Pelican Globetrotters: Taking your smartphone to Europe

[motion]

Trying to figure out how to have voice and data in Ukraine & Russia. We have an iPhone 4 (Verizon), an iPhone 5 (Sprint) and a Virgin HTC EVO V pay as you go phone (No Contract HTC EVO V 4G - Prepaid Unlimited Android Phone | Virgin Mobile). Will we be able to buy prepaid voice/data sims for any of these phones? The iPhone 4 is not unlocked, so I think that one is ruled out.

I could also get one of these: Nexus 4 - Google

Would rather not have to spend the $200 for something I won't use after the trip.

I know you guys are experts at this stuff... any tips?

[Gogar]

i have iPhone (ATT) and I can just add international minutes and texts ala carte on a month I know I will use them. Maybe hop online on your account and see if your guys do it too.

[Rick Lee]

Not sure about other countries, but Germany will no longer sell SIM cards to people without an ID card from an EU country and then the SIM card has to be registered to that address. I just had a friend do it for me, but it was a surprise. Now I add an int'l. plan for the month I'll be there and then cancel it when I get home. It's not cheap, but it's convenient for when Mrs. Lee and I aren't side by side the whole time and we need to coordinate. In the days before cell phones I missed an important appt. in Austria because of a devastating fire in the Tauern Tunnel and the ensuing traffic jam. I had just exchanged money into Austrian Schillings, but had no coins and couldn't use a pay phone in the middle of nowhere. My friends were really worried about me and I arrived a few hours late. No longer a problem.

[SteamWolf]

I had no problems buying a SIM card in Europe and Canada. Other option is to buy a cheap local phone and bluetooth it to your smart phone/tablet/laptop if you want internet browsing.

The ID thing isn't a problem unless you don't want to give it. For an address I usually put down the hotel I am staying in. Technically, it's a residence. lol

[red-beard]

When I go to Mexico and Europe, I call AT&T and get the international data plan turned on for the duration. When I return, turn it off. They also offer add-ons for voice.

[imcarthur]

Originally Posted by red-beard

When I go to Mexico and Europe, I call AT&T and get the international data plan turned on for the duration. When I return, turn it off. They also offer add-ons for voice.

Same. We did similar for Morocco in May. X amount of voice + X amount of texts for $90. But we didn't buy data. Check with your supplier. Bell Mobility had a 3 month embargo on new account iPhones that we discovered in Marrakech - which required a phone booth call on a purchased phone card to rip them apart so they would turn it on. I hate phones. Switch to free wireless in hotels whenever possible.

Ian

[SteamWolf]

Check the costs with your provider. Here in Australia it can cost tens of thousands of dollars in international data roaming charges. You guys have it damn good if it only costs $90.

[Iciclehead]

Just buy a prepay, sim only, I have had no problem in Holland, UK and Italy...used them cross border. the rates suck, but it works just fine. Pretty hard to spend more than 50 euros or so, then again, we mainly use Trip Advisor and Google Maps.....

Just make sure your phone is unlocked before you go....

Dennis

[porwolf]

Originally Posted by SteamWolf

I had no problems buying a SIM card in Europe and Canada. Other option is to buy a cheap local phone and bluetooth it to your smart phone/tablet/laptop if you want internet browsing.

The ID thing isn't a problem unless you don't want to give it. For an address I usually put down the hotel I am staying in. Technically, it's a residence. lol

I also had no major problems in Germany to get aprepaid SIM card. Some stores require more Id than others. Best place to get SIM cards is near train stations. The stores there care less about IDs.

[porwolf]

Originally Posted by Iciclehead

Just buy a prepay, sim only, I have had no problem in Holland, UK and Italy...used them cross border. the rates suck, but it works just fine. Pretty hard to spend more than 50 euros or so, then again, we mainly use Trip Advisor and Google Maps.....

Just make sure your phone is unlocked before you go....

Dennis

Yes, if you cross the border in Europe you need a local SIM card. Othewise the rates go sky-high.

[jyl]

Originally Posted by red-beard

When I go to Mexico and Europe, I call AT&T and get the international data plan turned on for the duration. When I return, turn it off. They also offer add-ons for voice.

How much do international data plans cost, for how much data?

I guess the phone works on 3G bands there?

[motion]

Google is sold out of the 8GB $199 phones, so I bought the 16GB model. Its GSM unlocked. I figure I can sell it on Ebay when we get back and get 75% of my money back. No brainer. Russian Metro undergrounds have entire cities of markets selling everything you can imagine, so I guess that will be a good place to buy sims. Just not sure about Ukraine, although I bet its similar. Pretty much anything goes in Eastern Europe

[Iciclehead]

Originally Posted by porwolf

Yes, if you cross the border in Europe you need a local SIM card. Othewise the rates go sky-high.

I do it all the time, it depends on provider and country. I am using Vodafone right now, my prepay SIM has a special rate for the more common countries (France, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark and a few others. If you got to Slovakia or Poland you are better off with a local SIM....

It also depends how much you use it, if you are a heavy user then the other option is use wifi which is fairly easy to get now that I realize free wifi is why McDonalds exists in Europe...

Dennis

[Hugh R]

Local pre-paid phone work as well. I roamed in Toronto and Vancouver for 4 days without getting the Canada plan, $1,800. $150 if I'd gotten it, won't make that mistake again.

[red-beard]

Originally Posted by jyl

How much do international data plans cost, for how much data?

I guess the phone works on 3G bands there?

I think 150 MB is $25/per phone or device. The main thing is to just use the data for e-mails and setup your e-mail to not download attachments. Wait until you are in a Wifi zone for the attachments.

[911_Dude]

If you want to have coms on the cheap, just use wifi and skype. Its free. No charge what so ever. The downside is wifi is not nearly as common "over there" as it is in the US. Not sure about Russia.

[911SauCy]

Just make POSITIVE you have everything in writing and understand 100%.

Family trip last month, my Brother In Law called his girlfriend at home for less than 5minutes/day...

$2800 bill.

[bleucamaro]

We'll be visiting europe soon and are in the same boat (wanting to buy a multi-country SIM), From reading online, there are a ton of different carriers and options available. Tripadvisor suggests buying the sim in one of the airport or train station stores, that's what we plan to do.

To the OP, your iPhone 5 and HTC should be unlocked already. You can test each by swapping the SIMs you have now. If the phone works, you should be fine over there.

[911SauCy]

Originally Posted by bleucamaro

We'll be visiting europe soon and are in the same boat (wanting to buy a multi-country SIM), From reading online, there are a ton of different carriers and options available. Tripadvisor suggests buying the sim in one of the airport or train station stores, that's what we plan to do.

To the OP, your iPhone 5 and HTC should be unlocked already. You can test each by swapping the SIMs you have now. If the phone works, you should be fine over there.

Again, be sure you have direction from someone who has done this. My BiL had this same plan, got to Rome, went to make a call and found out he didnt have the right SIM card/s....

I wish I could be informative but don't want to give bad info

[Rick Lee]

My Verizon iPhone didn't work at all in Italy, but was fine as soon as we crossed into Slovenia and was fine when we were still in Austria, died as soon as we crossed into Italy