Can anyone tell me the best route to go for a cell phone in Ireland? Will my iPhone work at all over there and if it does will the gps work on it? I understand it can get expensive, if so what other route can you go with cell service and also with mapping directions from one place to another.
Thanks, Jim Wilson
Depends on your carrier. We have T-Mobile and the coverage was excellent. Used navigation throughout the country. Caveat with this is that it would sometimes choose the shortest route which was far from being the best route.
Jim,
I'd suggest you call your cell phone provider to find out about any International plans available.
If you don't want to go with your carrier's plan, which may be expensive, you can buy a SIM card when you get to Ireland, but only
if your phone is unlocked.
Who is your carrier?
What iphone do you have? I've read that you can call using Wi-Fi calling (free) if you have the iphone 6s or newer.
Check citymap2go for offline maps & directions.... I've not used this app, but I've read that it's certainly worth it.
EDIT to add:
I just found this helpful site about using your cell phone in Ireland.
Thanks for the info, I have an iPhone 5 which is pretty outdated. I figured I would go to Verizon first and see what they suggest. I also heard to buy a cheap,pay as you go phone and add time when we need it, I also heard about the sim card which I'm not sure what that is.
Thanks Jim
Also the link about cell service was very helpful.
Thanks
Have a look at TMobile if you're going to be using a lot of data. Their data is free...it's 2G over there but it's fast enough for me to route myself around using maps.
On our trip last September we opted for the Verizon international plan (we also have iphone 5s) and planned to use our phones for gps. It worked OK but does tend to use up a lot of your data--we ended up having to buy another $25 worth. Also--always check an actual map to verify what google maps is telling you. We ended up driving around some very narrow country roads because that's what the gps told us was the best route to use when, in fact, there was a perfectly good N road that would have been much easier and faster. Also, because addresses in many parts of southern and western Ireland tend to be difficult and sometimes impossible to determine, you can't program them into the gps--a good road map is indispensable!
Jim,
I have an iPhone 5 which is pretty outdated.
My daughter spent 5 months in the UK recently ( study abroad program) & she had an iPhone 4s which is older than your iPhone 5.
She purchased a SIM card in the UK for her phone & she was able to call all over the UK as well as make international calls to the US. So you can certainly do the same, if you so choose too.
I also heard to buy a cheap,pay as you go phone and add time when we need it, I also heard about the sim card which I'm not sure what that is.
Here is a helpful website explaining about SIM cards:http://cellphones.about.com/od/faqs/f/What-Is-A-Sim-Card-And-Why-Do-We-Need-One.htm
About iPhones SIM cards:http://ipod.about.com/od/ipodiphonehardwareterms/g/simcard_def.htm
Thanks for all the help. Half the fun of going is all the planning. We aren't going until June so we have time to figure some things out. Love the links, very helpful.
