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Old Oct 23, 2013, 2:25 pm
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
Last edit by: diburning
This is a user-maintained wiki — FlyerTalkers with at least 90 posts and 90 days of membership may modify and update this information.
Please edit available network carriers or LTE networks if you find the information below is out of date.

Effective August 1st, 2018 :OPTIONAL high speed data roaming for international (non Canada/Mexico) has changed to be $5 USD per day for up to 512MB of high speed data per day. This also includes unlimited inbound and outbound calls avoiding the 25c a min call charge. You can add this via 611 or this link: https://my.t-mobile.com/odf/DataPass:ALL - It is labeled as "24 Hour Global Pass". If that link doesn't works go to "Manage Data & Add Ons" in plan settings at http://my.t-mobile.com . A pass covers ANY countries in the given validity period - NOT just one country. So if you travel within multiple countries in the 24 hour period you get a max of 512MB of high speed data and unlimited calling across ALL countries prior to pass expiration. This is OPTIONAL and is not required, free 128Kb/sec or 256Kb/sec speeds are provided for users who don't pay for this extra data pack.

Effective July 15th, 2018: Calling rates for inbound and outbound calls were raised to 25c a min from the prior 20c a min when roaming internationally. You can buy a per Intl High Speed day pass for 512MB of high speed data that also includes calling at no cost during the validity of the pass.


Effective Feb 17, 2017: T-Mobile has bumped up speeds to 256Kb/sec for T-Mobile One users - this was FREE for a promotional period and required you to edit the lines with this plan to add the free or higher tier paid "T-Mobile One Plus" line item. The free line item is "T-Mobile One Plus promo" which will allow that line to be 256kb/sec and will also give 10GB of LTE North America hotspot tethering - The change can be done at my.t-mobile.com under plan for T-Mobile One customers or through 611. With the promotional period ended you can add the base $5 T-Mobile One Plus item to get 256Kb/sec

SUMMARY: T-Mobile USA on Simple Choice or newer plans (such as Select Choice) or T-Mobile One that list "Free International Roaming included" allow for free data and SMS in 210+ countries. Data and SMS is FREE; voice calls; inbound or outbound to any of the 210+ countries while roaming are 25 cents a min. Free data is NOT offered on T-Mobile essentials users outside of Canada/Mexico while SMS and 25c a min calls are still offered.

Canada and Mexico include FREE high speed roaming (HSPA or LTE full speed) as long as you are on the Simple Choice North America plan or a T-Mobile One plan. A monthly cap of 5GB for International High speed data in Canada and Mexico is now present - data will slow to lower speeds with no overage charges. Users on T-Mobile One Plus International are exempt from this 5GB cap.

You must be on a Postpaid plan, Prepay is NOT eligible nor is MetroPCS

NOTE: Devices with fully FREE data (e.g. 200MB free for tablets) and not on an additional plan are NOT eligible - switch those devices to a supported plan PRIOR to travel or you will be charged per MB fees.

WARNING: Highly suggest going to: https://my.t-mobile.com/profile.html (or login to my.t-mobile.com select profile), go to blocking and ensure "Block charge international roaming" is set to ON - keep "Ensure Block International Roaming" is set to OFF otherwise roaming will not work even in free data countries. This will ensure in countries where you are close to another country border that may NOT be part of free data roaming you will never be charged for data by ending up roaming on the adjacent country network if your phone is set to Automatic on networks.

WARNING FOR HIGH SPEED ADD ON $5 DATA PASS: Ensure you know your end date/time and heed the SMS warnings sent. You will be liable for 25c a min per call inbound or outbound if the pass expires and you do not activate another pass. Ensure you purchase another daily pass before making phone calls. As of Early August 2018, there was no method to purchase multiple days in a row.


T-Mobile FAQ:
http://support.t-mobile.com/docs/DOC-9455

Checklist for Roaming - follow this prior to leaving!:
http://support.t-mobile.com/docs/DOC-2182

Performance:
Speeds are throttled to 128Kb/sec on all supported plans, except for T-Mobile One Plus Add on (includes the Promo Feb 2017 T-Mobile One update with free One Plus Promo) which is 256Kb/sec. Connecting to the best network type possible will ensure you hitting these speeds limits (e.g. LTE). Performance is subject to the roaming carrier networks condition (is it congested or not) and how good the back-haul from the roaming carrier back to T-Mobile is. Reminder that T-Mobile Essentials users will have NO access to free data.

