The EU last month got rid of roaming within EU countries. That means a SIM from one EU country (lets say Italy) wouldn't cost you extra for roaming in Sweden. No need to buy SIMs for each country. Even though you might find USB ports in airplanes, airports, etc., bring your regular adapter too. I find many of those USB ports are extremely low amperage. It could take you all day to charge your phone. When traveling outside the country, I usually leave my phone on airplane mode. That way it's on to take pictures, the battery charge lasts longer, and I'm not charged for any junk calls or excess data. When I get back to my hotel, or a WiFi hotspot (better to save data), I turn off airplane mode to do quick email checking, Facebook, etc.
I was very lucky last month when I went to Europe. A family friend in the UK gave me a cheap SIM card and let me top it up with inexpensive data plans that lasted me most of my 3-week trip across 6 countries. Before, I planned to use Verizon's $10/day international charge.
Before I moved to Berlin, I switched to T-mobile to keep my US number, and it's free data/text internationally. Of course I have a German SIM, but I've used the T-mobile SIM in times of emergency and didn't cost me any extra.
Data is useful just in case we get lost! It definitely helped me when I accidentally went outside of Paris. This is really helpful thank you! Much more than the teacher I had that went to the trip with me.
just use the free Wi-Fi in your hotel and in malls, cafes or restaurants. I turn my data and service off every time I go overseas. No unexpected bills and I can still use Facebook. no worries.
Another way I helped my fiance when he visited the US, is that I bought him a tracfone from a store, and loaded minutes on it, set it up and gave it to him when he arrived. He used that to call or text myself (or my family). We had wi-fi so he just communicated with friends and family overseas that way.
Can you make a step-by-step updated video for 2022. Maybe compare some plans like Metro PCS and T-Mobile for going from USA to Great Britain. I am concerned with calling the people in my travel party, uber and directions to sightseeing spots. Thank you!
For citizens of the European Union Roaming fees will be abolished by June 2017. That means if you're traveling to other countries of the EU you will be able to call, text and use your data just as if you were at home, no additional costs whatsoever.
Will this work for travellers with who put in a sim card? For example, if you start your trip in Portugal, will this work as well in Spain, France, Italy, etc.?
I have at&t and I chose the International Day Pass for $10 per day. I basically get to use my plan (unlimited talk/text/data). I’m going to be in Paris for one week so I thought this was my best option. Not too expensive. Talked to phone company twice so it should activate when I land in France
Great video. We learned the hard way on the international data plan. A few years ago we were on a cruise from Baltimore to the Bahamas and we forgot to turn off the phone data. Later on, we received a message from our cell phone provider saying that we had a balance of $640.00 dollars. My wife managed to call the phone company and was able to get $80.00 deducted from the phone bill. Don't hesitate to call your phone company before you travel and get some type of international plan.
fiz fizmal yeah, I got into it with ATT last year and the lady kept saying "on October 14th we changed our policy" there was no other answer. it was quite frustrating.
So if I’m looking to save money it essentially would be best to stay in North America (USA, Canada, & Mexico) assuming I’m an American as I note that you said in your visiting Mexico video (released in 2017) that many US carriers have Mexico plans. You said you have AT&T, so it was free to get your coverage in Mexico without any problems. If I’m not mistaken, cricket is that way now in 2023. Love your videos btw Mark Wolters! Your travel videos are the best out there! Honest travel advice is always the best policy and btw I’ve only been to the International Boundary with Canada as far as international travels go, so I have limited exposure to countries outside the U.S. I turned around right at the border ‘cause no passport on me but did get to listen to a Canadian country station out of Lethbridge, Alberta while in the area in and surrounding Glacier National Park in Montana!
Thanks for the informative video. For topics like this, you should make updated videos every few years since phone plans and technology in general changes.
I'm from the UK and roaming is free in Europe so I've never had to pay extra, and my company Three has great greats so you pay the same as home. But when I go abroad outside Europe, I usually just get a prepaid sim. I rented a portable wifi pod when I was in Japan so I didn't need to use data.
two more points, disable data to none essential apps manually and you can save/preload all the maps where you are travelling in google maps and where it will not use the data plan to load the maps because it is pre loaded
When I went to Italy last summer, I was able to use the exact same plan I have with Verizon in the states for $10 a day. It was definitely worth it for me!
t- mobile when I went to tokyo and singapore for 2 weeks I took a smart phone and a tablet. no extra charges of any kind on my bill. thanks t-mobile. did use wi-fi for the tablet now and then
I see these videos made by “professional travelers” who use Verizon and AT&T talking about how much they “save” by buying their carriers’ international roaming plans and I just cringe. If you understand how T-Mobile’s international roaming works, it is not necessary to spend one red cent extra to roam overseas. Yes, it is possible to pay more for free calls and a high-speed data bucket but it is not necessary. I find it quite easy to get by with the free low-speed roaming data.
Thanks for your great tips, they are spot on!!!! I tend to use a lot of data wherever I go so I usually keep an old Verizon iPhone 5S to re-chip wherever I go. When Verizon came out with their new travel pass plans about a year ago I decided to start using their daily plan for trips that last a week or less. it kicks on automatically when I use the phone abroad, and costs $2 per 24 hours in Canada and Mexico, and $10 per 24 hour everywhere else and you get to use your regular plans data, text, and minutes to call and text to and from anywhere in the US, and anywhere in the country you are in. It sounds expensive but on short business trips to Europe, I found that the cost was worth it for the convenience. Chris
JAN BERÁNEK from what I know, US law made companies remove this. They're still "locked" to a company, but all you have to do to unlock, is a simple call to a toll free number when you switch. I think iPhones are made to accept many sims for international use.
