# Sim Card for Multiple Countries



## Jwerking (Aug 24, 2016)

For you experienced European travelers, is there a prepaid SIM card that I can pick up in Paris that will also work in Italy, Greece, and Germany?

Would be nice to have a phone to call or text traveling companions while in Europe, make local calls for reservations, and have some data for emergencies?

Been doing a lot of research online, but very confusing.  Lebara may be an option as it is available in many European countries - but no store front.  But I think Orange supposedly has store fronts.

Since I am tech challenged, it would be best to have it installed and set up in a phone store if possible.  We are flying into Orly and staying in an apt close to the Arch of Triomphe. 

Thanks for any suggestions.

Joyce


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## Passepartout (Aug 24, 2016)

Here: https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/phones-tech/cell-phone-europe


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## K2Quick (Aug 24, 2016)

If you happen to be with T-Mobile or Sprint, your phone will work over there - the data will be slow, but functional.  For both companies, the data and texting is free and calls are priced at $0.20 per minute.


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## Jwerking (Aug 28, 2016)

K2Quick said:


> If you happen to be with T-Mobile or Sprint, your phone will work over there - the data will be slow, but functional.  For both companies, the data and texting is free and calls are priced at $0.20 per minute.



Just called T-Mobile and confirmed that you can have unlimited messages and data while in Europe and $.20 per minute voice on their Simple Choice Plan for $50 per month plus fees. 

T-Mobile told me I can cancel at any time.  This is a good option since I purchased a cheapie GSM smartphone to take to Europe and will just cancel upon return. 

Have anyone tried T Mobile overseas?  Does it generally work?  Any issues - slow data is okay. 

Thanks for any comments.  Joyce


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## lily28 (Aug 28, 2016)

We used t mobile free text and data in Australia, New Zealand, Italy and china and had no problem. I was able to receive call while in china but did not use call features much since it costed $0.20 per minute.


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## Jwerking (Aug 29, 2016)

Thank you for your reply - much appreciated. 

Did you have to notify T-Mobile you were going overseas or do anything special to activate the overseas capability?  Or you just went and it worked?

So if I am in France and make a phone call to a French phone number- I dial the French number like I am physically in the USA - is that correct?


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## isisdave (Aug 30, 2016)

You don't have to notify them.

Yes, that's how you'd dial a number in France .... +33 xx xx xx xx .... but that's not a 20-cent call.  The 20 cents is back to the US Canada and maybe Mexico. Even though you're in France, that'd be an international call, just like you were in the US. Ask T-mobile how much that would be, and ask about their international plan to make it less. The nice thing about T-mobile is that you can turn plans on and off all the time.

Do you have a VoIP phone like Ooma, Vonage, MagicJack, or even Skype? These all have smartphone apps that you access through WiFi or cell data and let you make free calls to the US.  You can also buy international credit ... it's like 2 cents a minute.

To answer your original question, there are multi-country SIM cards. The rate is higher than single-country ones, so for short visits and few calls, it's easy and not too expensive, but if you were going to spend a month in each country you'd probably want to go for individual ones.


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