Verizon cell phone to use in Europe
 

I'm going to Italy and Croatia this summer for a few weeks and would like to have a cell phone to keep in touch with my family and friends back here. I've got a BlackBerry Storm2 (VX9550), so it is GSM capable. I'm trying to find the best way to keep in touch without paying a lot for cell usage. Initially, we were told that we could use SkypeMobile for free, but have since found out that it is not able to be used in Europe yet. I would be ok with only using my cell phone's internet capabilities to update Facebook and communicate via e-mail, but I am not sure if there is a charge for that as well or anything. If anyone has any knowledge of this, any other suggestions, or anything else that would help that would be great! Thanks!!

I have at&t i was in France for three weeks Oct 2009 i had my service add international tex on my phone for $25.00 i got 200 tex messages I can't remeber how much it was to call ..Didn't even use that feature .The tex was plenty for me.When i got home i just had the service removed.So you might ck on that.
Have a wonderful trip.

My understanding is that if you want to use the data plans (internet, etc.) then I think you need to call Verizon and tell them you want to roam globally and they will sell you a global data plan for the time you are aboard.

If you just want to use the phone, then I think you can either roam on Verizon's network (again call and ask for a global plan) or you can ask VZW to unlock your phone, and then you can buy a SIM card and use that SIM card in your phone in place of your current SIM card. Swapping out the SIM card will give you a new number, so if you need to know your phone number before you go, then you should buy the card before you go (from a place like telestial). In general, using VZW overseas will be much more expensive than using a local SIM card, but using an Italian SIM card in Croatia may be expensive and vice versa.

"Just staying in touch with your friends" the way young people do in the US ("Hey, we are in the most awesome restaurant!") and Europeans do at home is likely to be quite expensive. If it is just to call and ask how Mary's surgery went, it will be more bearable.

Prepaid phones are another option.

As far as I know Verizon phones don't have SIM capability and can't be used in Europe. My niece bought a phone when she got to France and loaded it with minutes.

Verizon can not be used overseas - You can use the phone as the blackberry should have a SIM slot available. You'd have to buy a local sim card in Italy.

I have Verizon and went to Ireland recently. I was told that my BlackBerry Curve model wasn't global so Verizon rented me a global phone. It was really easy...they sent it to me, I enabled the global phone, used it until I got home and then re-enabled my BB.

I don't remember the specific charges but it was really reasonable. I had to pay a small amount to use the rental phone and I added the additional package to use the web/email piece. It was a monthly charge but was prorated just for the time that I actually used.

I really liked the fact that I had the same telephone number and didn't have the drama of having to buy a new phone, sim cards, etc when I got there.

Dawn

Yes, your GSM Storm can be used in Europe BUT costs for data usage (email, internet browsing) are generally outrageous if you are roaming using your home SIM.
You can pick up a local SIM and use it IF your phone is unlocked. Verizon does not like to do this, but it does not hurt to ask. If they refuse there are plenty of places that will unlock it for a small charge - just google cell phone unlock in your city. Unlocking it this way does usually void the warranty if that is a concern.
Be aware that the browser on your BB may not work with all local SIM cards, and the BB email function will not work uless you get a BB plan with the SIM.
Does your phone have WiFi capability? If so you can turn off the wireless network connection and use WiFi for internet based services (sort of like turning the phone into an iTouch)

Bottom line - easiest and most expensive is to do international roaming through Verizon.

I use my Verizon Blackberry Storm overseas. I pay the Global feature for $69.00 month + the roaming for minutes. The internet, emails, IMs are including in the fee, so I communicate with home via immediate emails instead of calling. My son and I can communicate with our phones there, just pay $1.99 per call.

I don't find that expensive to pay $100 a month for my Verizon phone, while gone because there is nothing like to be dependent of internet cafes, etc. I can do everything from my phone.

By the way, there are other countries where Verizon phones will work (e.g., Canada and Japan), but the number of such countries is small.

NWall--I'm in the same boat--my Verizon HTC Touch Pro2 is GSM also. Thanks, Pookimini, for telling what you did.

For those of you who don't know, there are certain Verizon phones that are "world phones" and can be used on both CDMA and GSM networks. NWall's and mine are two such phones.