Locked phones are mostly locked to a company till phone is paid off. Here in America you can pay a little bit a month till your new phone is paid off, once it’s paid you can take it anywhere as you own the phone now.
in Poland we don't have lock phones for many years. what is the purpose to have lock phone for one company, US providers stay in the past. Now 70% phones are dual sim maybe not Apple phones good lack and buy iPhone
In the U.S. Cell Phones are locked until they are paid off. Most people don't buy their phones outright so they are put on a monthly payment plan (usually up to 2 years) Once the phone is paid off they can be unlocked. EDIT: Oh and I forgot to mention that in the U.S. you can lease the phone so they are locked to the company the phone is being leased from. Some people choose the lease option because it's a cheaper way to get a new phone every 1 to 2 years.
I love your videos. Simple, helpful and positive! I did the same thing but the reverse: I live in Italy and I activated a weekly gigabyte package before I went to the USA. It was a good idea and cheaper than getting a temporary number with ATT.
I don't live in an American state or territory, although anyone living in Canada will be pleased to know that Telus and Rogers allow customers to roam (in some countries, among them a lot of European ones) as if they were in Canada, for a small daily fee. Bell has gotten in on the action (sort of), but not yet for data.
I went on a 7 day cruise in the Caribbean, Tmobile had me covered everywhere I went as part of my regular plan. Even in the middle of the ocean, with all my data! Love tmob!
Regarding "Free WiFi" be careful not to login to sensitive accounts on public WiFi networks. People setup WiFi pineapples and sniffer devices to man-in-the -middle attack you. Among other types of pen attacks. Just be careful, this goes for hotel WiFi too. Plus it's always a good idea to have a VPN.
You always have great videos! I have downloaded Viber and also had my husband, my family in the US to do the same. I turn off my data before I step off the plane and Aldo change my email so that it doesn't automatically push new emails.
Basically, if your provider doesn't have international services, make sure your device is unlocked, so that you can put in a SIM card, and even if your provider did have international services, you should still buy your phone unlocked because no carrier has LTE speeds in all countries
I unlocked my phone buy cards everywhere I go ... when I'm traveling I make no phone calls, I don't know anyone there, but I buy for the data to use as a hotspot for my laptop in my hotel room, which often has terrible Wi-Fi speeds, (i.e. Prague; a magnificent city, a nightmare for Wi-Fi speed) using data for Skype to home or just researching my next days activities. In Poland I highly recommend PLAY as a provider. Lots of data for a very reasonable price. Great knowledgeable staff.
Thank you for this great video. I am lucky to live in Europe and roaming costs are limited in the EU. So although it is more expensive then in my home country, it is affordable to use your phone for a quick phone call home. I am traveling quite a lot, so I have plan that gives me 200 minutes to call from my home country to other countries in the EU (and a few more in Europe) and to call home or any number in the country I am currently in, while I am traveling within the EU. Same goes for text messages. Unfortunately data is not in this package, but my provider has extra packages for traveling. They offer a few different ones (a combination of phone minutes, messages and data, only texts, only calls or only data). They are quite affordable and only last for a couple of days. Therefore they are quite for occasional traveling. I do have two other sim cards (Germany and the UK), because I am there more often and I can reuse them. I mostly use them for data.
I'm traveling to Amsterdam soon and I've enjoyed your videos. I know this video is a little old but Verizon 4G phones have been unlocked since they acquired 4G LTE.
If you have a spare phone from an expired contract lying around see if you can get it unlocked to run on any network. Then get a pay as you go sim from wherever you're going. Here in UK you can buy text, talk and data bundles and pay by credit card.
I use mobal SIM card for my Verizon phone. 56/mth, free incoming, 1gb data each additional is 10$/go charged to your cc on file. You get a U.K. Phone number. VZW plans suck. Once you remove your USA sim your carrier does not now what you are doing and no surprise charges. Found out about mobal after reading tons of backpacking blogs. Love it.
Just don't use the cellular services abroad, but use free WiFi networks. We really don't need to be every single minute online do we? Also you can make free phone calls over the internet!
Kurosaki0Ichigo Sometimes you need to book a hotel or find directions or look up closing times or buy tickets online. But Yeah I suppose you can do all that before hand while on wifi.
Google Fi service... $20 per month +$10 per GB of data. You only pay for the data you use, and anything over 6GB is free. Works in most of the countries I have visited and can use various carriers. Data and calls on Wifi are free, two weeks in Ireland cost me (really for the month) less than $40 and I did not have to bother with swapping sim cards
The T-Mobile One Plus plan is worth looking into for international travel. It also includes free WiFi and texting on GoGo flights. Worked well for my trip last month, drove all around Western Europe.
The EU just put a law into action that means that if you get a SIM card with a data plan anywhere in the EU that you don't pay extra for data roaming within the the EU.
Google Fi works in 130+ countries. No crazy fees. If on wifi, no charge for data or calls. Calling back to the US 10-20 cents a minute. I pay $35-$40 a month, depending on my data usage. I purchased this plan for international travel and to lower my cell bill. I had Verizon.
Getting your phone set up with a global plan is serious because when I worked for Verizon as a customer service representative I would handle the issues when people would travel without these plans and one day I remember a co-worker of mine had a customer who had a $4,000 bill because he traveled around Europe for six months with no global plan. He was responsible for those charges because he made no effort to get a global plan.
Similar thing happened to me when I went to Mexico. I called and set up an international plan, but apparently it hadn't taken effect. Luckily I called to verify before I left and then they turned it on and I was good to go.
Sprint global roaming includes free text messaging (stateside & local), free reduced (2G) data & calls 25 cents per minute (both stateside and local). Faster 3G/4G data available for $5/day or $25/week. Lots of wifi available in Europe and free calls with wifi calling.
