Using a phone in Europe

Does anyone have experience using a European SIM card for phone usage?

We are going on a Viking Rhine River cruise, but will also be doing some train and auto travel. My Dad is 93, so I will be using the phone every day to check in, and also check email for work (self-employed!).

If I buy a SIM card in Amsterdam, will I be able to use it in Germany, Italy, etc

My provider (Verizon) offers a $10/day plan, but we will be gone for 3 weeks, so that will add up fast.

This is my first river cruise, so I appreciate the help.

Thanks!

If your phone is unlocked, you shouldn't need a SIM card. I have Verizon, travel to Europe 3-4 times/year and have never needed a card. Verizon has multiple plans - I opt for the 100 minute option and activate that while waiting for our flight sitting at the bar at Durgin Park in Terminal E. At one time Verizon used to let me enable international calling for the dates of my travel, now they keep the service charges and plan active throughout the billing cycle. The $10./day plan adds up when you are using in daily, they love to suggest that as being the best option - look at the various bulk minute plans and select what will work best for you. Since the 100-200 minute plan also gives you texting, any change you can use that for home-based contact, even if its with another family member? Remember the time difference, too.

I've only done AMA for river cruises and each room had a keyboard/tv monitor and gave passengers unlimited internet access so it was easy to check email and contact family if needed. What does Viking have to offer so you can check business email? While traveling down the Rhine, internet connectivity can be spotty - the cell towers between France and Germany each try to capture the signal and then disconnect. Once you are in the gorge area, internet does not work.

Verizon's international calling web site lets you enter the countries through which you will travel and will let you know if your particular phone will work in each one. It gives you a spread sheet of country codes, digital network and instructions of how to place a call. Hold down the zero to enter the international call prefix "+" Best to call Verizon International and discuss options and have them email you the specifics for each country you visit.

Darcy

You might go to the River Cruising board here and ask about wifi/internet experiences on Viking. EM

Switch to T-mobile (if you have an unlocked GSM phone).

Unlimited text and data in Europe (total of over 140 countries) and .20 cents per minute calling, and supports wifi calling.

Since T-mobile does not require a contract, you could open an account, use it while traveling, and cancel with you return.

You CANNOT DO A PREPAID, as you do not get the international coverage.

Have to agree with the T-mobile advice. It is precisely because of T-Mobiles wonderful overseas service (at no extra cost other then 25 cents/min for phone calls) that caused us to switch our provider from ATT to T-Mobile.

Hank

Yep! We have T-mobile and used it all over Europe on our cruise last summer. And my parents have the same and just used it for their Viking Rhine River cruise. Now, we're not talking about texting or calling. But they could check email, post on FB, etc... And that's all they were going to do anyway.

If you have an unlocked phone, it is probably less expensive to buy a SIM when you get to Europe. You can get a prepaid SIM for a month with sufficient talk time and data for about 15-20 euros. I have used them in both Europe as well as the UK. They can be purchased in a variety of locations. In Europe, I cannot recommend Vodaphone, I had numerous customer service issues with them.

Neal in Cincinnati

Have to agree with the T-mobile advice. It is precisely because of T-Mobiles wonderful overseas service (at no extra cost other then 25 cents/min for phone calls) that caused us to switch our provider from ATT to T-Mobile.

 

Hank

20 cents per minute. :D

So a 20% discount from what you thought you paid. :D

They also have a GREAT plan for military, including veterans.

With T-mobile, you will have your normal phone number (if you totally switch) so people can easily call in an emergency. And even if you don't more your number, you will have a US number, so people call you locally, not an international call.

They also have a GREAT plan for military, including veterans.

Yes they do! I kept telling hubby to send in his info and he was busy, just forgetting. Finally did it a few months ago and are saving about $60-70/month for 4 lines!

20 cents per minute. :D

 

So a 20% discount from what you thought you paid. :D

 

They also have a GREAT plan for military, including veterans.

They recently increased the price to 25 cents per minute. I received an e-mail last month but do not remember the exact effective date. They also expanded the number of countries so I guess they view it as a tradeoff. But when you consider we get two lines for $60 a month (including all taxes) and that gets us free unlimited data and text in around 200 countries and only 25 cents a min for phone calls (outside North America) we have no complaints. We find that T-Mobile simple works just about everywhere and we do not have to deal with extra daily or monthly charges, roaming issues, etc. I think they may have also increased their Senior Plan from $60 to $70 (2 lines) but we are grandfathered (a good term for seniors) in.

Hank

Hmm, I never saw anything about a per minute increase.

I wonder if it applies to my plan. I ended up with 3 lines, all with ONE, for $100.

But I was at the store, and military plan is even cheaper. But I need to find my DD214. It is around somewhere. :D

Just checked, the site does say 25 cents per minute, but up to 210+ countries.

I'm not sure what countries were added, because I'm not sure which ones weren't already there. The Bahamas were a long holdout but I think they went in a couple of years ago.

