Your Questions About International Sim Card Data Plan

Betty asks…

att international cell phone use?

I live in the United States and will be traveling in the UK and on occasion, throughout Europe. I currently have ATT cell phone. I have a few questions related to effectively using a cell phone overseas:

-First, I will enable by current US phone number and SIM card to be able to be used internationally. It will be expensive when making local or international calls from the UK and Europe, but I will probably turn it on on occasion just to see if there are any voice mails or if I need to make a quick call when traveling. I was once told that if I turn the phone on in another country, even if I then turn the phone off, if someone leaves me a voice mail, even if I check it from another phone, since the last registered tower was in a different country, I would be charged for every minute a person leaves me a voice mail. Is this true? How can I get around this? Chances are I will have to turn my phone on, but I do not want to be charged for voice mails people may leave since for a few months, the last active registered tower will be a UK or other European tower.

-In addition to activating and turning on my phone with the US number and SIM card, I will also buy a local SIM card to put in my unlocked phone. Is this better than buying a go phone and adding minutes? If it is a blackberry, can I buy a text and data plan on this prepaid SIM card? What if I only buy a prepaid minute plan for my unlocked phone and SIM card; will the data function not work? Can I use this prepaid SIM card and phone in other countries within Europe?

Thank you so much for the information.

Pete answers:

Trust me, the LAST thing you want to do is use the carrier’s international rates, especially for data. A simple Google search will turn up tons of nightmare stories of people who turned their American phones on overseas and came home to bills in the thousands.

If the phone is unlocked, you should buy a SIM card from a carrier for the country you are visiting. There are even some SIM cards that will allegedly work across the continent across borders, but I cannot vouch for them. When I traveled to Ireland last summer, I purchased an O2 SIM from a fellow on Ebay. He sent me instructions for activating it before I left, and I was able to use it immediately for calls and texts. When necessary, I topped up the card along the way. This is pretty much how it works on the continent and in the UK.

Your data functions probably won’t work, even if you get a card with data plans available, since AT&Ts 3G frequencies work only in the US. So, if the phone has wi-fi capability, you’re going to be restricted to using that. In a way, it’s not bad. Most of the UK and Europe have abundant wi-fi service available at cafes, restaurants, hotels, etc. I was always able to find a hotspot on my Nexus One while in Ireland last summer.

Very Important: You need to make the SIM purchase *before* you leave the US. The guy who sole me my Ireland SIM informed me that waiting until you arrive in country to buy one will be a big hassle, since the ID requirements are difficult and time consuming. It’s a security issue, since pre-paid cells with SIMs have been used as triggers for explosives in terror attacks in the past.

Do a Google search on “sim” and the name of the country you’re visiting, and you should find plenty of sites. Check eBay as well.

Donna asks…

Can I use my US iPhone 4 in the UK if they switch the SIM card for me?

I’m planning on making several trips to the UK over the next coming months. Previously, my trips were short and spread far apart. I just called AT&T, added a global data plan & text plan and canceled the next month. However, if my trips are going to be frequent and with somewhat short notice, I’d like to find a better solution. Given that there are 5 carriers in the UK that support the iPhone 4, when I arrive there, can I just walk into one of them, have them switch my SIM, and use one of their monthly plans (which are usually cheaper than AT&T’s plans) and have my SIM switched back before I come home. I realize I can jailbreak, but given that it could potentially void my warranty (until they sort out the legal issues), I’d prefer not to do this. If I have a UK Apple store switch the SIM, will that protect my warranty while giving me a more affordable international option?
Also, I still have my old 3GS. Would it be an option to just take that phone to the UK and get service there? For example, so nothing with my AT&T iPhone 4 and just use the old 3GS in the UK as if I lived there.

Pete answers:

Neither of your phones can be used with a UK sim unless unlocked. Since neither AT&T nor Apple will unlock an iPhone, that means you must jailbreak and unlock. Since you no longer have a warranty on the 3gs, that would be the one to jailbreak. However, depending on which firmware it’s running, there may not be a jailbreak or unlock available.

att international cell phone use?

Pete answers:

Can I use my US iPhone 4 in the UK if they switch the SIM card for me?

Pete answers:

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