Anyone Used T-Mobile's Simple Choice Plan When Traveling Overseas?

[RumoredNow]

I'll be traveling to Italy in October and I'm on T-Mo's Simple Choice plan. They state that you have free data and text when abroad in more than 120 countries (voice calls @ $0.20/minute) and free WiFi calling back to the US???

Has anyone taken advantage? Where? How did it work (well vs poorly)?

Did it require any set up with T-Mo before the trip? Or just go and use the phone with no surprises? Do you need a carrier unlock? Do you need a local SIM?

I'm asking for real life experiences here on a trusted forum. I'm still pursuing with T-Mo and will post details as I find them out, but theory and practice are often two separate things...

 

[Almeuit]

It requires nothing extra from T-Mobile. You can get the phone unlocked Incase you'd rather use a carrier over there.

The speeds will be 2g speeds.

Wifi calling back to the US is free when using a wifi network there.

To check if the country you're going to is covered under the unlimited text and data check this site.. You can scroll the bottom and enter the country you're going to so you can see the rates - http://www.t-mobile.com/optional-services/roaming.html

Sent from my T-Mobile Note 3 using AC Forums.

 

[RumoredNow]

Thanks, Almeuit... Did you actually travel and use this plan?

I don't like the 2G thing but even then that would be OK with judicious use. Like prepping by downloading audio tours via WiFi and using Nav offline. I'll be sure to ask T-Mo about data speed. No T-Mo in Italy (I checked carrier codes by country list) so I guess it would all be roaming.

We probably will get our phones unlocked just in case, but are trying not to resort to local SIMs/carriers/prepaid plans. Kind of nice if we can just arrive and enjoy without worrying about phones.

Anyone else???

 

[UDPGuy]

Thanks, Almeuit... Did you actually travel and use this plan?

I don't like the 2G thing but even then that would be OK with judicious use. Like prepping by downloading audio tours via WiFi and using Nav offline. I'll be sure to ask T-Mo about data speed. No T-Mo in Italy (I checked carrier codes by country list) so I guess it would all be roaming.

We probably will get our phones unlocked just in case, but are trying not to resort to local SIMs/carriers/prepaid plans. Kind of nice if we can just arrive and enjoy without worrying about phones.

Anyone else???

From my understanding it says average of edge speeds, not that you only get edge... so it could be faster

Posted via Android Central App

 

[richardah]

I went to Mexico City on business. I signed up with TMobile just for this purpose but also because I wanted to try them out. I got a Nexus 5. I also took my work iPhone 5S and my personal Galaxy Note 3 both on Verizon. The GSM service in Mexico isn't very good so it didn't hold a signal well but I used my Nexus quite a bit for Google Maps, calling/texting back to the US and for Skype IM back to the office in the US. I think it worked out great considering the cost. You can pay a bit more (don't remember how much more) to get faster internet speeds when in another country. I was fine when I had a signal. Either the 100MB is more than I thought it was or their Edge/2G/3G speeds are decent.

The funny part is out of the 3 phones, the iPhone was able to get and keep a signal better. When I move my accounts to TMobile, I may just get an iPhone.

 

[RumoredNow]

I went to Mexico City on business. I signed up with TMobile just for this purpose but also because I wanted to try them out. I got a Nexus 5. I also took my work iPhone 5S and my personal Galaxy Note 3 both on Verizon. The GSM service in Mexico isn't very good so it didn't hold a signal well but I used my Nexus quite a bit for Google Maps, calling/texting back to the US and for Skype IM back to the office in the US. I think it worked out great considering the cost. You can pay a bit more (don't remember how much more) to get faster internet speeds when in another country. I was fine when I had a signal. Either the 100MB is more than I thought it was or their Edge/2G/3G speeds are decent.

The funny part is out of the 3 phones, the iPhone was able to get and keep a signal better. When I move my accounts to TMobile, I may just get an iPhone.

Thanks for the actual life experience recap. I really appreciate that. I did see the pay for data speed upgrades available.

 

[tcapote]

I traveled to Israel a few months ago, for 2 weeks and my experience with T-Mobile was fantastic (and the trip was incredible too). I had a note 3 and my wife's S4, both T-Mobile branded. We had 3g EVERYWHERE, yes 3G! Instagram, twitter, facebook, photo backups to flickr and G+. Text worked great. As soon as we landed and I turned on my phone, I was greeted by a T-Mobile, welcoming me and telling me about my coverage.

One time we were so close to the Jordanian border, my phone roamed (Jordan is not one of the countries on the plan) and I received a text and had to reply with a code in order to enable roaming in that country. Fantastic experience.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[Rirruto]

Used it in Canada (Toronto/Mississauga) area and it was an overall great experience. Only thing you might need to change on your phone is enabling data roaming. It might be turned off by default on your phone. Other than that, just let it find a network and you should be good to go. The speeds aren't your normal 4G/LTE speeds but it is very usable. I did lots of web searches, navigation, picture uploads, and it all worked fine.

