Stick with current T-Mobile phone, or buy Euro SIM card on arrival in Portugal?

[stephenson]

Hi All,

Several friends going to Portugal (and Germany) in 10 days ... looking at final comms options.

We have iPhones using T-Mobile - have for several years and worked ok last time in Spain and France (three years ago); however, the data rate was awful, and international calling expensive.

Fast forward - a couple of the friends believe buying a Euro SIM card - most mentioned Vodaphone - on arrival provides better speeds, but recognize they will not be able to use their normal phone numbers so will need to change things like secondary authentication to go via email vice text.

Which of these two options - baseline current T-Mobile, or same phone with Vodaphone SIM is the best for Portugal and Germany? Any other options to consider?

Thanks!

 

[mpeirce]

If your iPhones are fairly current you can use dual SIMMs. Current models allow use of an eSimm and a physical nano-SIM at the same time. So you could keep your US plan and a European plan active at the same time.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT209044

 

[stephenson]

Hmmm ... did a moderator attach my phone comms thread to the vaccination thread?

mp - yes, great idea, and it looks like my iphone XR was the first iphone equipped with the programmable eSIM chip!

So, other than waiting till arrival in Portugal (or layover in Frankfurt), is there a way to pre buy while still in US?

 

[Alan]

Hmmm ... did a moderator attach my phone comms thread to the vaccination thread?

Nope, I think you must you have titled the post and added it to your thread on e-vaccine certificates rather than create a new thread.

No problem, I created this new thread with the title of your post on simms in Portugal and moved your post and the first response to it.

 

[stephenson]

Thanks, Alan ... will get more "looks" separated - didn't know I could even do that

 

[OldShooter]

I suggest buying a used Google Fi-compatible Android phone and signing up for a month or two of Fi. $100 ought to do it. That gets you like 200 countries, cheap data, and you are on the air as soon as you step out of the airplane. I remember a recent trip where that helped me out as I needed to contact the tour guide while we were at the luggage counter chasing a lost bag. No way would a plan to purchase a SIM card have helped me there.

https://fi.google.com/about/international-rates/

 

[stephenson]

So, more info ...

Doesn't look like can pre buy for Europe in US, unless go with a third party ... haven't been able to understand Vodafone site, yet ...

But, did sort through current carrier T Mobile ... their data rate is 2G so doesn't work well - and worked poorly last time we were in Europe - like slow and spotty. Text was OK, but some gaps, as well. T Mobile does have a $50/line/month add in with 15GB of data, and free calling, so that could be an option. More expensive than a European company SIM, or perhaps eSIM, but easier since would not need to swap phone numbers, and then rr swap. eSIM complexity is that you must select which SIM is being used at the time of each usage.

 

[Gotadimple]

I suggest buying a used Google Fi-compatible Android phone and signing up for a month or two of Fi. $100 ought to do it. That gets you like 200 countries, cheap data, and you are on the air as soon as you step out of the airplane. I remember a recent trip where that helped me out as I needed to contact the tour guide while we were at the luggage counter chasing a lost bag. No way would a plan to purchase a SIM card have helped me there.

https://fi.google.com/about/international-rates/

Google Fi uses the T-Mobile network. The OP already has T-Mobile and would the exact same experience. I switched over to Google Fi last fall because the T-Mobile MVNO I was using had international coverage available but only through e-Sims. I found it to be seamless. Data can be expensive but that can be controlled by putting the phone into airplane mode when you don't want to access data.

There are some rumors that T-Mobile is negotiating new broader service with it's larger MVNOs (like Google Fi), so pricing may be coming down. https://bestmvno.com/google-project-fi/google-fi-updating-plans-better-pricing/

 

[OldShooter]

Google Fi uses the T-Mobile network. The OP already has T-Mobile and would the exact same experience. I switched over to Google Fi last fall because the T-Mobile MVNO I was using had international coverage available but only through e-Sims. I found it to be seamless. Data can be expensive but that can be controlled by putting the phone into airplane mode when you don't want to access data.

I don't know anything about e-SIMs. When we travel with Fi, we don't do anything with our phones. We use so little data that we don't worry about that; it's the same price as in the US and we don't worry about that either.

There are some rumors that T-Mobile is negotiating new broader service with it's larger MVNOs (like Google Fi), so pricing may be coming down. https://bestmvno.com/google-project-fi/google-fi-updating-plans-better-pricing/

Thanks. Good link. We are not on their unlimited plan but DS is. We are on the "Flexible" aka cheapskate plan. Probably there will be some reductions for us too.

 

[stephenson]

So, a bit more info - learning as I go ... this market is always changing and Im always behind, apparently!