Filtering:
Your connection is terminated back to the US, so anything that works on T-Mobile US will continue to work. Example: China filters social media and Google services, using these services through your T-Mobile line won't experience this networking filtering. Local services in the country you are in MAY identify you as being in the US - any services that do IP geolocation will see that you are in the US.

Optional High Speed On Demand Data Passes with unlimited calling
If you want performance that is beyond the 128Kb/sec (or 256Kb/sec on T-Mobile One Plus Add ons) then a PAID optional high speed data pass removes the throttling performance limit. Effective Aug 2018 this pass is a $5 PER day for 512MB of high speed data (per day) and unlimited calling to allowed countries, waiving the 25c per min charge for inbound or outbound calls. To add, go to: https://my.t-mobile.com/odf/DataPass:ALL and add the "24 Hour Global Pass". If that link doesn't work add at http://my-t-mobile.com under Plan, "Manage Data & Add Ons" More information: http://support.t-mobile.com/docs/DOC-7261 NOTE: As of Early August 2018 you can only purchase one day at a time, so be cautious on expiration (Notified via SMS) to add another day pass to avoid getting charged 25c per phone call. A pass covers ANY countries in the given validity period - NOT just one country. So if you travel within multiple countries in the 24 hour period you get a max of 512MB of high speed data and unlimited calling across ALL countries prior to pass expiration.

Country search:
https://www.t-mobile.com/coverage/roaming

Country List at time of July 2018 update:
https://support.t-mobile.com/docs/DOC-37944

NOTE: there is no T-Mobile provided list of specific network roaming partners; you can call 611 and ask for a roaming specialist/tech and they can tell you per country roaming partners - we are attempting to capture working or problematic networks in this Wiki below also

Need Support while traveling? Read the hints below FIRST; then if support is needed call direct intl support for T-Mobile USA: +1-505-998-3793 [FREE CALL WHILE ROAMING] or if you cannot get Voice access use Skype or another service to dial.


Hints

#1 HINT: You MUST have Data roaming turned on - You will only see foreign networks on the network list - you will NOT see T-Mobile. Manually pick the networks from the list further below if you don't automatically connect.

- You do NOT have to pay for a high speed data package. 128Kb/sec (or 256Kb/sec on T-Mobile One Plus Add on) FREE throttled data is inclusive on all eligible postpaid plans

- High speed un-throttled data is also FREE for Canada and Mexico if you are on a Simple Choice North America plan or a T-Mobile One plan for up to 5GB of data per month (T-Mobile One Plus Intl users are not subject to the 5GB cap) . If you are not on these specific plans but on a legacy Simple Choice plan you will get standard 128Kb/sec FREE.

- For paid high speed packages, You can schedule WHEN optional high speed paid packages start (immediate or a time/date you set).

- On some accounts, High speed on demand data passes will will not be listed on my.t-mobile.com - under plans, "Manage Data & Add Ons". You can also contact customer care at 611 to add a data pass.

- If you purchase a package on phone or hotspot and are about to expire you can purchase ANOTHER one if you want and even though it will say "starts when your existing package date ends" it will IMMEDIATE activate it when you run out of data. Example You pay for 200Mb for one week and will eat into 200Mb, you can buy a package ANYTIME and it will future date it as being effective ONLY when the existing package date ends. HOWEVER once the existing package data amount is used up it will IMMEDIATE activate the paid pending package.

- On Demand Mifi WILL not roam at ALL if no package has ever been provisioned. Use the free data on your smartphone (or use another device with WiFi) and log into http://my.t-mobile.com Once logged in go to https://my-tmobile.com/Plan/Plans.as...vid=changeplan View plan for hotspot and and change plan, under Data Tab when viewing change plan add a package; once you confirm and submit (ENSURE before you submit you are adding to correct line!) you will get a confirmation. It was about 5 mins and then hotspot was able to connect to network.

- On demand Mifi WILL STOP working at end of time period NOT at end of data usage. So if you pick 500MB package which is 2 weeks expiration, it will actually STOP full speed at 500MB and revert to a 64Kb/sec speed till expiration; this ONLY applies to packages purchased on on demand hotspots. If you purchase a package for a smartphone you will revert to standard 128kb/sec

- Hotspots with On Demand will lose network access at end of paid period even if it reverted to lower hotspot only speed of 64kb/sec. So top up before you lose network.

