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 161642 times)

Offline ceejay

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Re: European And Israeli Sim Discussion
« Reply #40 on: July 06, 2010, 04:37:52 PM »
850  is also used in america. I'm not sure if it's by T-mobile, AT&T or both.

Its only used by ATT TMobile uses 1900 for voice  1700 and 2100 AWS bands for data
« Last Edit: July 06, 2010, 04:52:11 PM by ceejay »

Offline Chaikel

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Re: European And Israeli Sim Discussion
« Reply #41 on: July 06, 2010, 04:44:49 PM »
Those aren't even GSM bands. They're AWS, which as far as I am aware, are currently only being used for data
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Offline Monsey

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Re: European And Israeli Sim Discussion
« Reply #42 on: August 20, 2010, 08:13:30 PM »
I have a cellcom sim card and im looking to buy an att phone which i will unlock does anyone know what band cellcom in israel uses? Is it 900/1800 like orange or do they use a different band? I dont need data just calls and text messaging.

Offline Chaikel

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Re: European And Israeli Sim Discussion
« Reply #43 on: August 21, 2010, 01:59:26 PM »
1800 only
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Offline SuperFlyer

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Re: European And Israeli Sim Discussion
« Reply #44 on: August 21, 2010, 06:51:59 PM »
Shouldn't be too much of a worry, as rarely will you find modern phones with only one of the two.

Offline Avid Reader

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Re: Venice Master Thread
« Reply #45 on: February 03, 2011, 07:10:40 PM »
Any suggestions on what kind of pre-paid cell phone SIM to buy? I'd like to use it with my BB Bold 9000 (unlocked).

AsherO can you give me the name again that you mentioned?

Lonely Planet guide recommends Vodafone and Telecom Italia Mobile (Or is it their outlets they're recommending for buying a SIM? not sure).

I prefer to buy the SIM while in the US, perhaps on eBay.

Offline moish

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Re: Re: Venice Master Thread
« Reply #46 on: February 03, 2011, 07:47:02 PM »
i got a "wind" sim card at fco. not sure i vce has any but they probably do

Offline AsherO

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Re: Re: Venice Master Thread
« Reply #47 on: February 03, 2011, 08:54:38 PM »
Any suggestions on what kind of pre-paid cell phone SIM to buy? I'd like to use it with my BB Bold 9000 (unlocked).

AsherO can you give me the name again that you mentioned?

Lonely Planet guide recommends Vodafone and Telecom Italia Mobile (Or is it their outlets they're recommending for buying a SIM? not sure).

I prefer to buy the SIM while in the US, perhaps on eBay.

I recommended TIM (abbreviated form of Telecom Italia Mobile), but things might have changed since I've been there.

Oh, and beware of pickpockets/luggage thieves. Don't leave your things unattended for even a second. And in Touristy places and/or trains and stations be super-alert watch your pockets and bags.
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Offline Avid Reader

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Re: Re: Venice Master Thread
« Reply #48 on: February 03, 2011, 11:50:32 PM »
Thanks guys. Looks like I'll have to buy it in Italy as nothing showing up on ebay. Any other suggestion on where to purchase?

Offline Dan

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Re: Re: Venice Master Thread
« Reply #49 on: February 03, 2011, 11:53:26 PM »
Thanks guys. Looks like I'll have to buy it in Italy as nothing showing up on ebay. Any other suggestion on where to purchase?
You can also just buy a world SIM.

How much are the rates for the Italian SIM?
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Offline kivabb

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Re: Re: Venice Master Thread
« Reply #50 on: February 04, 2011, 09:54:35 AM »
You can also just buy a world SIM.

How much are the rates for the Italian SIM?

Will these Amigo phones you rent when you go to E"Y work in Venice? If not, what's the best option for a 2 day trip? Calling card and giving my kids the number in hotel? I don't have Sim phone.........

Offline Dan

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Re: Re: Venice Master Thread
« Reply #51 on: February 04, 2011, 10:04:38 AM »
Will these Amigo phones you rent when you go to E"Y work in Venice? If not, what's the best option for a 2 day trip? Calling card and giving my kids the number in hotel? I don't have Sim phone.........
No.
You don't own a world phone?  They're quite cheap.

