daria

I searched and didn't see any recent topics on this. I am up for a new phone in May and will probably get an iPhone 5s (or whatever I can get a good deal on from Verizon). We are going to Italy and France in June. I looked at Verizon's international plans and the amount of data provided is horrible (less than 1 GB). After that you are hit with overage charges, and I read (I believe in a Forbes article) that Verizon really screws their customers who travel to Europe with overage fees.

So, I'm wondering what people with Verizon do? I probably won't use my phone much at all to make phone calls or send texts as I will be with the people I want to talk to. And I am trying to set things up so I don't need to use my phone to acess the info I will want when we are out and about. However, I would like to use a few apps like the slowfood italy app for restaurants (food is very important to us), and some Italian and French phrase apps. I am taking a kindle, but there is no kindle version of the slowfood italy book for restaurants, and I haven't seen good phrase books either.

Any advice is appreciated!

Thanks,

Daria

Robert2533

I have no idea what people with Verizon do, but with T-Mobile, we have unlimited data and messaging, plus local and international calls are only $0.20/minute.

If you have where to get the iPhone 6 or 6s, you would have free calls to and from anywhere in the world when in a WiFi zone. This call plan is only available through T-Mobile and there is no roaming charges while traveling the world (at least in most every country worth traveling to).

One thing I seen a lot of this trip is that there are a number of people walking around using the mapping on their iPhone (or Android) to find their way around, especially in a place like Sevilla. Since it doesn't cost anything, why not?

Andrew

1GB for a month? That would be plenty for me. I can use 1GB at home on an average month if I try hard but barely. Then again, I don't stream videos on my phone or do anything that burns a lot of data. I could certainly live well under 1GB while on vacation.

If you want to save money on calls even with the Verizon plan, install Google Hangouts on your phone and then sign up for a Google Voice number. This will let you make/receive free phone calls back to the US while on WiFi (works on mobile data too - but of course, you don't want to use it if you can for that); you can receive calls (and get voicemail) on your free Google Voice phone number.

bvlenci

I agree that 1 GB sounds like plenty for a month. If your hotels have wifi, make sure to do any heavyweight stuff (uploading large photos, etc.) using wifi.

If you're going to Italy first, you could get an Italian SIM card with a month-long tourist plan, and 4 gb of data, for €30.

https://www.tim.it/offerte/mobile/es...for-visitor-uk

You can use the same SIM card in France, but the data would cost you €3 per day (only on days you use it), for 25 mb; or for €20 you can get a 10-day roaming plan (TIM in Viaggio Pass) which gives you 1 GB. It can be renewed if you'll be in France for more than 10 days, or you can revert to the default €3-per-day plan.

https://www.tim.it/offerte/mobile/estero/allestero

This page is only available in Italian, but you can run it through translate.google.com .

HappyTrvlr

We have Verizon and get their international plan when we travel abroad. It works fine. Texts are cheap and we send and receive them from family in USA. The plan works fine, no problems and cheaper than it used to be.

HappyTrvlr

We have iPhone5 and iPhone 6.

Kathie

Take a look at how much data you use on your phone now. Figure out what apps you use that use a lot of data. When we recently made the switch back to Verizon from T-Mobile, we looked at our data usage and found that we never used as much as a GB between the two of us in a month. We are now on a low-usage plan from Verizon (1 GB a month) and are paying much less than we paid with T Mobile - and we have reception wherever we go (a major problem for us with T Mobile). On the Verizon plan we have, if we went over 1 GB while overseas, the surcharge would be $30 for the next 1 GB of data in a month. You plan may be different - but do ask.

bvlenci

Kathie, how much does the basic Verizon roaming plan, the one with 1 GB of data, cost?

bvlenci

Also, is it for one country, or multiple countries? and is the cost per month?

Andrew

I've used T-Mobile (or their network) for about ten years, and I've rarely had reception problems. (I live in a city but have driven across the US and back and often visit rural areas.) Yes, it's true that there are still some regions where Verizon has better coverage or T-Mobile has none. There are also some spots where T-Mobile has better coverage. One office where I do some work is a Verizon dead zone - the workers with Verizon phones have to step outside to use their phones - but I always get good T-Mobile reception there. This is probably more rare than the opposite case, but it can happen.

It's really a case of "your mileage may vary."

If you are considering a switch to T-Mobile, you can get a trial for two weeks to use it where you live and work and see how coverage is for you. (If it is poor just at home, you could also use WiFi calling to make/receive calls on your phone using your internet connection.) You can also look at T-Mobile's coverage map ahead of time to see how it might be near you. If reception is not good enough for you, cancel the trial and keep your old service. (You don't have to port your old number right away.)

