Using verizon international data plan?
 

We have Verizon Wireless and we each have an iPhone 5 and we are considering using the international data plan for our upcoming 2-week trip to Sicily. It looks like it costs $40/phone, which includes 100mb data. Will this be enough for our needs?

In our last 2 trips, we got SIM cards -- overall, that worked well and was less certainly less expensive than the above, but we found it difficult when we got messages from the company in the native language and had no idea what was going on (were we running out of time? what else is being communicated). We also had an awful time using our phones after the SIM card was removed -- there was some app that was switched on or off that interfered with our phone use upon return that even Verizon techs couldn't figure out. So we'd like to keep it simple, if possible.

So for this trip, we are considering just paying the extra few dollars to get the international plan, probably for both phones. My questions are what are the added costs, AND, most important, would the 100mb cover our use of Google maps? If it's more than adequate, we might only get the plan for 1 phone, but would do both if necessary. We find the Google maps app especially helpful and that would be the primary data use. We also travel with an iPad but depend on the WiFi for any research or emails. We don't expect to text much - the only calls would be to accommodations prior to arrival and maybe 1-2 international calls (but not more than that).

And no, we are not switching to any other plan at this point. I'm aware of T-mobile but we aren't going to change from Verizon wireless at this point.

Many thanks in advance!
Paule

100 mb is very little. You could run through that uploading one photo to Facebook. However, Google Maps lets you download area maps in advance when you have wifi, and then you can use them when you don't have any internet connection. (The GPS satellite connection doesn't use data services.) This wouldn't give you turn-by-turn directions, but it would let you see where you are and show you a walking route to get to your destination. It would also show you a driving route, but without the voice directions, you'd need a human navigator to tell you where to turn.

If you can do all the other stuff on wifi, 100 mb should be enough for the occasional light use of data services. To avoid downloading things in background, keep the phone's data services turned off unless you really need them.

No one can answer the data usage. That is specific only to you. Use data usage feature/app on your phone to get an empirical result. That is YOUR data usage pattern, not someone else's.

Many people confuse using t-mobile as switching a plan. It is totally not necessary to switch a plan.

If you are comfortable using an Italian SIM card during the trip while you have Verizon plan, you should be just as well comfortable using a t-mobile USA SIM card only during the trip while you retain your Verizon plan. Cancel t-mobile USA as soon as you come home.

If you want turn by turn navigation download the Here app. Then download the maps you need before you leave home.

100mb is not a lot. Is that the total you are allowed or is that per day or per week?

I get 100mb European roaming per week on my Dutch phone, and I get through it in a couple of days if I am not very careful. It is enough to check mail, but not to download attachments or view image heavy sites such as new sites.

Simply put, the Verizon international data plan has nothing to compare with T-Mobile's free unlimited data/messaging service.

And as noted, 100mb is nothing to write home about, in fact, a few emails could easily eat up your 100mb limit if you include any photos in the email, if not in a WiFi hotspot.

Thanks for the feedback -- I think you've all answered my question about 100mb. The one use we have and like is the GPS in Google maps, and that seems to need more than 100mb. I think that's what you are all saying, am I right?mthat is what the plan offers for $40 base. I'm not sure how much extra is. It would be for 2 weeks.

Again, we are not using it for Facebook,or email or more heavy website use. We will have our iPad and upload when we have a wifi connection.mits the GPS that we really do use when driving and it sounds like 100 mb is not enough.

You don't need mobile data for GPS. Even Google Maps now lets you download a section of maps ahead of time (e.g. with WiFi). Google Maps can still give you turn-by-turn directions while driving without mobile data. You can try it yourself now before you leave for Europe (I have). Turn off mobile data and try to navigate somewhere by car. (Get directions first while on WiFi, and/or download a section of Google Maps near you ahead of time.)

I suggest installing Google Hangouts Dialer on your phone so you can make free phone calls home (even to landlines) while on WiFi, so you won't have to use any Verizon minutes to call someone at home. You can make international calls too with Hangouts Dialer but not free, and you may have to buy a block of credit from Google ($10 blocks like Skype?) to do so.

I also suggest you try to understand why your phones had trouble with Verizon once you got home after using a foreign SIM. I suspect it has something to do with using CDMA (Verizon USA) instead of GSM (Europe). I know how to change that setting in my Android to roam on GSM and back to CDMA, but I wouldn't know how to do it on an iPhone. Sounds to me that if you could figure that out, buying a local SIM might still be your best choice, given that you have done it before.

