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A mobile phone is an essential travel accessory. But no one wants to return from an overseas jaunt to face thousands of dollars in excess roaming charges.
You have options when it comes to minimizing annoying roaming charges, giving you more time to focus on your vacation.
The US has got some catching up to do when it comes to free public Wi-Fi. But you’ll find some 47.7 million public hot spots throughout Europe, Asia and beyond — which means you should have an easy time staying connected outside of a data plan.
In many cases, you can use your existing phone when traveling — but prepare to pay higher rates for data. You’ll also pay whenever you receive calls, as well as make them.
If you choose to use your own phone, take care to track your use so that the bill awaiting you at home isn’t a complete surprise. Several smartphone apps are available to help you monitor your data.
Bypass these costs by looking into a roaming deal with your network. Or buy a dedicated travel SIM card to use while overseas.
Usend combines money transfers, bill pay and mobile phone reloading.
WorldSIM offers prepaid international SIM cards with coverage in over 200 countries and varying add-ons for call and data options.
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Find out what prepaid options Verizon offers, its benefits and drawbacks, and what discounts you may qualify for.
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Cricket Wireless is a prepaid service that operates on the AT&T network. See if its customer experience, costs and features are for you.
Hi, I live in EMEA and would like to have a US number that will work in Europe (incoming and outgoing calls). I’m in the US only few times per year so most of the time the SIM card would be used in Europe. What would you recommend?
Hi Kris,
Thanks for reaching out to Finder.
If you are looking to get a US prepaid SIM card that you can use in Europe, there many prepaid international roaming plans that come with the option to take your cellphone overseas and still make and receive calls.
Please note that you will need your passport to buy a prepaid SIM card in the US. Some carriers in the US allow you to purchase prepaid SIM cards but they have to be purchased with the handset as a package so make sure you check before purchasing and also review the Terms and Conditions before making a decision on whether it is right for you.
Best,
Nikki
If I buy and use a prepaid SIM card in france, can I set my US number to forward calls to the SIM card?
Hi Todd,
Thank you for reaching out to finder.
It depends if your US telco provider allows call forwarding service to a France SIM card. You need to contact your telco provider and consult them directly if this is possible.
Hope this helps.
Cheers,
Charisse