I am trying to find out the best way to go with cell phones in Europe and UK.I have ATT and Verizon. A TT just has a plan for 10.00 per day that I use the phone at all. I have no social media to utilize. Is prepaid phones an option?
Thanks,
Kelly
Assume you have smart phones? You can still use them on WiFi for no charge. Or buy a SIM in one country and use it in the others (EU has mostly eliminated roaming fees within the EU). Your phones must be unlocked to use a European SIM, however. Verizon smart phones should not be locked; AT&T phones probably are but can be unlocked by AT&T for free if they are paid off.
What would you want to use your phones for? To me, the most useful thing about a smart phone in Europe is navigation. Google Maps (and other apps) make it easy to get around by walking, public transportation, or driving with a smart phone. I used to struggle with paper maps and bus schedules before I got a smartphone, and mostly not needing to do that anymore has been a huge benefit to me while traveling.
If you want to make local calls within Europe, you might really want a local SIM card. I really don't need to do that when I travel, and mostly just want data.
If your Verizon or AT&T phones have Wi-Fi calling, you can also use them for free to make or receive calls home on Wi-Fi, without using them on local mobile networks. You can also use the free Google Hangouts app to make free calls home to the US, even to landlines.
You could also switch to Sprint or T-Mobile and get free unlimited roaming data and $0.20 per minute calls with their included roaming plans. Sprint, in fact, has a promotion right now where they will give you one-year free unlimited service for switching to them, if you have a qualified phone. I switched a few months ago, and it has been fantastic.
Kelly, everything depends on just how much you expect to use your phone on the trip. Some people constantly need to check maps, restaurant guides, text, email, etc., all day long. For us, the $10 day plan worked fine, as we seldom needed to use the phone for any of that. We used wifi at the hotels and train, and otherwise kept the phone on airplane mode the whole time.
Kelly here is an option if all you want is a phone for making calls when you want to verify/make reservations, call your hotel/B&B, taxi, etc. I bought a phone from Mobal for $29.00. It is for calling and texting only, and for emergencies. I use my ipad wifi when I get to somewhere where it hooked up. I used the mobal phone in Italy in 2016 and then last year in Ireland. There is no monthly fee, the calls are .99 a minute for most countries in Europe, texts are similar. The customer service was good as I struggled in Italy at Cinque Terre at first but they helped me and the phone worked great.. I left it idle for a year and a half and charged it and used it last spring in Ireland. Calls only, no data if that is what you want, no maps, no websites. You provide them your credit card info and the calls are charged to your card. This is a decent cheaper version if you want a phone while on the road. https://www.mobal.com/products/world-phone-basic/ It's not a great fit for everyone.
Kelly, ATT has a monthly passport international plan as well. They have raised the price to $60 month. The key advantage is that you keep your regular phone number.
