What is the best way to have phone service in Greece? Can I buy a Sim card at the airport or should I arrange with my carrier in the US for international calling?
Posted by
Philadelphia, PA, USA
3397 posts
Ive seen MANY threads on this on Trip Advisor... try there..
Posted by
2790 posts
I think the answer depends on what carrier you have and what you want to be able to do on your phone in Greece.
I have T-Mobile and was able to text and have data without additional charge. I made some calls which did incur a change. My brother and son in law had Verizon and used wi fi when available and kept phones in airplane mode the rest of the time except when they had a need to text as to not incur charges.
Beth
Posted by
Portland, Oregon
5687 posts
Who is your US carrier? Verizon and AT&T each have $10/day international roaming plans, charged only on days you use it (and then you get 24 hours). AT&T's $60/month plan gives you 1GB of data which may be enough unless your trip is long. Verizon's $40/month plan is terrible in my opinion - only 100MB of data which would last me about a day.
T-Mobile and Sprint each have a plan with free unlimited 2G (slow) data, free texting, and 20 cents/minute calls. If your phone has the "WiFi Calling" feature built in, you can make calls to the US for free while on WiFi, if you know how to use the feature. Otherwise, use Google Hangouts for free calls to US numbers.
Other MVNOs (Mobile Virtual Network Operators) like Cricket or MetroPCS may not offer international plans at all.
You can buy a SIM in Greece if your phone is unlocked. Verizon phones are usually unlocked. AT&T phones (if you got the phone from AT&T) are usually locked but can be unlocked by AT&T by request if the phone is paid off.
Posted by
Camarillo, California
3148 posts
There are "Germanos" stores all over Greece. They sell Cosmote SIMs as well as their other products and services. Cosmote is one of the largest mobile service providers in Greece. However, the Germanos store at ATH has closed and as far as I can determine there is no other mobile phone company offering goods and services at the airport. If you can wait until you get to Athens or to an island you will be able to easily find one.