using us-based cell phone out of the country

[Sunshine State Sue]

Any tips on how to use a US-based cell phone out of the country?  I followed T-Mobile's advice a few years ago in Costa Rica and it barely worked even on wifi.  So, I don't really trust what they might tell me if I call to ask this time.  Heading to Australia in a few weeks.

 

Thanks.

[Melissa in Australia]

I am not completely positive but I think you can get a new SIM card that you put in your phone for while you are in Australia.

I am not the most phone savvy person but I think there is something called roaming??? ( not sure what it is called) that needs to be turned off otherwise it will run up a massive bill.

 

You can get cheep phones here for $30 at supermarkets and prepaid plans can be as little as $30 per month.

[Bambam]

When my oldest went to Vietnam, they were advised to purchase a cheap pay-as-you-go cell phone there or just get a new SIM card. She just got a new SIM card. Her phone has two slots, so you don't have to worry about remembering where you left the other one. You tell the phone which slot to use. 

 

[TheReader]

Check with your carrier; AT&T, for ex, offers a single month international plan that allows you to turn on international function (ie. not be charged roaming). 

 

Otherwise the best bet is to put it in Airplane mode, use it only over wi-fi and use only a texting app such as WhatsApp rather than actual texting. 

[My4arrows]

When we were recently in Europe we used our phones with Verizon's service they offer for international use...it was horrible and didn't work in several areas. Wifi was ok, but regular phone usage was hit or miss. We expected more for the price we were paying. Since we were traveling throughout different countries we didn't get a phone there, but if you are staying in one country I'd think of doing that or at least getting a SIM card there with the minutes. It'll depend upon what your use is for and for how long you'd need it.

[skimomma]

We have always just used our iPhones out of the country (Europe, Iceland, Canada, Mexico, and DR, but never Australia so YMMV).  WIFI has always worked.  Cell has been sketchy at times but usually works. WIFI has been so universally available wherever we have gone that cell was rarely needed anyway.  We have gotten temporary international plans for some trips but have found just activating as needed turned out to be cheaper in the end.

[J-rap]

Sometimes it's easiest to get a cheap phone when you're there, or bring an inexpensive phone (that works internationally) that allows you to put in a sim card of the country you're in.

 

We used to stay in Costa Rica for a few months every year, and I'd bring an international phone (not a smart phone) and get a pre-paid sim card there that cost about $2.00. This worked for in-country calls only.  It would usually last me about a month, and then I'd go in and have it filled with minutes again.  The phone I used actual allowed for two sim cards, so I also had a prepaid international sim card with a global plan on it, in case I needed to make an international call.  (I didn't use this very often, because the global plan uses up minutes fast.  It was more for emergency.)

 

But, I also had my smart phone with me, because if I was in a wifi area, I could use that for internet, and I could make free international calls through FaceTime and apps like that.

 

You can also buy an international plan for your smart phone, and I did do that for a month last year when I was traveling in a more remote area abroad.  The plan included a very tiny amount of data roaming, and it allowed me to make brief calls and send some texts, both local and international, though I kept the calls very short.  I used it mostly for more urgent matters.  Once I was rather lost, and I was able to text my dd in the US and she could look up a map online and send me directions.  I was really glad I could text then!  I can't remember the price, but I felt it was reasonable for one month of adding to my peace of mind.

 

Some cellphone plans also offer a type of daily travel pass when you're traveling.  You're only charged for the day(s) that you use it.  You have to notify your carrier that you want this plan, but it only kicks in if you use it, and just for one day at a time.  At least on my plan, it doesn't work for all countries, but it does work in many, and it runs about $10/day.  It is for calls and texts only, no data.

 

I'm sure each phone company handles this differently though.

[whitestavern]

We recently traveled to Europe. Via AT&T we purchased two weeks of international service. It was $1 per minute flat for any phone calls but had unlimited texting. It worked well for our needs.

[Roadrunner]

Put the phone on airplane mode and use Facebook messenger or viber or imo or another app to call through wifi. Almost every cafe or restaurant I ever set foot abroad has a free wifi.

[creekland]

What's App is working well for contacting my guy in Jordan.  It's free for Android phones.  I think it costs for Iphones - meaning I've heard that, but it's only hearsay so could be wrong.

 

His Study Abroad organization gave him a phone for local use while he's there.

[gardenmom5]

for starters - I would expect austrailia would have better cell infrastructure than costa rica - and that may have been part of your problem.   

Edited September 6, 2017 by gardenmom5

[KungFuPanda]

Dd used her iPhone in London with no issues. DH just added something to our plan temporarily and she was good to go.

[Lanny]

Roaming is normally very expensive and should be avoided, if at all possible.  Assume that it is an Unlocked GSM phone. Assume that it has radios for the GSM bands in use in Australia.  After arrival in Australia, I would buy a  Prepaid SIM card from a local carrier there (here in Colombia they are sold in Supermarkets, etc.) and go with that.

