Using iPhone / Verizon

The $40/mo plans sounds good. We used that our first trip to Europe and were there 32 days. To me it is worth it not have to have to go hunt down a sim card and fool with changing that over, keeping up with my own sim card, etc. You're spending a bundle on a 30 day trip so what is $40 in your budget?
Our last two trips we didn't use a plan at all, although we had registered to be able to access the $10/day plan if we wanted to use it. We used What'sapp to contact friends and our landlord but we didn't need to make other calls (like to restaurants!) so we ended up using wifi only.

I’ve used the $40/month plan several times. Last year I was pleased to discover that now the 30 days does not have to begin at the first day of each month, but, instead, begins with any day you set. I’ve found it to be a convenient way to use my phone if needed, rather than fussing with a SIM card and a new phone number.

I’m not sure about that plan. We are here in the UK now and used the $10/day Int’l access plan. I’ve had 3G for about 5 minutes total since we’ve been here (3weeks). It’s up to the local carrier, it seems. WiFi has been spotty at best with surprisingly few locations offering free access. Plan on bringing some paper maps (this was mainly what we wanted the Internet for). We had to overcome our unrealistic expectations with access. Our best experience has been going to the local libraries 😊.

If you use the $40/mo plan, be sure to document the time and person you talked to to set this up. Last year, they refused to honor it and charged us the $10/day-quite expensive considering that my husband did call and set up the$40/mo plan but he had no way to prove it. We switched to T-mobile.

Not sure about Rededdyline's post. $10 / day would be $300 for our 30 day stay. Even if we didn't use it every day and had some overages, I think the $40 / month would be way cheaper.

The $40/month plan would never work for me (I don't have Verizon) because it has only 100MB of data.

The most beneficial use of my phone, by far, is for walk-around navigation with Google Maps. I make Google Maps ahead of time for each city I visit, and I can call up places at random and let Google Maps guide me there by walking, public transportation, or both. It's extremely handy and has saved me hours of time and frustration fumbling with with bus schedules and paper maps - something I don't miss at all!!!

And you need data to use your phone like that. 100MB of data would last me about a day. Whether or not the apartment has free WiFi or whether I can find out at restaurants etc. is completely irrelevant for that - have to have data. (There may be a walking directions app or a public transit app that doesn't need data, but I have yet to see one that does both in real-time like Google Maps does without data. Google Maps does have an "offline" mode but it works only for driving.)

My solution is just to spend 20 to 30 euros and buy a local SIM, especially for a month. I know some people don't want to lose their home phone number while a foreign SIM is in their phone; you can always check voicemail remotely by calling, and if your phone supports WiFi calling, you can probably access texts and voicemail on your original number while on WiFi.

I agree completely that using a mobile app will suck data quickly and the $40 plan won't work. Yes, people for years navigated UK streets without citymapper, but it is very convenient and helps prevent time wasted getting lost. Plus, it is great for finding local buses when it starts to rain or your legs are begging for relief.

It is true that many pubs, coffee shops, and restaurants have wifi, but most of them will require you to register, it isn't like the USA when you just get a password. Many times, when they require you to register, they'll also require a valid email or phone number to get the confirmation. A lot of pubs use a wifi company called The Cloud, so at least once you're registered with them, you might find that it is easier to use wifi if you're just stopping for a pint.

I've used the $10 per day and, yes it gets annoying as it adds up. I've found getting 4G to get fairly rare, but I assume that's because I'm piggybacking on a UK network while roaming.

Of course, with the $10 per day, if you don't use it that day, there's no charge.

I don't really see what niche the $40 plan is trying to fill. I remember their old international plans and it was basically use data, text, and phone calls very very sparingly.

I just read some analysis that says Google Maps doesn’t use much data. I don’t understand some of the posts that talk about using huge amounts of data. Can anyone explain this?

I just read some analysis that says Google Maps doesn’t use much data. I don’t understand some of the posts that talk about using huge amounts of data. Can anyone explain this?

Google Maps is used in different ways. Some people drive with it and use it as a GPS; some use it for walking/public transit. Some use it for both.

I'd imagine walking uses less data - no traffic data to download/monitor, and not as many maps to download; you tend to need more maps as you drive because you obviously move a lot faster.

What will you be using Google Maps for?

