Andrew

Yeah, $30 USD is about what I spent on my Vodafone NL SIM with top-up, etc. but with only 3GB of data. Still, I have used only about 2GB (I'm at CDG about to fly out - using the hotspot to burn up the data - why not?) I was able to top mine up with a US credit card on Vodafone's site without using Paypal or getting any surcharges. It would be nice to have 12GB of data (wow!) and the extra WiFi access, though, but I'm quite happy with the way my Vodafone SIM experience worked out. After roaming charges are removed, maybe the SIM will still be useful next year (supposedly will remain active for a year - I have 5 Euro credit on it) if I come back to Europe.

rs899

One minus seems to be that you can't turn the phone into a hotspot. I am going to try the sim in another phone that is rooted and has a custom ROM and try some different tethering apps to see if I can get around it.

Andrew

Oh, that's a shame! Hotspot is essential for me - has worked great with the Vodafone SIM (at least on Android - I hear iPhone users may have problems). Still using it the last few minutes before we depart CDG.

rs899

Wait! I switched the SIM to an old Galaxy Nexus that I had running Cyanogenmod 14.0 (Nougat) and it worked fine. Three didn't block it .
I am going to try a different rooted phone and see if it works. I will bet WiFi tether router will work.

Andrew

Glad you got it to work, but I would have been out of luck; I have only the one 4G phone for Europe and it's not rooted. I would have been disappointed not to have hotspot - I used it every day for my laptop and tablet, sometimes for hours on the train. I think I remember now one of the other reasons I picked the Vodafone NL SIM: very few restrictions like this.

rs899

I know what you mean. I normally bring a tablet, but this time I just going to bring a phone as I don't want to be forced to check and pay for a bag if they ban tablets while we are there. By the way, I don't think Three roams in 4g, though it has it in UK.

rs899

I also got Three to tether using the native hotspot on my dual sim Moto E which is also running cyanogenmod 14.0 (nougat).

Andrew- I thought you had a moto e? Have you tried to root it and unlock the bootloader?

Andrew

I have several versions of the Moto E. Is yours the XT1521 (dual SIM)? I use that one for Europe - works great. Haven't tried to root it but haven't needed to. There's a free upgrade to Android Marshmallow available that I've not even bothered to install yet, because my other Moto E's are not being upgraded past Lollipop and I like having them all the same, for now. The Verizon Moto E I have cannot be rooted; I think the Sprint Moto E (which is now my daily phone at home) can be, perhaps I'll root it to upgrade it to Marshmallow someday.

rs899

Yes, XT1521. You should be able to unlock the bootloader through Motorola or Lenovo and drop a custom ROM on it like I did (go to Nougat). I am going to use my Israeli LG G3 in Europe (d855, not rooted) as it has a larger screen, but will likely take the moto e or the galaxy nexus to give to SWMBO so that we can use Hangouts and communicate with each other if we get separated . I have some Freedompop Global GSM SIMs to use in the backup phone. I also have a 17 year old daughter who swears she can use wifi on her iphone but I am loaded for bear with that 12 gig ThreeUK SIM deal and phones that can hotspot with it.

Sue81

Hi, I am the one that started this thread so here is a summary for me. I have the Sim card now, for Vodafone NL for my Apple 7 I phone. I also have loaded in the APP google hangout, and it does work in the US. So now my idea is to go to a Vodafone store in Amsterdam and have them put the Sim card in and get it activated, and buy some data. Does this make sense to wait until I get to Amsterdam to do this.Remember I am not real tech savy. Verizon will do little to help me on this here in the US. I will freeze my Verizon service for the period that I am in Europe and use the Vodafone/Google hangout for free calls to the US, but not US to Europe. So How do I get the phone info, to be in English rather in Dutch, seems like i read this somewhere? Any comments on this plan? Seems to make sense to me. What am I missing???? Are vodafone stores pretty prevalent in Amsterdam, might try Schlipol airport....Sue

Andrew

You can certainly wait until you get to Amsterdam to set up the SIM card at a Vodafone store, though that negates any benefit to having bought a SIM ahead of time - you can probably get a SIM for free or almost free at a Vodafone store there. But if that feels less stressful for you at this point and you can't find someone locally (Apple store?) to help you swap SIM cards and activate your Vodafone SIM card before you leave for Europe, then I guess you should wait until you get to Amsterdam.

