Americans in EU - what is your phone coverage situation?
Posted by Effective-Writing318@reddit | expats | View on Reddit | 17 comments
I will be moving to Finland for one year then to Sweden the year after that for a master's program. I need to make a COL sheet and am trying to figure out what the best approach is for phone coverage. I currently have Verizon
It is looking like my options are to renounce my current phone number to get a new sim or add an international plan for $100/month. I don't like either of those options. What did you do? What coverage do you have?
cp4905@reddit
I swear by Popcorn. It’s 69/mo unlimited calls/texts/data and truly international. You can keep your US number and it’s a real phone carrier so things like bank authorizations go through just like your normal phone.
netllama@reddit
That's insane. That's easily 5x the cost of a mobile plan in the EU.
cp4905@reddit
Yes, but for those of use who travel from country to country and need the reliability of communication wherever we go, while keeping a US number, it’s worth its weight in gold.
netllama@reddit
A phone number has no weight. You're literally saying its worthless.
cp4905@reddit
A phone number, when you own a business, is vital. Banking, authorizations, and communication via phone and text are essential. Far from worthless.
netllama@reddit
Not everyone owns a business.
cp4905@reddit
Expensive is relative. And I get nothing from them. Just find their service helpful. I know too many people who started the expat/digital nomad life that tried to switch their number on the cheap that ran into huge issues with their banking and other accounts that required 2 factor authentication. New travelers don’t think about what they don’t know.
LibrarianByNight@reddit
OP doesn't appear to need anything like this. I pay less than half of that for both an EU plan and a US plan that I've had no problem using in several other countries than the one in which I live.
pieterbos@reddit
But a EU phone plan will work in all countries in the EU without additional roaming costs. So if for two years in two countries, better to keep your US number with something cheap/voip, then get a local sim.
Hutcho12@reddit
Just keep it and get a second eSIM. Costs about 100 euros for the whole year with 10gb of data a month.
No one here uses actual phone numbers, it’s all WhatsApp. Just get data. I can’t remember the last time I actually got a phone call or SMS.
LibrarianByNight@reddit
I ported my number from VZW to Tello and have one of their cheapest plans (mine is $8/month, but they go as low as $5). I also have a local number, but cell phone plans are super cheap here, so I think we pay less than $40/month for two lines.
I simply wanted to keep my number for 2FA texts and similar, but it worked out to be the best option for calling my mom on a landline in the US. No need for an international plan, I just call over WiFi using Tello.
YaYaTurre@reddit
Is your phone unlocked? Does it support Dual-sim?
LiterallyTestudo@reddit
Tello
Old_Pizza_42@reddit
I have a dual eSIM phone. One number is my local number, while the other is my old US phone number that I ported to Tello. If you're going to use Tello, do the port in the US.
akiber@reddit
Tello on the cheapest plan (its a couple of USD a month). You have to set it up while in the US and it works on wifi/your main sims data. works great
lunaticlabs@reddit
I just ported my number to a VoIP provider like Google voice, and then get a local data Sim and use my Google voice account with data, receive local calls on my local number. When you move back, port the number to your new carrier. Do not carry a US plan in Europe, it will suck and be expensive.
xvedejas@reddit
Just a note on data: With my current international plan, it looks like all data traffic is routed through the US, which is not great for performance. A local sim card is definitely preferable for 4G/5G.