SIM card, buy here or there

jaesbow,

Before you can use any other SIM cards in your phone, you'll have to ensure that the phone is unlocked. Which model phone are you using?

I believe this is the CREDO policy on unlocking.....

"If the phone has been paid off in full and active on Credo for at least 90 days it can be unlocked free of charge. If the phone is still under contract and has been active for at least 90 days on Credo, it can be unlocked by paying the early termination fee for the contract or for free after the contract has been completed. To request an unlock, you can call Credo at 1-877-762-7336."

I'm not sure whether this will apply for your situation, but have a look - https://bestmvno.com/apn-settings/credo-mobile-apn-settings/ .

Buying a SIM in France is probably the easiest solution, but it will help to find an English-speaking sales agent that can help you set the phone up. Be sure that you're clear on the method for topping it up, especially if you'll be travelling to other countries.

Good luck!

How long will you be in Europe? How much data do you want/need? You can buy the Orange SIM (a French SIM) on Amazon for $48.90 right now. That gives you 10GB of data but it's good for only two weeks (I could never use 10GB in two weeks, personally). You can top up the SIM after that to keep using it, but it could get pricey.

There are other French SIMs you can buy after you get there:

http://prepaid-data-sim-card.wikia.com/wiki/France

Another option is the Dutch Vodafone SIM (will work in France and elsewhere in the EU), which you can buy on eBay (search there for "vodafone YOU SIM" - seller is called "cheapeusims"). You can buy the SIM for about $8 USD shipped, but it has no credit on it. You can add credit ("top up") by creating a Vodafone account on the Dutch Vodafone website once you get the SIM, then activating a "You" bundle of data good for a month. You can get 6GB of data for 20 euros, good for a month. (Or 10 euros for 2GB.) That would be a much better deal than the Orange SIM if you will be there for more than two weeks. My write-up from last year is mostly still valid:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/tech-tips/dutch-vodafone-sim-card-for-use-in-europe

If you will be there two weeks or less, the Orange SIM from Amazon is probably easier and won't cost much more than the Dutch Vodafone SIM.

If a WiFi hotspot will work for you, this seems like a reasonable rental You can pick it up in the airport when you arrive.

https://www.travel-wifi.com/en

I buy it there, I have an unlocked phone. I go to a boutique store and have them install it and get it working (rather than hand them 30 euro and walk out when it might not work). I've used Orange's holiday card and SFR's SIM cards my last four trips to France, Vodaphone in Spain.

Last time I left my hotel and stopped at the closest Tabac, but the lady couldn't get the SFR SIM to work in my phone (then tried her phone and it didn't work either). Walked a little further up the street and stopped at an SFR boutique. They said they aren't selling SIM cards anymore and I can only purchase through a Tabac (may or may not be accurate). Finally walked a little further up the street to an Orange boutique and had them put an Orange SIM in my phone. It worked fine.

My biggest problem with Orange is it's designed for a two week vacation. Last time, at the end of 14 days, I went and added value to test whether you can extend them. It worked fine and I could add a small amount to cover a few days beyond my original 14.

Some thoughts on mapping. I use Next Stop Paris regularly to show me walking and metro routes to destinations in Paris. It works well, but needs data and sometimes doesn't work underground in the Metro. I use Google maps only for finding street addresses. I find Google is a hog for both battery and data so I use it sparingly. I use Co-pilot with Western Europe maps as a GPS. Since you preload maps at home, it navigates fine without data - even if you miss a turn (Google will navigate but can't reroute without data). Sometimes Co-pilot needs help searching for a destination, so I use Google for a street address then plug that into Co-pilot.

Rick's audio tours can be preloaded at home so you shouldn't need anything to access them. I used them my first trip to Paris and was fairly happy with them.

Google translate is wonderful. Download the app, then click on conversation and it restates your English in French, then let them talk to your phone and it will restate their French in English. It's seems to translate understandably both ways. I had never used it before but a Scottish guy was staying at the same Airbnb as me last trip and it works wonders when the host doesn't speak English.

I too am a Credo customer. I had to have Credo unlock my phone for overseas use before I left the USA (and reverse the process after I returned home). Then I had to buy a SIM card on the ground in France. A year later I was going to Europe again and I thought I'd be smart and buy a multi-country plan. Luckily I told Credo this ahead of time, because they told me their phones CANNOT be used with a multi-country SIM. You can either keep the regular SIM card and use the phone while you're in Europe, or you have to buy a separate SIM card for each country you visit.

