The wife, kid, and I are going overseas at the end of the month. What's the best way to handle cell phone usage? I see that Verizon has a $10 per day international rate that lets you use your normal plan overseas. The other option I guess is to get a sim card. But then you will get a different number right? Just looking for opinions on what worked best for others.

---

Was just in France/Italy in August and got this:

[www.simoptions.com]

I had a 15 GB plan, but it looks like they don't have that one now.

Edit: I got the eSIM option.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/10/2022 08:04AM by Lux Interior.

$10/day is robbery. what countries are you going to? which country are you arriving in?

---

I agree it's robbery. It's just the easiest.

Going to France.

---

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/10/2022 08:22AM by bazookaman.

Buy a SIM in the Schengen Region that allows calls to many of the countries. Use WhatsApp to call the USA.

[yellowmobile.nl]

---

Saint Cloud, Minnesota, where the weather is wonderful even when it isn't.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/10/2022 08:53AM by Speedy.

I'm also going to France (Paris) at the end of the month. This is a good summary of your options - [thesavvybackpacker.com]

I'm probably going to get this - [www.airalo.com] 5GB for 30 days via eSim. I don't think this will work for normal calls or texts, just data.

My wife might get a normal sim card, haven't yet decided which one.

---

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/10/2022 08:49AM by mattkime.

If you are looking for Data - get a local sim.
If you are looking to be in contact with the states - use Whatsapp

---

“No persons are more frequently wrong, than those who will not admit they are wrong.” -- François de La Rochefoucauld

"Those who cannot accept the past are condemned to revise it." -- Geo. Mathias

The German word for contraceptive is “Schwangerschaftsverhütungsmittel”. By the time you finished saying that, it’s too late

Just get data and use WhatsApp for calls/texts - works over data

I've used a local "pay as you go" SIM card in my phone several times in the UK and in Thailand.
About $30 for the SIM, and it comes preloaded with 30 days of service and "x" amount of data useage.

Don't lose your Verizon SIM! That's the only way to get your phone number back without a trip to Verizon.

The local SIM gives you a local phone number, and data.

This last trip to London, I bought a local SIM at a kiosk at Heathrow in the exit hall, and was up and running in less than 5 minutes.

---

Paul F.
-----
A sword never kills anybody; it is a tool in the killer's hand. - Lucius Annaeus Seneca c. 5 BC - 65 AD
----
Good is the enemy of Excellent. Talent is not necessary for Excellence.
Persistence is necessary for Excellence. And Persistence is a Decision.
--

--

--
Eureka, CA

Dual SIM phones are ideal. Recent iPhones are.

Go to T-Mobile

Quote
testcase
Go to T-Mobile

You haven't looked at T-Mobiles overseas rates, have you?
They'd be more expensive than a local SIM...

---

Paul F.
-----
A sword never kills anybody; it is a tool in the killer's hand. - Lucius Annaeus Seneca c. 5 BC - 65 AD
----
Good is the enemy of Excellent. Talent is not necessary for Excellence.
Persistence is necessary for Excellence. And Persistence is a Decision.
--

--

--
Eureka, CA

Quote
bazookaman
I agree it's robbery. It's just the easiest.

Going to France.

We are heading to Spain in the fall, and ATT has the same rate per day. To me, this certainly seems like the easiest thing to do, and while it's pricey, if you are staying for a week it's $70. If you are staying for 2 weeks, it's only $100 on ATT, because you only pay for a max of 10 days per billing cycle.

---

Quote
Paul F.

Quote
testcase
Go to T-Mobile

You haven't looked at T-Mobiles overseas rates, have you?
They'd be more expensive than a local SIM...

Not if you are calling US.

Quote
bazookaman
The wife, kid, and I are going overseas at the end of the month. What's the best way to handle cell phone usage? I see that Verizon has a $10 per day international rate that lets you use your normal plan overseas. The other option I guess is to get a sim card. But then you will get a different number right? Just looking for opinions on what worked best for others.