Thanks, Andrew, the info on Google maps is interesting and we will definitely try it out. You're making some excellent suggestions -- I'm still trying to understand all of them but I'm intrigued by the ideas.

I managed to figure out the settings last year -- even Verizon had no idea, and we spent many hours on the phone with them-- but I'm not sure which setting it is now. I hope I don't have the same problem but at least I know I managed to stumble upon so if we have problems again, I'll have somewhere to start!

I would be curious to know if you will have similar problems switching your phones back to work in the US when you get back from this trip, even if you stick with Verizon's international data plan. Because Verizon does not have service in Europe - they use CDMA technology in the US and Europe uses GSM, so you will have to roam on a GSM network (on a Verizon partner over there), maybe on one of the same networks you might use were you to buy a local SIM again. You'll have to switch back to CDMA when you get home. Maybe this is the problem you had last time?

Either way, not the end of the world if you go with Verizon's plan this time and it isn't enough data or something - you'll live, and you'd still have the option to buy a local SIM if 100MB isn't enough data.

Andrew,
I wish that I wrote down what the setting was that got changed, but I've no doubt that it had to do with the SIM card that we received in Spain last year. Is it possible that it had to do with the VPN setting? Just not sure now...

DH wants to use the international plan - our biggest frustration with SIM cards is simply not understanding what the frequent texts say that are sent from the carrier, and not knowing what to do about them.

Couldn't you use a translation app to understand the texts? Use one phone to translate the message on the other. There are apps that use the camera and translate the text to save you having to type it in. You can even download the appropriate dictionary before you leave home so you don't waste data.

hetismij2,
The translation app is an excellent idea, but I think DH is more inclined to keep it simple and pay for the use of Verizon's travel plan and absorb it as the overall cost of the trip.

Robert, we aren't ready to switch over to T-mobile, but it's an idea we're considering for the future. Right now our travels are limited, but when I retire and we hope to travel more, it may be worth our while to switch. For now, we're not, convenient though it may be for travel.

I agree that 100mg is very little, even if you plan to use wifi whenever possible. Verizon also has a $50 plan which provides 250mg of data (no voice or text minutes, but text is inexpensive).

Note too that the 'month' will be your billing cycle, not necessarily a calendar month. Given how your travel dates fall compared to your billing cycle, you might have prorated amounts in two billing cycles.

I have experienced 'misunderstandings' in the past with dealing with Verizon's global service, so now my only communication with them is via chatting online, and I save all the chats so there is no misunderstanding when the bill comes.

GinnyJo,
Great suggestion about using online chatting vs. speaking to an agent! I will definitely do the same -- especially since it is often so difficult to get someone on the phone.

I'll need to do some more research before making a decision....

I have the Verizon $40 plan and have been using it for the last 2 months in France and Italy.

One thing that really threw me is that I have NO voicemail service at all. I can't get into my voicemail, and I can't see if there were any calls. A Verizon person tried various things to get rid of the red dot that means "no service"-- then said, "Oh, voicemail is not available overseas at this time." So that might be a dealbreaker.

Or that Verizon person might not have known what he was talking about.

Checking voicemail while abroad is generally very expensive, since, though you may not realise it, it involves you making an international call back to your home country, then listening to however many messages you have, which may be why Verizon have switched it off.

That makes sense, hetismij2, but I wish I had the option. Or at least that Verizon had made it clear when I signed up.

I suggested Google Hangouts above to make free phone calls back to the US (even to landlines; the person receiving the calls does not need Google Hangouts to get your call). It's a VOIP service like Skype, so it uses WiFi or mobile data. You can use this with or without the Verizon international plan.

If you DON'T use the Verizon international plan, you might also get a Google Voice US phone number before leaving the US (assuming the OP is in the US - Google Voice as I understand it is still only available to Americans). You can use Google Voice as an app within the US only, but it gives you a US phone number (and voicemail) that you can use overseas with Google Hangouts. So if you have a Google Voice number and call the US from Europe with Google Hangouts, the caller sees your Google Voice number. You can set Google Hangouts to receive calls on this US number as well.

So - you could forward your Verizon calls to your Google Voice number before leaving the US. Then you could answer the forwarded calls with Google Hangouts, and missed calls would go to your Google voicemail. If you return the call with Google Hangouts, the other person would see your Google number, though, not your original Verizon number.

You can try all of this now before you leave for Europe to see how it works. If you already have a Google account, it's easy to get a Google Voice phone number - just an add-on to your Google account. You might not be able to find a new available number in your area code, though, but it probably doesn't matter anymore. The trickiest part might be turning call forwarding from Verizon on and off. On my old T-Mobile flip phone I could turn call forwarding on and off on the phone itself - maybe you do it the same way with Verizon, not sure.

