What is the best US phone and wireless plan for Europe?

I have tur T Mobile plan and it’s worked great for me

T-Mobile worked well for me on a long trip last year. It has been my regular carrier at home, but I was previously on a pay-as-you-go plan and couldn't get service in Europe. It's important to research coverage in your area carefully before changing service providers, because coverage in each area varies by carrier. You don't want to end up with a company whose coverage doesn't work well in your hometown.

Another option to look at is Google Fi. I haven't used it, but there have been some encouraging posts about it on this forum. (If the Search function doesn't bear fruit, try doing a Google search for ricksteves.com/travel-forum Google Fi.) For folks who don't need a lot of data, I believe Fi would be a good bit cheaper than even T-Mobile.

Fi requires a reasonably up-to-date phone. My phone, a nice Samsung model purchased in 2015, isn't on the approved list for Fi. I'll be exploring the Fi option when I upgrade the phone, because I don't use a lot of data.

Last time I went over I just used the Google phone app on my iPod and free wireless. It worked and cost nothing. If I was going today I'd probably just use MS Teams.

We switched from Verizon to the T-Mobile plan for those of us over 55 years old. Our phone works the same in Europe as in the USA, no extra fees for calls, no special arrangements before leaving home.

A couple years ago, Verizon had better coverage, and when we switched, T-Mobile calls sometimes dropped, depending on where we were in the USA. In the past year, the T-Mobile coverage has improved significantly, and now we’ve got a better, easier, and cheaper plan than the old Verizon plan provided.

The T-Mobile data speed has been great for using the phone in Europe for navigation while driving in Greece and Italy, communicating via WhatsAp with friends in the USA, and checking in for our flights home. If you’re over 55, T-Mobile ... look no further!

Another vote for TMobile. From Germany to USSR to Ukraine, to Bulgaria and Albania; worked flawlessly.

I should have mentioned that I haven't used T-Mobile to stream videos anywhere. That's something I only do when I have cable-modem (at home) or Wi-Fi (abroad) access. I use cellular data only for basic web surfing.

Thanks everyone for your help. Your comments will enable me to make a decision.

Anne,

I suppose the answer might depend on which network you use now, whether they have an international roaming plan, and what your budget is for travel phone service.

On my last few trips, I used a "Roam Like Home" plan with my home cell network. That provided the same features and data allowance as my plan at home, but it was a bit pricey. I need to be accessible from my home number, so using a travel or local SIM is not an option. Prior to that I tried a number of different services but found the plan offered by my home carrier to be the simplest and easiest solution. The cost wasn't a big deal in the overall cost of a European trip.

I also have T-Mobile. It automatically connects to service wherever you are. The only downfall as stated earlier is that international data service can be slow.

That being said, I just got a new 5G phone last week and in the U.S. the data speeds are amazing. Download speeds over 200 Mbps. Upload not much different than 4G.

T-Mobil worked well on my last Europe trip. Voice calls do incur a charge of 10 cents a minute, but texts are free. As others have said, data speeds are slow. Things like checking emails and websites work fine, just don't try streaming any videos as they will be painfully slow. Every time you cross a border, you'll get a text "Welcome to XXXXXX".

TMobile gives me a limited amount of 4G in Europe. When it runs out I get a text offering more for $5 a day. You pay with the TMobile app, and carry on. Its pay, one day at a time so if you don't need it Tuesday, don't buy it. I am more pleased with TMobile service in Europe than in the US. I only had one issue in September in the Albanian Alps, and I cured that by standing on the roof of the hotel to make the phone call.

Sitting on an American flight at the moment and just realized my TMobile account gets me free WiFi on the flight. Another plus. Lets see if it works on the next leg which is a long haul transoceanic flight.

EDIT: Not free on the long haul. :-(

T-Mobile first started as a German company, so having their own network over there is a big advantage. Other US providers have to have agreements with multiple local providers over there, so there is no ATT network in Europe, for example. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Not exactly your question but I always get a SIM card there and change it out in my phone. I've used a number of different plans. In France, Orange worked pretty well. Nothing, so far, beat "3" that I used in Ireland and the UK in 2019.
My plan at home allows free calls to most countries in Europe (as well as South America and others). I like to use it for making reservations but not when I'm on vacation.
My wife wants to keep her phone number, for work, and she has Verizon. I think she bases it on the best plan overall rather than the best plan for travel. I prefer not getting calls while on vacation.

I seldom use my phone for calls overseas. I have Sprint and it has free 2G and texts. Since all I use the phone for is texts, that’s sufficient for me. If I need the web, I can wait until I’m connected to WiFi. If needed for GPS, I use Google maps downloaded for offline use.

We moved over to T-Mobile and have been very happy with the overseas coverage. It's worked in numerous countries in Europe, Israel, Fiji, Australia, and New Zealand. As people over 60, we get two phone lines for $60 per month.

Another happy camper with Sprint/T Mobile. Have used both seperately (now they are merged into T Mobile)
Yes the speed is a bit slow but for basic surfing , email etc no issues. Have used ATT before but way too expensive which is why we switched. Plus the 2 lines for $60 is great. So great to not worry about how much data we use in Europe.(here too)