Sue81

Hi I wanted to let all those know who helped me figure out the Dutch Vodafone Sim card for my I phone and the google hangout app for free calls to the US from Europe. It worked great. I called almost daily for 3 weeks without any charges, after I activated the Sim card for about $15. Thanks all. Worked in Holland, Germany, France, Luxembourg, Switzerland. Got the Sim card from Ebay for $4. plus shipping. Sue

Andrew

That's great, Sue - thanks for the update! Glad it all worked out for you. (Keep your SIM somewhere if you think you might go back to Europe within the next year - you can re-use it by adding new credit to it. It will remain active for a year since your last top-up.)

To reiterate what I've said on other threads about European SIMs: I too bought my Dutch Vodafone SIM on eBay. But unlike Sue, I did not actually go to the Netherlands at all - I didn't need to. I topped up my SIM online on Vodafone's website, using my US credit card. I used the SIM card in May in Slovenia, Italy, and France, entirely for data.

There are other SIM cards (e.g. UK SIM cards) that can be even better deals than the Vodafone SIM, but it worked great for me. And I was able to use my Android phone with this SIM card as a hotspot for my laptop, too.

Unlike say Italy or France, the Netherlands does not require you to show a passport to buy and activate a SIM card - that's why you can buy one on eBay and activate it in other countries. You can't do that with a SIM card from France or Italy (or several other European countries). And the Dutch Vodafone SIM follows the new EU rules for roaming in Europe without extra costs. For me, it was nice to buy a SIM ahead of time at a reasonable cost and have a working phone as soon as I landed in Italy.

rs899

Glad to hear that it worked out for you. Did you get help changing out your SIM card, Sue?

Sue81

Hi, rs and Andrew, my son put the old Sim back in, no problem. I do have a question, my cell phone seems to be working OK.....Apple I-7, but I am not sure about my settings. I have it off... on airplane mode, and on for bluetooth, do I put the wi fi on or off? I know this is a stupid question, but I am not sure. This is for use at home, and away from home. Trip was great and nice to be able to call the US, almost daily for 3 weeks, with absolutely no charges with the google hangout app, and NO roaming charges. Sue

Andrew

Yes, you'll definitely want the WiFi ON on your phone while at home so that you aren't using up your Verizon data instead. Airplane mode should be OFF so you can use the phone without WiFi, too (e.g. when you are on the road somewhere).

Bluetooth is for connecting headsets, keyboards, and other devices to your iPhone. Do you have any bluetooth devices? If not, you can turn off bluetooth on your phone, because all it's doing is wasting battery power.

Sue81

OK I wondered why my battery was running so low every day. Thanks. Will reset it. Sue

Andrew

Turning off bluetooth will help a little but not double your battery life or anything. Smart phones tend to use a lot of battery when in "normal" (not airplane) mode for regular use. I don't talk on mine all that much but still need to charge it at least every other day, generally.

rs899

As we clutter our phones with "must have" apps, many of them are constantly on, sucking data and draining battery. It is good practice to purge your phone of apps you don't use or disable them (if you can on Iphones)

Sue81

OK thanks rs, and Andrew, I think it may be the apps, will work on getting rid of the ones I do not use. Sue