- Legacy data match for tablets or hotspots (no longer offered but still allowed for current users) support 128Kb/sec on tablets and hotspots. If your data match plan details show match with North America added in the description then you get high speed in Canada and Mexico that uses your data match limit (up to 5GB) - after than you revert to 128Kb/sec. T-Mobile One Tablet will provide 128Kb/sec by default, if a T-Mobile One Plus add on is on that Tablet line (Including the free Feb 2017 One Plus Promo) speeds will be 256Kb/sec

- You can check current usage on any paid packages my viewing on the T-Mobile Application for Android or iOS or going to My T-Mobile website and filtering data usage on the line for International Data Roaming.

- When using a T-Mobile supported international data roaming plan on an iOS device internationally (in a nation on the 'free' list), you need to turn on Data Roaming on the iPhone/iPad Settings.

Troubleshooting

- If finding no networks when in new country, go to Airplane Mode - then back off Airplane mode and try again. If this fails to work FULLY power off phone and power back on. You may need to do a manual scan of networks on your device and pick one of the KNOWN networks below in the country list.

- If still not connecting to a network do ONE more phone reboot and attempt again.

- If you do connect to a network but are failing to get data, dial in your phone dialer #RON# (or try #ROF# FIRST then try #RON#). #RON# will turn intl roaming data on, #ROF# will turn it off. Sometimes cycling will cause a network to work.

- If connected to a network for Voice/SMS but still not getting data, set phone to Airplane mode ; wait till device is actually in airplane mode (15 sec or so); then take device off Airplane mode.

- If failing to get GSM/Voice/SMS services but you have data and phone shows "Emergency Calls Only" but data is working suggestion is to switch phone to 2G and connect to a network where you get data and voice/SMS. Once connected to that network switch phone back to 3G/Auto or LTE (or similar setting) and this may correct the issue. (Your mileage may vary)

- Try to change your APN to fast.t-mobile.com per the following guide, as an alternate you can try a temporary switch to epc.t-mobile.com - more details for APN change further below

- If none of these work, dial TMO Intl support +1-505-998-3793 (from another phone or Skype) and ask for "International Roaming Support" (make sure that is who they connect you to by asking the agent if they can help on a roaming support issue) - have them check your account is properly setup and eligible for International Roaming.

To set the Access Point Name (APN) and turn on data settings, follow these steps:

Note: These settings are automatically set to the correct values with the Carrier Update when a T-Mobile SIM is inserted.
  1. From the main menu, tap Settings
  2. Tap Cellular.
  3. Check that Cellular Data is turned on.
  4. Tap Cellular Data Network.
    Important: If this setting does not appear on the device, the device is not unlocked. Refer customer to previous carrier.
  5. Enter the following information under the Cellular Data section:
    APN: fast.t-mobile.com
    Username: <Leave Blank>
    Password: <Leave Blank>
  6. Enter the following information under the LTE Setup (Optional) section:
    APN: <Leave Blank>
    Username: <Leave Blank>
    Password: <Leave Blank>
  7. Enter the following information under the MMS section:
    APN: fast.t-mobile.com
    Username: <Leave Blank>
    Password: <Leave Blank>
    MMSC: http://mms.msg.eng.t-mobile.com/mms/wapenc
    MMS Proxy: <Leave Blank>
    MMS Max Message Size: 1048576
    MMS UA Prof URL: http://www.apple.com/mms/uaprof.rdf
  8. Enter the following information under the Personal Hotspot section:
    APN: pcweb.tmobile.com
    Username: <Leave Blank>
    Password: <Leave Blank>
  9. Press the Home button to save the APN and exit to the main screen.
  10. Turn the device off and back on.

Countries with reported working networks supporting data
You can call support # below to ask for other networks. PLEASE share which networks works so we can always keep the Wiki up to date. Leave any comments with performance/quality to the "Problem Carriers section"

NOTE: If you have issues connecting turn off "Enable LTE" or LTE and do 3G/HSPA(4G) only. If you are still having issues to get data but can get voice dial Intl support +1-505-998-3793 (FREE CALL while roaming). If you cannot get any service, use another phone or Skype to dial this number.