So, the eSIM product (a programmable chip already in more recent phones that is programmed to be a SIM by a QR code sent to your email after purchase - or perhaps even in real time by a rep at an airport or shop) is very interesting, but so far I have not been able to determine if it ("it" could be several different carriers in Europe) supports international calling.

The eSIM, like any dual SIM concept could also introduce another level of complexity into the experience - looks like you have to specify which SIM you are using, the physical nano SIM, or the eSIM.

Unless I find something that really simplifies the dual SIM (one SIM and one eSIM) approach, we'll probably just buy the $50 plan from T-Mobile which provides international calling and 4G (supposedly) data speeds. The Do Nothing option would still allow really slow data (we use phones for navigation, translation, where to eat, checking email, news, etc) - but some of that including calling could be via WiFi calling at hotels, etc ... if the $50 plus up option works really well, it is the clear winner - we'll see!

 

[Zona]

In Portugal last November and December, we bought prepaid sims with the 20 euro Vodafone tourist plan - something like 5 gigs of data and 500 minutes valid for 30 days. We didn’t travel outside Portugal, but local calls and calls to phone numbers within the EU worked fine. I’m not sure how well it might work outside Portugal.

We use google voice as our main number in the US, so we could easily call home via wifi and have it look like our regular phone number.

The nice thing was that there was a Vodafone store right in the Porto airport outside security so it was very easy to get it set up when we landed. Very convenient and good data everywhere we went in Portugal.

 

[Sunset]

I have used Maps.me for a couple of years now.
What is really great is you can download the maps for countries before you go. Then it takes zero data as it uses the phone gps to the stored map and you can navigate around.

Someone on the site explained about it, and it's really great, works where there is no cell reception.

 

[TheWizard]

I second the recommendation to change to using Google Fi if it works on your present phone.
Its seamless functionality is great when going to most countries...

 

[stephenson]

Thanks, All!

To summarize - I have T Mobile 55+ plan with two lines running on iphone XR phones.

Yesterday, after considering the options and various inputs from you all, I bought the $50 enhancement for 30 days on one of our two phones. It offers 15GB of high speed and unlimited calling.

Our travel group will have a variety of plans, including baseline Verizon, Verizon with enhancement, a couple who are buying Euro SIMs, and my wife's baseline T Mobile.

Will see how they all work relative to one another, and report back.

I set up the phones to use Wifi calling Facetime or Whatsapp, and turned off roaming on the enhanced phone to prevent cell based calls.

 

[pdxgal]

I suggest buying a used Google Fi-compatible Android phone and signing up for a month or two of Fi. $100 ought to do it.
https://fi.google.com/about/international-rates/

Any tips on where/how to buy a used Fi-compatible Android phone? And how does one determine if it's Fi-compatible?

Cheapest Android phones I found at BestBuy are about $100 and not seeing anything on my local NextDoor or CL. People on this forum are super savvy, so hoping for some tips. I'm in a similar position to OP, going to Europe soon. Unfortunately my iPhone SE is locked with ConsumerCellular so can't use a Euro SIM card with it. Maybe I need to start a new thread?

 

[TheWizard]

Any tips on where/how to buy a used Fi-compatible Android phone? And how does one determine if it's Fi-compatible?

Cheapest Android phones I found at BestBuy are about $100 and not seeing anything on my local NextDoor or CL. People on this forum are super savvy, so hoping for some tips. I'm in a similar position to OP, going to Europe soon. Unfortunately my iPhone SE is locked with ConsumerCellular so can't use a Euro SIM card with it. Maybe I need to start a new thread?

A new thread sounds good.
https://fi.google.com/about/phones/

 

[Bamaman]

T Mobile is owned by the German telephone company. We get T Mobile to turn on their inexpensive international service plan and cut it off when we return home.

It works just like our cell phone at home--where I receive phone calls, etc. just like I'm in the States.

Now if we could get our 3 year old granddaughter to quit calling us. She didn't know that it was 3:00 a.m. in Budapest and that we were asleep.

 

[OldShooter]

Any tips on where/how to buy a used Fi-compatible Android phone? And how does one determine if it's Fi-compatible?

https://support.google.com/fi/answer/6224695?hl=en

Cheapest Android phones I found at BestBuy are about $100 and not seeing anything on my local NextDoor or CL. ...

There are refurbs on Amazon. I just bought a Pixel 4 XL for about $220 because I was in a hurry.. My go-to is normally CraigsList. If what I want is not listed I just set up a stored search and CL emails me when something is listed that meets my search criteria. With CL, patience is usually rewarded. I think you can store searches on FB Marketplace, too, but I am not a regular there.

