Cheapest way to use your smartphone internationally

[Azulann]

I have T-Mobile, will use my iPhone in Europe  in June to take pictures, maybe text my family yback home and use the wifi on ship or land to post on Viking forum. It worked well on my last cruise in Western Med.  No charge on my  bill. 

I do not make phone calls when on a cruise. 

[-Lew-]

2 hours ago, TayanaLorna said:

It is only free if you call your someone in your home country.  Like for us living in the US making a call to a friend in the US.  If you make calls to a number in the country you are visiting it is not.  Like we are in Italy and call a guide to confirm a time.  

 

That's not correct.  You can call or text anyone anywhere using Whatsapp and there will be no charge for the service.

[-Lew-]

For anyone interested, here's a link to an excellent eSIM database.

[azdrydock]

A few years ago in the UK we bought a 3  pay as you go SIM. We had it shipped to the hotel so it was free, It was just a few GBP if you bought it in the store. It is free data roaming in the EU plus about 70 other countries. You can buy vouchers in the US and for 10GBP ($13) you will get 4GB for 30 days and on up to unlimited data for 35GBP. I think there are caps that restrict the maximum amount of data in certain countries.

 

Whatsapp worked for international and local calls everywhere we tried it. 

Edited March 27, 2023 by azdrydock

[mom0f3]

E sim with Airalo.  Inexpensive and easy to reload. It’s data only, but we used it with WhatsApp for calls. It worked great in Vietnam!  We plan to use it again for future international trips.

[Pushka]

I've downloaded Airolo and purchased packages for a few countries. Going to Middle East cruise and our carrier doesn't support them. Now I can turn off mobile data for Aus home plan and just leave it open for voice calls and texts from home then turn on the plan for the countries I'm in. Already prepaid so no nasty bill shocks. 
 

These are all ESims. Home is the physical one. 

Edited March 27, 2023 by Pushka

[Pushka]

10 hours ago, Nippy Sweetie said:

Why not just use WhatsApp calling using the ship's free WiFi? 

No access to emails etc and google maps, Uber and so on when on land. 

Edited March 27, 2023 by Pushka

[-Lew-]

I purchased Airalo eSIMs for each of our iPhone 14 Pros for use in the Med last fall.  In 40+ days they worked well everywhere except Gibraltar and Ponta Delgada.  I was off the ship in urban areas seeing multiple cell networks available with strong signals, but unable to connect.

 

I contacted Airalo via email later from the ship.  Their response was I should have contacted them immediately.

 

I appreciated their suggestion, but with no cellular connection how could I possibly do that? I really didn't have the time to search for Wi-Fi. The email response took more than 24 hours which is reasonable for a support question; however, by then I had already left the port.

 

Now our eSIM days are over!!  In December we switched to T-Mobile with free data everywhere we travel internationally along with very reasonable call and text rates.  Our first experience was 32 days on Regent Splendor in the Caribbean and we were delighted with T-Mobile's performance.  Looking forward to sailing the Med this fall on Viking Sky and have every reason to believe our cell service will be just as good.

[Nippy Sweetie]

@Pushka I do have access to all these as I have roaming data via my contract. That's UK. Maybe US has similar.

[Pushka]

4 minutes ago, Nippy Sweetie said:

@Pushka I do have access to all these as I have roaming data via my contract. That's UK. Maybe US has similar.

I'm from Australia and the roaming cheap plans only relate to Zone 1 countries which the Middle East isn't. We can connect there, but the roaming rates are eyewatering. 

[TayanaLorna]

13 hours ago, -Lew- said:

 

That's not correct.  You can call or text anyone anywhere using Whatsapp and there will be no charge for the service.

Well maybe it depends on your carrier and country where you live.  We originally thought WhatsApp calls were free.  My neighbor called all his friends and family in Romania then got a bill from ATT for hundreds of dollars.  I made 2 calls to a hotel in Brazil and was charged $21.00.  We both used WhatsApp calling.  However I messaged guides in Brazil through WhatsApp for free.   

[TayanaLorna]

14 hours ago, Nippy Sweetie said:

@TayanaLornaI'm in UK and I can phone wherever I want according to my phone contract. I won't comment on American systems. 

I am thinking it's the US systems or AT& T.

[DrKoob]

Why not just get T-Mobile and be able to use your phone for data for free in all but about ten countries in the entire world? And only make calls for 25¢ a minute (who calls anyone anymore anyway). 

[-Lew-]

6 hours ago, TayanaLorna said:

My neighbor called all his friends and family in Romania then got a bill from ATT for hundreds of dollars.  I made 2 calls to a hotel in Brazil and was charged $21.00.  We both used WhatsApp calling.

To be sure your WhatsApp calls will be free, put your phone in airplane mode with wi-fi on.  Make your calls over wi-fi to eliminate your cell provider from from the process.

 

AT&T was our provider before we switched to T-mobile.  We were never billed for many WhatsApp calls and texts to and from Europe and the Caribbean.

[longterm]

6 hours ago, DrKoob said:

Why not just get T-Mobile and be able to use your phone for data for free in all but about ten countries in the entire world? And only make calls for 25¢ a minute (who calls anyone anymore anyway). 

Three reasons come to mind:

 

I don't want to buy a new phone, which I'd have to do if I were to switch from AT&T. Plus, I get discounts because I have multiple services from AT&T.