Go to your Google Maps app, type in the city where you're going, and then click 'More info". You can download a whole city map to your phone there for offline use. Also, you can put in directions to a place and download the map offline so you don't have to use your data. :)
Michelle Henderson do directions work for public transit, walking , biking routes? I just finished downloading the map of the city I am visiting and it only shows me directions with a car :/
I just use a mobile WiFi device that automatically works (an internal smart SIM handles everything) in just about any country I will be traveling to. I turn off my phone's data and cellular service and make/receive all calls, use data, etc through the mobile WiFi device. I have unlimited up to 4g data for up to 5 simultaneous devices for $100/month. If I want to use the WiFi device less frequently, I can buy 'day passes' for $9/day or buy a preset amount of data as needed. To me, it's definitely easier to handle everything this way - and definitely cheaper. There are several mobile WiFi devices to choose from. I use one from SkyRoam.
This info is still relevant today. Thanks for the tips. I was concerned that I wouldnt have a phone. Think I might just buy a phone and buy a chip for each country I go to.
Not sure about Europe but was just in New Zealand and Australia. Verizon charged $10 for days you use your phone only. Pretty much unlimited calls to US and texts. I only used internet when we had wifi and really used my Chromebook for that. I had to call the US in the middle of the night from Australia and amazingly, it didn't seem any different from a local call in the US. I also have an unlocked flip phone I take to Aruba. For 20 or 30 dollars you get something like 35 minutes calling to the US plus a local phone number and unlimited local phone calls. You can also add to it via the internet.
Hi Wolter, thanks for the video, this is really an Important issue that I always forget to take care of when travelling :-) I would also be interested in a video about mobile Options and sim cards especially for the usa, to have internet on the go, and where i can buy it besides the airport. Thanks and keep up the Great work!
Although we have 4 national carriers only two of them are GSM. AT&T and T-mobile. Both AT&T and T-mobile prepaid SIMS can be found in supermarkets,Conveinece stores, Chain Stores, Drug stores and many more. The Sim card kits include instructions on how to activate and its very easy.
AT&T now offers a daily international pass. They charge $10/day ONLY when you use it. Texting and calling is unlimited and your data is what your home plan is. If you're going on a short trip, this is a good option.
My wife's IPhone received a message for that service when she turned her phone on when we landed in Costa Rica. We used that service in Costa Rica and it worked fine for the week we were there. Going to Europe for 2 weeks is a different story. Called AT&T and got the code to unlock both our phones but, at this time of writing, you have to install a chip from another carrier to use the code to unlock it. Using prepaid sim cards in Europe. Much cheaper than 10 a day. Best to call your provider on your options as things have changed since this video was made and probably will continue to change.
3:00 You can also call your cell provider and get your phone unlocked that way. I know Verizon 4G LTE phones are unlocked out of the box and att has an online portal where you can put in your imei
So much information lol. Could you explain the cost involved. You mention buying phones at kiosks. How much in general are they. I’m planning on a trip to England for 4-6 weeks and maybe Rome for 3-4 days. I have an iPhone from Verizon and they don’t have an international plan.
Lucky! I have always wanted to go to Sweden. Thanks for the tips. I have gotten those international plans, only to go another country and it doesn't work. I don't even bother anymore. It's frustrating. It can't be that difficult.
I'm pretty sure that iPhone 5s and 6s are unlocked for At&t and Verizon. At least that is what I have read all over the internet. Also if you are on a plan in the US for awhile, often you can ask them to unlock the phone before going abroad so you can get a sim card for when you are overseas.
in Canada the crtc basically the regulatory body for Television Internet and phones basically made a rule that all cell phones have to be unlocked and any old ones they cannot charge you for it to unlock
Cheapest option I've found: Unlocked Blu Jenny from Walmart. $30 dual sim. Take it wherever and get a local prepaid sim card when you arrive at the airport.
Renting a portable hotspot may be one of your cheaper data options, especially if you're traveling in a group. You can get them from many cell carriers, but I like the ones from TEP Wireless. The connection isn't terribly fast, but for $10 per day (plus a setup fee) you get your own protected network with unlimited data and up to five simultaneous users. Of course, before you do that, consider whether you really need a data package. Unplugging might be better for your overall vacation enjoyment.
I have tried it both ways. I bought a cheap unlocked mobile and pick up a Vodafone or 02 simm when in another country. On average, I pay $.28 a minute to call back to the states. It's a lot cheaper than paying $1 with AT&T. Thanks for the tips. :)
sprint isn't the best network domestically but they have a spectacular international plan included with just about every plan i believe. anytime you travel internationally, you get free texts, pay $0.25 per minute for calls, and free 2g data. if you want high speed data, you either pay $5/day or $25/week. it's worked pretty well while i've traveled in london and paris, and i never had to worry about data limits. sometimes phones don't connect well to networks but that's more to do with which bands your phone supports than any problem on their end.
Those prepaid simcards can't be anonymous anymore, so you are better off buying them in an official shop by one of the operators, as you are likely to have to pass there, anyway. Top ups can be bought at almost any newspaper stand, yes.
Since 2017, there are no Roaming changes inside the European Economic Area (EEA), which is EU and some other countries. You now can buy a SIM card in one and use it in any other. You have to research a little which those countries are. For instance, Andorra is a tiny country between two big EU states (France and Spain), but it's not in EEA, so the roaming charges are "normal". My carrier blocked my Roaming few minutes in after reaching €50 in charges. I couldn't use it for the remaining of my trip and had to buy a local SIM in Barcelona. Also, Switzerland is not in the EEA, and some other Eastern countries.
One tip that I would suggest is also looking into renting pocket WiFi wherever you are traveling to. When I went to Japan for 10 days I used japanwireless to rent a pocket WiFi. It only cost me a total of like $55 (6,100 yen). I simply went on their website and ordered it then they give you the option to have it delivered to your hotel, airport post office, or a residence. I had mine delivered to my hotel but I would suggest the airport post office. The reason I say this is I arrived in Japan and had no idea where I was going and it took me longer than I would have liked to get to my first hotel since I couldn't use google maps without data haha. Anyway, had I had it delivered to the airport post office there would have been no issue at all. Lesson learned. That price got me unlimited data for 10 days at 75mbps. With that WiFi I could use all my apps, get online with my browser, send text messages, and even make phone calls. I don't know the options in other countries but in Japan I know this is very common. Hope this helps someone :)
I will be in Buda Pest for 3 months. I have an unlocked ATT Iphone. I expect to buy a chip and service and switch back when I return. Cheaper than paying for ATT's international service.