I have been going back and forth on this, NWall. I have additional GSM phones, little cheapies we have just used in Europe that work just fine to text (which is the most valuable thing for us because we're trying to communicate while on bicycles--we want to leave messages such as "have stopped for coffee at the corner cafe" type of thing). In the past I've done everything from country SIM cards to CallinEurope, RoamSimple, TravelSim, you name it. My favorite is using a single country SIM plus a cheap overseas phone card, but thos type of SIMs are rarely cheap to start out with.

And now that I have this GSM phone for regular use AND my daughter has the iphone with AT&T which can also be used, I'm so tempted just to get AT&T/Verizon international plans (somewhere around 5.99 for the month that again, can be pro-rated). It seems a shame to own "smartphone" capabilities and not be able to use them.

However, I'm still worried about accidentally running up data costs, and the data plans aren't cheap anyway. The iphone is really easy to set to airplane mode and then to turn wifi off and on as needed. With my HTC Touch Pro 2, my settings tend to be ambiguous.

I'm still pondering, and I'd love to know what you end up deciding upon.

AlessandraZoe,

I've used my Verizon Storm for two trips overseas already and it was a God Send from the start. Last year my oldest in College stayed home for a month taking care of the house and pets, while gone one of our trees fell on top of our Van with the wind. My DS was able to IM me pics of the tree, got IM back with info from us with who to call, how to pay the tree workers, etc. After that first trial trip I was sold with Verizon and I just love my Storm, my husband changed to a Global Blackberry after that also.

I rather pay the $70 pro-rated if you go less than a month. But the upside of having free internet, free emails, free Instant Messenger in my Blackberry is PRICELESS for me, we don't use the voice too much, but I got some phone calls and they are $1,99, so you just tell people unless you are dying don't call, email me.

In my 2 trips overseas, both for a month each, I have paid $70 worth the price for me.

I forgot I'm activating my phone June 8th when I leave and Verizon tells me the Global feature WORKS all over Europe, even the Countries I didn't tell them that I would cross (because I don't know if we will cross to France). We go to Portugal, Spain, Italy, Switzerland and maybe France.

Pookymimi, These details are so helpful. I am quite grateful.

AlesandraZoe, I'm glad to help. Call Verizon and get their rates, etc. They will email you directly with all the data and prices. I hope your phone works overseas.

My Verizon cell phone with global capability worked perfectly in Europe, and automatically adjusted as we entered a new country, and back again when we arrived back in the US.The calls we made were not expensive.

Thanks you guys, all of this is really helpful! I'm thinking that right now I'm leaning toward getting the data plan because from what I've heard it seems like the best and most convenient way to go. I plan to still look into other options, probably going to go talk to Verizon and see what other information I can get from them as well, before leaving. I really like the idea of using WiFi instead of the data plan when it's possible, so I'm sure that I'll use that as well. Thanks for all of the input!!! I really appreciate it and cannot wait for my trip!!

I have to question some of the advice people are making on this forum.
If you have had no experience about something, why offer your opinion as fact? My Verizon Renown with global calling capability worked well during 10 days in Germany and Austria this spring. I am not sure of the per minute cost -- I think it was 99 cents a minute -- but my phone bill for the month was only about $20 more than normal.

Summero--I don't assume you are wrong with your experience nor do I doubt that others with global Verizon phones are wrong with their numbers.

I believe Verizon offers at many different global phone/data plans that are model-dependent, so I am assuming that's part of the cost differential. I have, and I am assuming you have, too, studied all the options with the links on this Verizon page:
http://b2b.vzw.com/international/inside_us.html

But I agree that I am amused when people state with complete confidence that NO Verizon phone will work in Europe, even when so many of us here clearly state (and repeat and repeat and repeat), "This is a GSM-capable Verizon phone."

Nobody doubts verizon can work in Europe however...

1. The vast majority of verizon phones are not gsm and hence will not work in Europe.

2. To the best of my knowledge, Verizon does not provide a sim card unless you request one for a specific period of time.

3. Verizon voice rates are outrageously high. Now just like with reguar gsm carriers, if the phone is just for emergencies and/or for text messaging, that's fine. But to pay 99¢/minute to both make and receive calls, especially in this age of fewer and fewer coin phones as whether in Europe or in the USA, every 10 year old kid walks around with his or her own mobile phone, is not, at least to me, very economical if I am counting on a mobile phone to be a real phone (we can argue the necessity of this forever, to each his or her own).

