do you use a foreign sim card when abroad and, if so how?

fitnessguy1

i am asking this as i am a little unsure how to go about using my smartphone abroad. when you go abroad how do you personally go about using your phone? do you use a local sim card?

Gloomendoom

Not within the EU as there is no point. The rates are the same as the UK.

eDicky

I often use a local SIM, I put it in my phone. It depends on the country, my needs and circumstances. What are yours?

photome

I have a three pay as you go sim for use in the USA, just add a feel at home package to it

Gloomendoom

photome wrote: »

I have a three pay as you go sim for use in the USA, just add a feel at home package to it

Whenever I've used my Three PAYG phone abroad, I automatically get feel at home rates if they are available. I've never added a package.

photome

Gloomendoom wrote: »

Whenever I've used my Three PAYG phone abroad, I automatically get feel at home rates if they are available. I've never added a package.

I only use it in the USA, and each visit I top up with £10 and then convert it to feel at home to get the texts,calls and data

ThinkingOutLoud_2

Depends where you are going and whether you need data or just calls and texts.

As of June - as stated the law changed and you can use whatever voice calls your deal has when in the EU for no more money.

Outside most contracts offer a variety of add ins.

Take a look at your providers details and check if you will have access to free wifi at your hotel / nearby coffee shops and restaurants before you fork out. If on holiday - do you really need more than a few free data based sessions a day?

Voyager2002

Yes: my handset is unlocked, so whenever I arrive in a new country I pick up a local PAYG Sim and just slip it in...

silvercar

fitnessguy1 wrote: »

i am asking this as i am a little unsure how to go about using my smartphone abroad. when you go abroad how do you personally go about using your phone? do you use a local sim card?

Data roaming off and rely on wifi connections.

Often means hovering near Starbucks in America.

In Europe it's not so much of an issue.

Outside Europe I recently used the Three package. Forwarded my calls to the Three number and put the Three SIM in my unlocked phone. I did lose some messages, though in theory that shouldn't have happened.

Blue264

Voyager2002 wrote: »

Yes: my handset is unlocked, so whenever I arrive in a new country I pick up a local PAYG Sim and just slip it in...

Same here.
I have a dual SIM phone, so just ignore my 'home' sim and insert a local PAYG sim. I've got into the habit of changing the second SIM as the plane lands, or at baggage reclaim, if it's one of my regular countries. If it's somewhere new and non-EU, we get PAYG SIMs at the airport and swap numbers immediately in case we get separated.

Gloomendoom

photome wrote: »

I only use it in the USA, and each visit I top up with £10 and then convert it to feel at home to get the texts,calls and data

This is what intrigues me. Whenever I visit a feel at home country, I get a text from Three advising of the rates and, apart from local calls (outside the EU), they are exactly the same as I pay in the UK. I don't convert anything.