I use it mostly for walking/public transit when I travel, and I use it constantly (in cities). My average data use is about 100MB-120MB per day when I travel, and that often includes using my phone as a hotspot on trains so I have internet for my laptop. But I use WiFi whenever possible at hotels etc., and I don't stream videos (which eat up a lot of data) when using mobile data. I also don't use Skype or Facetime or any video chatting apps on mobile data - those eat up a lot of data too. Stick to WiFi when using them and you won't need nearly as much.

Someone on another thread posted about using 25GB/month, which I find insanely high. On the other hand, you won't be able to use Google Maps for a month and live within that 100MB limit in the Verizon plan - not even close. If you want to do an experiment, take your phone out for a walk and navigate with Google Maps. (Turn off WiFi or disconnect before you open Google Maps to start your navigation.) Note how much data was used for the month before you start your walk and how much after to figure out about how much data was used for your walk and by Google Maps.

Consider buying a SIM card in the UK and using WiFi calling to use your regular number (as you'll have a UK number while the UK SIM is in place). Try this experiment at home: turn off the phone, take out the SIM, turn it on and try using it on WiFi with no SIM in it. Can you still use the phone on WiFi with WiFi calling? Can you still do texting? If so, you'll be just fine with a UK SIM, with tons more data than the Verizon plan and/or at a small fraction of the cost.

If you use a google Maps ahead of time while you have WiFi access to download the map to the area you want to go, you can then use it without using data in offline mode to navigate. This will not incur data charges. But if you use Google maps to navigate with data turned on, you will incur large charges for data use.

I used a city Maps 2 Go while in cities, downloading city maps and pinning locations I intended to visit while I could use WiFi. Then I used it offline and was able to navigate around towns and to sites, restaurants, etc., without using data charges. I’ve never had a problem with Verizon using the $40/monthly rate and being charged instead with the $10/day rate,

If you're staying 30 days, I'd probably use the monthly plan vs Travel Pass. Probably. It all boils down to how much you plan to use your phone and how you plan to use your phone.

If you plan to use your phone every single day for calls, texts, data, etc., then the monthly plan is your best bet.

If you only plan to use your phone for calls, texts, data every few days while also utilizing your apartment's WiFi, then the $10/day plan may be better suited for your purposes.

Make sure you compare your data usage with what the plan provides. And if you go with the monthly plan, document the following - who you talked to at Verizon (a first name at minimum), the date you talked to them, the time you talked to them, and the date you set the international monthly plan to go into effect. I'm not sure if you can now set an end date for the plan or if you have to call back to end it, but make sure you find out before you go. It would be terrible to be charged an additional month when you didn't need it.

And FYI - I've found Google maps to be a major drain on data while walking, but that is just one person's experience. If you plan to use maps for any purpose while abroad, pay close attention to your data usage totals.

A month in England...enjoy!!!

Verizon Travel Pass is designed for those who are taking short trips and only plan to use cell data on rare occasions or just want the access to cell data in case of an emergency. It's $10 per person per 24 hours.

How many of you will be traveling? As with the Travel Pass, the $40 unlimited is PER LINE, not per account.

Verify that the 30 days of your trip will be counted as one month on this international unlimited data plan. Depending upon where your billing cycle falls, if your trip takes place in the midst of 2 billing cycles, you may be paying $80 per line. Find this out ASAP.

If you ask at a Verizon store (or call their regular number), you may or may not get accurate information. However, they have a dedicated international department that has always been spot on with regard to giving accurate information. The telephone number is 1-800-711-8300 if you want to contact them.

+1 to the advice above to check with the international group. Verizon's international plans have changed many times in the past few years when they finally made it reasonable to use your US phone in Europe. So, the guy working at the store (who is paid on commission) may not be keeping up to date with all the changes and may just know what the plan was he used on a Caribbean cruise 3 years ago.

I disagree that the $10 per day is only for very limited use, although it can certainly add up during longer trips. I have Verizon's unlimted plan, so when I do pay the $10 per day, I use about as much data as I would on a normal day in Chicago.

I highly recommend pre-downloading maps, and going with the 1-month plan. This worked very well for me last year. I only really used data to occasionally order an Uber. For map navigation, the pre-downloaded maps worked just fine. GPS is free, and works whether or not you have data. The one thing you won't get with pre-downloaded maps is directions, so you'll have to either figure that out by actually looking at the map, or get the directions while you are connected to wifi (aka in your hotel), and then go with them from there. It won't help you with things like exactly which tube line to take based on your exact timing, but should handle most circumstances.