grandmere

Going to France next week with family and five Iphone5s among us. At the Apple store this afternoon, the fellow told me that my phone is locked here in USA but unlocked in Europe; therefore, we can buy SIM cards in France that will enable us to inexpensively text, phone each other when not together. Sounded good.

Soooo, I walked down to the other end of the mall to the AT&T store (our provider), and the clerk there said that unless I paid ~$600+ for the phone (I did not), it is locked both here and abroad. He suggested that we all buy cheap phones over there just to use for the couple of weeks that we will be gone.

Can anyone help me sort this out? Since our entire immediate family are going to be on this trip, calls to USA would be minimal; however, since we'll have 3 rental cars, we will probably need to call/text each other over there, from time to time, for where to meet, what time, etc. if we are out separately. Also we'll want to make local calls.

The guy at the AT&T store seemed to think that buying a phone over there is even better than buying the AT&T international plan, which is not much of a savings. I looked into the international plan when going to France last fall and decided against it. That trip I only made a couple of calls home, pictures to friends, FB, etc., and think I paid about $20 extra that month. But this trip is a different scenario, touching base with those we're traveling with.

Thank you for any advice about your experiences with this.

Kathie

If you can make do with texting alone, you can change your provider to T-Mobile and you will get unlimited data in the US and 100 countries around the world. That's what we did in France. We texted a couple of times when we separated, but mostly used the data to navigate around Paris.

If you had purchased your phone from Apple, then the info from the Apple store would have been correct.

StCirq

I've never heard of a phone being locked in one place and unlocked in another, but what do I know?

I have a $26 unlocked quad-band GMS tri-SIM phone that I use here in the USA with a prepaid T-Mobile SIM. When in France, I have a Lebara SIM (you can order one free from www.lebara.fr, and they'll send it to the USA) and an SFR French SIM (which I use only for communicating with other SFR clients in France (SFR-to-SFR calls are free, as are Lebara-to-Lebara calls). You can buy those SIMs once you arrive if that's easier for you. You do need to activate the SIMs and register them, but you can do that right on the phone.

Works very well for me, and hardly costs me anything.I used the phone constantly on my last 3-week trip to France, and the fees were about $15 (BUT, I was calling/texting mainly other people who had the same SIMs, including my husband - all that was free).

greg

The ATT site tells you about unlocking the phone. http://www.att.com/esupport/article.jsp?sid=KB414532.

The key point is that they would give you the unlocking code after you paid off your phone. That is the essence of the $600 comment. If you paid less, you have not finished paying for your phone.

Whether it is better to buy a phone or not depends on the usage model. If your usage is voice/text, minimum "hello, I am at ...., meet at the restaurant at 12:30, ok? bye" type of things, the ATT global plan is really a decent solution.

I used to have ATT then Virizon, but once I realized that T-Mobile is SIGNIFICANTLY more customer oriented for international usages, I switched to T-Mobile. I realize this is not an option for you.

griz_fan

Wow - Verizon is a lot nicer in this regard (though I've heard lots of good things lately about T-Mobile). With my 5S through Verizon, I arrived in Europe, and simply swapped out the SIM card, no problems.

You may want to contact someone at AT&T just in case. With Verizon, there is some variance for different phone models (some older ones need to be unlocked first, but iPhone 5, 5c and 5S do not). Also, Verizon allows for a special kind of unlocking while traveling, which sort of makes sense. As long as your account is in good standing, they will unlock older phones for travel only, but your subsidized phone is still locked to their network here at home. Since there may be a lot of different rules, you may be getting bad information from the AT&T rep. I know, shocking that a mall phone store clerk might not be up on the latest company policy, but you never know....

If you can find a way to use a local SIM in your existing iPhone, that would be ideal. Reasonable rates, use your own device, etc... Hopefully, AT&T has a more reasonable policy in place. Just be sure to mention that you ONLY want to unlock this for foreign travel, which is different than a general unlock.

hope that helps

Seamus

grandmere - unlocked or locked is irrespective of geography - you got bad info from the Apple store twit. (Hope he or she doesn't staff the genius bar!)

