applejax

Thank you to everyone who gave some advice here. I've signed up with the T-moble service and I'm going to try it out internationally. One thing I've noticed so far it reception isn't too great while driving outside of major cities. I do a lot of driving and I talk and do a lot of business while I'm traveling. I have had a lot of dropped calls. However I'm still willing to give the service a fair go and try it internationally because thats where I should be getting the most value out of the plan. Even if its terrible its worth a try because theres no contract or cancelation fees so it really can't hurt. I just hope that I don't have to go crawling back to At&t after this.... lol I really hate their CS.

mrcamp

Well, outside of major metro areas and indoor reception was an issue back in the days when I had t-mobile. I am sure that has got better now. However, you might still experience that some areas still have this issue. Location may also have to do with it. In my experience though, t-mobile is lacking in these two aspects, at least compared to AT&T.

boerne

I think you will find T Mo better than ATT for international travel. The international partners with T Mo are major carriers. I get pretty good reception most places. Good luck.

tai4de2

It's true that data speeds when roaming internationally are limited to 2G(-ish) on T-Mobile. However it's possible to add high-speed data passes to bump that speed up (YMMV). Passes are $10 for 1GB for 1 week. Speeds aren't always spectacular, but it does work (mostly), and having the option is great. For example in China last week I had the data pass and a colleague didn't. I was able to use Google Maps reliably, she wasn't.

draver

The T-Mobile 7 day 1 Gb data pass is $20, not $10 as stated above.

applejax

tai4de2

TheMadBrewer

I'm a former Project Fi user (signed up with a Nexus 5X). I've switched back and forth between Android and Apple over the years -- currently my primary phone is an iPhone 7 on T-Mo but I also use an Android phone when traveling (currently a Pixel 2 XL). I use very little voice on my Android phone so when I was was offered a free line on T-Mo (pay taxes only) I took it and dropped Fi as the $20 month base was really too much when I didn't really use it. I would have been happy with $10/Gb but pay per minute for voice but they don't offer anything like that.

When traveling (mostly in EU -- and UK ) about 70% of the time the 2G T-Mo data roaming works fine, but when I something faster I really need it. When in Germany I am covered with a local SIM that gives me 500MB for €2/day (max of €20/calendar month). Sometimes I've bought cheap local SIMs from airport vending machines but have decided to go with a GlocalMe G3. Most places I travel data is €7-8/GB and good for 30 days (unlike the 7 days for T-Mo). It is heavy, but not all that much heavier than the power bank I usually carry. I'll use the T-Mo when 2G is good enough (checking email) and just fire up the GlocalMe when I need more or the hotel WiFi is crappy.

Don't know if this will work -- first trip is next month. I'll also be traveling in the fall with a group of less frequent travelers and can offer them mobile internet for a small markup -- to be paid in beer

applejax

I actually signed up for the T-moble 1 plan. I opted to pay the extra $10per month for the better speed data while roaming. I'm not sure if this is a new thing that T-moble offers or if its because I signed up for the T-moble 1 plan that is unlimited but they offered the add on when I was signing up so I'm assuming this means I don't have to purchase the 7 day pass and I will just automatically get high speed while I'm traveling. I'll update after my next international trip and let you know if I decide to keep the plan. Good thing about T-moble is theres no contract so I can go back to At&t if it ends up being crappy. Hopefully At&t gets on with the program and actually starts offering realistic travel plans.

tai4de2