T-Mobile is my go-to carrier since the day they came to America in 2001. As a frequent international traveler, T-Mobile has been nothing short of revolutionary in changing the way I use my mobile phone abroad.
I’m in Europe this week with a colleague who has Verizon. While he was fumbling to change SIM cards yesterday, I didn’t have to do anything. My phone works everywhere in Europe and text messages and data (Edge/2G) speeds are complimentary. (Note – Verizon has international plans, but they are quite pricey).
That’s not enough to stream videos, but is more than enough to stay on top of email, news, and social media (even Instagram) throughout the day.
> Read More: Which Countries Are Covered by T-Mobile International Plan?
My colleague turned on the phone and even though he had turned off auto-updates, something downloaded in the background and within minutes his 50EUR card was fully expired.
T-Mobile Wi-Fi = Free Calls
While calls in Europe or the 100 affected zones are 20 cents/minute, all you need is a wi-if signal to unlock unlimited free calling as if you’re in the USA.
This has fundamentally changed the way I travel. I use Skype very rarely to make calls now…opting for T-Mobile instead. I never switch out SIM cards.
It’s not all fun and games. Customer service can be annoying and the coverage absolutely is inferior to Verizon in the USA. But that’s a trade off I am willing to accept.
100 Countries, Only 11 Without T-Mobile Service!
You can view the full list of countries supported here, but let me just showcase where T-Mobile has worked and where it has not over the last few years.
I just looked back at the last 100 countries I have visited (which I will not list here) and found only 11 that were not covered under T-Mobile’s international plan:
- Botswana
- Brunei
- Kyrgyzstan
- Laos
- Lebanon
- Maldives
- Morocco
- Namibia
- Tajikistan
- Uzbekistan
- Zimbabwe
That’s a strong to testament to how much value I’ve derived from this plan. 89% is a great score.
To be fair, I’ll note that South Africa was a hole for month in 2014 despite listed coverage.
It’s one thing to market worldwide service. It’s quite another to actually deliver it. On the whole, T-Mobile has proven itself over the years. Yesterday reminded me of that.
Note – this is NOT a sponsored T-Mobile post…the whole SIM card exchange yesterday just prompted it.
50E buys a lot of data in Europe, about 6 months of 2-3GB monthly plans (or more if local only).
I have the joy of spending my time in the US way outside of a bubble in rural New England, so T-Mo doesn’t cut it – and at 2G speed it wouldn’t cut it abroad either.
On a somewhat related note, Google Fi is also great for travelling. I believe it also uses T Mobile as well so it’s similar to what you described above. I love how you can suspend the line when you’re not using it and not pay anything. Then when you go international, just turn it on and then pay $10 per GB plus a prorated monthly charge. The downside is you have to hack it to get it to work for iPhone. I just use the hotspot from the Pixel phone and link to my iPhone. Works pretty well most of the time especially for google maps. Also negates having to switch SIM cards. I normally use ATT so having this travel phone is great and cost effective.
$10 per 1GB is highway robbery, when you can get ten times as much data in any developed country (yeah, US doesn’t qualify in that metric).
I really wish they’d adjust their pricing to actually be more then a novelty service.
The AT&T international day charge is only $10 a day and allows you to use your phone as if you were home, which means your call, texts and data are included. Might be worth a try next time.
Is the local partner of cellular operator of t-mobile in those countries you visited provide a good coverage? Were they all covered 4g or some were limited to 3,5g (hsdpa+)?
I showed LTE in most countries, though of course the data was capped at 2G. Cell reception was very good. Exception was again South Africa.
Data was capped at 2G? Do you mean 2 gigabyte or 2Generation of cellular tech (as in 2G, 3G, 4G/LTE)?
Capped at 2G Edge under international data plan.
EU roaming is quite convenient for travellers as well so sometimes it might be worth checking it’s available for overseas visitors somehow.
For example back at home in the Nordics I pay less than $25 USD for my subscription with unlimited calls, texts and data. It also includes unlimited 4G data within the Nordics and Baltics and 10GB/month rest of EU. I’m currently in Lisbon for a week and with the 10GB/month cap at full 4G speeds, I use my mobile just like at home.
Agreed…from Shanghai, China to Moscow, Russia, and virtually everywhere in between (including small towns in Mexico) for multiple trips spanning the globe, I, or my partner who travels more often than I do (for his work), together or separate, have loved the convenience T-Mobile offers us…literally, even when crossing borders on trains in Europe or within moments of powering up our phones (or tablet) after landing, we’re nearly always greeted by an SMS text message sent by T-Mobile letting us know we can seamlessly use our devices nearly as easily and effortlessly in the country we just entered as we do at home in the USA!!!
We’ve had T-Mobile since the days when it was called VoiceStream and Jamie Lee Curtis starred in their tv commercials…over the years it has grown and changed in ways that are only better, and its availability virtually worldwide makes any international trip that much easier and less stressful…and who doesn’t like that!!!
…and no, I am NEITHER a paid spokesperson or endorser for T-Mobile NOR a stockholder…just a very satisfied, long-term customer who left Verizon long ago after meeting my partner, who introduced me to…VoiceStream before it was T-Mobile…
I’ve found the speeds and service wildly inconsistent. It worked like a charm in Italy and Hong Kong but could pretty much just use texting and mail in Montreal and Seoul.
I love TMobile for international travel. The reduced speed is not an issue for checking email or day to day personal stuff… I love not having to swap to a local SIM and have a different phone # etc. if I need to work remotely and don’t have access to wifi where I am, it is too slow. I carry a mi-fi hotspot device with me and pop in a cheap data SIM to get full speed data on those occasions. Most recently I was in Croatia and picked up a TMobile Croatia SIM for 11 Euros that gave me unlimited 4G data for a week.
Has anyone ever used this service in the Philippines? Please let me know if there were any issues.
Anyone use t-mobile in Egypt? If so which international plan so my daughter can make phone calls right when she lands?
T-Mobile worked very poorly for me whilst in Egypt this year (both in Cairo and Alexandria). I would consider a local SIM.