When I traveled overseas I used my Verizon 10.00 plan. Used all over the world…Iran, New Guinea, Turkey, Croatia, England, France…everywhere……all over. No problems

Quote
jardster

Quote
bazookaman
I agree it's robbery. It's just the easiest.

Going to France.

We are heading to Spain in the fall, and ATT has the same rate per day. To me, this certainly seems like the easiest thing to do, and while it's pricey, if you are staying for a week it's $70. If you are staying for 2 weeks, it's only $100 on ATT, because you only pay for a max of 10 days per billing cycle.

And for $30, you have a months worth of service on a pre-paid local SIM... That will probably last you two weeks, at least. If you need to "top up" for the last few days of your trip , it's maybe another $5. So, WAY less than your $70-$100.

The Verizon $10 a day thing IS very easy, but, highway robbery.

---

Paul F.
-----
A sword never kills anybody; it is a tool in the killer's hand. - Lucius Annaeus Seneca c. 5 BC - 65 AD
----
Good is the enemy of Excellent. Talent is not necessary for Excellence.
Persistence is necessary for Excellence. And Persistence is a Decision.
--

--

--
Eureka, CA

We spent 10 days in France last month.
I did the $10 per day Verizon, since it was the easiest and I wouldn't be using my phone that much. With the 9 hour time difference, wasn't going to be making many calls, and email etc. could wait for wifi. For ME, that was cheaper and easier than a local SIM.

My wife on the other hand needed data and phone for work. $10 daily just gets you your regular plan, so that wasn't going to be enough data since she had already travelled earlier in the month. Local SIM wasn't going to work because she needed to keep the same phone number. So for the same cost as what the daily would have cost she added the international plan for one month to get the extra data.

If we were on our own, no work, and staying longer than a couple of days, would have popped into a shop and bought an Orange SIM and been done with it.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/10/2022 02:05PM by Pat.

I’m in Portugal as we speak and using TMobile with ease. Calls are free if on Wi-Fi and texts are free. Been using car play in my rental car too without issue. Getting LTE even though they only promise 2G. Outgoing calls are 25 cents, but only if you’re not on Wi-Fi. Sure don’t miss the old days of getting sims at the airport.

---

Asheville, NC Area

Quote
Pat
If we were on our own, no work, and staying longer than a couple of days, would have popped into a shop and bought an Orange SIM and been done with it.

But follow Orange’s rules about when you can begin to use its service. I began using it seconds earlier than the designated start time and had to buy a new SIM. When I went back to the service center they told me I had inserted it into my phone a few seconds early, which they had warned me against so I was out of luck. After I inserted my card I did my wife’s and it worked thanks to the seconds between inserting mine and hers.

---

Saint Cloud, Minnesota, where the weather is wonderful even when it isn't.

Quote
Speedy

Quote
Pat
If we were on our own, no work, and staying longer than a couple of days, would have popped into a shop and bought an Orange SIM and been done with it.

But follow Orange’s rules about when you can begin to use its service. I began using it seconds earlier than the designated start time and had to buy a new SIM. When I went back to the service center they told me I had inserted it into my phone a few seconds early, which they had warned me against so I was out of luck. After I inserted my card I did my wife’s and it worked thanks to the seconds between inserting mine and hers.

I got myself with the Verizon daily by not paying attention to the fact that everything was Eastern time zone for the 24 hour period, not local, or phone's home time zone.
Thankfully it texts you when you trigger a new period and I figured out my mistake.

If your phone takes eSim another vote here for Airalo. Used it on a rhine riverboat cruise for two weeks in April. it’s data only. calls to the US were made through WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger.

here’s a referral code for a discount for you and a bounty for me. DEIDRE9021

---

If you want to fix our country, work with us in the states. statesproject.org

"Success isn't about how much money you make. It is about the difference you make in people's lives."--Michelle Obama