Africa
Egypt: Vodafone, Elitsalat, Mobinil
Mauritius: EMTEL
South Africa: MTN, Vodacom, Telkom

Americas
Argentina: Movistar, Claro
Aruba: Digicel (May display as 363 02)
Bahamas: BTC
Barbados: Digicel
Bermuda: Digicel
Brazil: Tim, Vivo
Canada: Bell, Rogers (Some Provinces only), Telus, Freedom Mobile (former WIND), Videotron [HIGH SPEED INCLUDED ON SIMPLE CHOICE NORTH AMERICA]
Cayman Islands: Digicel
Chile: Movistar
Colombia: Telefonica Mobiles Colombia, Movistar
Costa Rica: Movistar, Claro
Dominican Republic: Claro, Orange, Viva
Ecuador: Claro, Movistar
El Salvador: Digicel, Movistar
Guatemala: Movistar
Honduras: Tigo
Jamaica: Digicel, Lime
México: Movistar, Telcel [HIGH SPEED INCLUDED ON SIMPLE CHOICE NORTH AMERICA]
Martinique: Digicel
Nicaragua: Mobinil, Movistar
Panama: Claro, Digicel
Perú: Movistar
St Kitts and Nevis: Digicel
St Lucia: Digicel
Sint Maarten (NL): Chippie (UTS)
Saint Martin (FR): Digicel
Turks and Caicos: Digicel
US Virgin Islands: Innovative (counts toward domestic roaming allowance)
Venezuela: Movistar

Asia Pacific
Australia: Telstra, Vodafone AU, OPTUS
Cambodia: CamGSM, Cellcard, Smart
China: China Mobile, China Unicom
Guam: Guam Telecom (Guam is considered outside the U.S. by T-Mobile)
Hong Kong: Smartone, Three
India: Airtel (Most Metro areas/regions), Vodafone
Indonesia (Bali): Indosat, Telkomsel
Japan: DOCOMO, Softbank
Macau: CTM, Three, Smartone
Malaysia: MAXIS
New Zealand: Vodafone, Spark NZ (no 2G), 2Degrees
Pakistan: Pak Telecom Mobile Limited (Ufone), Pakistan Mobile Company Limited (PMCL) (aka Mobilink), Telenor Pakistan, Warid Telecom
Philippines: Globe, SMART
Singapore: Starhub
South Korea: SKT, KT, Olleh
Sri Lanka: Mobitel
Taiwan: Taiwan Mobile
Thailand: AIS, DTAC
Vietnam: Viettel

Europe
Austria: Three, A1, T-Mobile Austria
Belgium: Orange (Mobistar), Proximus
Bulgaria: Telenor BG LTE is primary, saw A1 on 2g and Mtel on LTE very briefly
Czech Republic: Radiomobile/T-Mobile CZ, Vodafone CZ, O2
Denmark: 3 DK, Telenor DK
Faroe Islands: Foroya Tele
Finland: Elisa
France: Bouygues, Free, Orange, SFR
Germany: T-Mobile DE/Telekom.de, EPLUS
Greece: Cosmote
Hungary: T-Mobile
Iceland: Nova (LTE, better in cities), Siminn (3G only, better for rural)
Ireland: Vodafone, Three, Meteor
Italy: TIM, Wind, Vodafone IT
Luxembourg: Tango
Netherlands: KPN, T-Mobile, Vodafone
Norway: Telenor
Poland: T-Mobile
Portugal: MEO, NOS
Romania: Orange, Telekom, Vodafone
Russia: MTS Global
Spain: Movistar, Vodafone ES, Orange
Sweden: 3 SE
Switzerland: Orange, Swisscom
Turkey: Vodafone
UK: EE, Three, Vodafone
Ukraine: KYIVSTAR, MTS

Middle East/Near East
Bahrain: Viva / Batelco
Israel: Partner
Kuwait: Zain
Qatar: Ooredoo
UAE: Etisalat, du

LTE verified carriers:
MUST have a device supporting global LTE bands
- Argentina: Movistar
- Australia: Telstra (requires Band 3 / Band 28 device), OPTUS (5G)
- Bahamas: BTC
- Bahrain: Batelco
- Belgium: Proximus
- Canada: Bell, Rogers, Telus
- Chile: Movistar
- China: China Mobile (TD-LTE in some regions needs appropriate device or in some regions as LTE Band 3), China Unicom
- Colombia: Movistar
- Costa Rica: Movistar
- France: Orange, SFR
- Germany: T-Mobile DE/Telekom.de
- Guatemala: Movistar
- Hong Kong: Smartone
- Ireland: Vodafone
- Italy: TIM
- Japan: Docomo, Softbank
- Luxembourg: Tango
- Malaysia: MAXIS
- Mexico: Movistar
- Netherlands: T-Mobile NL, Vodafone
- Norway: Telenor
- Sinagapore: Starhub
- Sint Maarten (NL): Chippie (UTS)
- Spain: Orange
- Taiwan: Taiwan Mobile
- Thailand: AIS, DTAC
- UAE: du
- UK: EE, Vodafone (see footnote - NOT everywhere)

