Sorry if this question has been asked before. Does anyone have any tips on how to get phone data / internet connection in Europe without a super high price tag? We’re going to Italy, France and England in August for 2 weeks. Landing at CDG and then connecting to Rome. Ideally something similar to roam mobility but for those countries. This would mostly be looking at google maps and trying to get around, and communicating with people back home. Thanks!!

roam mobility has a partner called Always Online Wireless. I use them for international travel. It's actually about the same price as using a local sim card from the local country, but you can use this same sim in about 90 countries.
https://alwaysonlinewireless.com/
ALWAYSONLINEWIRELESS.COM
Prepaid SIM Cards for International Travellers - alwaysonline wireless

Should mention that AOW is for data only.

Thanks!

everywhere I've been there is wifi everywhere

rogers has a roam -like-home plan..

We used "3" got a 10gig package that was europe wide for 35 pounds, which is about half the price of telus or rogers here.

3 mobile, a uk cell phone provider, to clarify

Thank you! Is this something I can purchase here and they ship the SIM here, or will I have to purchase it in Europe? We don't get to the UK until the 2nd half of the trip, but I looked it up and I think we can get this in Italy too.

Oh you can get these anywhere in europe, doesn't have to be 3 mobile. Just ask around in whatever city/country you are in, go into a couple of mobile shops and find the best deal. We got ours in the airport, so I'm sure there's even cheaper deals around.

Awesome, thank you! We have 3 hour layover at CDG so we might try to figure it out there. Thank you!

Heathrow airport to clarify again, you can't buy these here.

Yeah there's lots of mobile shops in airports, just have a look around.

This is what I did too. You should be able to use it in EU countries.

You can get a SIM card there for cheaper than any add on plan from Canada. It just won’t be your own phone number, but you can forward it to the new number.

Thanks! We don't need phone connection, mostly just internet and then we can communicate via IM.

It is easy to use a SIM card for data. It’s what we did. BUT check. You may need a different one for each country?

You can get him cards with mostly data.. one sim works all through Europe. For about 15 euros for about 2 gb valid for one month. Can be topped up after that. WiFi is readily available, but not always when you need it

Andrea new law. One sim valid all through Europe

Marilyn McD's always has wifi.

Cheaper if you buy one there

Hi Sheila! This doesn’t answer your internet question directly, but addressing your needs for a map, have you used maps.me?? It’s like google maps but you can pre-download regions and use your phones GPS (no wifi needed) to navigate — including pinning places on a map, mapping out your route, etc. No internet or wifi necessary! We’ve used maps.me for years — someone first told us about it at vancouver airport and we’ve been using it ever since.

You can download maps on Google Maps as well - hit the menu icon and pick Offline maps

Thanks!

I’ve also been using maps.me for years and it’s been so helpful when travelling! I prefer it over google maps and found it to be more accurate in more obscure areas like small towns and none touristy areas then google. Highly recommend

Facebook messenger is free. Anywhere in the world

Pretty sure you need data to access it though.

Sheila Pan Yes you can buy a SIM card there. Or use your computer

When I went to Europe for 4 weeks and visited 4 countries. I found it was cheaper to get a plan from Canada that worked in all countries. Depends on your provider. I got a 50$ plan which gave some calling text and data. I did however when in England do prepaid since we would be calling family there the most. Had to buy a sim card and a plan. It was like £30 which to our dollar will be about $50 ish...and that was only for England. so it really isn't worth it I think. You would have to buy a sim for each country unless the sim you first gets has a roaming plan then you pay them roaming rates. I could see getting a sim from there worth while if you are in a country for at least 2 weeks. But if only a few days not worth it. Check with your provider if they have a plan that can be used in all countries that isn't the roam like home idea.

One sim card is now valid all through Europe. Just returned.bought sim card for 10 pounds with 2 gb data. Enough as data is used only when no wifi. Visited 4 countries and it worked fine. Lots of different packages available. We generally have data only.

Awesome. I went 3 years ago. Good to know going back Nov.

WiFi is everywhere, hotels, restaurants, etc. FaceTime, Skype, is free. You can use 800 numbers on Skype should your credit card get blocked or other emergency.

i'm gone for WW for allowing non WW related submissions. Bye.

We landed in CDG and bought a Holiday orange SIM card for 40€ at the airport (although there are lots of orange boutiques in Paris). You get 10GB of data, 120 mins of international calling, and 1000 international texts. Lasts for 14 days from the day you activate it and you can use it to hot spot as well if needed.

Thank you!

I used Lycamobile in Ireland. Bought a sim chip and a big prepaid pack of data for much less than the ripoff Rogers roam like home. I think it was 20 EURO in total for 30 days compared to $100 from rip-off Rogers. And since there is no roaming between EU countries, it was also dirt cheap for my 3 weeks in Germany. I don’t necessarily recommend Lycamobile, but if you are there for more than a week, buying a local sim chip and data pack is way way cheaper. Canadian rates are ridiculously high compared to the rest of the world.

I understand lots of people use WhatsApp.

You can download any region you want on google maps for offline use. Works perfectly when driving and giving you driving directions. You can search for locations within the offline map as well. As for cell service, any prepaid sim in Europe will be cheaper than Canada’s bogus roam like home packages and once you get a SIM card in any EU country roaming around the continent is free. You really can’t go wrong.

