I have a French SFR sim card. It worked very well in France, as expected. Will it work in Greece if I top it up? If not, should I
a) buy a sim card in the US for use in Greece or buy one in Greece?
b) what sim card should I get for use in Greece?
My visit will be short (<2 weeks, minimal phone calls -- mostly want data for using google maps, web searches, and Signal text messages.
thanks!
An active French SIM card should work in other EU countries like Greece, since they are required to allow roaming between countries.
So if you're saying your French SFR card is active now(?), it should work. But European prepaid SIM cards tend to have time-limited packages - weekly or monthly, something like that. And depending on the country or company, how long they are active and how you can top them off remotely varies.
I have a Dutch Vodafone SIM I bought in 2017 and have used in several European countries now (not the Netherlands yet) - it is good for six months of inactivity before it becomes inactive. I continue to keep it active by sending a text (even from the US) every six months or so. And, I can top it off (add credit) online using my US credit card. But that's the policy of this SIM card. I have no idea how your SFR SIM works. Check out the prepaid SIM wiki below to read up on SFR's policies.
Thanks for this info. The evaluation of SFR at the link distinguishes among th e many plans and clarified that sadly, my card won’t work in Greece. Having the info before I go is especially helpful.
Try Google Fi service. It works in almost all EU countries. You only pay for actual usage.
Thank you! I’ll look into it.
Before resorting to a French SIM card I tried using my t mobile account to get hi speed data etc but my phone didn’t work ant anll (“no service “). upon landing in France (hence the new SIM card). It may be that I just need a new t mobile SIM card and then would be able to use that in Greece. Although it still might be slow if t mobile is giving over local networks
I just bought an eSim fro Airalo for Greece. $12 for 3 GB. I have had good luck with these eSims in Italy and Costa Rica. The only downside is that they are data only so one has to use WhatsApp for calls. I will be trying the Greece sim tomorrow. My fallback is the Verizon international plan for $100 for a month.
Thanks! I’ll look into that for my daughter. My phone is too old for an e-sim.
jsbriskin, try to install Google Voice on your smart phone before leaving the US. The Google Voice app lets you make free calls to US phones, even landlines, while on WiFi or with mobile data if you get another SIM. Google gives you a new phone number (free), and you can text to/with people also using the Google Voice app and that number. Give people your new Google number ahead of time before you leave if they might be expecting your call but otherwise not recognize the number.
Google voice is an intriguing idea. I’ll check it out!
