xyz123

Too bad I am home from my European holiday but t mobile USA today announced that beginning 01 July through 31 August, all T Mobile simple choice plans will now include unlimited free 4g data in Europe. There don't seem to be any restrictions or hidden fees. If you are in a local area in the USA with adequate T Mobile service (and their service has improved by leaps and bounds during the past year), how can you do much better?

Andrew

I recently got back from a 2.5 week trip to Europe (Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Russia, and the Netherlands). I switched back to T-Mobile for two months just for the trip (switched back to Gosmart Mobile yesterday to save $20/month). I only switched to T-Mobile for the trip because I was going to be in six countries in 2.5 weeks, and it was much easier to have instant service once I crossed a border than weal with roaming or buying a new SIM in every country. And when I took the ferry between Helsinki and St. Petersburg (back and forth, about 12 hours overnight each way), I was able to roam on random cell towers in Finland and Russia most of the time, instead of using the ferry's expensive (but supposedly spotty) WiFI service.

T-Mobile worked beautifully in every country - at least the data did. I got a 4GLTE connection in every country, though I didn't make or receive any voice calls with T-Mobile (20 cents/minute). I used Google Hangouts to make free voice calls home to US landlines. T-Mobile limits data to 2G (except for this summer as is the subject of this thread) but that seems to happen only when you try streaming media or downloading large files. My speeds were pretty good - I could even make Google Hangouts calls using mobile data not just WiFi - until I tried to stream a video - then my phone would slow to a crawl for five minutes. I guess that wouldn't happen this summer!

But if I were going to only one or two countries, next time I'd probably just buy local SIM cards as I've done in the past.

Note that your phone must have the frequencies used in Europe to get 4GLTE or even 3G service, because different frequencies are used there vs. in the US. I was aware of this ahead of time and acquired the international version of my Moto E phone, which worked beautifully in Europe. The US version of the Moto E I was/am using as a 4GLTE phone at home would connect only at very slow Edge (2G) frequencies in Europe, making T-Mobile's 4GLTE data offer pretty useless. If you have a modern, expensive smart phone, it should have all the frequencies you need. An old GSM flip phone may or may not have the frequencies to work in Europe at all, FYI.

Kathie

A few years ago, we switched from Verizon to T-Mobile because of our travel plans. While they didn't guarantee 4G or even 3G, we had 3G in Paris and in Peru (Lima, Sacred Valley, Cusco). The problem is that we spend a month each year on Kauai and we had poor voice reception and NO data at all where we staying Kauai (Poipu Beach). Also, our reception at home was mediocre, with plenty of dropped calls. My mother lives on Lopez Island (in the San Juans) and we had no reception at all there (either voice or data0.

If T-Mobile would improve their network in the US, I'd consider it again.

Dukey1

I've used T-Mobile for several years in Europe; just the ability to freely use the maps alone is worth it IMO. That along with the already-included unlimited texting and I never really had to actually MAKE any phone calls.

Andrew

T-Mobile's "network in the US" is quite good in my experience. I've been on their network for over ten years and used it all over the country. Sure, it's maybe not as great as Verizon's, and you will find more T-Mobile dead zones than Verizon dead zones (which do exist), but it's not worth the extra cost to me to pay for Verizon in the very rare cases where I don't get good T-Mobile coverage. If I lived somewhere without good T-Mobile coverage, I'd switch to someone else no doubt. But that doesn't mean their US network isn't good.

(GoSmart Mobile that I just switched to is a prepaid service owned by T-Mobile and uses their network.)

I will say that the quality of T-Mobile's customer service seems to have slipped a lot in the last year or two. I had to call customer service twice in just the two months I was back with them to correct weird billing errors. And I've heard reports from Facebook friends of similar recent snafus with them. Maybe they have grown too fast over the last few years and haven't been able to keep up.

If you own your phone like I do, it might be quite easy to switch for a month or two just for a trip - or buy local SIM cards instead when you travel.

Christina

I have a Tmobile phone and have never been anywhere in the US where I couldn't use it. Obviously some people claim they don't have a good network somewhere, but I guess wherever that is, I haven't been there. I've used it all over the east coast and out west and in the Midwest. The only place I could get reception was some real rural area between Ohio and WV, but Verizon doesn't have a network there, either.

greg

I have T-mobile at home. I have no t-mobile cell coverage. For that matter, no Verizon cell coverage and one bar ATT wireless coverage. And yet, I get excellent t-mobile phone connection superior to ATT wireless. How can it be? Because I use a t-mobile branded phone capable of doing WiFi calling.

Andrew

My Google Voice phone number is my primary phone number (I have no landline at home). That means I can use any mobile phone service or WiFi at home to make/receive regular phone calls, and I can use it for free (at least to call the US or receive calls) while overseas, as long as I have WiFi or some mobile data there.

It's possible to port your cell phone number to Google Voice (costs $20 one-time fee). It's also possible (not as easy but I've done it) to port your landline to Google Voice. Anyone who has been thinking of dumping their landline service but wants to keep the phone number could move it to Google for the one-time fee, keep the number for no monthly fee, and actually use it to make receive calls again from a cell phone.

Dukey1

I've never had to call T-Mobile's Customer Service so what does that mean? That <B>I</B> have never had to and IMO that is all that it means

Andrew

Would you call T-Mobile's customer service if they overbilled you $20 one month? Or starting charging you for service a week before you received your SIM card to activate T-Mobile service on your phone? Or couldn't get their website to accept your credit card for payment? (This happened to my friend recently.)

spaarne

mark

rs899

We just got back fromba trip to Copenhagen, Budapest, Kyiv, Odessa (mostly) and Vilnius and I see that Tmo could have covered us in all those places (thoogh not 4GLTE). I bought a FreedomPop GSM SIM and it only worked in Copenhagen. I will have to consider doing Tmobile next time, though it really would not have been worth the $50 as most of the time was in Ukraine where I bought 8gb of data for $4.

Andrew

If you have the right phone, I think you'd get 4GLTE with T-Mobile in most of those countries. I know I did on my recent trip. In Vilnius I was at first limited to 3G on the network T-Mobile registered me with - Tele2 - but for some reason I was moved to Bite, another wireless provider, for a few days and that was 4GLTE. I think it was 4GLTE in the other countries.

rs899

Well, if Tmo works at all in Ukraine, it will be HSPA. That's the best they have on any network. They just got to 3G late last year. I think I read there is only one 4glte network in Lithuania and I think you found it, Andrew.