Topic Wiki

Roaming on U.S. carriers
Verizon: $25 per each 100MB when Gobal Data feature is activated. Exorbitant calling rates.
AT&T:
T-Mobile: Simple Choice plans (postpaid-only which requires credit pull, but you can cancel anytime) include unlimited data roaming at 2G speeds in 120+ countries. Calls between any of these countries are $.20 /min.
Sprint: - For some reason its a bit complicated - https://www.sprint.com/landings/openworld/index.html - http://www.sprint.com/landings/international-value-roaming/ - http://support.sprint.com/global/pdf/support/BizMultiCountryDataPack.pdf
intlroam.sprint.com
 


International SIM cards

Google Fi
All plans include coverage in the US, Canada, and Mexico. Unlimited Plus and Flexible also come with data in 200+ international destinations, and 5G in select countries for supported Pixel and Samsung phones. Try Fi for free: Test our coverage to see how we keep you connected. Our 7⁠-⁠day trial works right on your phone alongside your current service.

Toggle Mobile:
Covers the U.S., many European countries (though not Italy or Belgium), and Australia. Rates from these countries are £.03 to all USA and UK phones both mobile and landline, £.03 to landlines and £.09 to mobiles in many other countries, £.06 to Israel landlines and £.15 to Israel mobiles. SMS to most (looks like all) countries is £.07. Data bundles start at £5 for 500 MB in the UK and £20 for 1GB in the other Toggle countries. Incoming calls are free in 20+ countries.

SIMs can be ordered online and shipped free to many countries. You automatically receive a free permanent U.K. number. Before each trip you must register online for a local incoming number in the countries you are travelling to, which activates the roaming plan and lasts 30 days at no cost. You can pay £5 a year to keep numbers permanently.

Golan Telecom:
The 99₪ unlimited talk/text/internet/international calling plan, which also gives you up to 2 virtual foreign numbers, also includes for many countries (not all have launched yet) unlimited global data roaming (6GB high-speed), incoming calls & texts, and calls & texts to Israel.

Alternatively, Golan also offers a ₪29 per day data-only roaming plan which gives 100MB a day in these countries (all have been launched). These roaming options can be very useful for foreigners regardless of whether they need Golan for Israel.


VOIP calling apps

Vonage Mobile: Free calls to US/CA, very cheap int'l rates (see link). Uses your real number for outgoing caller ID, and also for incoming calls if you are a tmobile/AT&T customer and activate ReachMe roaming in the app.

Google Hangouts: Uses your Google Voice number over VOIP. Free calls to US/CA, very cheap int'l rates (see link).


Local SIM cards

Israel: See wiki on this thread.

Global MiFi
FreedomPop $10/500mb
https://www.freedompop.com/worldwide


eSims

See PlatinumGuys post for more info.

Perhaps this is common knowledge, but I was just mindblown. In 60 seconds online, I was able to buy a data package in a different country from Airalo and install it on my iPhone - keeping calls on the primary Verizon SIM and data on the Airalo eSim.

FWIW, they offer 15GB in Israel for $15 - and you can buy more easily online if it runs out, but I don't know which network Annatel resells

Airalo promo code FOUNDERS30 for 30% off up to $7 (I don't benefit in any way)

Another vendor is https://esim.knowroaming.com, I guess you have to compare destination to destination.
https://esimdb.com is a great database for vendors in different locations.

« Last edited by Suave on September 19, 2023, 07:25:51 AM »

Author Topic: International Sim Discussion  (Read 161712 times)

Offline shwarmabob

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Re: International Sim Discussion
« Reply #660 on: June 13, 2018, 09:09:01 AM »
buy a prefunded sim on ebay for around 10$ or so, options of h20(at&t), lycamobile(t-mobile), verizon, all with unlimited talk/text and some data. I've seen verizon as low as 4$ for 30 days unlimited evreything.
so you are saying that I can have unlimited everything for $48 a year. Where do I sign up?
BTW Verizon uses CDMA network and if he is coming from Israel his phone is most likely GSM

Offline farvus nisht?

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Re: International Sim Discussion
« Reply #661 on: June 14, 2018, 02:50:11 PM »
so you are saying that I can have unlimited everything for $48 a year. Where do I sign up?
BTW Verizon uses CDMA network and if he is coming from Israel his phone is most likely GSM
1. Yes If you don't mind getting a new number evrey month (though GV can take care of that)
2. each seller is diffrent, they will send you instructions how to activate.
3. the prices come and go the 4$ is not on ebay now, you need te check every so often for a good deal.

Offline Luvisrael

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Re: International Sim Discussion
« Reply #662 on: July 22, 2018, 07:17:47 PM »
Need a Sim for data in Hungary and Austria. Leaving from Israel tomorrow. Any ideas?

Offline churnbabychurn

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Re: International Sim Discussion
« Reply #663 on: July 29, 2018, 09:11:25 PM »
Have cricket gsm - need call and data for a couple of days in Israel. What's the cheapest way or best thread?

Offline ual902

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Re: International Sim Discussion
« Reply #664 on: July 30, 2018, 03:14:51 PM »
With http://www.togglemobile.co.uk/home/en can I forward my USA Cricket GSM phone number to a Toggle Mobile simcard and receive phone calls from the US when traveling in Europe?.
« Last Edit: July 30, 2018, 03:18:10 PM by ual902 »

Offline rabshi

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Re: International Sim Discussion
« Reply #665 on: October 14, 2018, 05:31:34 AM »


Travelling from Israel to Hungary, Germany & New York.

What would be the cheapest reliable sim card to cover voice calls to & from Israel as well as local calls?