 

[LuvMusic]

Let's see.......since the beginning of the year I've been in Zurich, Switzerland; took the train from Zurich to Paris, France; spent a week in Paris; had a 4 hour layover in Dusseldorf, Germany and been back to Zurich for 10 days.

My experience with TMos international plan while overseas has been awesome. As has been pointed out, 2G is the minimum and I rarely have seen 2G speeds. I normally get 3G and in Zurich, HSPA and HSPA+ are not uncommon. The way TMo handles international roaming is pretty cool. As soon as I enter a country or turn my phone on in Europe, I immediately get two texts, one stating that I have unlimited free texting and another stating that I have free unlimited data. Makes me smile every time I get these texts.

Another thing that make me smile is when I get my monthly bill and I don't see additional charges for an international plan, international roaming, texts and data. And, my kids love to text me while I'm overseas so you can imagine the money I'm saving.

So, no additional setup, no local SIM card, just turn-on your phone. Data speeds have been more than adequate for my international travel needs which are mostly texting, light web browsing and using Google maps. For heavier data needs I use WiFi in my hotel or office. No other carrier has anything close to this. If you travel outside of the US frequently and you live in an area in the US where TMo has good service, this IS the way to go!

 

[dpham00]

What speeds are you getting?

dpham00, Android Central Moderator
Sent from my Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note 3

 

[LuvMusic]

What speeds are you getting?

dpham00, Android Central Moderator
Sent from my Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note 3

Mostly 3G....though in Zurich HSPA and HASP+ are not uncommon. In Paris it was mostly 3G. In the Dusseldorf airport it was HSPA. In about 3 weeks I'll be able to report on speeds in the UK.

 

[dpham00]

Mostly 3G....though in Zurich HSPA and HASP+ are not uncommon. In Paris it was mostly 3G. In the Dusseldorf airport it was HSPA. In about 3 weeks I'll be able to report on speeds in the UK.

What speed though? As in 1mbps or whatever.

dpham00, Android Central Moderator
Sent from my Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note 3

 

[LuvMusic]

What speed though? As in 1mbps or whatever.

dpham00, Android Central Moderator
Sent from my Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note 3

AHHH.....sorry, didn't understand. Can't give you an exact number because I never ran a Speed Test.

Most of my wireless "heavy lifting" is done over WiFi when I'm overseas. That said, when I'm out eating by myself (one of the downsides of traveling) and catching up on news, pages and images generally load within a couple of seconds. I have also downloaded music from Amazon while mobile and the song is downloaded in 60 - 90 seconds, so not too bad, but not "at home" speeds.

Next time I'm on the other side of the pond, about three weeks, I'll run Speed Test and provide a more reliable report.

Hope this helps some.

 

[dpham00]

AHHH.....sorry, didn't understand. Can't give you an exact number because I never ran a Speed Test.

Most of my wireless "heavy lifting" is done over WiFi when I'm overseas. That said, when I'm out eating by myself (one of the downsides of traveling) and catching up on news, pages and images generally load within a couple of seconds. I have also downloaded music from Amazon while mobile and the song is downloaded in 60 - 90 seconds, so not too bad, but not "at home" speeds.

Next time I'm on the other side of the pond, about three weeks, I'll run Speed Test and provide a more reliable report.

Hope this helps some.

Reason I ask was because even though you are connected to a 3g or 4g network, you can be throttled to 2g speeds.


dpham00, Android Central Moderator
Sent from my Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note 3

 

[Benjamin_NYC]

Mostly 3G....though in Zurich HSPA and HASP+ are not uncommon. In Paris it was mostly 3G. In the Dusseldorf airport it was HSPA. In about 3 weeks I'll be able to report on speeds in the UK.

When you say "getting", do you mean what your phone shows on the screen? Because that has zero relationship to what speed you get. It could show LTE and your speed can still be throttled to 2G.

You may be right. The speeds may be 3G in quality, but not because of what it says in the upper right corner.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[LuvMusic]

My observations are based on two variables:

1. The signal indicator on the screen which I realize is not a precise measurement and

2. Actual in use performance.

While I primarily use low demand applications like e-mail, maps and text while I'm out and about, performance has been more than acceptable, even when opening e-mails that include graphics. I've also downloaded purchased music from Amazon while mobile and found that I could download an MP3 file in about 60-90 seconds. This leads me to believe that I'm getting better than 2G speeds.

As I said earlier, this is not precise and I will be back in Europe in about 3 weeks. I'll be in the Cayman Islands in about 2 weeks. In order to provide better, more precise data, I'll use Speed Test on my next journeys and report back.

Cheers!

 

[dpham00]

If you get a chance, test youtube and Netflix streaming.

dpham00, Android Central Moderator
Sent from my Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note 3

 

[bobsacomano]

I used it in Amsterdam and in Sweden, in June. Worked great. My phone picked up 3G right away (T-Mobile in Amsterdam! Sweden 3G in Sweden). Speeds were slow, about 0.1-0.3Mbps download, but I was able to use work emails, Google Voice, Hangouts (not video), Maps with navigation. Great service provided by T-Mobile.

 

[dpham00]

Glad to know. Those are about 2g speeds

Sent from my Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note 3