When I was in UK and Eire, just bought a local T-Mobile chip (worked in both). Ppl in the store set it up for free. Mnimal costs. BTW, phones much cheaper over there. You do need a 3-4 band phone. And, if someone calls you, it doesn't come off your minutes. No one over there could believe we have to pay for incoming and outgoing. Send blast text to the ppl who need to call you with your local number. Also, it's good for 2 years. 30 minutes on a call from LA, no charge or mins deducted to me. Just copy your contacts to your phone, then copy back to new chip, plus the chip will add great local info numbers.
I've got my phone for here in North America. I've also got a OnePlus 7 pro for use overseas. With a dual SIM so I can get a Eurozone simcard and already have a euro plan which covers me for the entire EU and Russia with TONS of data. And it's far cheaper than the plan I'm paying for here in Canada
ATT will allow you to unlock your phone to accept other sims from other providers most of the time. I have been doing this for years on trips to rue top and Asia. There is criteria they want you to meet for them to allow you to do this, but I have been with them for years and it's never been a problem no matter what phone i had. They walk you through the unlock sequence and boom you can buy a prepaid sim in another country for your phone
What? I have Verizon and for the last few years when I went to Europe I switched out my SIM card and put in one I got there and it was fine, can at&t not do that?
If you own your phone you can easily contact ur carrier to get ur phone unlocked... At&t for example will email u w/a code like less than few hrs... adding a sim card is easier than ppl think.. just keep ur original sim in a safe place 😅 Tip... save $ and have ur family/friends use u as a wifi hotspot
in Asia every phone you can find is dual sim. people use one carrier of data and one for phone calls. and if any one needs to change the carrier for their data plans they are not going through the hassle of changing of the phone number and all. therefore the most competitive data plans are from Asia some are going low as $ 5 for 30 GB of prepaid mobile data without contract. i.e. $ 0.17 per 1 GB in Asia compared to $8 per 1GB here in States.
Effective recently, Bell Mobility in Canada has started to offer the possibility of using data the same way abroad for a small daily fee. Rogers and Telus did (and still do) offer data roaming that is similar to what Bell now offers, although Bell use to only offer data travel passes with puny allowances. That said, not all mobile phone carriers will offer data packages that are generous enough to be used abroad.
In EU countries either pre order a Giffgaff card (they deliver world wide) and activate buy buying a 'goodybag' and/or topup. Same goes for buying a pre-loaded SIM card (data in Bulgaria, which isn't EU was $3-$5 for 20 GB data only ) . The downside is that your number change. If you need an unlock phone- you can get a genric smartphone for $60 or so. If you forget and adapter - until you buy one- you can use your USB cable to charge phone from the TV panel in your hotel room (if there aren't any wall USB sockets).
Hello, my question is how is the internet on the streets of Paris? I'm asking because I'll be taking Uber around and would like to know if is really necessary to get a local sim card, mainly use is for internet, also in Brussels, Amsterdam and Munich? Thanks so much! Great channel!
The EU last month got rid of roaming within EU countries. That means a SIM from one EU country (lets say Italy) wouldn't cost you extra for roaming in Sweden. No need to buy SIMs for each country. Even though you might find USB ports in airplanes, airports, etc., bring your regular adapter too. I find many of those USB ports are extremely low amperage. It could take you all day to charge your phone. When traveling outside the country, I usually leave my phone on airplane mode. That way it's on to take pictures, the battery charge lasts longer, and I'm not charged for any junk calls or excess data. When I get back to my hotel, or a WiFi hotspot (better to save data), I turn off airplane mode to do quick email checking, Facebook, etc.
You should be able to use wifi with airplane mode on.
G-sco804 switch airplane mode on and then reactivate the WiFi.
I'm getting a SIN card from my host parents.
I mean SIM. Stupid spell check.
I was very lucky last month when I went to Europe. A family friend in the UK gave me a cheap SIM card and let me top it up with inexpensive data plans that lasted me most of my 3-week trip across 6 countries. Before, I planned to use Verizon's $10/day international charge.
Before I moved to Berlin, I switched to T-mobile to keep my US number, and it's free data/text internationally. Of course I have a German SIM, but I've used the T-mobile SIM in times of emergency and didn't cost me any extra.
I will. Also use. To continue my Google. Fi. Plan in Germany.
Data is useful just in case we get lost! It definitely helped me when I accidentally went outside of Paris. This is really helpful thank you! Much more than the teacher I had that went to the trip with me.
Do you have an updated video regarding internationally sim cards for year 2023?
just use the free Wi-Fi in your hotel and in malls, cafes or restaurants. I turn my data and service off every time I go overseas. No unexpected bills and I can still use Facebook. no worries.
Very informative and helpful video. Thank you for this.
Learn German with Herr Antrim you are very welcome
Another way I helped my fiance when he visited the US, is that I bought him a tracfone from a store, and loaded minutes on it, set it up and gave it to him when he arrived. He used that to call or text myself (or my family). We had wi-fi so he just communicated with friends and family overseas that way.
This topic is invaluable for travelers. I am glad you covered it, but I am sorry I missed this video for so long. Thanks
Can you make a step-by-step updated video for 2022. Maybe compare some plans like Metro PCS and T-Mobile for going from USA to Great Britain. I am concerned with calling the people in my travel party, uber and directions to sightseeing spots. Thank you!
For citizens of the European Union Roaming fees will be abolished by June 2017. That means if you're traveling to other countries of the EU you will be able to call, text and use your data just as if you were at home, no additional costs whatsoever.
Will this work for travellers with who put in a sim card? For example, if you start your trip in Portugal, will this work as well in Spain, France, Italy, etc.?