"Checking voicemail while abroad is generally very expensive"

When having to deal with missed calls and voicemail, if using T-Mobile and the iPhone 6, 6s, or one of Samsung's latest in its lineup, you're able to check voicemail when in a WiFi zone at no cost.

The OP isn't switching to T-Mobile. Give it up.

Colonna - I appreciate hearing about your experience. While voicemail might be an issue for some, I don't anticipate needing it for our short, 2-week trip. What calls we'll make will most likely be local.

Andrew - many, many thanks for your suggestions. A lot of it is a bit beyond my basic understanding of all of the various services and options, and I must admit, I'm a bit overwhelmed in thinking about it. But I'm going to try to experiment with some of the things you suggest and see how they work out for us. Again, I appreciate your taking the time to explain what some of the options are.

You might try some of the things I've suggested one step at a time. For example, try installing Google Hangouts Dialer on your phone. Hangouts is more than just a phone calling app; Google makes it look like a "way to chat with your friends" app, but you should be able to use it just to make phone calls. You'll probably need a Google account (if you have Gmail, you have a Google account) to use it.

After you've installed Hangouts on your phone, try making a test call (while on WiFi unless you don't mind using mobile data):

https://support.google.com/hangouts/.../3437917?hl=en

Once you can make a call with Hangouts, you can look at the next steps like signing up for Google Voice, etc. But even if the only thing you do is install Hangouts, you can use that in Europe to make free calls home, whether you go with the Verizon international package or not.

I travel to Europe, Asia and South America often and always get the Verizon intl. plan (because I need to keep my US number while traveling). In Europe, I used to get a local SIM for an old iPhone as well, but now I find that Verizon's new plan is good enough.

I rarely go through the data in two weeks, except in Japan where I use my GPS 24/7. Just make sure you use whatsapp for texting, Facetime or Skype for long international personal calls, and do your emailing and facebooking in free wifi areas. Even if you do have to spend an extra $40, it's well worth it to keep your own phone number and not have to deal with the hassle of switching SIMs.

<Simply put, the Verizon international data plan has nothing to compare with T-Mobile's free unlimited data/messaging service.>

Maybe, but T-Mobile sucks in the US!

Sorry for the multiple posts. Re: voice mail -- I have adopted a habit of the millennials and always make sure my voicemail is full (at home as well). That way callers will text or send an email rather than leave a message. Also, you will get a notification of missed calls so you can see who has tried to reach you.

crosscheck: <i>Maybe, but T-Mobile sucks in the US!</i>

Not for me it doesn't. T-Mobile has been fantastic for me in the US, and I've driven across the country and back with it. (I used T-Mobile for years; now using Gosmart Mobile which is owned by T-Mobile and uses their network.)

But the OP isn't going to switch so it's a moot point in this thread.

I have voicemail turned off. Much easier.

T-Mobile has very patchy coverage in the Netherlands. My son can't get a signal in my house - he has to go to the end of the street if he wants to make a call. Obviously he has access to my WiFi.
Their 4G coverage isn't very good yet either.
KPN has the best 4G in the Netherlands

Try out the Co-Pilot app for turn by turn directions and maps. It uses no data and is excellent.

<T-Mobile has been fantastic for me in the US>

Hi Andrew -- It works in some of areas of LA but the coverage is extremely spotty where we live on the westside.

But, as you said, it's a moot point for the OP. She'll be fine with the Verizon plan, which we too used in Italy -- excellent coverage.

Progol just a couple of things. I really like using Google maps too. Driving into a difficult place can be so less stressful with turn by turn instructions that adjust if you miss a turn. Not that you have to use it all the time but sure nice to have when you want it.

Just to give you an idea, We used 5 gb on an Italian sim in 1 month and 2 gb plus in 2 weeks in Spain.
Google maps chews it up pretty fast.

I partially used it for uploading photos to the cloud because hotel wifi is often just so darn slow. And it's not secure either if you need to do banking or anything.

Could your phone problems possibly have been solved by rebooting the phone?

Also if you go into a shop to buy a sim and get them to put it in for you, get them to show you if they change any settings, then you'll know what to do when you put your US sim back in.

If you decide to buy the package from your provider, make sure it doesn't revert to the regular high prices after you've used up your allowance of data.

Oh yes we had the same problem with not understanding the Italian dialogue until we plugged it into google translate. We even had a conversation with a mobile phone sales person by using Google translate! Lol you just can't wing it when talking tech. :)

sundried, thanks for the advice. I think we're going to stick with the Verizon plan -- but I'm not understanding why you went through so much data while others are fine with the $40 plan and use GPS.