 

NOTE: We are on Prepaid with Virgin Mobile Colombia, which is an MVNO (a virtual provider).  I can call phone numbers in the USA for the same cost as when I call a local number here in Colombia.

 

Depending on the provider, there might be a carrier there like that, where calls to the USA can be made very inexpensively.  I think with our non-plan plan with Virgin Mobile Colombia, we can call numbers in the USA, Canada, Puerto Rico, USVI and also to Landline numbers in Spain.

 

XXX

BE SURE TO INSTALL WHATSAPP.  THE QUALITY IS EXCELLENT AND IT IS FREE. YOU DO NEED WIFI OR DATA TO USE IT. INCREDIBLY POPULAR, AROUND THE WORLD.  WHATSAPP...

XXX

 

We have a magicJack so I have their magicApp installed on my phone. I can make calls to the USA and receive them, on our magicJack number, which is a number in the USA.  Also, unlimited text (SMS) messages.  I think if one does not have a magicJack, they charge $9.99 a year and you get a regular phone number in the USA.  That also requires either WiFi or Data.

 

 

[creekland]

Youngest son (the guy you know) just told me he's using his US phone with Whats App and it's working just fine.  He needs Wifi to use it, but the house he is in has unlimited Wifi.  No extra charge.  This is in Amman, Jordan.  I would think Australia would work well too - esp in or near cities.

[Laura Corin]

I used to rent a phone at the airport.  It worked fine and avoided any communication hassles.

[Bootsie]

DH used his phone in Australia (we had AT&T at the time) without any problems, but that was a number of years ago (before smart phones and wifi calling).  Now we have Tmobile and have been able to use it with good results throughout Europe, South Korea, Japan, and the Caribbean.  The nice thing about Tmobile is that in many countries the data and texting comes under your normal plan (so no extra charges).  There is an additional charge for phone calls.  We have often had better reception outside of the US than we have in our own home.     

[Miss Tick]

Do you expect to make many/any phone calls? We've used our phones in Europe a few times and texting was already included in my (Sprint) plan, and I tend to avoid actual calls whenever possible anyway, so this was great. Plus the options wifi gives you for when you are in more urban areas.

 

So jealous of a trip to Australia! Is this your standard evacuation location?

[Lanny]

Assuming that the phone is Unlocked, I suspect that it will work in Australia, if you buy a SIM card from a provider there. Possibly these 2 web pages (from Australia) will help you check this out:

 

The article on this URL is dated 04 April 2017:

https://www.whistleout.com.au/MobilePhones/Guides/Will-my-phone-work-in-Australia-carrier-network-frequencies

 

I read that article and it seems to be very comprehensive.

 

I do not see a date for the web page below, but it might also be of interest.

http://whirlpool.net.au/wiki/mobile_phone_frequencies

 

 

 

 

[Lanny]

I googled, limiting my search to magicjack.com   This is their web page for the magicApp.

http://www.magicjack.com/magicApp.html

 

Since we have a magicJack (it is plugged into the laptop I use as I write this) we can have the magicApp installed, free, on one Mobile device and it uses the same USA phone number as our magicJack. I have it on my Android phone.

 

I believe that if one does not have a magicJack, they charge UD $9.99 a year for the magicApp and you get a phone number in the USA. This is IMO quite cool, because all you need to do is give that U.S. phone number to your contacts and they can call you. You can call USA (and other) phone numbers free. Unlimited SMS Text messages to/from the USA.

 

Like WhatsApp, you need to have access to WiFi or Data to use magicApp.   What's App has other things it can do, so I have both installed on my Android phone. WhatsApp is not widely known or used within the USA, but there are more than one billion users of WhatsApp around the world.  It is owned by Facebook.

Edited September 6, 2017 by Lanny

[Wheres Toto]

When dh and dd have traveled to Europe and Asia, we call AT&T and have them turn on International service.  They charge a monthly fee for the service, and we turn it off when they get home.

[Guest]

My friend just traveled in Australia and had no issues or upcharges. She is with t mobile.

[Suzanne in ABQ]

The two biggest factors that I've encountered will be your carrier (RMS translates better to other countries than Verizon), and whether your phone is unlocked.

 

I have AT&T, and went to France a couple years ago.  I purchased a month of international service a couple days before we left, used two weeks of it, then cancelled as soon as we got back for a prorated refund.  We were with a large tour group, and our phone service (and iPhone maps, and data) worked better than the Verizon phones.  No one on our trip, who had Verizon service, was able to get their phone to work, even in Paris.  We had no trouble.  As it turned out, the time difference really precluded international phone calls, but it was nice being able to reach the tour guide or others on the tour (who had AT&T).

 

We have an exchange student, and she brought her phone with her.  It's an Android phone, but it is locked to her carrier in Japan.  So, even though we got her a SIM card for a super cheap international phone plan (just for J1 VISA students), it won't work for her phone.  We had to get her a pre-paid phone to use while she's here.