@@jinjysbro Yes it will work in EU states
@@dee74raz But not Albania, right, since they are not EU?
@@Lacronh That’s correct
I have at&t and I chose the International Day Pass for $10 per day. I basically get to use my plan (unlimited talk/text/data). I’m going to be in Paris for one week so I thought this was my best option. Not too expensive. Talked to phone company twice so it should activate when I land in France
thanks so much for these videos. you cover so many varieties of subjects for travellers. even ones I haven't though of. thanks so much!
Great video. We learned the hard way on the international data plan. A few years ago we were on a cruise from Baltimore to the Bahamas and we forgot to turn off the phone data. Later on, we received a message from our cell phone provider saying that we had a balance of $640.00 dollars. My wife managed to call the phone company and was able to get $80.00 deducted from the phone bill. Don't hesitate to call your phone company before you travel and get some type of international plan.
fiz fizmal yeah, I got into it with ATT last year and the lady kept saying "on October 14th we changed our policy" there was no other answer. it was quite frustrating.
So if I’m looking to save money it essentially would be best to stay in North America (USA, Canada, & Mexico) assuming I’m an American as I note that you said in your visiting Mexico video (released in 2017) that many US carriers have Mexico plans. You said you have AT&T, so it was free to get your coverage in Mexico without any problems. If I’m not mistaken, cricket is that way now in 2023. Love your videos btw Mark Wolters! Your travel videos are the best out there! Honest travel advice is always the best policy and btw I’ve only been to the International Boundary with Canada as far as international travels go, so I have limited exposure to countries outside the U.S. I turned around right at the border ‘cause no passport on me but did get to listen to a Canadian country station out of Lethbridge, Alberta while in the area in and surrounding Glacier National Park in Montana!
Thanks
Learned this the hard way. When not needing/using you phone, put it on airplane mode. Saves $$$.
Yikes. I can imagine
Thanks for the informative video. For topics like this, you should make updated videos every few years since phone plans and technology in general changes.
I'm from the UK and roaming is free in Europe so I've never had to pay extra, and my company Three has great greats so you pay the same as home. But when I go abroad outside Europe, I usually just get a prepaid sim. I rented a portable wifi pod when I was in Japan so I didn't need to use data.
Thank you soooooo much for your videos. I'm traveling to Paris France very soon. You have helped me with preparations... 👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽
two more points, disable data to none essential apps manually and you can save/preload all the maps where you are travelling in google maps and where it will not use the data plan to load the maps because it is pre loaded
Great information. Just what I needed. Thanks
When I went to Italy last summer, I was able to use the exact same plan I have with Verizon in the states for $10 a day. It was definitely worth it for me!
$280 p/month Abby. Wow! No skype or google calls?
t- mobile when I went to tokyo and singapore for 2 weeks I took a smart phone and a tablet. no extra charges of any kind on my bill. thanks t-mobile. did use wi-fi for the tablet now and then
I see these videos made by “professional travelers” who use Verizon and AT&T talking about how much they “save” by buying their carriers’ international roaming plans and I just cringe. If you understand how T-Mobile’s international roaming works, it is not necessary to spend one red cent extra to roam overseas. Yes, it is possible to pay more for free calls and a high-speed data bucket but it is not necessary. I find it quite easy to get by with the free low-speed roaming data.
Thanks for your great tips, they are spot on!!!!
I tend to use a lot of data wherever I go so I usually keep an old Verizon iPhone 5S to re-chip wherever I go. When Verizon came out with their new travel pass plans about a year ago I decided to start using their daily plan for trips that last a week or less. it kicks on automatically when I use the phone abroad, and costs $2 per 24 hours in Canada and Mexico, and $10 per 24 hour everywhere else and you get to use your regular plans data, text, and minutes to call and text to and from anywhere in the US, and anywhere in the country you are in. It sounds expensive but on short business trips to Europe, I found that the cost was worth it for the convenience. Chris
hey man thank you very much for this video I was really wondering about that.
Really good advice. Thanks for making these videos!
You guys still have locked phones in the US? That sound like the 90´s to me :))
JAN BERÁNEK from what I know, US law made companies remove this. They're still "locked" to a company, but all you have to do to unlock, is a simple call to a toll free number when you switch. I think iPhones are made to accept many sims for international use.
Locked phones are mostly locked to a company till phone is paid off. Here in America you can pay a little bit a month till your new phone is paid off, once it’s paid you can take it anywhere as you own the phone now.
in Poland we don't have lock phones for many years. what is the purpose to have lock phone for one company, US providers stay in the past. Now 70% phones are dual sim maybe not Apple phones good lack and buy iPhone
Maciej Dyrkacz we have unlocked phones but if you want unlimited plans than your phone will be to a company.
In the U.S. Cell Phones are locked until they are paid off. Most people don't buy their phones outright so they are put on a monthly payment plan (usually up to 2 years) Once the phone is paid off they can be unlocked.
EDIT: Oh and I forgot to mention that in the U.S. you can lease the phone so they are locked to the company the phone is being leased from. Some people choose the lease option because it's a cheaper way to get a new phone every 1 to 2 years.
thank you for explaining this. I appreciate the information!!
Thanks! For all the information you give. Cool!
I love your videos. Simple, helpful and positive! I did the same thing but the reverse: I live in Italy and I activated a weekly gigabyte package before I went to the USA. It was a good idea and cheaper than getting a temporary number with ATT.
Tmobile, switch to tmobile, 140 plus countries all FREE NO CHARGE! Free international connection, no need to unlock, switch sim. Do it!
ptinio2 hmmm...I'll have to look into that.
I don't live in an American state or territory, although anyone living in Canada will be pleased to know that Telus and Rogers allow customers to roam (in some countries, among them a lot of European ones) as if they were in Canada, for a small daily fee. Bell has gotten in on the action (sort of), but not yet for data.