Problem carriers and LTE support notes
(Do not list carriers where you cannot get basic voice service)
- Argentina: Movistar (reports of poor performance), Claro (seemed much better, but difficult to gain initial connect/registration)
- Bermuda: Reports of getting UMTS (non HSPA 3G) only
- Canada: Wind performance seems better than other Canadian carriers (Your mileage may vary)
- China: China Mobile is 2G only unless you have a device supporting TD-SCDMA (3G) or TD-LTE Band 39/40/41. China Unicom roaming returned in April 2017
- Faroe Islands: Vodafone (Voice/SMS only, NO data service)
- Germany: Vodafone Germany (Voice/SMS only, NO data service in some regions)
- Hong Kong: Smartone, had to switch to 2G get access to network THEN switched phone back to 3G/Automatic if had problems getting access to network. Three: Reports of no longer working and only Smartone working
- Mauritius: Reports of issues connecting to Emtel sometimes - YMMV
- New Zealand: 2Degrees (limited coverage w/ reports of not working at all)
- Singapore: M1, SMS MAY require manually entering M1's SMSC +6596845999 if SMS doesn't work
- South Korea: SKT may require LTE to be disabled or conneciton may not be authenticated. Olleh/KT require multiple attempts to connect to network.
- UK: EE LTE roaming returned 1/21/17 - Reports of Vodafone LTE roaming in select parts of the UK only (not happening everywhere seems to be coverage challenged areas of EE only)
- Vietnam: Viettel
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T Mobile Global data coverage

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Old May 27, 2022, 12:24 am
  #2101  
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
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Originally Posted by NickP 1K
I find Google Voice forwarding WAY WAY WAY more reliable than Digits.
I've found the same to be true as well, but at 128 kbps I've not have had much success with Google Voice. The other limitation with T-Mobile DIGITS is that short codes are blocked.

I have an older phone that doesn't support eSIM, so I do a SIM swap with a local SIM after I land or use Skyroam. I use the free international data to bridge any gaps in between.
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Old May 27, 2022, 5:53 am
  #2102  
 
Join Date: Feb 2017
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I have the 256kbps Free Roaming service on all my lines. I find it a great place to start when arriving at a new roaming location. It seems to be more than twice as fast as the basic 128k, and I wonder if part of the bandwidth is used for "Housekeeping" and unavailable for data service?

I travel with an iPhone 13 Pro Max, iPad Mini 5, and iPad Pro 11", all of which are esim capable. Typiclally an esim service like Airalo ends up on the Mini 5, which is my daily out & about device while exploring. Great for mapping and browsing, and fits in a back pocket of my pants when walking and not needed. Hotspot is permitted on Airalo, so that is used for service on my phone, and by my wife or others I may travel with. With the Airalo WiFi connection, we can all also make free calls to and from the US on our T-Mobile cell service while sightseeing. Everything but the Airalo device can be on WiFi only service, and have good connectivity and no fear of roaming charges from US calls.
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Old May 27, 2022, 7:40 am
  #2103  
 
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Originally Posted by Majuki
I've found the same to be true as well, but at 128 kbps I've not have had much success with Google Voice. The other limitation with T-Mobile DIGITS is that short codes are blocked.

I have an older phone that doesn't support eSIM, so I do a SIM swap with a local SIM after I land or use Skyroam. I use the free international data to bridge any gaps in between.
Try this:

https://esim.me/

Works with any network you can generate an eSIM for
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Old May 27, 2022, 12:08 pm
  #2104  
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
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Originally Posted by NickP 1K
Try this:

https://esim.me/

Works with any network you can generate an eSIM for
There's an existing thread for this product. I haven't purchased it myself since I was waiting for a few data points. The customer service team appears fairly responsive, but the product isn't seamless. There are some caveats such that I'll likely continue to use Skyroam until I replace my current phone with a dual eSIM capable one.
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Old Aug 25, 2022, 11:26 am
  #2105  
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T-Mobile recently improved their roaming with Magenta and Magenta Max. We upped our Magenta plans to Max for one month. The high-speed data did work for 5GB then it dropped down to 256K. I could not get more than LTE/4G in Italy even though I have an iPhone 13 Pro. It did show 5G when we connected in Germany though but by that time I was down to 256K.

