International plan or sim card

When I first started traveling in Europe ( 2010 ) , a SIM card was a better way to go . Over the years the various improvements in technology , the rise of ubiquitous wifi , and industry competition have substantially changed the equation . For the last several years the Verizon international plan has made far more sense for me . Set it up before you go , and your phone is operative on arrival at a reasonable price , no need to search out SIM cards .

I would agree with the prior poster although I have limited experience with SIM cards. We have found the Verizon plan easy-can do it on line or one call. Then we have peace of mind if there is an emergency at home, or the occasional work related call, our phones work. Years ago we purchased a cheap phone and got a SIM card in France-that was an hour plus waiting in an Orange store with a significant language barrier. After that ordeal found the phone was unreliable, so for us the international plan is the way to go.

Thank you, Alan and Steven. Do you know how much is Verizon international plan? I was told it,seems 40 dollars a month, but it didn't work properly, so they paid around 300 dollars after they returned to US.

This is what I found on Verizon's website. They probably got hit with the huge charge by going over on the data. There are other options too like $10/day which give you a higher allowance of data. https://www.verizonwireless.com/support/trip-planner-tool/#/estimate

Greece
International Travel 100 Talk, Text and Data
Keep connected in 140 countries.

Best for travelers that need talk, text and data on their device.
For the person that wants to manage their usage on their international trip. You get enough data, talk minutes and text messages to connect with others while you're traveling.
$40/Month
Greece
100 minutes
100 sent messages
Unlimited incoming messages
100 MB data allowance

*Overages:
$25.00 per 100 MB
$0.25 per minute
$0.25 per message sent

Before you go download two apps. Tango and Whats app. Both are free and use wifi. So you can use them for free while in your hotel as it will use your hotels wifi. Whats app is for texting, and i believe it now has calling functions. Tango is for calling and video chatting. I have used them both while away. Granted you are limited to using them in your hotel and if your hotels wifi is spotty well it may be hard for the apps to work. The people you are texting and calling also need the apps. These work well to stay in touch with family at home. I use these two apps and an international plan from att. Never had a problem with overage costs from ATT. Hope this helps

"They probably got hit with the huge charge by going over on the data. " I think you guys, Melissa and Brad, are right, that what's happened to them.
Thanks Joyce, I got What'sApp.

The terms of the Verizon plan are correct as listed above , as is the probable cause for a $300 overage charge . 100 MB of data is sufficient for hunting information when wifi is unobtainable ( a rare circumstance these days ) . If you are one who has an unquenchable addiction to cell phones and use things like streaming video , you will blow through the limit like a hooked drug abuser . At the end of a long day , I like a bit of entertainment , like a film or something from BBC , but I do it on a tablet via a free wifi connection in my hotel room . It's rare that I can't get connected .