I went on a 7 day cruise in the Caribbean, Tmobile had me covered everywhere I went as part of my regular plan. Even in the middle of the ocean, with all my data! Love tmob!
Regarding "Free WiFi" be careful not to login to sensitive accounts on public WiFi networks. People setup WiFi pineapples and sniffer devices to man-in-the -middle attack you. Among other types of pen attacks. Just be careful, this goes for hotel WiFi too. Plus it's always a good idea to have a VPN.
You always have great videos! I have downloaded Viber and also had my husband, my family in the US to do the same. I turn off my data before I step off the plane and Aldo change my email so that it doesn't automatically push new emails.
i just can never get enough of "HELLO FELLOW TRAVELLERS"
NO IT LITERALLY GIVES ME A BOOST
@@abiolaadeleye267 it gives you a boost. Or it literally gives you a boost. American english is so confusing
@@Creees i know it is, that just means it gives me a boost of happiness!
@@abiolaadeleye267 oh so if you didnt say literally then i think your not telling the truth.
Being happy is also my favourite mood
Basically, if your provider doesn't have international services, make sure your device is unlocked, so that you can put in a SIM card, and even if your provider did have international services, you should still buy your phone unlocked because no carrier has LTE speeds in all countries
I unlocked my phone buy cards everywhere I go ... when I'm traveling I make no phone calls, I don't know anyone there, but I buy for the data to use as a hotspot for my laptop in my hotel room, which often has terrible Wi-Fi speeds, (i.e. Prague; a magnificent city, a nightmare for Wi-Fi speed) using data for Skype to home or just researching my next days activities. In Poland I highly recommend PLAY as a provider. Lots of data for a very reasonable price. Great knowledgeable staff.
What I loved in Keflavik Airport, Iceland is that they had USB ports everywhere! Soooo handy!
Tom O'Gorman yeah, I saw that (just was there)
Just get your destination’s local SIM card... it’s way cheaper and handier...
Thank you for this great video. I am lucky to live in Europe and roaming costs are limited in the EU. So although it is more expensive then in my home country, it is affordable to use your phone for a quick phone call home.
I am traveling quite a lot, so I have plan that gives me 200 minutes to call from my home country to other countries in the EU (and a few more in Europe) and to call home or any number in the country I am currently in, while I am traveling within the EU. Same goes for text messages. Unfortunately data is not in this package, but my provider has extra packages for traveling. They offer a few different ones (a combination of phone minutes, messages and data, only texts, only calls or only data). They are quite affordable and only last for a couple of days. Therefore they are quite for occasional traveling.
I do have two other sim cards (Germany and the UK), because I am there more often and I can reuse them. I mostly use them for data.
I'm traveling to Amsterdam soon and I've enjoyed your videos. I know this video is a little old but Verizon 4G phones have been unlocked since they acquired 4G LTE.
Turn on and leave on Airplane Mode...Turn Wifi on.
really enjoy your vids thanks!
If you have a spare phone from an expired contract lying around see if you can get it unlocked to run on any network. Then get a pay as you go sim from wherever you're going. Here in UK you can buy text, talk and data bundles and pay by credit card.
Thanks this was super helpful!!!
I use mobal SIM card for my Verizon phone. 56/mth, free incoming, 1gb data each additional is 10$/go charged to your cc on file. You get a U.K. Phone number. VZW plans suck. Once you remove your USA sim your carrier does not now what you are doing and no surprise charges. Found out about mobal after reading tons of backpacking blogs. Love it.
I have tried Cellomobile for trips abroad, and plan to use that as a backup phone on my next trip abroad.
Useful information thank u brother
Just don't use the cellular services abroad, but use free WiFi networks. We really don't need to be every single minute online do we? Also you can make free phone calls over the internet!
Kurosaki0Ichigo
Sometimes you need to book a hotel or find directions or look up closing times or buy tickets online.
But Yeah I suppose you can do all that before hand while on wifi.
WiFi can work, but it depends on where. I often use cellphone data (even if there's WiFi) because I don't know how reliable WiFi is.
Most Asian countries offer unlimited Data packages. I never use WIFI in Asia.
I use mine a lot for maps and directions 🤷♀️🤷♀️🤷♀️🤷♀️
the roaming fees will be worth it when some little cunt decides to steal your phone and you can track it because you didnt disable cellular data
Google Fi service... $20 per month +$10 per GB of data. You only pay for the data you use, and anything over 6GB is free. Works in most of the countries I have visited and can use various carriers. Data and calls on Wifi are free, two weeks in Ireland cost me (really for the month) less than $40 and I did not have to bother with swapping sim cards
thanks you man awesome video!!!!
The T-Mobile One Plus plan is worth looking into for international travel. It also includes free WiFi and texting on GoGo flights. Worked well for my trip last month, drove all around Western Europe.
The EU just put a law into action that means that if you get a SIM card with a data plan anywhere in the EU that you don't pay extra for data roaming within the the EU.
if you stay less than 3 months or so
Google Fi works in 130+ countries. No crazy fees. If on wifi, no charge for data or calls. Calling back to the US 10-20 cents a minute. I pay $35-$40 a month, depending on my data usage. I purchased this plan for international travel and to lower my cell bill. I had Verizon.
Getting your phone set up with a global plan is serious because when I worked for Verizon as a customer service representative I would handle the issues when people would travel without these plans and one day I remember a co-worker of mine had a customer who had a $4,000 bill because he traveled around Europe for six months with no global plan. He was responsible for those charges because he made no effort to get a global plan.
Ouch!
Love my UK sim. Saved me so much money
Similar thing happened to me when I went to Mexico. I called and set up an international plan, but apparently it hadn't taken effect. Luckily I called to verify before I left and then they turned it on and I was good to go.
Sprint global roaming includes free text messaging (stateside & local), free reduced (2G) data & calls 25 cents per minute (both stateside and local). Faster 3G/4G data available for $5/day or $25/week. Lots of wifi available in Europe and free calls with wifi calling.
