Need Sim card for Thailand/Cambodia?

[KJB2019]

I'm taking my MotoZ3 to Thailand and Cambodia. Does anyone know if I need a sim card for Google maps to work there, or will the phone work as long as I pay Verizon for overseas service? Some websites suggest getting a sim card and my travel agent says you can get them at the airport. Do I need one? Thanks in advance!

 

[mikedt]

I'm taking my MotoZ3 to Thailand and Cambodia. Does anyone know if I need a sim card for Google maps to work there, or will the phone work as long as I pay Verizon for overseas service? Some websites suggest getting a sim card and my travel agent says you can get them at the airport. Do I need one? Thanks in advance!

Google Maps will work in Thailand and Cambodia as long as you have internet access on the phone. As for using a local SIM, do you know if your Verizon Moto Z3 is SIM-locked or not. You can check phone compatibly here. https://willmyphonework.net/

As for costs, what does Verizon charge you for international roaming? That you'll need to compare with what local Thai and Cambodian pre-paid carriers charge.

FWIW I travel to the UK twice a year, and I find it more cost effective to have intentional roaming with my carrier(China Unicom), than it is to buy a pre-paid SIM in the UK....but YMMV

 

[MoodyBlues]

cost effective to have intentional roaming

As opposed to unintentional roaming?

 

[svim]

I'm taking my MotoZ3 to Thailand and Cambodia. Does anyone know if I need a sim card for Google maps to work there, or will the phone work as long as I pay Verizon for overseas service? Some websites suggest getting a sim card and my travel agent says you can get them at the airport. Do I need one? Thanks in advance!

You'll probably need to get a SIM card for a local carrier in each country you travel within. Your Verizon SIM card will work only if Verizon has a contract with whichever carrier covers that specific country. Which may be the case but not likely. You need to determine which carriers you'll be using while traveling through Thailand and through Cambodia, and then find out if they do or don't have any interactive contract with Verizon. Or to eliminate all the hassle of researching and then testing when you're there, just buy a SIM card for a local carrier at the local airport.

The issue you need to keep in mind is different carriers rely on different types of cellular networks. It's not like all those cell towers that are everywhere are putting out some kind of universally compatible cell signal that every carrier just ties into, it's more a matter of each carrier has have enough cell towers in each vicinity to provide enough coverage for their chosen cellular network type. This article is a good read that explains things on more detail:
https://www.phonearena.com/news/Che...on-T-Mobile-and-Sprint-use-in-the-USA_id77933
While there's a lot of overlap in what bands each carriers use, it's still a matter where your Verizon SIM only works with Verizon's cellular network because the SIM contains your account info with Verizon and just Verizon. Along with the cellular network issue is each phone model has to support the bands/frequencies for the carrier it's designated to work. In your case, your Moto Z3 has a cellular radio chip inside it that supports a number of different bands but it's still a matter of the SIM card being tied to a specific carrier (again, your account info with a specific carrier is what authenticates your ability to use their cellular network.)
https://www.phonearena.com/phones/Motorola-Moto-Z3_id10962
(scroll down to the 'Cellular' section).

 

[mikedt]

As opposed to unintentional roaming?

Yeh, like getting on the wrong international flight, and that has happened.

I did end up in the wrong city once, when I fell to sleep on a train and missed my stop. That was in the UK, was supposed to in Cheltenham, but I was in Birmingham.