How can I use a Verizon Moto X for a reasonable price while in the UK?

[manhattan123]

Hi, can anyone give me a definitive answer on this as I've now got 2 different responses when I asked VZW store reps and did a quick Google search which gave me about 4 different answers. I will be traveling to the UK in a few months for about 2 weeks. I have a Verizon Motorola X.
What's the best way to use it over there for a "reasonable" (haha) price? I will mostly try to use WiFi but may occasionally have to use voice and data.
I see on their web site, VZW has a global plan, but of course they don't make it easy to figure it out. It looks like $25 for 100 MB of data, and 99 cents/minute for voice. If I sign up for that, is that it taken care of or do I still have to change the SIM for UK use?
Or is it better to wait and buy a UK carrier SIM card when I get there? If so, any suggestions for UK stores or carriers with the best prices?
Thanks for any advice.

 

[atakin77]

re:

You can use the plan mentioned in your post or use Skype for voice calling over wifi instead which would probably be less expensive.

 

[diesteldorf]

re:

Hi, can anyone give me a definitive answer on this as I've now got 2 different responses when I asked VZW store reps and did a quick Google search which gave me about 4 different answers. I will be traveling to the UK in a few months for about 2 weeks. I have a Verizon Motorola X.
What's the best way to use it over there for a "reasonable" (haha) price? I will mostly try to use WiFi but may occasionally have to use voice and data.
I see on their web site, VZW has a global plan, but of course they don't make it easy to figure it out. It looks like $25 for 100 MB of data, and 99 cents/minute for voice. If I sign up for that, is that it taken care of or do I still have to change the SIM for UK use?
Or is it better to wait and buy a UK carrier SIM card when I get there? If so, any suggestions for UK stores or carriers with the best prices?
Thanks for any advice.

Verizon's plan will be the most hassle free, since they enable the global features, you keep the same sim, phone #, and pay $25 for 100 MB, and 0.99 per minute, as you already mentioned.

However, you could probably save substantial money if you bought a local sim in the UK. Of course, it would mean that you would have a different phone number for that duration.

If you already have a Google Voice number, your carrier number is less important. Potentially, if your carrier number wasn't important, you could suspend your Verizon service without billing and not have to pay them while you are gone.

When you return, just unsuspend the line. Good Luck.

 

[manhattan123]

re:

Thank you both for your responses. I don't really use Skype or Google Voice (although may change in the future and sounds like it probably should) so I will likely just go with the VZW global plan as I'm probably not going to be using that much non-wifi when I'm there. The problem is I don't want to be missing any work-related calls on my 917 VZ number, so it's worth it for those few weeks. But I really wish VZ would have their store reps more on the ball and able to explain costs and what exactly has to be done for an international visit. It's amazing how clueless some of their reps are.

 

[Laurent Pellegrino]

re:

Great answer, thank you

 

[drew_sf]

The phone is unlocked right? I would want to use the phone for searches, maps, and anything else that requires data when you are moving and don't have access to wifi. Just buy a prepaid sim with data. I'm sure it will be cheaper than any U.S. carrier's global plan. How long do you think 100mb of data will last?

United Kingdom - Pay as you go sim with data Wiki

 

[KWKSLVR]

Just buy a prepaid GSM Sim. It'll work and you should have 4G. Prepaid Sim was the route I took in Mexico. It worked perfectly.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[stanleywinthrop]

Just buy a prepaid GSM Sim. It'll work and you should have 4G. Prepaid Sim was the route I took in Mexico. It worked perfectly.

Posted via Android Central App

I don't think the Verizon Moto X has the correct lte bands for the UK. 3G should be fine.

Posted via the Android Central App