 

I'm not convinced that T-Mobile has cell towers all over Italy, Germany, Austria, Hungary and the Netherlands (the 5 countries I'm visiting this year). When I looked it up, multiple pages listed Vodaphone, Tim, Tre and Wind.

 

My issue is not so much with phone calls, but with data usage; I do two things that involve a lot of data usage--the first is one that many of us do, and that's syncing photos up to iCloud. The second involves removing into 35 servers that I own in Atlanta, and that means a good bit of data usage every day.

 

If I *should* have to make a phone call while overseas, I'll just use the Hushed app and get a 2nd phone number for use during my trip, which means a $5 additional charge for 30 days.

 

 

[longterm]

12 hours ago, Nippy Sweetie said:

@Pushka I do have access to all these as I have roaming data via my contract. That's UK. Maybe US has similar.

Yes, it does, but you're paying roaming charges; AT&T and Verizon have a $10/day plan that goes into effect any day that you use cell service. I'm going to totally avoid that on my 2 overseas trips this year.

[KBs mum]

Our phone contracts are £2 and £1 per day for international data roaming, on top of a usual charge of £8 and £10 a month for the domestic data we need. 

Can be switched on and off as required. We are both on '3'

[-Lew-]

A new phone shouldn't be necessary. It would need to be unlocked by AT&T in order to switch to any other carrier. Your phone can use an eSIM which will work with T-Mobile and other carriers. The discounts you receive for other services may or may not be duplicated by T-Mobile.  I can tell you we're paying about $35 per month less with T-Mobile than we were with AT&T for two phones. 

 

T-Mobile is owned by Deutsche Telekom AG which has in-network and roaming coverage throughout Europe and worldwide. 
 

Travel buddies have been espousing the benefits of T-Mobile for years, but for us local cell coverage is much more important than coverage while traveling.  Until last fall T-Mobile's coverage in my home state of Vermont was spotty at best.  After upgrading and adding 5G towers they now offer excellent service. 

 

To be sure, T-Mobile isn't for everyone. It works for us because it eliminates the expense of international plans and the limitations of eSIMs. I need to be able to receive texts with 2FA codes while traveling... can't do that with data-only eSIMs. 

[Nippy Sweetie]

@longterm@Pushka I don't pay any roaming charges. I'm very pleased with my contract with EE. Using that ashore and ships WiFi onboard cost me nothing more than my usual monthly payment in UK. 

[LindaS272]

1 hour ago, longterm said:

 

I'm not convinced that T-Mobile has cell towers all over Italy, Germany, Austria, Hungary and the Netherlands (the 5 countries I'm visiting this year). When I looked it up, multiple pages listed Vodaphone, Tim, Tre and Wind.

@longterm We’ve traveled to all of those places with our T-Mobile coverage. They link up with many other networks abroad so it doesn’t always say T-Mobile for the network. We appreciate the no muss no fuss no roaming charges everywhere we’ve traveled around the world.

[Pushka]

1 hour ago, Nippy Sweetie said:

@longterm@Pushka I don't pay any roaming charges. I'm very pleased with my contract with EE. Using that ashore and ships WiFi onboard cost me nothing more than my usual monthly payment in UK. 

I don't have a UK plan as I live in Australia. 

[DrKoob]

2 hours ago, longterm said:

Three reasons come to mind:

 

I don't want to buy a new phone, which I'd have to do if I were to switch from AT&T. Plus, I get discounts because I have multiple services from AT&T.

 

I'm not convinced that T-Mobile has cell towers all over Italy, Germany, Austria, Hungary and the Netherlands (the 5 countries I'm visiting this year). When I looked it up, multiple pages listed Vodaphone, Tim, Tre and Wind.

 

My issue is not so much with phone calls, but with data usage; I do two things that involve a lot of data usage--the first is one that many of us do, and that's syncing photos up to iCloud. The second involves removing into 35 servers that I own in Atlanta, and that means a good bit of data usage every day.

 

If I *should* have to make a phone call while overseas, I'll just use the Hushed app and get a 2nd phone number for use during my trip, which means a $5 additional charge for 30 days.

 

 

First, you can change companies without changing phones. Second, T-Mobile is owned by Deutch Telecom. They are everywhere in Europe. The coverage in those parts you mentioned is better than I can get in downtown Seattle. 

[Vineyard View]

T Mobile doesn’t have great coverage here. Maybe in the future. 
 

Lorna we have friends who use WhatsApp everywhere they travel and do not get extra charges for text and calls. I haven’t used it before but they swear by it. 
 

After reading all of this, if we purchase eSim cards, we really do not need WhatsApp? Or are they collectively a better way to go? 

Edited March 27, 2023 by Vineyard View

[-Lew-]

10 minutes ago, Vineyard View said:

After reading all of this, if we purchase eSim cards, we really do not need WhatsApp? Or are they collectively a better way to go? 

 

With an eSIM you'll need some third party app such as WhatsApp, Signal, etc. to make or receive calls or texts.  Follow the instructions you should receive with your eSIM for adjusting your phone's cellular settings.

[Vineyard View]

1 hour ago, -Lew- said:

 

With an eSIM you'll need some third party app such as WhatsApp, Signal, etc. to make or receive calls or texts.  Follow the instructions you should receive with your eSIM for adjusting your phone's cellular settings.

Thank you. This is really a helpful piece of the puzzle if, like us, we haven’t done this before.