I always download the maps of google maps of the city where i trave to
Tecnovlog how do you download the map of the city? I'm going to Paris in the summer for the 1st time and GPS would be ideal.
Go to your Google Maps app, type in the city where you're going, and then click 'More info". You can download a whole city map to your phone there for offline use. Also, you can put in directions to a place and download the map offline so you don't have to use your data. :)
Michelle Henderson do directions work for public transit, walking , biking routes? I just finished downloading the map of the city I am visiting and it only shows me directions with a car :/
You can call your provider, such as AT &T, T-Mobile, to unlock your phone.
I just use a mobile WiFi device that automatically works (an internal smart SIM handles everything) in just about any country I will be traveling to. I turn off my phone's data and cellular service and make/receive all calls, use data, etc through the mobile WiFi device. I have unlimited up to 4g data for up to 5 simultaneous devices for $100/month. If I want to use the WiFi device less frequently, I can buy 'day passes' for $9/day or buy a preset amount of data as needed. To me, it's definitely easier to handle everything this way - and definitely cheaper. There are several mobile WiFi devices to choose from. I use one from SkyRoam.
This info is still relevant today. Thanks for the tips. I was concerned that I wouldnt have a phone. Think I might just buy a phone and buy a chip for each country I go to.
Not sure about Europe but was just in New Zealand and Australia. Verizon charged $10 for days you use your phone only. Pretty much unlimited calls to US and texts. I only used internet when we had wifi and really used my Chromebook for that. I had to call the US in the middle of the night from Australia and amazingly, it didn't seem any different from a local call in the US. I also have an unlocked flip phone I take to Aruba. For 20 or 30 dollars you get something like 35 minutes calling to the US plus a local phone number and unlimited local phone calls. You can also add to it via the internet.
interesting good advice thank you
Hi Wolter, thanks for the video, this is really an Important issue that I always forget to take care of when travelling :-) I would also be interested in a video about mobile Options and sim cards especially for the usa, to have internet on the go, and where i can buy it besides the airport. Thanks and keep up the Great work!
Joliejoaninha will try to put something up about that. all the best!
Although we have 4 national carriers only two of them are GSM. AT&T and T-mobile. Both AT&T and T-mobile prepaid SIMS can be found in supermarkets,Conveinece stores, Chain Stores, Drug stores and many more. The Sim card kits include instructions on how to activate and its very easy.
AT&T now offers a daily international pass. They charge $10/day ONLY when you use it. Texting and calling is unlimited and your data is what your home plan is. If you're going on a short trip, this is a good option.
My wife's IPhone received a message for that service when she turned her phone on when we landed in Costa Rica. We used that service in Costa Rica and it worked fine for the week we were there. Going to Europe for 2 weeks is a different story. Called AT&T and got the code to unlock both our phones but, at this time of writing, you have to install a chip from another carrier to use the code to unlock it. Using prepaid sim cards in Europe. Much cheaper than 10 a day. Best to call your provider on your options as things have changed since this video was made and probably will continue to change.
3:00 You can also call your cell provider and get your phone unlocked that way. I know Verizon 4G LTE phones are unlocked out of the box and att has an online portal where you can put in your imei
I'm kind of shocked that you haven't traveled to Australia, man. I think you and your family would love it there!
*Cough* NEW SOUTH WALES *Cough*
So much information lol. Could you explain the cost involved. You mention buying phones at kiosks. How much in general are they. I’m planning on a trip to England for 4-6 weeks and maybe Rome for 3-4 days. I have an iPhone from Verizon and they don’t have an international plan.
Lucky! I have always wanted to go to Sweden. Thanks for the tips. I have gotten those international plans, only to go another country and it doesn't work. I don't even bother anymore. It's frustrating. It can't be that difficult.
Malta had free wifi everywhere :)
I'm pretty sure that iPhone 5s and 6s are unlocked for At&t and Verizon. At least that is what I have read all over the internet. Also if you are on a plan in the US for awhile, often you can ask them to unlock the phone before going abroad so you can get a sim card for when you are overseas.
in Canada the crtc basically the regulatory body for Television Internet and phones basically made a rule that all cell phones have to be unlocked and any old ones they cannot charge you for it to unlock
Cheapest option I've found: Unlocked Blu Jenny from Walmart. $30 dual sim. Take it wherever and get a local prepaid sim card when you arrive at the airport.
WAMcKelroy cool advice. I will look into that one
Renting a portable hotspot may be one of your cheaper data options, especially if you're traveling in a group. You can get them from many cell carriers, but I like the ones from TEP Wireless. The connection isn't terribly fast, but for $10 per day (plus a setup fee) you get your own protected network with unlimited data and up to five simultaneous users.
Of course, before you do that, consider whether you really need a data package. Unplugging might be better for your overall vacation enjoyment.
Hi Wolters fam! Just a friendly heads up, the videos to click on are missing at the end. Love your channel!
It's cool how most of Europe is 220volt electric plugs what are some other plugs from other countries running on would be a cool video
Hi Wolter! Im going to the US for 6 months from Europe. Which provider do you think is best? I've heard some recommendations for AT&T or T-Mobile.
I have tried it both ways. I bought a cheap unlocked mobile and pick up a Vodafone or 02 simm when in another country. On average, I pay $.28 a minute to call back to the states. It's a lot cheaper than paying $1 with AT&T. Thanks for the tips. :)
Jefferson Davis yep. I usually have a side phone, especially when staying in one country,
Hey Wolter!! Was curious if you have any current tips for phone services abroad. Heading to spain and other eu areas. Hear anything about Google Fi?
sprint isn't the best network domestically but they have a spectacular international plan included with just about every plan i believe. anytime you travel internationally, you get free texts, pay $0.25 per minute for calls, and free 2g data. if you want high speed data, you either pay $5/day or $25/week. it's worked pretty well while i've traveled in london and paris, and i never had to worry about data limits. sometimes phones don't connect well to networks but that's more to do with which bands your phone supports than any problem on their end.
