Team-BHP - Suggestions for international SIM cards - Mobile networks when travelling abroad

Quote:

Originally Posted by haisaikat (Post 4601862)

You said you are moving, so I am assuming it's a month long or even longer travel. You have to remember that local sim cards are the best always for longer term use and remember it's not just you calling India but locals calling you and vice versa. So depending on your location chose which carrier fits your bills better be it Verizon, T-Mobile, etc.

But another worry for you is to keep the India number for banking OTP / verification unless you are leaving that with relatives. So you have to anyway keep that in service with international roaming.

If this is not your first travel to the USA them you already have SSN and it will be handy to get you a phone number on landing. Otherwise if this is your first travel it will be a few days until you get a address proof to say the least like rent contract.

For first time travel, if you can live with your international roaming regular India number with some plans and package and WiFi based WhatsApp calling then all of set. If not, go for an additional sim which offers best cheap rates and good service feedback, several suggestions are there on this thread.

Well, I'm looking to by the TSIM Unlimited USA SIM card directly from their site, I found a good deal for a SIM card which is valid for 1 month and costs INR 1789 (pre-shipping). It also includes some free gift which I can choose during check out.

My colleague suggested buying a SIM in U.S. at JFK from Lyca for $30, which isn't available for purchase in India.

I'm just wondering if anybody has ever used either TSIM or Lyca in the U.S. and if so, would they recommend it ?

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Originally Posted by Dhiwakar92 (Post 4601866)

I'm just wondering if anybody has ever used either TSIM or Lyca in the U.S. and if so, would they recommend it ?

Have used Lyca once and never used it again. Unless you are on road or open spaces, getting signals was always a problem. forget about being able to get signals inside building or basement. Go for T- Mobile with Eyes closed. In US, You will see lots of T mobile shops where they bundle a Mid range phone with SIM for as low as 60 USD with a small commitment. You can always unlock them post lock in Period and use the same phone in india.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dhiwakar92 (Post 4601866)

I'm just wondering if anybody has ever used either TSIM or Lyca in the U.S. and if so, would they recommend it ?

Lyca is rubbish in most places is what I've heard. For starting off, I'd suggest getting ATT prepaid if you don't have a SSN. Costs $30 a month for 1GB of data with autopay, cheaper if you have a group- I pay $22 a month for it.

For calls to India, I use google voice. It's very cheap at $ 0.01 per minute. $ 10 works for a year for me, so never bothered exploring any other option.

Bumping up this thread due to my upcoming vacation to Germany and other Schengen countries for 3 months. I'll basically be staying with my son in Munich, but will be touring Italy, Crotia, Czech Republic, Austria etc.

I have an Airtel pre-paid SIM on an annual domestic plan. I was planning to take their international roaming pack that costs 3k per month, but decided against it, as I will be taking a local SIM in Munich, basically for data while traveling, when Wi Fi is not available.

My only concern is getting OTPs for bank transactions in India for paying bills, maintenance, etc. I believe keeping a talktime balance of around 200 rupees on my current Airtel prepaid SIM is advisable, and I will get incoming OTP SMSs for free. I will surely not take or make calls to India, except to friends, and for that I shall use WhatsApp calling.

Does this sound like a plan? Any pitfalls in this approach? I do know that having 2 SIMs on the phone will drain the battery sooner, but I am ok with it.

Thanks in advance.

If anyone is planning travel to Vietnam, you can try https://gigago.vn/

Airtel / Vodafone roaming plans to Vietnam aren't great, so opted for an e-sim from Gigago which can be downloaded to your phone even before you leave. As soon as you land, activate it and you are good to go.

The plans were on par with what the local operators were offering and we did not face any problems. Our plan was a data only plan with incoming calls.

Quote:

Originally Posted by vnabhi (Post 5516163)

I have an Airtel pre-paid SIM on an annual domestic plan. I was planning to take their international roaming pack that costs 3k per month, but decided against it, as I will be taking a local SIM in Munich, basically for data while traveling, when Wi Fi is not available.

My only concern is getting OTPs for bank transactions in India for paying bills, maintenance, etc. I believe keeping a talktime balance of around 200 rupees on my current Airtel prepaid SIM is advisable, and I will get incoming OTP SMSs for free. I will surely not take or make calls to India, except to friends, and for that I shall use WhatsApp calling.

Does this sound like a plan? Any pitfalls in this approach? I do know that having 2 SIMs on the phone will drain the battery sooner, but I am ok with it

Replying late. It is a good plan. Incoming smses keep coming without any international pack. You can also sms in case of emergency, you will be charged 5 Rs I think for an sms. Not sure, did it 5 years back and then changed to postpaid.

Be aware, even if you are not having an active pack, the moment you click a photo (and it uploads to google photos/icloud) or an app uses internet, you will be charged for gprs if not for 4G/5G internet. Hence, it is better to keep that sim in an old 2g phone, just for smses. You buy something using your CC, you immediately get sms from the bank.

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Originally Posted by Shivam (Post 5539178)

Has anyone used Lebara in Europe lately? I used it quite extensively during my multiple visits 8 years back. Not sure how the situation is now. Lyca also seems to be a good contender. Anyone in touch with reality could throw some light

I am a regular user of lebara from many years. Not sure what you are looking for specifically but right now it offers the most data and international talk time for the money charged. I currently pay 15 EUR for 14GB of data and 150 mins of mobile calling to India for four weeks. But other players like Telekom.de are also offering competitive rates for prepaid Sim cards. At least for temporary use there are lot of options.

Hello ,
To touch on the subject of SIM cards, most modern phones have e sim compatibility.
I am using e sims it for last 2 years till I find a suitable option locally. The are various e sim options available world-wide at a fraction of the cost. Currently in China and E sim is working best .with access to YouTube and WhatsApp.
Thanks -

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Originally Posted by MT_Hyderabad (Post 5530105)

Thanks. I mistakenly sent an SMS from my Airtel SIM (in SIM1 tray) and i think it cost me Rs 50! I could not figure out how to configure my phone to send SMS from my local Lebara SIM.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shivam (Post 5539178)

Yes, I have used Lebara for 3 months in Munich. The SIM belonged to my son's pal, who's kept it for his parents when they visit Germany. I borrowed it for my stay there. I paid 10 Euros for a period of 28 days in each cycle. That got me 50 minutes of international calling (which i hardly used) and unlimited calling within Germany, apart from 5GB of data. It worked flawlessly in Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Italy and Crotia, but did not work in Switzerland, andd had to be reconfigured for access points in Austria every time I visited or passed through that country.

Overall I was content with it. Spent less than the Rs 3000 Airtel was charging per month---I spent only 2700 for 84 days.

I have an iPhone 13 mini. Going to the USA for a month soon.

Is it better to use Airtel international roaming? Costs about 4K for 1 month. However many reports of roaming stopping to work and no way of rectifying it, overcharging, etc. However I retain my number and am available to people in India. People there may find it difficult to contact me though.

Go for a T-mobile pre-paid at $50. Problem is it may not be compatible with my phone. Advantages are I can get lost from my phone for a complete month. Locals there will be able to contact me easily.

What do you guys advise? Which is the cheaper and better option? I do realise I have dual SIM so could have both.

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Originally Posted by wildsdi5530 (Post 5685351)

During my US travel a few months back, I had used Jio international roaming on prepaid. INR 2 for incoming, outgoing to India and local. Don't remember the exact data charges. Connectivity was good. Also tried the Jio In-flight daily packs out of curiosity, voice worked fine, data was quite slow but usable.