Author Topic: Need help: unlocked iPhone choices and travel in Europe  (Read 2850 times)

susanna

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Need help: unlocked iPhone choices and travel in Europe
« on: January 18, 2018, 08:39:27 AM »
TL;DR This is not a thread for discussing different carriers or debating Apple vs other. I've read many of those threads. I just want to understand what I'm reading on the link below. Thanks!

https://www.apple.com/iphone/LTE/

I currently run an iPhone 5, which I inherited for free 3 years ago, on Cricket. I will eventually be buying a new unlocked smartphone to replace this one.

If I read this chart right from Apple, you can't buy one of their phones that runs on Cricket and then have it run on the many international networks that are listed for the non-Cricket phones.

I'll be traveling to U.K. and Scandinavia and I would like to go to a SIM store in each country when I arrive and set up my phone for use there. Am I better off buying a separate world phone off ebay for my trip instead of using my own phone (whichever phone that may be)? Thanks!

ooeei

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Re: Need help: unlocked iPhone choices and travel in Europe
« Reply #1 on: January 18, 2018, 09:01:56 AM »
You'll need to find the actual model of your phone, which can be found in settings>about and look it up online, that will tell you which LTE bands it uses. You can cross reference that with the bands used in your countries you'll be traveling to and see where you don't have a match.

Also I think this is only for LTE, there will likely be other slower 3g data you can use in those countries, and voice/text/wifi will all still work.

This is all assuming the phone isn't carrier locked to cricket. You can probably call/email cricket and ask (assuming it was bought through them, if it wasn't bought through them it's definitely not carrier locked).
« Last Edit: January 18, 2018, 09:05:09 AM by ooeei »

susanna

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Re: Need help: unlocked iPhone choices and travel in Europe
« Reply #2 on: January 18, 2018, 09:15:19 AM »
I always BYOD to cricket, to answer the question of carrier lock. Thanks!

cerat0n1a

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Re: Need help: unlocked iPhone choices and travel in Europe
« Reply #3 on: January 19, 2018, 12:59:03 AM »
You don't need a SIM for each country. In the European Union, the rules on "roaming" (google it) mean that you pay the same amount in another EU country as you would at home. So I can take my phone from England and go to Denmark, Finland, Sweden etc. and it costs just the same to make a call, text or use data.

susanna

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Re: Need help: unlocked iPhone choices and travel in Europe
« Reply #4 on: January 19, 2018, 02:50:49 PM »
You don't need a SIM for each country. In the European Union, the rules on "roaming" (google it) mean that you pay the same amount in another EU country as you would at home. So I can take my phone from England and go to Denmark, Finland, Sweden etc. and it costs just the same to make a call, text or use data.


Thank you! I did google EU roaming. Since you're in England, maybe you can help me. Once I arrive in London, I can take my unlocked phone (specific phone TBD) and go to a sim card store and buy a 30-day plan, and then that same plan will work in UK, Norway, and Sweden without needing to get new sims in those countries? My trip will be over in 6 months and assume Brexit will not have been completed that soon. Thanks!

cerat0n1a

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Re: Need help: unlocked iPhone choices and travel in Europe
« Reply #5 on: January 20, 2018, 12:54:29 AM »
You don't need a SIM for each country. In the European Union, the rules on "roaming" (google it) mean that you pay the same amount in another EU country as you would at home. So I can take my phone from England and go to Denmark, Finland, Sweden etc. and it costs just the same to make a call, text or use data.


Thank you! I did google EU roaming. Since you're in England, maybe you can help me. Once I arrive in London, I can take my unlocked phone (specific phone TBD) and go to a sim card store and buy a 30-day plan, and then that same plan will work in UK, Norway, and Sweden without needing to get new sims in those countries? My trip will be over in 6 months and assume Brexit will not have been completed that soon. Thanks!

Correct (and the rules do apply to Norway, even though it is not an EU member.)

You can order a free sim card online from pretty much all the operators, although I'm not sure whether any would post it to the US.

Jaayse

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Re: Need help: unlocked iPhone choices and travel in Europe
« Reply #6 on: January 20, 2018, 06:06:04 AM »
I'm living in Italy and have a plan with Vodafone, it is only $11-$12 a month (it changes based on euro exchange) and I get 2GB of data, and I think 100 texts and 500 minutes.  I have never overused on this and it works great everywhere I've been so far (poland, spain, hungary, UK, etc.). 

susanna

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Re: Need help: unlocked iPhone choices and travel in Europe
« Reply #7 on: January 20, 2018, 09:13:39 AM »
Thank you very much! I'm aware that Norway isn't EU proper but the wikipedia article on EU roaming explained that it's agreed Norway is included.

Thank you for suggesting Vodafone. When I get to London, I can visit a Vodafone store and look at these plans, which I would only need for one month: https://www.vodafone.co.uk/en/bundles-and-sims/sim-only-deals.html