I just bought a SIM card on amazon that works all over europe. I'll let everyone know how it goes. I pre-bought it before me trip so I'd have it.
Update
@@anonymous6594 It did not work. The company was called Orange. Apparently, its well known in Europe. However, I could not get it to work.
I think you can call AT&T to unlock your phone!! I believe my mom did that with one of our old phones.
buy burner prepaid simcard you can find them anywhere in Europe on newspapers stands very cheap or at local Cellphones provider
Those prepaid simcards can't be anonymous anymore, so you are better off buying them in an official shop by one of the operators, as you are likely to have to pass there, anyway. Top ups can be bought at almost any newspaper stand, yes.
Since 2017, there are no Roaming changes inside the European Economic Area (EEA), which is EU and some other countries. You now can buy a SIM card in one and use it in any other.
You have to research a little which those countries are.
For instance, Andorra is a tiny country between two big EU states (France and Spain), but it's not in EEA, so the roaming charges are "normal". My carrier blocked my Roaming few minutes in after reaching €50 in charges. I couldn't use it for the remaining of my trip and had to buy a local SIM in Barcelona.
Also, Switzerland is not in the EEA, and some other Eastern countries.
One tip that I would suggest is also looking into renting pocket WiFi wherever you are traveling to. When I went to Japan for 10 days I used japanwireless to rent a pocket WiFi. It only cost me a total of like $55 (6,100 yen). I simply went on their website and ordered it then they give you the option to have it delivered to your hotel, airport post office, or a residence. I had mine delivered to my hotel but I would suggest the airport post office. The reason I say this is I arrived in Japan and had no idea where I was going and it took me longer than I would have liked to get to my first hotel since I couldn't use google maps without data haha. Anyway, had I had it delivered to the airport post office there would have been no issue at all. Lesson learned. That price got me unlimited data for 10 days at 75mbps. With that WiFi I could use all my apps, get online with my browser, send text messages, and even make phone calls. I don't know the options in other countries but in Japan I know this is very common. Hope this helps someone :)
How do u send text messages & calls without a phone service?
No roaming charges within the EU ;) I used 1.5GB of mobile data in Poland without paying a penny
I will be in Buda Pest for 3 months. I have an unlocked ATT Iphone. I expect to buy a chip and service and switch back when I return. Cheaper than paying for ATT's international service.
For such a period, you're right.
When I was in UK and Eire, just bought a local T-Mobile chip (worked in both). Ppl in the store set it up for free. Mnimal costs. BTW, phones much cheaper over there. You do need a 3-4 band phone. And, if someone calls you, it doesn't come off your minutes. No one over there could believe we have to pay for incoming and outgoing. Send blast text to the ppl who need to call you with your local number. Also, it's good for 2 years. 30 minutes on a call from LA, no charge or mins deducted to me. Just copy your contacts to your phone, then copy back to new chip, plus the chip will add great local info numbers.
I'm so glad you have Samsung in your hand and not an iPhone
I'm a big fan of you and have been waiting for you in Stockholm. You came, you saw, and then you left. Without meeting me. Not so good :-/
AT&T 611 tech support told me to keep my phone on airplane mode ALL THE TIME unless I'm near Wi-Fi
With T-Mobile, you don't have to.
yes tmobile free international data and texting unlimited!!!
Free WiFi plus Skype for calls :)
thats relly good.
True but free WiFi is great for hackers
True but you see if your on the corner on the site if your password is safe.
I've got my phone for here in North America. I've also got a OnePlus 7 pro for use overseas. With a dual SIM so I can get a Eurozone simcard and already have a euro plan which covers me for the entire EU and Russia with TONS of data. And it's far cheaper than the plan I'm paying for here in Canada
awesome video
ATT will allow you to unlock your phone to accept other sims from other providers most of the time. I have been doing this for years on trips to rue top and Asia. There is criteria they want you to meet for them to allow you to do this, but I have been with them for years and it's never been a problem no matter what phone i had. They walk you through the unlock sequence and boom you can buy a prepaid sim in another country for your phone
What? I have Verizon and for the last few years when I went to Europe I switched out my SIM card and put in one I got there and it was fine, can at&t not do that?
If you own your phone you can easily contact ur carrier to get ur phone unlocked... At&t for example will email u w/a code like less than few hrs... adding a sim card is easier than ppl think.. just keep ur original sim in a safe place 😅
Tip... save $ and have ur family/friends use u as a wifi hotspot
in Asia every phone you can find is dual sim. people use one carrier of data and one for phone calls. and if any one needs to change the carrier for their data plans they are not going through the hassle of changing of the phone number and all. therefore the most competitive data plans are from Asia some are going low as $ 5 for 30 GB of prepaid mobile data without contract. i.e. $ 0.17 per 1 GB in Asia compared to $8 per 1GB here in States.
Effective recently, Bell Mobility in Canada has started to offer the possibility of using data the same way abroad for a small daily fee. Rogers and Telus did (and still do) offer data roaming that is similar to what Bell now offers, although Bell use to only offer data travel passes with puny allowances. That said, not all mobile phone carriers will offer data packages that are generous enough to be used abroad.
In EU countries either pre order a Giffgaff card (they deliver world wide) and activate buy buying a 'goodybag' and/or topup. Same goes for buying a pre-loaded SIM card (data in Bulgaria, which isn't EU was $3-$5 for 20 GB data only ) . The downside is that your number change. If you need an unlock phone- you can get a genric smartphone for $60 or so.
If you forget and adapter - until you buy one- you can use your USB cable to charge phone from the TV panel in your hotel room (if there aren't any wall USB sockets).
Hello, my question is how is the internet on the streets of Paris? I'm asking because I'll be taking Uber around and would like to know if is really necessary to get a local sim card, mainly use is for internet, also in Brussels, Amsterdam and Munich? Thanks so much! Great channel!