Edited September 7, 2017 by Suzanne in ABQ

[Melissa in Australia]

Just a side note, some remote parts of Australia do not have phone reception

[Lanny]

The two biggest factors that I've encountered will be your carrier (RMS translates better to other countries than Verizon), and whether your phone is unlocked.

 

I have AT&T, and went to France a couple years ago.  I purchased a month of international service a couple days before we left, used two weeks of it, then cancelled as soon as we got back for a prorated discount.  We were with a large tour group, and our phone service (and iPhone maps, and data) worked better than the Verizon phones.  No one on our trip, who had Verizon service, was able to get their phone to work, even in Paris.  We had no trouble.  As it turned out, the time difference really precluded international phone calls, but it was nice being able to reach the tour guide or others on the tour (who had AT&T).

 

We have an exchange student, and she brought her phone with her.  It's an Android phone, but it is locked to her carrier in Japan.  So, even though we got her a SIM card for a super cheap international phone plan (just for J1 VISA students), it won't work for her phone.  We had to get her a pre-paid phone to use while she's here.

 

The reason that none of the people in your tour group, with Verizon phones, had service in Europe is that Verizon is a CDMA provider and there is no CDMA service in the majority of the world.  I believe that I read, recently, that Verizon will end their CDMA service, at the end of 2018 or 2019 and be all GSM?  Verizon will apparently make the leap, from CDMA to GSM, as our provider here in Colombia did years ago.  

 

If one is going to travel outside the USA, they need an Unlocked GSM Smart Phone.

 

Note: Sprint is also a CDMA Provider...

[*LC]

The nice thing about Tmobile is that in many countries the data and texting comes under your normal plan (so no extra charges).  There is an additional charge for phone calls.  We have often had better reception outside of the US than we have in our own home.

 

I completely agree with this. With T-Mobile you will not need to do anything if you want to use your phone for data service and texting people in the US. My kids have been to 20 -something countries in 5 continents in the last year and have had no trouble at all with using T-Mobile. Unforunately, no one has been to Australia, so I looked it up on T-Mobile's site and it says it works the same there (for most plans.) https://www.t-mobile.com/optional-services/roaming.html

 

My kid that lived abroad for six months, used whatsapp to text/call people in the country where she was living. That was normal there even among the locals for both calling and texting.

 

For calling us in the US, she pays $3 a month for unlimited calling to the US through Skype. This works fine on her US T-Mobile phone/plan.

 

(This kid did visit Costa Rica, but it was in high school and I don't think she took a phone at all. SHe was with a group.)

 

Have a great trip.

[Dmmetler]

If you swap the SIM, make sure it has no ramifications in your plan. My provider gives explicit instructions for swapping the SIM with a non-US carrier-but their forums are full of people who did it, only to find that they could not get the same rate when they came back because if they had a legacy plan or any sort of special deal, they lost it.

[Sunshine State Sue]

My friend just traveled in Australia and had no issues or upcharges. She is with t mobile.

 

This gives me hope.  TMobile says I have to turn on roaming and texting + data is free.  Calls are 20c/min, but wifi calls are free.  Theoretically, I'll be fine.

 

[Lanny]

This gives me hope. TMobile says I have to turn on roaming and texting + data is free. Calls are 20c/min, but wifi calls are free. Theoretically, I'll be fine.

 

Can people in the USA call you when you are in Australia and what do you pay for those minutes? Sounds very good. Keep those calls short and use WhatsApp or pay for the magicApp for long calls. Bon Voyage

 

Sent from my SM-G355M using Tapatalk

[Pawz4me]

When DS21 did summer study abroad we had Verizon turn on international service for his iPhone. It was more expensive than getting another phone would have been, but it was (to us) much simpler and we assumed it would be more reliable and therefore worth the price. He used his phone in Canada, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Latvia and England and it performed just fine.

[Lanny]

What's App is working well for contacting my guy in Jordan.  It's free for Android phones.  I think it costs for Iphones - meaning I've heard that, but it's only hearsay so could be wrong.

 

His Study Abroad organization gave him a phone for local use while he's there.

 

I have it on my Android so I was curious and googled. It is also free for Apple devices:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/whatsapp-messenger/id310633997?mt=8

 

WhatsApp is a wonderful App and there are different ways that we use it. 

[Trilliumlady]

Do you need a Facebook account to have a what's app account? Seems I saw that somewhere.

[Lanny]

Do you need a Facebook account to have a what's app account? Seems I saw that somewhere.

 

No Facebook account is required to use WhatsApp.  Although Facebook purchased WhatsApp (for 20 Billion dollars) they are separate.   I read that Facebook also has a Messaging service, but WhatsApp is the King of the various messaging apps, around the world.  WhatsApp is really really really good.  

 

Note: I do have a Facebook account, but it is in no way linked to my WhatsApp account.