Sim Cards in Europe

[sb44]

I know many of you get sim cards when traveling and I need some help understanding the what, when, etc.  We are Verizon network customers and when we leave the US and turn our phones on, we are charged $10 per day per phone.  A week in the Caribbean is one thing, but this summer we will be in Spain, Italy, Greece and, yes, Turkey.  It will be almost 4 weeks and I'm trying to figure out what our options are.  I have a Samsung S9+ that I bought from Samsung direct and they sent me the Verizon sim card.  Does that mean I can go to Spain (first stop) and buy a European sim card that will work on that phone?  And is that good for phone calls only? What about messaging and internet which is primarily what we use our phones for when away.  Every time I start reading about sim cards I get confused - also some sites suggest purchasing a cheap phone and service in each country.  Would love some feedback. I am usually pretty good with technology but somehow I am not grasping this and don't want to look at $600 in addition to an already exorbitant bill.

Edited March 22, 2019 by sb44
spelling

[lilli]

On our last two trips to Europe, we purchased a SIM card. We bought an Orange card which is a company based in France. The EU has no roaming charges so we could use the card in all the countries we visited.   They offer an option called an Orange holiday card and it is good for 2 weeks and includes talk, text and data. I believe it had 10 gb of data which was more than we could ever use. 

Here is a link:  https://orange.simoptions.com/

 

the first trip we bought it in the Paris airport but the last trip in 2018, I bought it online from Amazon. I was able to change the SIM card before we boarded our transatlantic flight and we we landed in Rome and turned on the phone it worked. I love having access to data, maps etc and also able to freely contact family back home. 

If you are going to be gone for more than two weeks, you can “top up” the card while traveling and add more data, talk and text. 

Here is a link for amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Orange-Holiday-Europe-tethering-countries/dp/B06XBYMX58

 

it costs a little more from amazon but worth it IMO because you can not worry about buying it when you are tired after a long flight and you also know your phone number before you travel..

 

i still  have the SIM card and plan to “top up” and use again for a trip this summer. 

This is a link to their top up info:

https://topup.orange.com/

 

you need a paper clip to acces the SIM card drawer on your phone. Lots of you tube videos on how to change it. And need a way to secure your verizon card during the trip so you can replace it when you get back. 

 

we had very reliable service with Orange and it was a game changer for travel!

hope this helps and happy to answer any questions!

 

 

 

[Alturia]

If you are going to visit multiple countries you might take a look at KnowRoaming's Gobal SIM Sticker  - https://www.knowroaming.co/

 

You apply a sticker to your regular SIM card that functions as a second SIM card. You get a phone number that you can use for voice and texting and you can buy unlimited data for $3.99 a day or $9.99 for 3 days. You can set it so that your original US phone number is forwarded to your KnowRoaming number. 

 

I've used KnowRoaming in more than 25 countries in Europe, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean and am very pleased with it. Occasionally I will have a problem connecting to a network but the KnowRoaming support people are very responsive.

 

 

Edited March 22, 2019 by Alturia
correct mispelling

[sb44]

Thanks so much.  I put the original sim card in and still have those directions so I should be able to do either. Will check out both.  We might use Orange on mine, swap sim cards, and try knowroaming on my husband's so we have a couple of options in case one gives us a problem.  At least I now have a starting point!

[lilli]

If you use the Orange sim for one phone, the other phone can use the Orange one as a “hotspot”.  Since it comes with 10 gb of data, it is plenty for two people. 

The holiday card costs about $50 on amazon and it is around $20 to “top up” for an additional 2 weeks with added data, talk, text. 

Have fun!

[Larters]

Do not bother with KnowRoaming. We just tried it on a cruise - tried it in 6 different countries in South/Central America - and it worked only once. We spent a huge amount of time being frustrated with it. Saw a lot of spinning circles... Luckily, I had another phone with Google Fi service - otherwise we could not have even contacted their technical support to try to fix it. They had us try something new and different every day and then told us, sorry, no refunds since you opened the package. We used the physical SIM, not the sticker, but it was totally useless and a waste of money - way more hassle than help. Google Fi was flawless - if you have an unlocked phone, they are able to work with more devices now on Beta. 

[sportsfather]

Arrive at your port find a Bar with a sign that says FREE WIFI turn your phone on and text or call home. Works for me.