to worry about how much data I had left to use. I was also able to call back home daily, which made my son very happy:-)

 

Robin

[SurfSkiPaddler]

The $10/day is only on days you use it.

Yeah, but I know my wife and she'll use data every day (evidently there are Pokemon you can only get in Europe - don't judge, she promised she won't do it when we're on guided tours). A data sim from simoptions.com is $50 for 12GB.

[gnome12]

I don't have T-Mobile, and AT&T's plans for Europe look pretty pricey - $10/day per phone. Does anybody know if I got a European sim whether I could forward my Google Voice number to it?

 

There is no such thing really as a "European" SIM. Every country has its own system, and you would be roaming in any other country. Although roaming fees are capped I believe (some of our European posters would know better than I) there will be some issues when you cross borders.

 

I have bought a SIM in the Netherlands, and except for once when I replenished it with the wrong item (I got talk rather than data) it worked reasonably well. Certainly for me as a Canadian with horrifically expensive cell phone rates buying a local SIM is cheaper; it just isn't always that convenient.

[acwmom]

Yeah, but I know my wife and she'll use data every day (evidently there are Pokemon you can only get in Europe - don't judge, she promised she won't do it when we're on guided tours). A data sim from simoptions.com is $50 for 12GB.

 

Not judging at all:-) I have close friends who play Ingress, so I feel your pain! Enjoy your cruise.

 

Robin

[Daisi]

There is no such thing really as a "European" SIM. Every country has its own system, and you would be roaming in any other country. Although roaming fees are capped I believe (some of our European posters would know better than I) there will be some issues when you cross borders.

 

I have bought a SIM in the Netherlands, and except for once when I replenished it with the wrong item (I got talk rather than data) it worked reasonably well. Certainly for me as a Canadian with horrifically expensive cell phone rates buying a local SIM is cheaper; it just isn't always that convenient.

 

gnome, as of April this year, I believe there is no roaming in the EU. I to have been researching into buying a sim for when we go, and as we are starting in Amsterdam, I'm looking at Vondafone or Lebara. Since we will only be in Europe for 2 weeks, I can get a sim for about 10 - 15 Euros with data & calling/text. I agree about our expensive rates, and the roaming option is not an option for me as it's almost the amount I pay for a year.

[SurfSkiPaddler]

gnome, as of April this year, I believe there is no roaming in the EU.

 

I'm starting in Switzerland and they're not part of the EU. But the simoptions.com "Europe Data SIM" says "Works all over Europe" - 12GB for $49.90.

[mlld3536]

Update - we switched to T-mobile at the end of December. It worked amazingly well for us on our India trip last week. We had a fine signal in the cities, and even had coverage along the river. Though there were small areas without data coverage, it was so nice to be able to text, WhatsApp, and post to FB, CC, etc without a worry about data charges. Can't wait for the next trip!

 

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Here's another vote for T-mobile. It has served us well in Europe for several years now on trips ranging from ten days to five months. I believe T-mobile is a division of Deutsche Telekom. Highly recommended.

[Daisi]

Ah... to bad as Vondafone does have free roaming in Switzerland. That does look like a good deal though.

[SurfSkiPaddler]

I think I've got this figured out. I've got a Google Voice number. I've connected it to the Hangouts app on my phone so when you phone my Google Voice number I can answer it on my phone. Before I leave the US, I'll forward my AT&T number to my Google Voice number and turn off data roaming. I downloaded AT&Ts Global Wifi app, which gives me free access to tons of wifi hotspots. That way when I'm roaming around the towns, I should have access to wifi much of the time. And when I don't have wifi, it'll go to voicemail and I'll be able to pick it up when I'm back in wifi. That way I won't have to pay AT&T's $10/day for incoming telemarketers and scammers calls, but I won't miss important phone calls (I lost my job last week so I'm hoping I might get some calls about jobs that I don't want to miss.) And my wife can hopefully find her elusive pokemon while we're eating at a cafe or something.

[FuelScience]

I downloaded AT&Ts Global Wifi app, which gives me free access to tons of wifi hotspots. That way when I'm roaming around the towns, I should have access to wifi much of the time.

 

Good luck, but I'd be surprised if you will be able to access WiFi while walking around the towns. You'll have it on the ship, but I wouldn't count on that to be reliable. These days everybody has a phone/tablet/computer, and if they're all trying to upload huge photos to their Facebook page, the internet can become overloaded and useless.

[Host Jazzbeau]

I broke down and signed up for Verizon's $10 a day International Plan. Our next trip is 18 days, which means for 2 phones it could total $360 [but is likely to be less, a lot less, unless there is some emergency at home -- because we are disciplined to use hotel wifi]. As time goes on, constant connectivity is becoming an expectation even for retirees like us.

