I use Tracfone, which does not provide international service. I currently have an iPhone SE but also have an old iPhone 6S. Neither is unlocked but I’m sure I can get at least the 6S unlocked. I would like to use my phone as a gps while traveling in Europe (Italy, Austria, Germany, France, Switzerland) so data is important. I don’t need to make calls back to the US but texting within the countries is important. So I’d like to get an international SIM card I could put probably in the older phone. Can someone recommend a fairly cheap (14 day) plan I could use? The older phone will not support eSIM; I’m not sure about the SE, it’s not the newest version.
Posted by
Duluth 🛶
6308 posts
Pam, if your SE is not unlocked you won't be able to use an eSIM plan, and I don't think it would be supported anyway. Have you checked Orange sim cards? Others here have had success with Orange - they have an Orange Zen card that is 8GB of data (which would be more than enough for what you want) for 14 days at €19.99. You order it through one of their partners, one of which is Amazon. They ship it to you and you start using it once you are in Europe.
Here is the Amazon link - https://www.amazon.com/Orange-Holiday-Europe-currently-promotion/dp/B07NLCL9SP/ref=sr_1_5?crid=X6336XLFJXYR&keywords=orange+holiday+europe&qid=1676995027&sprefix=orange+holiday+europe%2Caps%2C156&sr=8-5
Posted by
Franklin, Tennessee
113 posts
We had great luck with the Orange 8 GB Holiday eSims, 14 day, unlimited text and calls within Europe and 200 texts and 30 minutes phone calls back to USA. in our unlocked iPhones . We bought them online a few days before our trip, installed the on our phones at home before left as secondary eSims, switched the eSims to primary sims in France and then switched back to our Verizon sims when we left. We intend to buy again for 2 week trip in UK next month and understand we will again be given +33 country code phone numbers, but they will work fine in UK. 8 GB is a LOT of data for two weeks especially if you have Wi-Fi available where you stay.
Posted by
🏝️ Hobe Sound, FL⛱️
3161 posts
If Italy is your first stop, I’d recommend TIM Tourist which gives you 50 Gigs of data and 200 minutes of calling for €25. It’s my go to SIM in Italy and will work in all the countries you’ll be visiting. I use an iPhone 6s and it works perfectly. I always buy their voucher and then when you go to a TIM store, they know exactly what you need.
Posted by
6 posts
We are reviewing the e-sim options for voice, text and data service in France and Spain. Does anyone have recent advice on the services provided by Orange, Airalo, Bent or other e-sim options that are easy to set up and operate. We will be in Europe for 30 days.