I have been a total failure at using cell service for my mobile phone on two previous trips to Lisbon. There are times when I really needed a taxi or Uber, and my phone just wouldn’t work. I had a SIM card on one trip and an international plan from Consumer Cellular during second trip.
Any tips? I may need a phone when I’m out and about.
Hard to diagnose without a little more info on what "just wouldn't work" entails.
I get that it's frustrating to arrive someplace and not have things work, but for
starters, I would ask you:
Others here write glowingly of T-Mobile plans and I have Google Fi and it too is seamless.
Changing cell providers is, I suppose, an option. As is buying a burner phone with
data allowance just for the trip. But there are pros and cons to each of those as well.
I bought my Vodafone sim card at the airport in Sao Miguel over a week ago for 35 euros/30 days/unlimited data. I have been in Lisbon and many other places in the country for over a week and have had no issues. I have an Iphone 14.
Are you saying your phone works sometimes and not other times?
I live in the EU so I get coverage over the whole of the EU but I have to make sure data roaming is on. I don't remember any issues on my trip to Portugal but then I wasn't trying to get a taxi. Mostly I was using Google maps, etc.
My American friend was here in Sweden and her T-mobile coverage could be iffy when we were out in small towns. No idea of why. But Lisbon isn't a small town.
I am guessing the issue could be a setting on your phone. My operator sent me a message to set my phone to VoLTE for 4G. (I had had it on Network mode.)
Another option for calling from abroad is to download the Skype app. You can call landlines or cell phones anywhere in the world for a very small fee. You pre-purchase maybe $5 worth of service. I used to talk to my mother in the US for a few dollars for maybe 40 minutes. I have used it to call my bank in the US as well. It works on Wi-Fi too.
If the other person has Skype, then you can talk Skype to Skype for free.
Good luck.
I have Google Fi, so when I land, I have coverage. That said, in a couple trip to Lisbon, I do find I get a weak signal from time to time, so I have to go in and manually select a network, rather than the phone automatically selecting one. That does the trick for me, not sure if Google does not have contracts with all carriers in the area, or if Consumer Cellular has a similar issue, but maybe ask your provider.
I do find it more challenging to deal with phone issues when out of my comfort zone, so I get your frustration.
Usually things work fine for me - either using AT&T international (in the past) or Orange esims like my past few trips. I do know that Americans are used to the (xxx) xxx-xxxx format for calling, so the slightly different format over there might make you mis-dial? But that shouldn't be an issues with "data" vs making a call, since something like Uber is a data thing.
From a data perspective, you definitely can "try" things out as soon as you have some time in Portugal (or anywhere). IOW, once you land and aren't busy, try out the Uber app BEFORE you actually need it. Open it and make sure it is behaving and knows you are in Lisbon and not in the US. Open the browser and visit a website. Maybe make a call to your room's phone. That sort of thing. If things are awry, you will at least be able to sit at the hotel, use their wifi and/or phone, and try to troubleshoot further.
In Seville a while back, I couldn't figure out how to call my tour guide to coordinate our meeting spot - we were at the "front" of the church and she wasn't there - but my wife asked a friendly local to give it a try and they dialed the number no problem :) Just my "hastiness" with not thinking it through, and a friendly local to fix it.
You might consider the broader Technology Tips section of the Travel Forum. There are lots of threads on phones and issues and the like.
Thank you for your suggestions. The first time I had a burner phone with physical SIM card. It just wouldn’t work when I was on the street trying to call a taxi.
The second time I had an IPhone with Consumer Cellular International plan. Again, when away from wifi, it just didn’t work. I was stranded unable to call an Uber or taxi. I suspect that it was either a phone setting or the provider used by Consumer Cellular.
I like the idea of buying a SIM card but also intend to call a TMobile about changing plans.
If you have an iPhone and it is "unlocked", you can go the esim route which can be considered easy (but does have some minor nuances).
If switching plans, make sure to ask if there is a wait period to use the phone internationally. Some carriers require 30 or 60 days of service in the US before you can use internationally.
The second time I had an IPhone with Consumer Cellular International plan. Again, when away from wifi, it just didn’t work.
1) Was roaming turned on?
2) Did it show you were connected to a telephone network?
I have a T-Mobile plan that includes international service and didn't have any problems in Portugal. Highly recommended!