Offline jeremiah1083

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Re: International Sim Discussion
« Reply #666 on: November 28, 2018, 04:36:16 PM »
Hi - I have VZW unlimited plan in US and in the past have paid $10 per day for use in Israel. Because my data was throttled and I started traveling to Israel for a few days every month, I got a Golan SIM on the NIS 39 per month, 50GB All Included plan (no virtual number), and swap my SIM every time I go to Israel. I'm looking for help on 2 things:

1) Is there a way to forward calls from my Golan number to my VZW US number, so when I'm back in the US I still get calls made to my Golan number? I called Golan and they told me it's not possible to forward to numbers outside of Israel, but I'm wondering if there's a workaround. 
2) I have an iPhone XS with e-sim - once VZW enables e-sim, would that help in some way, leaving the Golan SIM in my phone as a secondary line even in the US? Golan told me I can only use my Golan SIM outside the US (if I upgrade to the international plan) for 45 days per year, so not sure this would even help.

Thanks in advance.

Offline chff

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Re: International Sim Discussion
« Reply #667 on: December 05, 2018, 01:27:37 PM »
2) I have an iPhone XS with e-sim - once VZW enables e-sim, would that help in some way, leaving the Golan SIM in my phone as a secondary line even in the US? Golan told me I can only use my Golan SIM outside the US (if I upgrade to the international plan) for 45 days per year, so not sure this would even help.

On my Pixel 2 I have to select either the Sim or esim, can't have both working concurrently

Offline yeshivaman

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Re: International Sim Discussion
« Reply #668 on: December 05, 2018, 05:31:02 PM »
So i'm a technological illiterate and i don't understand everything I've read so far. Simple question - i'm traveling to Israel with a stop in Poland - i have a verizon iphone and a sprint iphone. Can I use them for talk and data without needing to take a second mortgage? If so, how?
i wish i knew what i was doing...

Offline chff

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Offline sruliL

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Re: International Sim Discussion
« Reply #670 on: January 02, 2019, 06:23:14 PM »
I'm going to be in Zurich for a 11 hour layover and want to leave the airport and tour a bit. What is a good, cheap international SIM that will work for calling within Switzerland and to the US?
Life's not about doing things good, its about doing good things.

Offline BarryLincoln

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Re: International Sim Discussion
« Reply #671 on: January 02, 2019, 06:27:22 PM »
I'm going to be in Zurich for a 11 hour layover and want to leave the airport and tour a bit. What is a good, cheap international SIM that will work for calling within Switzerland and to the US?

IMO, depending on what service you use in the U.S., your best bet is to pay $10 for the day and use your phone like you would if you were in the U.S. 

Offline MoYS

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Re: International Sim Discussion
« Reply #672 on: March 25, 2019, 09:34:03 AM »
Is it possible to activate a sprint phone while out of the US on to the sprint network and then roam internationally or can it only be activated while in the US? The other option would be to get it unlocked internationally and then get a new sim which i dont want to do.

Offline Yeah

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Re: International Sim Discussion
« Reply #673 on: May 27, 2019, 01:21:58 PM »
Traveling to Israel for almost a week, was thinking of using Sprint global roaming (the high speed one for $25 a week). Any reason why not to use it?
Also how is the speed quality?

Online JudahMcB

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Re: International Sim Discussion
« Reply #674 on: July 09, 2019, 01:15:27 PM »
Looks like Red Pocket released a prepaid monthly data-only Global Data Plan that's $9 for 1GB at LTE speeds plus $8 for each additional 1GB that works in 50 countries (Israel included). https://www.redpocket.com/global. Is this the cheapest high-speed global roaming data plan out there?

Offline a good yeshiva bachur

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Re: International Sim Discussion
« Reply #675 on: July 09, 2019, 02:44:02 PM »
Looks like Red Pocket released a prepaid monthly data-only Global Data Plan that's $9 for 1GB at LTE speeds plus $8 for each additional 1GB that works in 50 countries (Israel included). https://www.redpocket.com/global. Is this the cheapest high-speed global roaming data plan out there?
seems like its cheaper the @Dan idea of Google Fi

Offline Pesach

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Re: International Sim Discussion
« Reply #676 on: July 09, 2019, 08:14:01 PM »
everything is slightly confusing with all the sims, i want one sim that would work for an unlocked gsm phone anywhere in the world unlimited talk and texts an american number  and can create any number so if someone in europe, russia, israel etc  wants to call you he wont have to pay long distance fees he would just call using a local number.

Online ExGingi

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Re: International Sim Discussion
« Reply #677 on: July 09, 2019, 09:03:56 PM »
seems like its cheaper the @Dan idea of Google Fi
Except if one only needs a little connectivity for a couple of days, especially if needed also in countries only included in the more expensive plan.
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Online JudahMcB

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Re: International Sim Discussion
« Reply #678 on: July 09, 2019, 09:11:25 PM »
Except if one only needs a little connectivity for a couple of days

Google Fi is $20/month plus $10/GB or fraction thereof. This Red Pocket plan is $9/GB/month with no additional fees. Throw in a free Google Voice number for free VoIP calling to/from US and free text. Even if you only use a few 100MB you still end up ahead.

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Re: International Sim Discussion
« Reply #679 on: July 09, 2019, 09:25:04 PM »
Google Fi is $20/month plus $10/GB or fraction thereof. This Red Pocket plan is $9/GB/month with no additional fees. Throw in a free Google Voice number for free VoIP calling to/from US and free text. Even if you only use a few 100MB you still end up ahead.
But you can activate and suspend Google Fi and will be fractionally charged (down to the minute IINM) so if you use Google Fi for 5 days, you could end up paying $5 and use it during layovers in Italy or Turkey which aren't included in the $9 red pocket plan.

Also with Google Fi you can get two SIMs (the regular one plus data only SIM) to share the data on two devices.
I've been waiting over 5 years with bated breath for someone to say that!
-- Dan