Roaming was okay. I seemed to have more problems than my family using iPhone 11 keeping a regular connection with my newer iPhone in Italy. I would often show no service when they had it and I'd have to go to airplane mode and try to get connected again.

I was curious how 256K was and it was definitely useable if you are using Google maps, data message applications like iMessage for text messages, general surfing, and data voice calls. It was very slow at sending photos in iMessage so if you are planning to send photos at 256K be very judicious or you'll lock up iMessage waiting for it to be sent. It also did not like Apple Music. It seemed to be okay with YouTube using low video like 240.

I am kind of torn about 256K - works great if everything is going as planned, but when you need data fast in case something unexpected comes up, it probably will be painfully slow. We had some unexpected transportation snafus on our trip and am glad that one of my family member's phone had a local SIM in it. It's great that is in included but there are some potential negatives depending on situation.
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Old Aug 25, 2022, 1:07 pm
  #2106  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
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Originally Posted by CApreppie
T-Mobile recently improved their roaming with Magenta and Magenta Max. We upped our Magenta plans to Max for one month. The high-speed data did work for 5GB then it dropped down to 256K. I could not get more than LTE/4G in Italy even though I have an iPhone 13 Pro. It did show 5G when we connected in Germany though but by that time I was down to 256K.

Roaming was okay. I seemed to have more problems than my family using iPhone 11 keeping a regular connection with my newer iPhone in Italy. I would often show no service when they had it and I'd have to go to airplane mode and try to get connected again.

I was curious how 256K was and it was definitely useable if you are using Google maps, data message applications like iMessage for text messages, general surfing, and data voice calls. It was very slow at sending photos in iMessage so if you are planning to send photos at 256K be very judicious or you'll lock up iMessage waiting for it to be sent. It also did not like Apple Music. It seemed to be okay with YouTube using low video like 240.

I am kind of torn about 256K - works great if everything is going as planned, but when you need data fast in case something unexpected comes up, it probably will be painfully slow. We had some unexpected transportation snafus on our trip and am glad that one of my family member's phone had a local SIM in it. It's great that is in included but there are some potential negatives depending on situation.
After the 5Gb ran out, I would probably just buy the $35 5Gb or the $50 15Gb data pass instead of rolling with 256K speed!
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Old Aug 25, 2022, 1:19 pm
  #2107  
 
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Originally Posted by CApreppie
Roaming was okay. I seemed to have more problems than my family using iPhone 11 keeping a regular connection with my newer iPhone in Italy. I would often show no service when they had it and I'd have to go to airplane mode and try to get connected again.
Thanks for the report. I'm still on a legacy Simple Choice plan for some promotional add ons that I would lose if I changed my plan. It's still more cost effective for me to remain on this plan even at the expense of high speed data overseas or included calling in the US and Canada. If I need high speed data I buy a package, use a 3rd party hotspot, or get a local SIM card.
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Old Aug 25, 2022, 1:23 pm
  #2108  
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I'll chime in and say that 256k is fine for just about everything. I have offline maps n my phone and that makes route planning happen pretty darned fast.
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Old Aug 25, 2022, 1:28 pm
  #2109  
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On an iPhone, I have a hard time really getting use out of Google Maps cached maps. I find that I have to go into airplane mode to get the cached map to render. I wish it would just come up while trying to communicate with home base, but I get zilch if I have no or slow cell, until I flip into airplane mode. Then it'll render fine. And, typically, I'll forget to turn off airplane mode.
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Old Aug 25, 2022, 2:21 pm
  #2110  
 
