Travel data / calls SIM, best options?
 

Hi,

Any one got any advise for travel sim cards?

Have been looking at this one:https: //www.worldsim.com

It looks good but wanted to check if any one has experience with this or other companies?

Thanks D

I do not have experience with any of them, but my research led me to buy a cheap unlocked Android system GSM phone (that takes SIM cards) so I can buy a local SIM card in the airport of any foreign country I visit. I have not been in a foreign country since I bought the phone so I have not used it yet. Unfortunately my phone for my home country use does not use SIM cards so I can't really compare.

I explained my plan and my logic to my sister who used to travel for a living before she retired, she did the same (bought an unlocked GSM Android based phone) for her China trip, bought a SIM card upon arriving in the airport, she was very happy with that decision. The Apple phone she usually uses was never turned on while she was in China, she only brought it with her so she would have a functional phone while in airports in USA. When she goes to Europe this coming summer, she told me she will bring that same Android phone so she can buy a local SIM card upon arrival.

A friend of mine also liked that plan, so he bought an unlocked GSM phone and did the same thing, bought a SIM card upon arrival in Europe. Everything worked great for him until he dropped the phone and it stopped working, which is a problem when you buy the cheapest unlocked phone you can buy. But since then he bought a more expensive unlocked GSM phone and did the same on his next trip to Europe, he is sold on that plan.

To where? My short answer would be roaming cards for voice "could" make sense. But they do not work for data.

(I am Canadian and spend months in various European countries every year, mostly Italy and France. I also travel to other countries in various parts of the world, but usually for shorter periods. In my experience, roaming cards are a reasonable solution for voice, but rarely so for data. I have an unlocked phone and buy a local SIM -- in Italy you can get something like 2G for 10 euros (worldsim would come at $250 and probably on 2G networks. In France I have an unlimited plan -- SIMs remain valid for 12 months and the unlimited Internet is charged at less than 10 euros iff you use data. I should add that this plan is no longer offered by Orange... In LDCs you can often purchase a SIM at the airport. If you live in the US, I believe that some carriers offer worldwide data roaming at reasonable prices.)

(I should add that I've used similar global SIMS -- they are unreliable at best as they usually have an agreement with a local carrier that has limited coverage.)

T-mobile offers plans in the US with unlimited 3-g data with unlimited texts and US$.20 per minute calling in much of the world, though not, in general, in the 4th world, at least, not the last time I looked. My partner and I travel A LOT, and we used to buy a new sim in every country, but now T-mobile satisfies our needs. Depending on how you use your phone, it's not _always_ cheaper than buying a sim locally (In Hong Kong 8 years ago, a US$7 sim included 200 minutes free calling to anywhere in the English speaking world or China, though I don't remember whether it included data), but it's much less hassle even when it is a little more expensive.

The one significant drawback is that it makes it more difficult for people or businesses we meet outside our own country to call us.

(I carry an Android phone, and my partner carries an older phone.)

My wife and I have done it both ways. We bought a cheap phone and replaced SIM cards when need. This worked OK as many posters have noted.

We have also gone to an international plan through our current provider (Verizon)that provides for a reasonable amount of data, calls and texting. It did not cost much more than our basic plan and can be deactivated any time. This was much more convenient. We could still use the phone's GPS, have our contact list, and folks could call us easily. If you are travelling with others, it is handy if each person has a phone. This especially important if you get separated riding through a large city where you do not speak the language. Heck, even speaking the language often doesn't help.

My wife and I used to use the "return to the last place we saw each other" system when we got separated. It was not the best method of finding each other.

Next month we are arriving in Venice and starting a ride from Trieste, Italy to Dubrovnik, Croatia. I was hoping to use my iPhone 5s for navigation. I have emailed Google route map URLs to my phone which has worked great here in the states. I gather that I will need to buy a SIM at the airport to get the "data" to make navigation work. Do you or anyone else on this thread have any guidelines on how much to buy? We are on this trip for three weeks. Thanks

look at BLU Unlocked Smartphones

Depending on memory availability on your phone you can cache google maps so you shouldn't require data for getting map data. Data is inexpensive so I'd just start with 1 or 2GB and add more if you need it.

I've got an unlocked smartphone that I use daily. When I go abroad, I just buy a prepaid SIM at my destination, it is what I will be doing in a few weeks. When I was in Spain, I think it cost me like 12EUR, and I got a couple hundred minutes, a couple hundred texts, and most importantly to me 2GB of data. I navigated on a car trip with no issue with that data, but for how cheap it is you may just bump it up. You can always top it off, too. Don't feel the need to buy whatever is available in the airport, unless you are starting your tour right then, you can just walk into any phone shop in town and probably find a better deal.

That said, your trip will go through three countries. I'm not familiar with what is available in Italy, but see if you can find a brand that works in all three countries with some roaming. The EU is in a gradual phaseout of roaming charges, but they do still exist.

Thanks that is very helpful. I will buy the card in Venice not at the airport.