I won't be using the phone for uploading photos, tho -- we download them to,our iPad each day. Anything more we do (Facebook, email), we'll use the iPad and use wifi.

And about the phones -- yes, we rebooted, did a hard reset, even had Verizon send us new SIM cards, and the problem remained the same. We didn't know to ask the sales person, but the previous year, in Thailand, we had no problems, so we were not expecting any problems having had none the year before. The sales person didn't speak English well enough to communicate, so we didn't know then what we didn't know (if you know what I mean).

Cross check -- great information and reassurance! We are going to stick with Verizon this year and hope that with all the information I've gathered here, we'll ace it. I'm going to look into some of the apps as well.

Images2 - I'll look into Co-pilot -- sounds great.

Thanks all, you've all been great -- lots of good suggestions and ideas, and I feel a bit better now. I'm sure I'll be back with more questions, once I start applying some of these recommendations.

Progol that doesn't sound like a very pleasant experience you had with your phone, don't blame you for not wanting a repeat.

We used Google maps for gps quite a bit, and we covered a lot of territory, in addition to uploading my photos to Dropbox.
We are just making some decisions about what to do for our own trip to Sicily coming up in May.
That phone thing kind of scares me, though. I bought an iPad mini with data and hoped to use a SIM card in it. I bought Apple care plus so if anything goes wrong I guess they'll fix it for me.

>>> but I'm not understanding why you went through so much data while others are fine with the $40 plan and use GPS.

That is because GPS has NOTHING to do with the data usage.

It is the real time map downloading that chews up data. I think you are assuming that Facebook, email, and photos are the major user of data. Real time map downloading is also a prodigious user of data.

If you use map pre-downloaded at home as mentioned by hetismij2, then you don't have to use ANY data.

If you allow online map downloading, you will chew up data. You can get an idea by looking at the data usage statistics on your phone using your phone at home for navigation. For driving in semi-populated area, I use about 10MB per hour of driving.

I haven't tried this myself, but GlocalMe looks like an interesting option for inexpensive sim-free wi-fi, and it appears that you can add up to five devices at once, which would beat $40/phone.

I'd love to hear if anyone else has had experience with GlocalMe.

https://www.glocalme.com/

greg Thanks for clearing that up, I think I used the wrong terminology there.
It is the real time map downloading that we like to use, but only when driving into a city etc which can be confusing.

But that is certainly where we used most of our 2 gb of data, as mentioned above.

Greg, thank you! I think I'm slowly getting this data thing!

So, if I have downloaded maps then the GPS is not going to eat up the data when I use the GPS function. It's just making sure I have the maps downloaded right? it looks like Google maps allows downloaded maps and will do turn by turn navigation offline; the co-pilot app does, too and I just read about an app called Navmii and it looks like it has preloaded maps and has had good reviews. This last one looks like it might be a good option. Has anyone used it?

[regarding Verizon's international plan, whuch has only 100 mb of data]

<i>I rarely go through the data in two weeks, except in Japan where I use my GPS 24/7. Just make sure you use whatsapp for texting, Facetime or Skype for long international personal calls... </i>

I don't understand this advice. The Verizon international plan includes 100 minutes of phone calls and 100 text messages. Why would you use your very limited data to make calls via Skype and send texts by Whatsapp, when you have these included in your plan? I would at least use them up before turning to apps that use data services.

<Why would you use your very limited data to make calls via Skype and send texts by Whatsapp, when you have these included in your plan?>

If I'm traveling for work, I usually go through the 100 texts and sometimes the 100 calls pretty quickly. So for additional calls, if you're in a wifi area for Facetime and Skype, that uses zero data. Whatsapp is the texting app preferred by Europeans and South Americans, also free in wifi areas. I use that for texting with locals -- colleagues/hosts/rental agents/staff/concierges/guides.

I feel as if many of the responses above come from people who haven't actually tried the Verizon global bundle. I use it multiple times a year. If you stay away from data-hungry apps, the 100mg is adequate. I usually go a little bit over in 2-3 weeks, but it's never been outrageous.

But I do dream that t-mobile will one day work where I live, so I can have free coverage abroad...

Here's a FT thread discussing the OP's original Q:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...al-bundle.html

progol, Have a GREAT trip..and let me know how navmii works for you. I've never gotten it together to preload maps. The cars we rent always have a GPS and I've always been a map geek, so I like using real maps when I travel. But in Tokyo, I did have resort to Google maps for walking around.