I've since dumped T-Mobile itself for cheaper service: Gosmart Mobile, a "budget brand" (MVNO) wireless operator owned by T-Mobile. I pay $30/month for unlimited talk + text and 1GB of 3G data per month on my Android phone. It still uses T-Mobile's network. I get 4GLTE signal almost everywhere I go. I plan to buy local SIM cards the next time I go overseas.

mainetrvlgrl

We have been happy with the Verizon plan when traveling in Europe. We are good about using WIFI when its available, and we turn off cellular usage on most of our apps (just a few that make life easier do we leave on). We also use WhatsApp for communicating via voice and text abroad. Its a free app, and many of our Italian friends use it as well. Verizon doesn't charge for overages, but does charge $25 for additional data per 1G. They give you the warning, so you can opt to lower your usage with their warning as well. I think most importantly, we had NO ISSUES with usage via our Verizon plan. This is worth a lot I think.

Kathie

bvlenci, the Verizon roaming data plan is per month, doesn't matter which country you are in. But Verizon has at least a zillion different pricing plans, so you would have to consult with them about what it would cost you.

colonna

I'm using my Verizon iPhone 5s right now in Paris, with a plan that gives me 100 minutes of telephone, 100 texts (sent, not counting received), and 100mgb data(not 1 GB) a month for $40.

Not very happy, since I can only send and receive texts when I have wifi. Phone service has been touch and go as well.

I talked to Verizon, and wound up switching on and off the various cellular data/roaming settings, but run the risk of pricey overages if I forget what I've done, and since I don't understand any of it, the risk is high.

My nephew (who's a tech writer) told me that Verizon doesn't use the same overseas technology as most carriers, and that might be part of the problem.

I assumed things would work easily, but I was wrong. More phone calls to Verizon in my future. Mostly using FaceTime and WhatsApp, but need the wifi for both.

scigirl

At the airport there are usually places to buy a new SIM card and some amount of airtime and data. It is generally much cheaper than paying for USA phone service (like Verizon) to operate in Europe. You can pop the SIM card out of your phone (there is a tiny slot on the side of the iphone for the SIM card), put in the new one - and you are good to go. You'll have a different phone number, so once you get the card installed drop a text or email to your contacts to let them know. When you come home, put your old SIM card back in place and you'll be back to normal.

GPS gobbles data - everything else you can probably do for less than 1GB for a couple weeks travel.

Andrew

scigirl: <i>At the airport there are usually places to buy a new SIM card and some amount of airtime and data. It is generally much cheaper than paying for USA phone service (like Verizon) to operate in Europe. You can pop the SIM card out of your phone (there is a tiny slot on the side of the iphone for the SIM card), put in the new one - and you are good to go.</i>

Not always quite that easy. Sometimes the SIM must be activated, and there may not be obvious instructions in English. (Some SIM cards automatically require a PIN to use each time to turn on the phone, but this can be disabled.) I usually ask the person selling me the SIM to activate it for me, in their language, before I leave.

Sometimes data doesn't automatically work, either. On my Android last year, I had to have the APN set for each new SIM I bought (one in Montenegro, one in Bosnia), though now I know how to do this, and on newer phones it may not be required.

And in some countries like Italy, buying a SIM isn't as easy as buying one from a convenience store. You may be required to have your passport information recorded.

<i>GPS gobbles data - everything else you can probably do for less than 1GB for a couple weeks travel.</i>

Actually, GPS itself on a phone doesn't use any data; you can turn off your mobile data and still use it. What can gobble up data is the maps that you view to go along with the GPS, but you can download maps ahead of time on WiFi and save data if you want. I have used Google Maps successfully to navigate somewhere with data off during the entire drive, after getting directions/maps at home while on WiFi. Google Maps even has the option now to pre-download the maps for a whole area you've selected (presumably on WiFI), so you don't really need mobile data at all to follow directions. It is nice to have it if you change plans while driving or to find gas stations, etc. - but that won't use much data.

daria

Thank you all very much. I still don't know what to do, but this really helps. I forgot to mention that, yes, we will probably want to use GPS/maps, mostly in Italy where we will be driving from Venice to Tuscany and then around Tuscany for over a week.

Also, I never said 1 GB. I said LESS THAN 1 GB. I believe the plan I saw was the one colonna is using now in Paris. I didn't know there were other Verizon plans for use in Italy and France. This is very hard fo figure out on their website. It is almost like they don't want you to know. However, if it is true that it is only $25 for each additional GB, then that would probably be ok. I'll call them.

Like I said, I am actually going to try not to use data much and instead use wifi and old fashioned paper maps. So, the Verizon plan may be ok.

I also was wondering if our phones would work in Italy and France at all because I had read that they might not. It sounds like colonna is having a problem. If anyone else has used their Verizon iPhones in Italy or France, I'd love to hear about it.

Not interested in switching to T-Mobile. We get good service from Verizon in our area and have heard bad things about T-Mobile locally.

Thanks again.

HappyTrvlr

We have had our iPhones on a Verizon plan the last few years in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, France, Poland, Germany, Italy, Greece and Turkey. When you enter a new country, Verizon sends you a text, "Welcome to France ! (Or whatever country are in) with instructions.

mainetrvlgrl

I agree that the website isn't always user friendly with verizon-I found it helpful (albeit time consuming) to go into my local verizon store, and they activated the plan I wanted right then and there. We had NO problems in either France or Italy (have been every year for the past four years with two different iPhones). We went all around Italy, and were in Paris. Good luck figuring things out!

daria

Thank you!