international use with sim card

[DavidC]

is it possible to just take the Droid Incredible 2 overseas and pop in a sim card and use it? Does the phone need to be unlocked or anything? Does it have to be through a Verizon partner?

Looking for this phone for my father who goes to Asia every once in a while and would like something to use here and there.

Thanks

 

[CFW]

I've just returned from Ireland. Contacted VZW before I left and used the phone as is while I was there. I used the phone primarily for data and the Google maps feature was a great help many times, very accurate. VZW uses Vodafone so if you purchased the phone from VZW it has a SIM in it already with a UK number. There are advantages to using a local SIM card depending on types of calls that will be made, you would need to research the rates for the types of calls to be made to determine whats best. There is another thread posted about using another providers SIM and it can be done.

 

[DFA1]

I used the phone primarily for data and the Google maps feature was a great help many times, very accurate. VZW uses Vodafone so if you purchased the phone from VZW it has a SIM in it already with a UK number.

What were the costs for using data over seas? Basically I just wanna know if it's gonna cost an arm/leg to use the Inc2 in other countries for date and for voice.

 

[DavidC]

how easy is it to just pop in another carriers SIM overseas and have it working? Does the phone need to be unlocked?

 

[march99]

go to the verizonwireless site - support - global services. You'll get your answers there.

 

[aaraaf]

Honestly, it's absolute crap.

I travel frequently to the UK / Europe and bought this phone based on my previous experiences traveling and the previous data costs.

It's really the same as any other carrier now, so it's kind of a moot point... also kind of makes having this phone over and LTE phone less useful for me for what I use it for.

I might have returned it and bought an old Storm or something just for traveling.

Would have returned the phone, but by the time I had it all figured out it was too late to get a world phone in my hand before getting on the plane.

Used to be around $70 for unlimited (5Gb cap) when traveling... Now it's about $70 for 100MB (MB!!!!!) so you *really* need to turn auto sync off.

Overage is $20 per MB. Seriously.

Love the phone, but it's like a lot of world phones and just a little behind the curve, as it was when I bought it a couple months ago.

 

[officerbill]

You don't need to unlock the sim if you are going to be using VZW's pre-installed card while overseas. You need to get the unlock code if you are going to be using a local carrier's sim card.
International roaming is way expensive. Turn off that feature and check email, etc with wi-fi unless you can get a local data plan in whichever country you'll be in.

 

[mtollin]

Be REAL careful on data. I recently went to London, arranged for the phone to be on the the most expensive plan to avoid overage. This was just before the GB update. Arrived to find my maps were backwards due to an issue prior to GB, so I turned off data, switched to wifi. 2 days later l found my phone was turned off without notification. $40 later in a phone booth couldn't get through to a person. Arrived home, phone still wouldn't work. VZ told me I ran $700 in 2 days! Phone was off! Said they sent me a txt message warning me to pay immediately, but phone was off! Vodafone is based in London! They should always have a customer service phone number available no matter where you travel.

They even turned off my phone in US and my clients were told number no longer in svc. Poor choice, only global should have been shut down. Needless to say the re-imbursed me all charges. My first real glitch with them in 15 years.

3 things I learned,
I will never travel again with a data plan, wifi and phone only.
I will always have the unlock code so I can buy a local sim if necessary
I will buy a preloaded map based GPS so I don't need data download to find my way around.

 

[RBEmerson]

For all the things VZW does right, sorting out problems with plans and billing is something that is much too unreliable. Some reps are very good at getting things right and working the system in the customer's favor, and some reps couldn't find their butt if they sat on their hands.

Before calling, make up a written (really - write it out!) list of talking points - what do you want done by the end of the call. Take written notes of what was said - VZW does it ("oh, yes, you called on June 5 about this issue" as all too common a remark), you should, too.

If you think you got one of the clueless reps, try to wrap the call before they do any real damage and call again. The odds of getting the same rep twice are almost zero (I did get the same rep twice only once in all the time I've used cell phones, going back to the days of bag phones). If you still think the wheels are falling off, ask to speak to a supervisor - be polite but insistent.

Finally, never, ever shout at or threaten a rep. It won't fix a thing. If you think you have one of the ...ah... less skilled reps on the other end, end the call ("this just isn't working for me, I'll call later").

We visit Europe regularly and find the phone landscape changes each time. It's frustrating, annoying, and rarely inexpensive. Life is like that some days - deal with it as best you can.

- - -

SIM's and unlocking... unless you're prepared to spend a lot of time negotiating the European phone markets and dealing with taking your DINC2 out of the expected nets, do nothing except call VZW before you leave the States. Call VZW as soon as you return to the States - do it in the airport (but never, ever in the CBP secure zones unless you want to meet customs agents up close and personal). Once you return and have your global stuff turned off, call *22899 to update your roaming info (*22899 is the same as *228 and punching 2 once the call is answered).

 

[cedenowimberly]

While it is true that more US and Canadian based cell phones work in France than ever, understanding if yours is one of them is increasingly difficult to figure out

 

[xrydawg]

I took my Dinc2 to Hungary. I called VZW about the trip before I left and I also had it unlocked by VZW. If you use the VZW card, you must remember to do the #228 option 2 before leaving the US.
The phone worked with the VZW SIM, but it also worked well with the local SIM cards from T-mobile once the "unlock SIM" function was used with the number they gave me. The only problem I had was with accessing the internet on the foreign mobile network due to not knowing the local APN settings. I have had other friends who also had similar issues with other, non HTC, US smartphones and foreign mobile internet providers. The locals know the settings, so ask when you buy the SIM. There is another thread that talks about the settings for some countries.

Most places in Europe have prepaid SIM cards and they provide a local number, cheap and are easily reloaded at ATMs and gas stations. Also most local people do not enjoy calling a US number, since that is the number your VZW SIM will carry for you.

My last comment is that in my experience customer service in the US is best, so that may be worth the extra $200ish on your bill while using VZW abroad.

 

[Peter123]

I took my Dinc2 to Hungary. I called VZW about the trip before I left and I also had it unlocked by VZW. If you use the VZW card, you must remember to do the #228 option 2 before leaving the US.....

Why do you need tp cal #228 option 2 before leaving the US?
I am assuming this is needed if you intended to use the original VZW card and the VZW global calling plan.

It you have an unlocked phone and you install a European SIM card you perhaps don;t need to do the 228 thing, right?

Another step is needed in either case: switch the phone from CMDA to GSM.
Peter

 

[thejakal]

I traveled overseas with my unlocked DInc2 and had no issues. I turned off data roaming, and used CDMA/GSM voice and text roaming most of the time (albeit a costly 50 cents per text and $3/min). For cheaper calls, especially to foreign numbers, I got a prepaid SIM card overseas and popped it right in, no problem. I could even switch to GSM mode, and use the prepaid SIM with the foreign number, or switch to CDMA and roam but use my home number.
Also - Google maps has a "pre-cache" feature available in the labs. When I got on wifi, I saved the area of where I was, so I had a GPS map the whole time. It was super useful.
I guess the whole thing was easy for me since it was no data. So glad I finally got a global phone!

 

[amarryat]

I called yesterday to get my phone unlocked so that I could use a foreign SIM card.

First call and he told me that I need the 3rd party SIM in order for Verizon to generate the unlock code. I told him that makes no sense since I'm not overseas yet, as well as contradicting info that I have read in various threads here. He said that when I'm overseas, I can pop in the 3rd party SIM and call 611 to get it activated, and there would be no charge. Sounded like a pita.

Called back, got someone else, and got the unlock code for my phone. I'm all set now.