AT&T has modified their international packages. If all you want to do is have a way to stay in touch with each other, look at what they now offer, especially the text packages. For occasional travelers it is convenient and, IMO, worth the price to avoid having to contend with swapping out SIMs on five phones.
DO remember to turn off roaming data on all the iPhones or you will return to outrageous bills.

Kathie

Seamus, in the US, phones are locked if you buy them as part of a contract with your provider - AT&T and Verizon are examples of that. If you buy your phone from Apple, it is unlocked, as it is if you buy your phone from T-Mobile (no contract).

Sher

If you have three cars you really only need three phones.
Purchase three unlocked GSM $20+ phones on the internet and purchase three of the SIM cards St. Cirq recommends. Purchase the same SIM cards for all of the phones and you have almost free communications.

OR each of you can purchase an international plan from ATT and keep the calls to a minimum. In fact, you can just text. This would be easier.

I too have T-Mobile's Simple Choice plan where I only pay .20 for calls in Europe and I am glad. And I have free data for my IPad.

I don't envy you. This part of travel always gave me a headache because just when you think you have a handle on calling in Europe something changes.

Let us know how it goes and good luck.

Fodorite018

We have iPhone 5's also as well as AT&T and I just get the international plan for the time of our trip. We just got back from France and I only opted for the text plan this time. I had a couple phone calls, but they were super short, so I knew the cost would not be an issue. The biggest thing is you want to make sure data roaming is off and that you have settings at fetch data manually to avoid big charges. The international plan makes it so easy. We do this for every trip and so far have not had any issues.

dwdvagamundo

My experience is the same as mmms'--get the international plan plus the least expensive data roaming plan. I try to use wi-fi whenever possible to avoid surprises.

However, if I were to go live in Europe I'd probably go with T-Mobile.

Seamus

Kathie - yes, the practice of selling phones via a contract with a specific service provider that locks the phone for use on that provider network for at least a minimum period of time is common in (but not exclusive to) the US. What I mean by "irrespective of geography" is that if a phone is locked in the US it is locked everywhere. So if a phone is locked to AT&T it will only operate with an AT&T SIM anywhere in the world.

Lest that create confusion among those less knowledgeable about mobile phones - a phone locked to, e.g., AT&T <u>would</u> connect with and operate on compatible networks overseas <u>but</u> charges would be run through AT&T and accrue at typically usurious roaming rates.

StCirq

<<if I were to go live in Europe I'd probably go with T-Mobile.>>

Why on earth would you do that with so many cheaper options available?

grandmere

I appreciate all the thoughtful replies; thanks, everyone! Think we will probably all buy the AT&T international text plan, and keep phone calls to a minimum, and turn data roaming off. I'll report back as to how this all gets played out over there!

bvlenci

If you were to live in Europe, it would make much more sense to get a plan in the country where you'd be living. My Italian plan costs me only €10 a month, with no contract, and gives me 1 gb of data, 200 minutes of phone calls, and 200 text messages. (This plan no longer exists, but there is a plan for €19 which gives more minutes, more texts, and more data.) This is far less than what my American friends and relatives pay, and they're all locked into long-term contracts.

I also have very inexpensive options for both talk and data roaming when I travel within Europe or the US.

Kathie

Ah, Seamus, I understand what you meant by your comment now. Yes, you are correct.

Sher

Grandmere. Have a great trip!

grandmere

Thanks, Sher! Three generations of us in a house in Languedoc. I haven't read anything about your trips on here lately; have I missed something?

Sher

I have not been posting as much as I once did. I sort of just lurk.
We spent last weekend in Toronto.
But this year it is Italy in August. Spending a week in Sorrento and surrounding areas.
Also the Sonoma Wine Road in November.

We now have a house in Florida and spent last Summer getting it together with no "big" trips. We spent 10 weeks there over the polar vortex you all enjoyed this Winter.

I know you will have a great trip.