Comments on: Do you need an international SIM card?

By: Talon Windwalker

Talon Windwalker — Tue, 07 Oct 2014 15:38:28 +0000

In reply to Paige Conner Totaro. I've been checking out different plans and so far plan on going with T-Mobile as well. I had a contract with them for years while in the US and was always very pleased with them. It looks like they excel in this arena as well. Good to hear you've had positive experiences with their PAYGO service.

By: Paige Conner Totaro

Paige Conner Totaro — Mon, 06 Oct 2014 18:56:28 +0000

We used an international SIM card from Telestial for our round-the-world trip and it was a great backup to getting local SIM cards. In some countries, like Vietnam, it was very easy and cheap ($10 for a month of unlimited data) to get a local SIM card, even for a short time. In others, like Argentina, getting a local SIM card required a local address, a passport, a local person to vouch for you, and a lot of money.

The international SIM card we used offered different rates for different countries. In some places it was very inexpensive and comparable to home rates, but others, like Iceland, where I accidentally activated it for an expensive (like, $120 expensive) 30 minutes in the airport, the rates were sky high.

Now that we’re back in the US, we signed up with T-Mobile (no contract) and have been amazed at their international data plan (included in their basic plan). I have only tested it in Mexico, where frankly it worked better and faster than it does at home.

By: Talon Windwalker

Talon Windwalker — Sat, 04 Oct 2014 20:19:56 +0000

In reply to Fabiana. Could definitely be helpful.

By: Fabiana

Fabiana — Fri, 03 Oct 2014 00:10:00 +0000

That sounds like a great idea, if I traveled more I would probalby get one.

By: Talon Windwalker

Talon Windwalker — Thu, 02 Oct 2014 17:41:01 +0000

In reply to Robert Bruce. He was referring to the rates offered by the company mentioned in the post. There are many companies out there offering a wide range of fees.

By: Robert Bruce

Robert Bruce — Thu, 02 Oct 2014 08:48:52 +0000

I’ve used one before, I am not going to mention the brand, but I found better rates than Frank mentioned, those rates sound ridiculous. Having said that, expect to pay more for voice, data and text, even in-country.

By: Talon Windwalker

Talon Windwalker — Wed, 01 Oct 2014 15:30:42 +0000

In reply to Katie @ The World on my Necklace. Could've certainly made a big difference for us. Frequently changing SIMs, companies, etc, can get rather tedious.

By: Talon Windwalker

Talon Windwalker — Wed, 01 Oct 2014 15:28:37 +0000

In reply to Frank Yetter. Yikes! I'm still looking at different ones as well. Right now T-Mobile's seems to be the best.

By: Frank Yetter

Frank Yetter — Tue, 30 Sep 2014 11:38:26 +0000

Whoa…just checked out the GOSIM rates for calling the US from Ecuador, for example, and at $2.85 per minute it’s absurdly pricey. In contrast, I paid 20 cents a minute to call the US directly from my phone in Cambodia with a Mobitel SIM card pre-paid plan. Data access looked pretty expensive, too ($25 per MB). I’m going to look further into International SIMS, but for now I think I’ll stick with buying a local SIM card in each of the countries we visit.

By: Katie @ The World on my Necklace

Katie @ The World on my Necklace — Tue, 30 Sep 2014 06:36:05 +0000

What a fantastic idea! I didn’t know these existing and from reading about the plan it definitely sounds affordable. I will certainly be using this for my trip next year 🙂