Keeping your regular SIM card has the advantage that you will know your phone number ahead of time. When you book a hotel or ferry or other things, you can give them your phone number to reach you in case of any mixup. When you buy a SIM card and put it in your phone, it will assign you a totally new phone number, local to the country you are in. You have no way to know this phone number ahead of time.

I chose to keep my regular SIM and U.S. phone number on my second trip. It worked out fine and was not terribly expensive. I kept my phone calls short. I enjoyed the peace of mind knowing that my relatives and anyone else who'd need to reach me in an emergency could call my regular cell phone number.

. Luckily I told Credo this ahead of time, because they told me their phones CANNOT be used with a multi-country SIM. You can either keep the regular SIM card and use the phone while you're in Europe, or you have to buy a separate SIM card for each country you visit

You were misinformed. You DO NOT need a separate SIM for each country you visit! That has nothing at all do to with the phone. If the phone is unlocked, then once you remove the Credo SIM, Credo has absolutely nothing to do with it.

If you buy the French Orange SIM or the Dutch Vodafone SIM (or any other international SIM that allows roaming), you can use it all over Europe, in any compatible phone, Credo or otherwise. No need for a separate SIM in each country!

We found out the hard way there is more to it. Our grandson has an iPhone that was unlocked when he bought it. He is spending a year in college in Paris. He was going to buy a SIM card when he got there. It turns out his particular model does not work with any French network. His uncle, who is an Apple expert confirmed this.

Must be a very old iPhone. A new one bought today will work in Europe, even one that is designed to work primarily on Sprint or Verizon in the US.

Andrew, when I bought the French Orange SIM card, it definitely did not work once I got outside of France. I was told that this would be the case by the Boutique Orange salesmen I spoke to (in two different places, Paris and Chartres -- long story).

If my own cell phone company (Credo) tells me something, I don't really see why I should not believe them and instead believe what someone else, who isn't a Credo customer, posts on these forums.

Which Orange SIM card? When did you buy it and where? Orange offers several different prepaid mobile options, and they may not all support roaming. (And EU "roam like at home" rules have been in place just over a year.) One Orange SIM is the "Holiday SIM" (intended for tourists), also the same one you can buy on Amazon. The Orange Holiday SIM allow roaming outside of France, though I haven't personally used it. This is what they advertise on their website:

https://boutique.orange.fr/mobile/carte-prepayee-orange-holiday-eng

I'm not sure why it wouldn't work outside of France, but that would have nothing to do with the phone itself. It's good for only two weeks as well, unless you top it up.

I don't remember which Orange SIM card it was, sorry. Anyway this was in the spring of 2015 so things may have changed since then. As for Credo telling me I could not use a multi-country SIM card, that was in 2016.

At least, is it still the case that a SIM card will change your phone number? That is the sticking point IMO when it comes to foreign SIM cards. Personally I don't want to be traveling and be unable to tell people ahead of time (before I leave home) what the phone number is where they can reach me.

Anyway this was in the spring of 2015 so things may have changed since then.

Yes, European-wide roaming finally came into effect in June 2017, so traveling in different countries in Europe than the one of your "home" European SIM has changed completely.

I don't remember which Orange SIM card it was, sorry. Anyway this was in the spring of 2015 so things may have changed since then. As for Credo telling me I could not use a multi-country SIM card, that was in 2016.

Yes, as Kim says, things have most certainly changed in the last three years. EU "Rome like at Home" policies came into effect last year, and SIM cards like the Orange Holiday SIM will work outside of France now.

At least, is it still the case that a SIM card will change your phone number?

Yes, while you have another SIM card in place, you'll have another phone number. (E.g. a French phone number while you have a French SIM in the phone.). You get your old phone number back when you put your old SIM card back in.

That is the sticking point IMO when it comes to foreign SIM cards. Personally I don't want to be traveling and be unable to tell people ahead of time (before I leave home) what the phone number is where they can reach me.

Well, if you must be reached at random by phone by people who don't have email or can't text you, then yes, you will want to keep your US phone service when you go abroad. But if you have a smart phone and don't need to be reached immediately and directly, there are some tricks to get around this somewhat, if you are willing to spend a little time putting them in place. There are free texting and VOIP (Voice Over IP) apps like WhatsApp and Google Hangouts. Google Hangouts lets you make free calls to US phone numbers, even landlines. I use it even at home in the US sometimes. Google Voice gives you a free US phone number which will work with Hangouts. When I go to Europe, people who call my regular US phone number (which is also my Google number) get through to me instantly in Hangouts (even my bank or anyone with a landline), using whatever SIM card I am using. The phone may have a Dutch phone number, but I don't give that to anyone at home; they don't even have to know I'm traveling.