[ericosmith]

gnome, as of April this year, I believe there is no roaming in the EU. I to have been researching into buying a sim for when we go, and as we are starting in Amsterdam, I'm looking at Vondafone or Lebara. Since we will only be in Europe for 2 weeks, I can get a sim for about 10 - 15 Euros with data & calling/text. I agree about our expensive rates, and the roaming option is not an option for me as it's almost the amount I pay for a year.

 

I've seen this a lot so I did a bit of research. If I interpret things correctly, the fees don't totally disappear until June. The big catch is that the law only applies to permanent EU residents. From what I can see, if you're from outside the EU and buying a sim, they are still free to charge whatever the market will bear for roaming.

[VAtravelers100]

This is exactly the thread I came looking for! :-) I'm trying to come up with a plan. Sure would be nice if the no roaming in Europe thing starts for tourists before our trip in mid-June, but seems doubtful we'll be that lucky. We will be

 

- 6 days Switzerland

- 6 days Germany (Tauck cruise starts here)

- 7 or so days Austria, Slovakia, Hungary

 

We have google pixel phones, locked into Verizon for now. The Project Fi from google seems like it would be PERFECT for us. Phones work just like at home in 135 countries, and for great rates that I think work out to be cheaper than what we pay Verizon right now. Details here: https://fi.google.com/about/faq/#plan-and-pricing-7

 

I am going to explore two options:

 

1. switch our plan from Verizon to Project Fi (paying the penalty we would owe to Verizon)

2. put out Verizon plan on vacation hold (just found out that was an option tonight when I called Verizon!) during our trip and sign up for a Project Fi account right before leaving. Would have a different phone number, but it would be the same number and work in all the countries we're visiting. Then cancel Project Fi when we get home (they don't charge a fee to cancel).

 

Anyone know about Project Fi??

[NWofNormal]

I don't know about Project Fi, but recently signed up for a T-Mobile plan, initially triggered by our trip to Europe leaving this week. I have been a Verizon customer for 10+ years, and wasn't happy with the options they offered for overseas travel. My partner was having similar frustration with his AT&T plan ($1 a minute for phone calls even with a plan!).

We signed up for a T-Mobile family plan together for about what I was paying Verizon. We will have unlimited data and texting in Europe, and phone calls are 20 cents a minute.

I didn't cancel Verizon yet - T-Mobile ported my phone # over to their network. So I'm paying both plans for a month. T-Mobile does not require a contract, so I can cancel them when I get back if I'm dissatisfied and re-port to Verizon. But I'm pretty sure I'll be canceling Verizon and staying with T-Mobile.

[sarcar97]

I don't have T-Mobile, and AT&T's plans for Europe look pretty pricey - $10/day per phone. Does anybody know if I got a European sim whether I could forward my Google Voice number to it?

 

You can sign up for international service from AT&T for about $120. It's good for 30 days and then once you get back home turn it off.

[bubbulz]

I don't know about Project Fi, but recently signed up for a T-Mobile plan, initially triggered by our trip to Europe leaving this week. I have been a Verizon customer for 10+ years, and wasn't happy with the options they offered for overseas travel. My partner was having similar frustration with his AT&T plan ($1 a minute for phone calls even with a plan!).

We signed up for a T-Mobile family plan together for about what I was paying Verizon. We will have unlimited data and texting in Europe, and phone calls are 20 cents a minute.

I didn't cancel Verizon yet - T-Mobile ported my phone # over to their network. So I'm paying both plans for a month. T-Mobile does not require a contract, so I can cancel them when I get back if I'm dissatisfied and re-port to Verizon. But I'm pretty sure I'll be canceling Verizon and staying with T-Mobile.

 

This was us about a year ago, and we haven't looked back. T-Mobile has been fantastic. We travel internationally every 6-8 weeks and it's refreshing not having to deal with exorbitant fees or swapping SIM cards all the time - plus we get to use our regular phone numbers no matter where we are. We have unlimited domestic and international data at much less than we used to pay Verizon for just limited domestic, and we use T-Mobile WiFi for our phone calls while traveling. I also love having WiFi calling at home, where our signal isn't the best due to all the steel and concrete in our house. This is something we didn't have with Verizon.

[jpalbny]

Yeah, I am so glad we switched to T-Mobile. We just got back from 9 days in Prague, Berlin, and Copenhagen. I would not have been able to function as well as we did without a data connection.

 

I used apps for public transport in all 3 cities and used Google maps to navigate. I didn't have time to learn every city's public transport system beforehand so having live info to move from A to B was vital. I used e-tickets for trains and planes (no automobiles this trip).

 

But the biggest lifesaver was the Wi-Fi calling. Our car had some kind of mystery issues on the way to JFK, so I had to coordinate a tow and repair, then delivery back to our parking lot. That required more than an hour's worth of phone calls to various places back in New York.

