Brexit, IPhone SIM card

How do you want to use your phone in Europe? If you buy a European SIM, note that you won't receive calls on your US number anymore - you'll have a British or French phone number until you put your US SIM card back in. So people you know won't be able to call or text you directly on that phone number anymore.

If you just need data, buy a SIM when you get to the UK. You may be able to use it in France. If not, buy another SIM there.

Brexit isn't going to happen abruptly to affect everything instantly. Phones won't suddenly stop working the next day. It will take time for things to transition. As far as travel: the UK is not even part of the Schengen area now so there is a controlled border between the UK and France, anyway. As an American passport holder, nothing should change for you. (But in 2021, Americans will need to get travel authorization - not exactly a visa - to visit the Schengen countries like France.)

Your US passport will work the same in the UK and France, no need for another document.

Thanks for the passport clarification. But regarding the SIM card, this may sound naive, but is there one that can be used for most, if not, all of Europe?

Regarding the SIM issue, we have had good luck buying them in the UK and having the, work everywhere. We have had mixed success with Italian SIM purchases as you have to make sure you get just the right package. If Switzerland is involved, it gets more complicated in my experience. But if your first stop is the U.K., buy them there. We got great he,pmat EE both times we’ve done this.

Since the EU (one of the regulatory agencies) started enforcing the "roam like at home" rules, most of the prepaid SIM cards in many countries now allow you to use the SIM in other EU countries without extra roaming charges.

A few cheaper UK SIMs may not automatically work right away for EU roaming. (Giffgaff? I seem to recall that they require you to use the SIM in the UK for a period first before they will turn on EU roaming.) EU "roam like at home" is intended for European residents, not tourists, but usually tourists can take advantage of it, with occasional restrictions.

I've had great luck with my Dutch Vodafone SIM, purchased on eBay. (Search for "Vodafone YOU SIM" - if you don't get the UK SIM, you may not be able to add credit online easily. The SIMs are different for each country; Vodafone UK is not exactly the same as Vodafone NL.) I've used the Dutch Vodafone SIM in Slovenia, Italy, France, Spain, and Portugal, on two different trips. (Never in the Netherlands yet!). It should work to roam in the UK (and Switzerland). And you could buy it ahead of time and have a working phone when you land in the UK. But...you might as well just wait to buy one in the UK when you arrive. (I didn't have this option when I was first buying a SIM like this - it was right before "roam like at home" went into effect, and Vodafone NL started a few months early.)

The Dutch Vodafone SIM lets you get 2GB of data for 10 euros, good for one month (plus the cost of the SIM itself, which comes with no credit on it). Or 6GB for 20 euros, good for a month. I've found that I can get by with about 100MB to 120MB of data per day when I travel, assuming I can use WiFi much of the time at hotels etc. Some of the UK SIMs are even cheaper than this, but make sure you get enough data or "top it off" before you leave the UK - otherwise, you may have to use Paypal to top off online indirectly or buy another SIM in France.

At present, we can use our UK phones anywhere in Europe with data roaming. After Brexit, the situation is unclear and it’s likely that this may stop if we go down the no deal route. If we agree terms, then there will be a transition period, during which we will still get free data roaming.

Therefore, depending on what happens, you may need separate SIM cards for the UK and Europe unless the phone companies agree to continue free roaming. As with everything Brexit, it’s as clear as mud!

Who is your current carrier, do they offer an overseas plan?

We have Verizon and they have an international plan for $10/day where you can have the same coverage as in the US. There’s 4 of us and we will be in Europe for 21 days. As you can see, it’s very costly. But all these different SIM cards are so confusing! I might end up getting just one phone covered through Verizon and try the SIM card from the UK for the rest. Btw, we will be going to England, France, Switzerland, Germany, and Italy.

FYI, also make sure your phones are unlocked. Verizon JUST started locking some of their new phones again - they hadn't for many years, by policy.

Four Dutch Vodafone SIMs would be $7.46 each from eBay seller davinciteam. Create a Dutch Vodafone account for each of them before you leave, add 20 euros to each, activate a 6GB "You" bundle on each the day before you leave, and your phones should be good to go for three weeks (6GB would be more than enough for me for three weeks, assuming I was using WiFi).

My write-up from 2017 should still mostly be valid:

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

Or, go to a UK Vodafone store when you get there and just buy four SIMs - they'll probably work in all of those countries too. Although Switzerland is not in the EU, Vodafone NL does allow the same free roaming there, and it seems Vodafone UK does also:

https://prepaid-data-sim-card.fandom.com/wiki/United_Kingdom

For a 21 day trip, you probably won't need to top them up once you leave the UK.

The Orange SIM available on Amazon is not a great deal in my opinion, especially for a three week trip, in my opinion (it is good for only two weeks before you need to add credit to it).

Jovie,

"There’s 4 of us and we will be in Europe for 21 days. As you can see, it’s very costly."

Unless one person is paying all four cellular bills every month, the costs shouldn't be prohibitive in the big scheme of a European holiday. Using the Verizon roaming plan will be the easiest and most convenient option for multi-country travel, and also means no concerns about having to top-up the card during your trip. However one disadvantage is that you may receive calls from inconsiderate friends who didn't both to check the time difference and therefore wake you up in the wee hours of the morning with trivial calls.

Under the terms of their Travel Pass program, users are only charged the $10 daily fee on days when they use the phone. However keep in mind that phones always have something happening in the background, so if the phone is turned on, it will still be using the cellular network.

In one sense, you're getting a good deal. My cell provider charges $12 per day for international roaming, up to a maximum of 15 days per billing cycle.

One final point..... in order to use SIM cards from other networks, each phone must be unlocked. I believe this is standard with Verizon, but still worth checking.

I’m traveling with my family so there’s only one bill. I think it’s a good idea to keep one phone with our local number for emergencies and for the other three to just get the SIM card in the UK once we get there. Thank you for all the responses. You all have been very helpful.