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Originally Posted by Xyzzy
I'll chime in and say that 256k is fine for just about everything. I have offline maps n my phone and that makes route planning happen pretty darned fast.
I totally agree with you, if I ever have something important there’s always an WiFi in a cafe nearby. I also have off-line translation in the languages of my choice. Never did the off-line maps because it’s always work flawlessly at the lower speeds I have an iPhone XR
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Old Aug 25, 2022, 2:31 pm
  #2111  
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Originally Posted by Flying Machine
I totally agree with you, if I ever have something important there’s always an WiFi in a cafe nearby. I also have off-line translation in the languages of my choice. Never did the off-line maps because it’s always work flawlessly at the lower speeds I have an iPhone XR
Would generally agree until there is no WiFi nearby. Two instances on recent trip. Delayed TrenItalia train (delays seem the norm from what I experienced) where there was no wifi on the train and I had to look for alternate trains to take. Fortunately, the train we were connecting to was delayed and a bunch of the passenger made it to the second train. Trans-Atlantic flight cancelled at MXP and had to look United app to see what alternates were possible while also calling United customer service to protect us/get seat assignments on alternatives. Of course the MXP airport wasn't working for any of us.

I think next time, I'd either buy the 15GB $50 pass (like I have in the past) or give the new e-sim roaming vendors a try where you just sign up and they send you a QR code to set up the iPhone with a 2nd SIM for data.
CApreppie is offline  
Old Aug 25, 2022, 2:39 pm
  #2112  
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: LAX
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Originally Posted by CApreppie
Would generally agree until there is no WiFi nearby. Two instances on recent trip. Delayed TrenItalia train (delays seem the norm from what I experienced) where there was no wifi on the train and I had to look for alternate trains to take. Fortunately, the train we were connecting to was delayed and a bunch of the passenger made it to the second train. Trans-Atlantic flight cancelled at MXP and had to look United app to see what alternates were possible while also calling United customer service to protect us/get seat assignments on alternatives. Of course the MXP airport wasn't working for any of us.

I think next time, I'd either buy the 15GB $50 pass (like I have in the past) or give the new e-sim roaming vendors a try where you just sign up and they send you a QR code to set up the iPhone with a 2nd SIM for data.
I hear you, but when I was in Rome and Naples it worked flawlessly for me. I understand there’s going to be an issue that’s an outlier. I’ve used T-Mobile on extensive international travel and never bought a program nor a pass.
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Old Aug 25, 2022, 2:59 pm
  #2113  
 
Join Date: Jun 2017
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Originally Posted by Xyzzy
I'll chime in and say that 256k is fine for just about everything. I have offline maps n my phone and that makes route planning happen pretty darned fast.
Originally Posted by Flying Machine
I totally agree with you, if I ever have something important there’s always an WiFi in a cafe nearby. I also have off-line translation in the languages of my choice. Never did the off-line maps because it’s always work flawlessly at the lower speeds I have an iPhone XR
I generally look at high-speed international data plans as a form of insurance. You probably won't need it, and by and large, 256kbps is likely fine for most cases.

But then there are the cases where ... when you need it, you really need it.

I'm pretty good at navigating public transit and such, but I've had my fare share of "stuck in a train station in a foreign country where nobody speaks English fluently and I need to catch my plane" and being able to Google Translate or search for help online beyond what Google Maps offers ... it can be particularly valuable in a pinch, and honestly, it's something where paying an extra $10-15 to solve a problem can be totally worth it in exchange for avoiding a whole ton of stress.
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Old Aug 25, 2022, 3:14 pm
  #2114  
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
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Originally Posted by Polytonic
I generally look at high-speed international data plans as a form of insurance. You probably won't need it, and by and large, 256kbps is likely fine for most cases.

But then there are the cases where ... when you need it, you really need it.

I'm pretty good at navigating public transit and such, but I've had my fare share of "stuck in a train station in a foreign country where nobody speaks English fluently and I need to catch my plane" and being able to Google Translate or search for help online beyond what Google Maps offers ... it can be particularly valuable in a pinch, and honestly, it's something where paying an extra $10-15 to solve a problem can be totally worth it in exchange for avoiding a whole ton of stress.
I appreciate your position and thoughts. As an aside, Google translate has offline downloadable language translations in the App
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Old Aug 26, 2022, 6:16 am
  #2115  
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
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I haven’t tried it yet but ONE Plus International is supposed to have double the standard snail speed (I’m still in my 5GB high speed). If it is indeed 512 then it should be serviceable for basic stuff.

Local SIMs are the best bet but this is great for transits and short visits where getting a local SIM is either a pain or just doesn’t make sense. I use it as my dual SIM secondary line so occasionally if I’m in a dead spot on the primary I can toggle and get data where I’m at. It’s generally a great thing TMO offers that the other big carriers don’t. If they could just get rid of the 50% rule it would be hands down fantastic.
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