Simm Card or Google FI

My son and DIL use Google FI at home. Last year they went to Finland for 3 weeks visiting friends who are living there in a smallish city an hour or so from Helsinki. They reported that voice and data connections were seamless with no issues. They’ve been pleased with the domestic service as well. You are limited to particular phones.

If you don't want to get a phone compatible with "Google Fi" (Project Fi), you can just buy local SIM cards when you get there. If you want to keep your US phone numbers, port them to Google Voice before you leave the US. Then you can receive calls on those old numbers with Google Hangouts, get voicemails and texts for free via Google, make calls home to the US with Hangouts for free, even to landlines. When you get home, port your numbers from Google back to the next phone service - or just keep using Google Voice at home (which is what I've been doing for years) with whatever phone service you have.

There is a one-time $20 fee to port a phone number to Google voice, but otherwise it is free to use (via Hangouts) for US calls, voicemail, and texting. If you don't care about losing your existing cell numbers after you cancel your Verizon service, Google Voice will give you free new numbers - just can't choose them. Set up Google Voice first, though, before canceling your Verizon service.

I love google fi. Have used it in England, Wales, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Czech Republic with no problems. Worked great!

Just curious, how long will your trip of "several months" be? Are you aware of the *Schengen Visa" limits?

What is Google Fi? I have not heard of it.

OK, I did the google thing and found out that Google FI is Google's new wifi.

No, it's not "WiFi."

Actually, the correct name is "Project Fi." As Google says here, it's "a phone plan from Google."

https://fi.google.com/about/

But it's unique in several ways. For one, it uses more than one carrier. In the US, it will use Sprint, T-Mobile, or US Cellular. And your phone can switch between them automatically. The ability of a phone to be able to do that is limited - only certain phones are capable. That's why Google limits Fi to be usable only on certain phones.

It sounds pretty cool if you want to buy a phone that is compatible. I don't.

I've had a Project Fi phone for a couple of years. It automatically finds the signal in whatever country we are landing or docking. It's necessary for me to be in contact with the States no matter where I am due to a very elderly family member, so this has been a practical solution. I buy the bottom of the line phones offered. The LG was junk, while so far so good with the Moto. The monthly charges are lower than other carriers in my area.

I have Project F1 on my iPad and it works very well in Europe.

If you port your current number to Google Voice, it will permanently disconnect your US cellular plan.

However, you can open a google voice account with a new number and forward your current cell# calls and texts to the google voice number. But without a cellular connection, calls can only be made on wifi.

If you port your current number to Google Voice, it will permanently disconnect your US cellular plan.

Correct. I assume most people in Europe who buy a European SIM while there wouldn't want to keep paying for US cell phone service they aren't using, if they are gone for a few months.

However, you can open a google voice account with a new number and forward your current cell# calls and texts to the google voice number.

This will work - but it will save money to cancel the US phone service while gone and use a European SIM and just leave the number on Google. Depends how long they are gone. For one month I'd probably keep the US cell service; for six months, I wouldn't.

But without a cellular connection, calls can only be made on wifi.

Hangouts works on both WiFi and with mobile data. So one can receive calls on a Google Voice number with Hangouts anywhere a regular cell phone works.