Cell phone plan for Europe

[Bunk]

DD will be spending 5 nights in Barcelona and 10 nights in Italy in about a week.

Two questions:

1. Verizon international plan allows you to use your cell phone for $10 a day. Does anyone know how good Verizon coverage is likely to be in Barcelona and Italy.

2. Can you recommend a phone plan/data plan for her to sign up while in Europe, in which case she'll swap out sim cards.

Thank you for your help.

 

[Luanne]

My daughter and I just returned from Switzerland. We purchased SIM cards when we arrived. I just researched the wireless companies in Switzerland and chose SwissCom as it is supposed to be the largest. They had a location at the train station which was open on Sunday, which is when we arrived. Their other locations were closed that day. It cost me 20 CHF, and that covered 10 days of data and phone usage. We were there for two weeks so I needed to top off the account, and that cost another 10 CHF. I thought the cost was very reasonable. Certainly better than the $10 per day for Verizon.

I know the plans will be different in Spain and Italy, but we just kind of went with what they offered when we got there.

 

[travelove]

My husband is doing international trip right now for 7 days and we are paying $10/day with AT&T.

 

[Luanne]

If you go with Verizon for $10/day, your daughter would pay around $150. That is if she uses the phone every day, which I assume she will be.

Check out this article/blog about SIM cards in Europe.

11 Best Prepaid and E-Sim Cards for Europe in 2024 - Traveltomtom.net

Everything you need to know about buying a sim card for Europe. Where to buy, prices, data packages. Find the best sim card for Europe here.

www.traveltomtom.net

 

[Cornell]

When I travel abroad I rent a portable Wifi device when I'm there. I can share it with whoever I'm traveling with. We carry it with us all day so we have Wifi coverage wherever we go. Cheap and easy. Can pick up and return at airports.

If you have an iPhone you are still connected with your iMessage . You can make phone calls etc with WhatsApp or FaceTime, etc.

I've had good luck with Teppy. https://www.endlessdistances.com/the-best-international-hotspot-for-travel-a-tep-wireless-review/

 

[Luanne]

When I travel abroad I rent a portable Wifi device when I'm there. I can share it with whoever I'm traveling with. We carry it with us all day so we have Wifi coverage wherever we go. Cheap and easy. Can pick up and return at airports.

If you have an iPhone you are still connected with your iMessage . You can make phone calls etc with WhatsApp or FaceTime, etc.

I've had good luck with Teppy. https://www.endlessdistances.com/the-best-international-hotspot-for-travel-a-tep-wireless-review/

If I read the article correctly the cost for the lowest amount of data is $8.95/day. That doesn't sound so cheap. I was paying 2 Swiss francs per day for data and phone.

 

[Passepartout]

We get along just fine on our T-Mobile plan. Unlimited talk and text and throttled data. We usually find a freebie wi-fi when we need to stream or download large files.

 

[Cornell]

If I read the article correctly the cost for the lowest amount of data is $8.95/day. That doesn't sound so cheap. I was paying 2 Swiss francs per day for data and phone.

I like that I can connect multiple devices to it

 

[Brett]

We get along just fine on our T-Mobile plan. Unlimited talk and text and throttled data. We usually find a freebie wi-fi when we need to stream or download large files.

good to know

"T-Mobile made headlines a few years ago when it started offering free and unlimited international data, text, and cheap international calls with most of its plans. This made T-Mobile a very popular choice for budget travelers."

https://thesavvybackpacker.com/how-to-use-smartphones-data-plans-sim-cards-europe/

 

[nerodog]

DD will be spending 5 nights in Barcelona and 10 nights in Italy in about a week.

Two questions:

1. Verizon international plan allows you to use your cell phone for $10 a day. Does anyone know how good Verizon coverage is likely to be in Barcelona and Italy.

2. Can you recommend a phone plan/data plan for her to sign up while in Europe, in which case she'll swap out sim cards.

Thank you for your help.

I live in Portugal and I use T mobile. Have used them for years and excellent. I thought Verizon was pricey. I gave my plan for free wifi calls, unlimited data , texts etc... its worth it.

 

[JudyH]

Thanks for posting that article.