Bring a laptop and use Gizmo5 with GV?
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Offline kivabb

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Re: Re: Venice Master Thread
« Reply #52 on: February 04, 2011, 10:08:09 AM »
No.
You don't own a world phone?  They're quite cheap.

Bring a laptop and use Gizmo5 with GV?

Okay, I know this isn't the place, but can you give me a short education of what kind of phone to buy and what kind of card? Can I use same phone in E"Y?

Offline Dan

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Re: Re: Venice Master Thread
« Reply #53 on: February 04, 2011, 10:13:04 AM »
Okay, I know this isn't the place, but can you give me a short education of what kind of phone to buy and what kind of card? Can I use same phone in E"Y?
Plenty of threads in the tech forum.  Search for 'em.
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Offline kivabb

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World Phone Purchase
« Reply #54 on: February 04, 2011, 10:21:19 AM »
Sorry everyone as this info was probably listed in earlier forum. I tried searching World Phone and/or Venice (where I'm going) and the terminology seems a little advanced for me to discern what I need.

I'm going to Venice for a few days and planning a trip to Israel as well. Can someone lead me to what type of world phone I can buy that's very economical that I can use in both places? Can I use the same card for both Venice and Israel.

Thanks

Offline Dan

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Re: European And Israeli Sim Discussion
« Reply #55 on: February 04, 2011, 10:27:43 AM »
Sorry everyone as this info was probably listed in earlier forum. I tried searching World Phone and/or Venice (where I'm going) and the terminology seems a little advanced for me to discern what I need.

I'm going to Venice for a few days and planning a trip to Israel as well. Can someone lead me to what type of world phone I can buy that's very economical that I can use in both places? Can I use the same card for both Venice and Israel.

Thanks
Merged...have a read though.
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Re: European And Israeli Sim Discussion
« Reply #56 on: February 04, 2011, 10:52:20 AM »
I went with One Sim Card that Super recommended.

I see to get the Sim Card here is $40 for $10 Air Time minutes. For $40 more I can buy a phone from them that includes $10 Air Time minutes. Will I get cheaper phone elsewhere? Should I spend extra $8 on Motorola phone over BLU http://www.onesimcard.com/?idmenu=1 ?
Thanks

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Re: European And Israeli Sim Discussion
« Reply #57 on: February 04, 2011, 11:00:02 AM »
I see to get the Sim Card here is $40 for $10 Air Time minutes. For $40 more I can buy a phone from them that includes $10 Air Time minutes. Will I get cheaper phone elsewhere? Should I spend extra $8 on Motorola phone over BLU http://www.onesimcard.com/?idmenu=1 ?
Thanks
I use OneSimCard, just beware that they use a mildly annoying callback system which I didn't realize when I bought it.  You dial a number, then you wait a few seconds for them to call you back, and then the call is connected.
Also the number is from Estonia, so it will cost $ ($0.33/minute via GV for example) for people from the US to call you, although the call won't cost you anything.

ATT had world gophones for $22 during their last sale, not sure what the price is now.
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Re: European And Israeli Sim Discussion
« Reply #58 on: February 04, 2011, 11:22:34 AM »
So spending $70-90 on a phone with $10 airtime and having outgoing calls at 30+ cents a minute and the kids calling us from home at 35 cents a minute (since calling a mobile) is the cheapest reality being that the hotel will probably charge me for 800 number and for incoming calls? I guess my wife will want for piece of mind that we're accesable but phone calls will almost cost as much as Gandola with chazanus.

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Re: European And Israeli Sim Discussion
« Reply #59 on: February 04, 2011, 11:25:37 AM »
So spending $70-90 on a phone with $10 airtime and having outgoing calls at 30+ cents a minute and the kids calling us from home at 35 cents a minute (since calling a mobile) is the cheapest reality being that the hotel will probably charge me for 800 number and for incoming calls? I guess my wife will want for piece of mind that we're accesable but phone calls will almost cost as much as Gandola with chazanus.
I spent $20 on a phone, $40 on the SIM (including $10 of airtime) and pretty much have never use the airtime.  It doesn't seem to expire as I used a minute in May and another minute on this past trip.
Plus I get something like 1 AA mile per minute of incoming or outgoing...

I make outgoing calls (and receive incoming calls) from my laptop for free via G5/GV and have the phone just in case of an emergency incoming or outgoing call.
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