Google Voice also lets you text for free. But if you don't to mess with this as much, it's much easier just to tell people to email you if they need to talk to you - then call them back in the US wherever you are with Google Hangouts on their landline or cell phone and talk all day if you want, for no cost. (Except Hangouts uses mobile data if you aren't on WiFi.)

Assuming you have a smart phone, I suggest installing Hangouts (and Hangouts Dialer on an Android) anyway. Try it out - you might be surprised how well it works. It's handy to have for various reasons. (No cell service but have WiFi somewhere? Use Hangouts to make a call.)

I just used the Orange Holiday SIM in September. Worked great in cities, remote rural areas and islands, and in the UK

To avoid any problems, I bought it at an Orange Boutique in Paris. They set up your account for you, install the SIM, and check that it’s working. It activates when you make a call or send a text, which I did in the boutique. (Just in case).

If you leave France, be sure to enable roaming, so your phone can connect automatically to the local signal.

Orange Holiday also supports tethering, some couples with 2 phones just put the SIM in one phone and connect the other phone by tethering.

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Being able to use the same European sim in multiple counties in Europe has been in effect for just over a year. EU residents were frustrated with the old restrictions and high prices. Some sims could be used, but the roaming charges were prohibitive. Imagine trying to do business.

Hello, I bought the Dutch Vodafone SIM on EBay for our upcoming trip to Portugal and Holland, after having read Rick’s post about it.

However, after I installed the SIM card in my unlocked phone and trying to create an account on the Dutch Vodafone website, it stated they would send me a numeric code by SMS .

I never received the SMS and now my SIM card shows as locked (btw, I’m fluent in Dutch, so understanding the website isn’t a problem for me)

Not sure what my options are? Maybe I should head straight to the Vodafone store at Lisbon airport after arrival to get things sorted out?

Did you register/roam on a mobile network? You can't receive a text unless the phone with the SIM is connected on a mobile network. Are you in the US? When I got my Dutch Vodafone SIM, it connected (registered) automatically on T-Mobile roaming. There was no credit on the SIM yet, so no risk of roaming charges. Incoming texts are free, so I was able to receive the incoming code via text.

Not sure what you mean by "locked" - can you be more specific? Are you sure this phone was unlocked?

Not sure what my options are? Maybe I should head straight to the Vodafone store at Lisbon airport after arrival to get things sorted out?

Nope. Vodafone is completely separate in each country.

You can try chatting with Vodafone NL support on their website - even in English if you feel their English is better than your Dutch.

I’m in Canada and it did not connect to a network, that’s probably the problem. My phone is unlocked, I used a Mexican SIM card in it while in Mexico.

When I put the card in, it tells me ‘Locked Sim’, whatever that means.

I suppose I could try the support chat on their website, either in a Dutch or English. That’ll be my next option, I guess.

When I put the card in, it tells me ‘Locked Sim’, whatever that means.

Oh, now I know what you mean. You probably need the PIN to unlock the SIM i think it's 0000. There should be instructions about this. You can remove this code in settings if you want to - at least, I always do in Android. If you've tried too many incorrect codes, it may now need to be unlocked with a PUK code from Vodafone NL. (Who should help you via chat.)

https://www.vodafone.nl/support/toestel-en-simkaart/codes.shtml#pukcode-content

It may not automatically connect to a network. What you want to do is go into phone settings and scan for cellular networks, then try to join one. If that one doesn't work, try the next network. Here in the US, I'd pick up T-Mobile and AT&T. Maybe both would work, but I know T-Mobile did. I'm not familiar with the GSM operators in Canada.

you were right, it was 0000. :) I was chatting with the girl on Vodafone and she couldn't figure it out either. Then I started googling and tried the code and voila.....it worked ;)

It connected me to the Rogers network right away and I received a few SMS-s from Vodafone.

Now I'm waiting for the email to arrive, so I can confirm my email account and I should be good from there on!

Good. Add some credit to the SIM soon (good for six months after you add it), but DO NOT activate a "You" bundle until you are ready to use it! They are good for only 30 days from the time you activate them. So if your trip is in September, you can add the credit now but wait until just before you leave to "activate" it using your Vodafone account.