T-Mobile Still Good Option?

What makes T-Mobile stand-out from all the other carriers is that it includes data (at 2g speed) at no extra cost when outside the US. All the other carriers charge extra for this. If you just need your phone for voice/texts it's not worth the hassle of changing carriers.
Also, If the 2G speeds are too slow for your needs you can get a temporary upgrade to 4G for a one-time charge of around 20 bucks; all you have to do is send TM a text message to set this up when you are across the pond.

Michael, thanks for the tip for how to increase the internet speed with T-Mobile. I didn’t know I could do that.

As far as I'm concerned yes TMobile is still a good option. We've used it in Ireland, on a Budapest to Amsterdam river cruise (lots of countries enroute), and both Switzerland and France last year. We'll be using it in Portugal and Spain this year. Text and data are free, calls are 25 cents a minute. Not sure of what Verizon's current monthly rates are but when we switched we saved a lot.

With certain T-mobile plans, international texting is free. Calls cost .25 a minute approximately. We seldom make a call overseas and try to use WhatsApp when on WiFi if we need to make one. I see T-mobile as a good option, but will admit I’ve never tried a different company.

T-Mobile has led the way in making it easy to use your phone wherever you travel at reasonable cost. AT&T and Verizon have not budged much from their more expensive fees, but to the extent they have moved at all, it is probably thanks to competition from T-Mobile.

The downside for T-Mobile customers had been that T-Mobile has historically had less coverage in the U.S. than the other big two carriers. Fortunately, that seems to be changing, especially with the 5G spectrum that T-Mobile now has.

An alternate option is Google Fi, but note that Google Fi uses T-Mobile in the U.S. Also, a portable wifi hotspot might be an option. See wifi calling using mobile device.

T-Mobile gets discussed quite often on this forum.

I have T-mobile and have been using it interntionally for over 5 years. No problems except for slow data speeds. At most, all I have to do when arriving in a new country is either nothing and it automatically connects or reboot the phone. I then get a welcome text from that country.

T-Mobile offers a few international high-speed data plans that depend on how much speed you'll need and for how long

https://www.t-mobile.com/customers/data-pass

I try to hold off making calls while overseas until I am on wifi when I can use Skype. Skype's rates are about 1/10 of T-mobile's.

My T-Mobile has been nearly flawless across Western and Eastern Europe. Wouldn't change it for anything.

T-Mobile was fine for me in 2019. It was the first time I'd had cellular data anywhere, and as a solo traveler I really enjoyed being able to surf the 'net on long train and bus rides. I still used my tablet on Wi-Fi when I was in my hotel room.

Since I don't need to stream video at home or while traveling (I have some videos stored on both phone and tablet) and I choose hotels with decent Wi-Fi, my data usage is rather low wherever I am--under 1 GB per month. I've now switched to Google Fi, which has low phone rates (under $25 per month for unlimited domestic calling and texting, international-usage rates similar to T-Mobile's) and a separate charge of $10 per GB of data used. My data charges are very low, so I'm saving a lot.

Thanks for the quick responses. I should get great T-Mobile coverage here in northern VA and everyone seems to have good results internationally. Appreciate your input.

Since you travel quite a bit, I think the best option is Google Fi. It covers most of the world seamlessly and charges based on usage. You can also freeze service when you don't need it. I have been using it for several years and can't travel without it. The only catch is that you must activate it in the US.

T Mobile is owned by Deutch Telecom--the German telephone company. The service in Europe is just like the U.S.--with us receiving calls from home too. We sign up for their international program for one month and cancel it upon our return from the trip. Data is also unlimited on our plan.

I have used T-Mobile in England, Ireland, France, Germany, Scandinavian countries, St. Petersburg, and on a cruise from Long Beach to Florida through the Panama Canal. Our basic plan away from the USA has free text and low bandwidth data with about 25 cents per minute per voice though I use Wi-Fi when available. I have found that the basic plan coupled with Wi-Fi covers my needs when I travel. On a cruise of the Baltic and through the Panama Canal, I put the phone in Airplane Mode when at sea so as not to incur roaming charges when away from T-Mobile towers near ports. I have also found that their USA coverage has improved over the years and is now quite good.

T Mobile is owned by Deutch Telecom--the German telephone company.

adding:

T-Mobile US, Inc. is an American wireless network operator majority owned by German telecommunications company Deutsche Telekom (DT), which holds 64.78% of the common stock. Its headquarters are located in Bellevue, Washington, ...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T-Mobile_US

Also, If the 2G speeds are too slow for your needs you can get a temporary upgrade to 4G for a one-time charge of around 20 bucks ...

The last time I checked, the upgrade is to 3G only. Perhaps things have changed?

Also, with 2G disappearing in many countries, does it mean T-Mobile overseas will be 3G?

As an aside, I was with groups from the US in China. The Great Firewall prevented many from accessing their Gmail, etc. But no problem for me and those with T-Mobile. The first time was in 2015, and I thought that it must be an anomaly of some kind. Then it happened again in 2017. Not sure if it is any different now.

I just wanted to follow up on my T-Mobile experience recently in Italy. I had switched from Verizon to T-Mobile in early March because of a two-week trip to Italy. I had absolutely no issues. When I arrived at FRA to transfer to a flight to NAP, I received a T-Mobile alert almost immediately with a welcome message for Germany. Similarly, when I arrived in NAP, I received a welcome message for Italy. I had no problems getting my emails or accessing the web. There were times that the surfing speed was a bit slower than back in the US, but nothing to worry about. Texting and calling back to the US were hassle-free.

So, for those that are on the fence about switching phone providers, I can heartedly recommend T-Mobile.

~Darrel

I will second the good results with T-Mobile. We changed just before 2 weeks in Italy, phone and data were flawless nearly everywhere. I did purchase ($35) the 5G data for 14 days. Probably was not necessary but we were using Google maps a lot.

I've used Tmobile for years in EU and never a problem!! Always excellent service.