Cel Phone in Portugal

I had a problem with a cellphone in Portugal. I spoke home to the U.S. for 2 minutes and I was cutoff--not to speak again. Called Customer No Service and got someone in the Phillipines who was of no help whatsoever. I got home and flat cancelled the cellphone service.
It's quite enjoyable to be gone from home and from telephones for the duration of my trips. If anyone needs me, they can leave a message on my email which I check often on a lightweight tablet.

Here is some info on mobile providers and SIM cards in Portugal:

https://prepaid-data-sim-card.fandom.com/wiki/Portugal

When I visited last year, I had Sprint which has free unlimited 2G mobile data (same as T-Mobile), but it was kind of slow. I dusted off my Dutch Vodafone SIM from the previous year, added 10 euros to it, and got 2GB of fast data that lasted me the rest of my trip. I made few phone calls - used Google Voice/Hangouts to make free voice calls home to the US.

You might install WhatsApp (assuming you have a smart phone), a popular messaging app, especially popular in Europe. You might find that locals will already be using it, so you can message/call them for free on it.

We are in Portugal now having arrived on September 18. We bought a Vodaphone SIM card at the airport. It was 20 euros. The card is valid for one month and has 5G of data. It also has 500 minutes ( I think) of phone calls. There are also minutes of calls to the US but I don't remember how many. The Vodafone kiosk is easy to spot as you leave the airport as it's near the Meeting Point. They installed the card in our phone and set it up and the phone worked right away.

We like to use a SIM card in the country we're visiting as we don't have to worry about how much data we're using or how many minutes of calls. We have never called to the US as we use email, Instagram or Facebook to send messages.

Carol, it's nice to have free calling options (e.g. Google Voice) in case you have to call your bank or airline or something and not worry about eating up SIM credit, even if you aren't planning to make casual calls home. Google Voice only works for Americans though (and only calls to US phone numbers are free).

Andrew, so Google voice is a compliment to a SIM? We know nothing about it since we've never needed to call the US, but I can see how it could come in handy. We'll have to check into it!

Carol, there are ways to make phone calls with a smart phone called VOIP (Voice Over IP) apps. A common example is Skype, which has been around forever; you could (still can) make calls with Skype to regular phones - cell phones, even landlines - for a few cents per minute, using a laptop or desktop computer. All that is needed is an internet connection.

VOIP works on smart phones too with apps - there's a Skype app for your phone. Same thing: I can make calls with Skype to phones, but it's not free. (If the other person has Skype? Then it is free. But calling a phone number is not free - calling 800 numbers might be.) You don't need a SIM card to make VOIP calls - just an internet connection (WiFi) and the app. You can remove the SIM from your phone right now and use the phone on WiFi and make calls with Skype.

Google Voice is kind of a VOIP service like Skype, but it's a bit more complicated than that. I won't explain unless you ask - suffice to say, you can use Google Voice like Skype to make calls over the internet with your phone, except that unlike Skype, Google lets you call US phone numbers for free, even landlines. You can use your phone on WiFi and make the calls without a SIM - or if you have a SIM card of any sort, you can still use Google Voice to call using the SIM card's mobile data. You wouldn't be using "minutes" - you'd be using mobile data.

(Google already has a similar app called Google Hangouts that lets you make free calls too - but Google is getting rid of Hangouts soon, probably by the end of 2019.)

You can setup and try Google Voice right now without traveling (you need to set it up before you leave the US actually). Install the app on your phone and follow the instructions. Part of the process is getting a new (free) phone number from Google. You aren't changing or replacing your old number or service, but unless you turn it off, Google will forward calls to your existing cell number from this new one. You can also use the Google Voice app to send/receive text messages on your new Google (US) phone number. Actually, I've used my Google Voice numbers as my primary phone number for almost ten years now - I don't even give people my "regular" cell number. When I go to Europe, I use the Google Voice app for calling and texting and keep the same phone number, even though I'm using a Dutch Vodafone SIM.

So setup Google Voice before your next trip when you have time and play with it. There's a setting in the app to use mobile data and WiFI for calls. Turn that on, then put the phone in airplane mode and connect to your home WiFI. Then try making a call with the Google Voice app and see how it works. When overseas, you will probably have to add a +1 to the front of US numbers to call them, but otherwise, it works exactly the same way overseas as when making calls from the US.

Thanks to all for the great information. We are from Canada and use WhatsApp regularly to keep in touch with family while travelling. Glad to know many locals may also be on the system.

Carol - may I ask if it was Lisbon airport where you purchased your SIM card? (It looks like a $20 Euro SIM card may be the easiest way for us to go. Our phone is already unlocked and the data could be helpful when on the go.)

Many thanks.

The other big providers in Portugal are MEO and NOS. All have SIM cards that are good for a month and have lots of data included. Go with whichever you see first, as they are all pretty much the same.

Sorry, yes it was Lisbon.

Andrew. thanks! Will try to set it up. Nice to have options.