 

I was able to make most of the calls over Wi-Fi. We'll see what the final bill is but I suspect it'll not be too bad. In comparison, I had to make a call once in France with Verizon and it cost about $5 a minute!

 

I know that there are international options with Verizon that might make roaming cheaper. But I'm quite happy with my international experiences with T-Mobile so far, both in India and Europe.

 

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[steverhodes]

You can sign up for international service from AT&T for about $120. It's good for 30 days and then once you get back home turn it off.

 

Usually our trips are about 3-4 weeks. $120 at AT&T gets you 800MB of data. I usually end up using 1-1.5GB per trip. I try to use wifi when available and fast enough to be useful. This coming trip I am going with the $10/day option, which sounds fantastic to me (no more worrying about how much data I am using.) My wife is a light data user so the $40 for 120MB or the $60 for 300MB (may have these numbers a little off on the lighter plans) is enough for her.

 

I am a photographer so there is a lot of picture posting, etc. goin' on in my data usage.

[bubbulz]

Yeah, I am so glad we switched to T-Mobile. We just got back from 9 days in Prague, Berlin, and Copenhagen. I would not have been able to function as well as we did without a data connection.

 

I used apps for public transport in all 3 cities and used Google maps to navigate. I didn't have time to learn every city's public transport system beforehand so having live info to move from A to B was vital. I used e-tickets for trains and planes (no automobiles this trip).

 

But the biggest lifesaver was the Wi-Fi calling. Our car had some kind of mystery issues on the way to JFK, so I had to coordinate a tow and repair, then delivery back to our parking lot. That required more than an hour's worth of phone calls to various places back in New York.

 

I was able to make most of the calls over Wi-Fi. We'll see what the final bill is but I suspect it'll not be too bad. In comparison, I had to make a call once in France with Verizon and it cost about $5 a minute!

 

I know that there are international options with Verizon that might make roaming cheaper. But I'm quite happy with my international experiences with T-Mobile so far, both in India and Europe.

 

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Totally agree. Moving to T-Mobile was a no-brainer in hindsight although I was hesitant at first. Love it!

[nreeder]

We are currently in Europe, using ATT iPhones (unlocked), and using Vodaphone SIMs which we purchased in Munich. In order to get the Vodaphone app to work so we can re-load minutes/data if we want, we needed to switch our Apple account to Germany for the duration.

 

We've had no problems with calls, use Google Maps in Munich, Salzburg, Vienna, and now Budapest. Will use on river cruise for two weeks to Amsterdam.

 

Their "roaming" charges are the same as their local charges so we haven't incurred any higher rates in the other countries.

 

Norm

[Daisi]

Glad to hear the Vondafone sims work great, as we will be doing the same for our cruise.

 

 

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[FuelScience]

Yeah, I am so glad we switched to T-Mobile. We just got back from 9 days in Prague, Berlin, and Copenhagen. I would not have been able to function as well as we did without a data connection.

 

I used apps for public transport in all 3 cities and used Google maps to navigate. I didn't have time to learn every city's public transport system beforehand so having live info to move from A to B was vital. I used e-tickets for trains and planes (no automobiles this trip).

 

But the biggest lifesaver was the Wi-Fi calling. Our car had some kind of mystery issues on the way to JFK, so I had to coordinate a tow and repair, then delivery back to our parking lot. That required more than an hour's worth of phone calls to various places back in New York.

 

I was able to make most of the calls over Wi-Fi. We'll see what the final bill is but I suspect it'll not be too bad. In comparison, I had to make a call once in France with Verizon and it cost about $5 a minute!

 

I know that there are international options with Verizon that might make roaming cheaper. But I'm quite happy with my international experiences with T-Mobile so far, both in India and Europe.

 

Sent from my SM-G930T using Forums mobile app

 

First, sorry about the car problems--may be time to get the Audi! I'm glad that T-Mobile worked so well. Let me add one cautionary note. I brought my AT&T phone with me when I moved to T-Mobile (an LG V20), and the WiFi calling does not work. Neither does the Hot Spot feature. This is true both at home and when traveling. AT&T has messed with the firmware so that it won't allow these features to work on any network other than AT&T. The Hot Spot does work on my wife's iPhone, but apparently you lose the feature when you move an AT&T Android phone.

 

I might be able to get Hot Spot and WiFi working if I rooted the phone, but rooting is a somewhat risky proposition, and I'm not ready to go that far.

[jpalbny]

FuelScience, it was one of the Audis! Luckily just a computer glitch. But it added some stress that wasn't too welcome.

 

I made as many of the calls as I could using Wi-Fi calling. I bought a new phone when I switched so there are no compatibility issues in that regard.

 

But good to know... These companies are sneaky. Verizon used to block Skype over the cellular network - or something like that. It's been a while so I may not be remembering correctly.

 

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