 

[brett]

In Portugal last November and December, we bought prepaid sims with the 20 euro Vodafone tourist plan - something like 5 gigs of data and 500 minutes valid for 30 days. We didn’t travel outside Portugal, but local calls and calls to phone numbers within the EU worked fine. I’m not sure how well it might work outside Portugal.

We use google voice as our main number in the US, so we could easily call home via wifi and have it look like our regular phone number.

The nice thing was that there was a Vodafone store right in the Porto airport outside security so it was very easy to get it set up when we landed. Very convenient and good data everywhere we went in Portugal.

Thanks. Spending June in Portugal. Will pick up this or something similar in Madeira.

 

[bmcgonig]

Google Fi uses the T-Mobile network. The OP already has T-Mobile and would the exact same experience. I switched over to Google Fi last fall because the T-Mobile MVNO I was using had international coverage available but only through e-Sims. I found it to be seamless. Data can be expensive but that can be controlled by putting the phone into airplane mode when you don't want to access data.



There are some rumors that T-Mobile is negotiating new broader service with it's larger MVNOs (like Google Fi), so pricing may be coming down. https://bestmvno.com/google-project-fi/google-fi-updating-plans-better-pricing/

Definitely not the same experience just because FI uses T Mobile in US. FI will switch to local provider with fast rates upon arrival in Portugal.

 

[audreyh1]

Thanks, All!

To summarize - I have T Mobile 55+ plan with two lines running on iphone XR phones.

Yesterday, after considering the options and various inputs from you all, I bought the $50 enhancement for 30 days on one of our two phones. It offers 15GB of high speed and unlimited calling.

Our travel group will have a variety of plans, including baseline Verizon, Verizon with enhancement, a couple who are buying Euro SIMs, and my wife's baseline T Mobile.

Will see how they all work relative to one another, and report back.

I set up the phones to use Wifi calling Facetime or Whatsapp, and turned off roaming on the enhanced phone to prevent cell based calls.

I’ve done well in Europe and never bought the high speed data plan because the slow stuff worked well enough for maps and searches. We have 2x the slow speed on our t-mobile plan.

Things requiring more data we usually had wifi available during downtime.

To US calls free using wifi calling, and US callers to me free as well. Texting free anywhere, and I almost never made local calls. Local (in Europe) family we use texting and FaceTime.

If I got in a situation where I needed high speed data I wouldn’t hesitate to buy it, but over many years Europe travel that simply hasn’t happened.

 

[tulak]

Same for me, I’ve been happy with T-Mobile 2x for all my international travel, but I can understand wanting the higher speeds. I will download the more bandwidth intensive data, such as maps, and for texting, simple web browsing, the 2x speeds has been good enough.

I do have to remember to turnoff iCloud Photo sync over the mobile network when traveling. That has gotten me warnings from T-Mobile for excessive data usage, especially when I’m gone for 4+ weeks at once.

 

[HarveyS]

giffgaff will send you a SIM card to the US. It's a UK company so easy to set up (it's in English) once you land. Buy a 6 UK pound one month plan, add 5 UK pound "top-up" for international calling. You can use your plan in the EU (but not Switzerland) for 14 days then you have to go to roaming. Use Skype/facetime to call back to US if needed.
If you need to call anyone from the airport on arrival you will have WIFI in the airport, or can roam on your US plan.

You will get a +44 phone # (a UK #). You can make dinner reservations, get texts, etc with this number.

Or, just roam on your US plan. There is WIFI just about everywhere here in the Netherlands (on the bus, train, in the grocery store, at the pubs, museums, etc.). Not out on the bike trails, in the parks, beaches, though.

I have giffgaff with the above spend. It's been working fine for me in the Netherlands and worked fine when we took a side trip to western France.

 

[walkinwood]

Thanks, All!

...

Will see how they all work relative to one another, and report back.

I set up the phones to use Wifi calling Facetime or Whatsapp, and turned off roaming on the enhanced phone to prevent cell based calls.

Looking forward to your report.


Remember to download offline maps in google maps.


In the past, we've either used local SIMs or the default T-Mobile 2G service. The upgrade is relatively inexpensive compared to the cost of the trip itself, so that's what I would like to use on our next trip.

 

[OldShooter]

... Remember to download offline maps in google maps. ...

We use Copilot GPS (https://copilotgps.com/en-gb/). With Copilot, you download large area maps (Like North America, Europe, Africa, etc ...). (https://copilotgps.com/en-gb/map-coverage/) Once done you don't need an internet connection. The maps are in the 2gig range, so not a burden with modern hardware.