International Travel Advice

[jonholmes]

Hello AC fam!
I am going to Shanghai, China next month for work.
I am currently using a GNote, on AT&T.
My question is this, How can I use my phone when traveling internationally? Do I get a prepaid SIM from a carrier in China? I have not unlocked my Note (I assume you have to unlock it. I recently came over from BlackBerry where you had to perform a carrier unlock to use a different carrier's SIM.) Or, would it be easier/cheaper to put international roaming on my phone for the week that I am out of the country?
Will data still be avalible if I just enable international roaming on AT&T?
Text messaging?
MMS?
Navigation/Gmaps?

Thanks in advance!!!

 

[Phil Nickinson]

Great question!

Here's what I suggest:

If you're not worried the cost of roaming, paying AT&T more for international use is certainly the easiest thing to do. Be sure to check out AT&T's international roaming page to make sure your ducks are in a row.

If you don't mind a little work, getting a local SIM card can be much cheaper. (Though I have zero idea what that costs in China.) If your Note is carrier-branded (ie has the AT&T logo on it), you'll likely need the SIM unlock code. Call AT&T and see if they'll give it to you -- if your account is in good standing they likely will. Otherwise, use one of the SIM unlock sites out there that charge a fee. You'll might still need to fiddle with the APN settings once you get the SIM.

That help?

 

[pappyfire]

I spent a couple months in Shenzhen a couple of years ago. You will have to get your phone unlocked, I called AT&T, told them where I was going didn't have their coverage and they emailed me the unlock code, the whole process was painless. There were street vendors on just about every street corner selling local SIM cards, so getting a local SIM should not be an issue, I forget what I paid for mine but I don't think it was very expensive. Hope that helps.

 

[jonholmes]

If I take your advice and buy a local SIM while I'm there, does SMS work? How does data charges work? Would I just be buying a SIM that has a predetermined amount of minutes and data associated with it, and after I have met the limit the SIM is discarded?
Sorry, I have never traveled internationally before without a corporate phone. I just want to make sure I don't get stuck without a way to communicate with my family in the states.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Android Central Forums

 

[Reggie]

If I take your advice and buy a local SIM while I'm there, does SMS work? How does data charges work? Would I just be buying a SIM that has a predetermined amount of minutes and data associated with it, and after I have met the limit the SIM is discarded?

Sorry, I have never traveled internationally before without a corporate phone. I just want to make sure I don't get stuck without a way to communicate with my family in the states.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Android Central Forums

Don't forget about using Skype if you are in a wifi area

 

[pappyfire]

The SIM I bought included talk, text and data. The vendor had several different ones with different amounts of each so you can buy what you think you will use. They also sold refills so you can add more to it and not lose your phone number. I'm not for sure how that works since I never used up what I initially bought, but I assume it's like here, dial an access code and enter the PIN on the refill you bought. I only used it to and from the folks I was working with there. To call home (which I did every day at least once) - I did what Reggie suggested, use Skype. Skype worked great!!