Vietnam was added. It was not last year when I was there.

Tunisia is also new, IIRC.

Ghana, Zambia, Uganda, Kenya. South Africa used to be the only sub-Saharan. I think the -stans are new also.

Unfortunately cruise ships are still $6 per minute on T-Mobile (the highest cell phone calling rate I'm aware of) but at least T-Mobile doesn't have cruise ship data service (you can pick up a land-based cellular signal several miles out to sea). I've heard stories about cellular data charges after cruises and European trips with other carriers.

https://www.t-mobile.com/coverage/roaming?cruise=Cunard:%20Queen%20Mary%202

We don't want to switch our "regular" cell phones to T-mobile for our upcoming trip to the Baltic and Germany. But we have extra unlocked phones so wonder if we should just pick up SIM cards when we land at Heathrow. Wondering which carrier would be good? I see somone says don't use Vodaphone. Any other recommendations?

Unfortunately cruise ships are still $6 per minute on T-Mobile (the highest cell phone calling rate I'm aware of) but at least T-Mobile doesn't have cruise ship data service (you can pick up a land-based cellular signal several miles out to sea). I've heard stories about cellular data charges after cruises and European trips with other carriers.

 

https://www.t-mobile.com/coverage/roaming?cruise=Cunard:%20Queen%20Mary%202

We don't want to switch our "regular" cell phones to T-mobile for our upcoming trip to the Baltic and Germany. But we have extra unlocked phones so wonder if we should just pick up SIM cards when we land at Heathrow. Wondering which carrier would be good? I see somone says don't use Vodaphone. Any other recommendations?

If your phones are unlocked, there nothing to "switching" them. You just put in the SIM card. And when you come back, you swap back to your normal SIM card.

The only advantage to actually switching is porting your number over, so your friends and family can call your "normal" number. But not switching, the only people who can call you are those you give your new number to.

And since T-mobile does not have contracts, you can open an account, use it for your trip, and close it.

Also, with T-Mobile ONE or One Plus, you get free inflight wifi on many US carriers.

Also, with the EU SIM card, you will have a set amount of data, while T-Moible gives you unlimited.

As long was you are staying in EU countries, the EU SIM card will work. But outside the EU you will pay, sometimes very high rates. I mentioned this to my SO, who is from Bulgaria. Her EU SIM card is free of charges in the EU, but if she goes to Macedonia, it is $4 per minute to call. When she visits me here in the US, I get her a T-Mobile SIM card for the duration of her trip.

Unfortunately cruise ships are still $6 per minute on T-Mobile (the highest cell phone calling rate I'm aware of) but at least T-Mobile doesn't have cruise ship data service (you can pick up a land-based cellular signal several miles out to sea). I've heard stories about cellular data charges after cruises and European trips with other carriers.

 

https://www.t-mobile.com/coverage/roaming?cruise=Cunard:%20Queen%20Mary%202

None of the carriers are cheap to use Cllular at Sea. I would expect, as time goes on, the prices will drop as fewer and fewer people use it due to wifi calling.

As someone else mentioned, enable wifi calling and then get a data plan on the ship. This is what I do.

Or leave your phone in airplane mode and enjoy not being connected. :D

None of the carriers are cheap to use Cllular at Sea. I would expect, as time goes on, the prices will drop as fewer and fewer people use it due to wifi calling. :D

Other carriers are about half the price of Tmobile from a ship. Verizon is $2.99 a minute. AT&T offers a Cruise Ship Package, starting at $50 for 50 calling minutes and unlimited text and pictures messages (SMS/MMS), or $3.00 per minute without a package.

No, neither are "cheap," but without a package, I wouldn't hesitate to pay $3 per minute if I needed to make a quick urgent call. $6 and I'm thinking about other options like text or email even if voice would be better.

I've just upgraded to a phone that supports WiFi calling and has two SIM slots. I haven't decided whether that will change how I use my phone internationally (i.e., not on a cruise ship, T-Mobile at 25 cents per minute on land) since I tend not to make enough voice calls to justify a temporary traveling SIM.

$6 per minute versus $3 per minute, means talk faster. :D

I would not use Cellular at Sea no matter who my carrier was.

If you are in Amterdam, every gasstation or small shops sell sim cards without contract. Buy one from Lebara, kpn, T-mobile and then buy some data. 5gb is about 20 euro's, most people have enough for a cruise. U can use it in the whole EU, no more roaming allowed over here.

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5gb is about 20 euro's, most people have enough for a cruise. U can use it in the whole EU, no more roaming allowed over here.

Again, if you leave EU, there can be VERY high roaming charge.

If you do a T-mobile from the US, no roaming in 210+ countries.

Again, if you leave EU, there can be VERY high roaming charge.

 

If you do a T-mobile from the US, no roaming in 210+ countries.

Verstuurd vanaf mijn SM-G950F met Tapatalk

True. :D

But just providing the info, as others will read this thread that are visiting non-EU countries.