In any case, bring something safe to store your Verizon SIM card in so you don't lose it during your trip! The nano SIM card is tiny and easy to lose.

After you activate the Vodafone SIM card, you'll have to add credit (top up) first - then you use that credit to buy a "You" package - the cheapest way to go. For example, I added 20 Euros credit to my SIM. Then I bought, with my credit, the "You L" package for 20 Euros to get 3GB of data for a month. Yes, you can do this all at a Vodafone store if you don't want to do it ahead of time.


The Vodafone store clerk can set your phone to communicate in English. If you happen to activate your SIM before you get to Amsterdam, I can look up how to do it for you - I never bothered.

Sue81

Andrew, My son is getting his Sim card in Amsterdam at a Vodafone store, but I got mine already from the Internet. It just seems easier to let the Vodafone store set it up for me. I sure hope we can find a Vodafone store easily in Amsterdam. I think there is one at the airport, so may do it there. Thanks for the help everyone, I hope I am all set and have this figured out. Sue

rs899

"So How do I get the phone info, to be in English rather in Dutch, seems like i read this somewhere?"

The phone itself will still operate in English. No changes needed. However, you will get messages in Dutch from Vodaphone, warning you that you need to top up, etc.

Perhaps Vodaphone will have an app in English that will help you monitor your balance.

Reading54

Text 'English' to 4000 to switch NL Vodafone's message to you in English.

Reading54

Text 'Status' to 4000 to get an update on how much data remains in your plan.

If it ever prompts you for a password to unlock your SIM card, the default password is 0000 (4 zeros.)

Andrew

rs899: <i>Perhaps Vodaphone will have an app in English that will help you monitor your balance.</i>

Unfortunately, they do not. Their app is only in Dutch. And you can't install it on your phone unless you are in the Netherlands anyway - unless you find a way to download it on your own (which is what I did). You must use the Dutch Vodafone app for the Dutch Vodafone SIM - you can't use an app for a different branch of Vodafone (say, Vodafone UK) which is completely incompatible.

But even in Dutch, you can get the general idea from the app of what's going on. The My Vodafone login on their website is basically the same thing, but it can be translated (e.g. in Google Chrome) to English. You don't really need the app - just slightly more convenient.

Andrew

Reading54: <i>If it ever prompts you for a password to unlock your SIM card, the default password is 0000 (4 zeros.)</i>

You can remove the SIM lock - I did. Just a security thing, something you can set or remove on any SIM card (at least in Android). Let's hope the Vodafone rep will do that as part of the setup process. It's annoying, and anyone who can steal my phone and pop out the SIM to see it's Vodafone will be able to figure out the 0000 code anyway.

Sue81

Ok, here I am again. I have the nano Sim card for my Apple I phone 7, got it in two weeks in US.Also have a little plastic container for old Sim to store in safe spot. I have the google hangout downloaded on phone and can call two friends in US. Andrew I am stopping my Verizon plan as of 7/4 (saves $10.), and will have the Sim card installed by Vodafone in Amsterdam. What is the GSM not CDMA issue. If Verizon is stopped is this something I need to deal with? what does that mean? Also do I need to open a google account or is it opened with the App? I hope I have this all in order. Thanks all, again. Off 7/3. Sue

rs899

You are confusing me with the GSM CDMA thing. Your phone works on both bur Verizon is a CDMA carrier. If you already got Hangouts to work on wifi in the US, you are golden. Just get data working on Vodaphone somehow and you should be fine.

Andrew

You certainly already have a Google account if you have used Google Hangouts now. That won't change when you get to Europe or when you use a different SIM. So you don't need a new Google account. All you need to remember to do is add the +1 prefix in front of US phone numbers to call with Hangouts, something you don't do in the US.

CDMA is the wireless technology Verizon uses in the US (Sprint too). GSM is what T-Mobile and AT&T use in the US and also what is used in all of Europe. Your phone can roam on GSM networks in Europe, but you may need to enable roaming in the phone to do that. Not sure - I know little about iPhones, but it should be easy. No doubt a Vodafone store agent would know how to turn that on. So would someone at an Apple store here in the US. Your son probably can too. It's probably just a simple iPhone setting - swipe one setting to roam and that's all you need to do. Swipe it back when you get home to the US to use Verizon again.