4. As far as having your own number as a prime reason to keep and pay their outrageous high prices, well there are ways to acquire, very cheaply, numbers in your own country and area code and call forward but then again people sometimes think we're talking brain surgery with these things and again it's all understandable.

I personally want a mobile phone I can use and not worry about running up a $600 bill as it can become very addictive (a friend calls you and you begin yapping away and before you know it, 25 minutes has passed. $26 please....sorry at least to me ain't worth it. But it may well be to you and that's your perogative and fine.

But most verizon phones will not work in Europe and you do hasve to make special arrangements. I think we can all agree on that.

xyz123

LOL--I highly doubt I'm going to run up a $600 bill because a friend wants to call me. I sure will be notifying anyone who regularly calls me that HE/SHE will be paying my bill if they call me for anything other than a notice of HIS/HER impending death. And I will certainly let them know I'm willing to tax their eventual estate!!!!

I could care less about keeping my own number--anyone who needs to reach me should have at least a grounding in making international calls. I have no interest in enabling a child to play games at my expense on my cell.

However, I do have AMAZING capabilities on my phone, my daughter has far MORE amazing capabilities on her phone, and I think I would be stupid not to consider how I could continue using all those capabilities at a cost or effort that might be no more and may be far less than buying a country SIM.

While I say this, XYZ, I am also very grateful to you for all the information that you have and continue to provide to this board. You have always been my "go-to" guy. I'm a fan.

As to "Nobody doubts verizon can work in Europe however...", though, I must certainly disagree. Just tally the number of posts saying otherwise above. And that's just this post! And that's where I can find agreement with Summero, who questioned to as to why they can possibly opinion as fact.

My Verizon Motorola Droid will not work in Europe. not global

I'll be in Portugal June 8th and I will keep everybody posted on how my phone works.

I have a Blackberry Storm and you have to change the settings before leaving USA so you don't forget, you can also do it manually, I've done it before in Chile when it gets disconnected for y,a,z reason.

I don't care too much if I can make calls, there is always a pay phone around, but I can also receive calls a must for me.

I don't use it as a phone, I use it more as an internet device. My husband, children all have Instant Messenger, so I can get immediately connected with any of them in any given moment when they have their phone on hand.

In Chile I bought myself a Sim card phone that I use to make phone calls while there. Unfortunately I left it with my Dad as if it's not used at least once a month I lose the phone number, so I get it whenever I go home and my Dad use it in the meantime.

You can see what capabilities "GSM" your phone has if you go to connections, I change mine depending where I am. Blackberry Storm phone is not a phone is an Smart phone that works as a computer where I get all my emails and can search the internet, etc.
I can't speak for people who have regular phones, that it seems to be the issue of the skeptical here.

The Motorola Droid is CDMA.

Okay found it... Go to..
Options
Advance Options
Sim Card
ID number

Verizon asks for the SIM Card number to set me up to work overseas. Then I call a certain number and set the Global System to start working, usually the day I travel.

Let us explain again--

In general, many T-Mobile and AT&T phones can work in Europe depending on arrangements with provider because they are GSM phones. The actual bands they send/receive may or may not be compatible, etc. No matter what, there are usually some sort of reasonable international plans available that can be pro-rated for the time of the European stay, and there are various data plans offered depending on phone capability.

In general, MOST Verizon phones will not work because until recently, they were all CDMA. However, in recent years, Verizon has offered "world phones" that have GSM capabilities. Some Blackberries, the HTC Touch Pro 2 and others are such phones. And Verizon also has a package for those with CDMA phones to take a loaner GSM AND keep their same phone number while there. No matter what, there are usually some sort of reasonable international plans available that can be pro-rated for the time of the European stay, and there are various data plans depending on phone capability.

There are several on this board who are considering using our GSM-capable Verizon phones in Europe for any of several reasons. And I think this was the original topic.

So:
CDMA phone--will not work in Europe
GSM phone--MAY work in Europe depending on bands
ergo
Verizon GSM-capable "world" phone can work in Europe

This does not mean that one is advocating OR dissing using Verizon GSM phone in Europe.