Remember that you must unlock your phone before you leave in order for the prepaid SIM card to work.

If you download Google maps for the areas you will visit ahead of your trip, you can then use Google Maps offline function - no wifi required - save any special places in advance with the * . Free wifi is available at lots of places - try any McDonalds or coffee shops/restaurants - Portugal/Spain/Morocco most recent trip

I put all my destinations/ routes in google offline & I couldn’t get it to work without internet
. What am I doing wrong? Does my data have to be on?

Debra I don't have data. You must download the city map first, for example search Lisbon, then click on city and you should see a screen asking if you want to download, then click the word download. Once complete then save your places etc. Download multiple maps then you will see a list when you click Offline Maps - make sure you name them so you don't have to guess as they are only numbered initially

So if you buy it from them can you keep using it as you travel from country to country? For example I am traveling to Copenhagen and Amsterdam all in one trip, can I buy one data package and just keep using it as I travel?

should be able to! EU passed legislation eliminating roaming fees across countries

Yes that’s correct.

Never found neef for phone. Wifi everywhere, load $ to our skype to make calls (for calls to landlines), facebook, email and whatsapp for everything else

You can buy an orange holiday pack from the Relay shop for 39.99 euros which is very practical.

I bought a Sim Card $12.50 for a month unlimited use, it worked all through Europe with no problems

Same. After one month you can top up. They will keep the number for 6 months if it is not topped up.

Marilyn: Where did you buy it? and does the SIM card you bought has a brand name so that we know what to ask for? thnaks

Sophia My I have one right now from TIM. SIM card and 4gb data, unlimited texting and 100 minutes for 10€/month. You do have to pay for the SIM card and connection to the network but for 3 months, i paid 55€ and I have ZERO worries about roaming charges or other overages from my Telus plan.

Each country has different providers.check on line. For uk I used 02. It was 10 pounds for 2 gb. You are looking for prepaid cards. I usually Google to find comparisons for the main providers. They are generally all quite competitive. We use only data.so that is our focus. We like to go to the kiosks or shops for ours which are found in every mall and shopping area. Your phone must be unlocked. But new law in Canada requires service providers to unlock your phone for free.

I bought mine from a mobile phone store & the name on the card is lebara Mobile. As I mentioned before, a month unlimited data anywhere in Europe . Agree, the phone has to be unlocked before you leave. I believe any iPhone 8 or newer is already unlocked. Also whatsapp is super ...text, video calls & phone calls all free

https://alwaysonlinewireless.com/plans I think you need to order a sum card from the states (so it may take some time), but otherwise it's great once you have it!
ALWAYSONLINEWIRELESS.COM
Plans - alwaysonline wireless

I am thinking using one of their SIM cards

http://www.togotelecom.ca/.../prepaid-sim.../europe-sim.html you can give here a try! They have Europe data cards
TOGOTELECOM.CA
Europe SIM - Prepaid SIM Cards

Following.

We are here in Italy now. Then going to Greece.Just bought 30 days for 30 euros each for 2 phone = €60
8gb data each
300 anywhere in Europe minutes each
300 Italy mins. Each
You will have to load the card up before you leave Italy because you can't reload it anywhere else.
This was at Vodafone.

Following

If you download maps. me you won't need Google maps or data

You can use google maps offline and it doesn’t drain your battery as badly as maps.me does.

Go to a TIM store and buy sim card for your UNLOCKED phone - it was a data and cellular plan for 30 days, it was perfect for when we travelled in Italy

We used the same offline Google Maps tip already mentioned a few times above and leveraged whatever free wifi was available. We agreed to save the extra effort of getting a local SIM card and that we would just flip on our phone’s data if we were really stuck somewhere.
We’ve taken 2 week+ trips to each of the 3 countries you’re going to and only switched off airplane mode once (I should mention that one time was because heavy rain in Florence trashed my Toms and since I have very picky feet I wanted to buy a replacement pair to not put a damper on the rest of our trip. We switched off airplane mode for 10 minutes to find a shop that sold Toms...I’m embarrassed to admit it).
There is free wifi at nearly every tourist location, monument, cafe, bus/train terminal, airport...I wouldn’t bother with a local SIM card.

unlock your phone and get a local SIM card

TIM card when you get off plane, have kiosks in airport, be sure Mobile is unlocked

Plan at vidphone in Uk and Republic of Ireland ....used it for phone calls ..texting no goggle prepaid 10

I meant vodaphone SIM card and it was terrific !

I always buy a
SIM card from vodafone. It works all over Europe and costs 15 Euros for 30 days. Inexpensive!

If you have Telus, $12/day and can use as if you were in Canada. Finishing up a trip in Europe. Just using WiFi, data gets turned on when absolutely necessary. Operating just fine under this travel model.

We used our Bell travel roaming plan in Ireland. It is available for all the countries you are traveling to if you are with Bell. You only pay if you use it. $10.00 per day for local calls, calls to Canada and access our data on our home plan.

We got ee travel cards. £15 for 5 GB of data in those countries specified. Only downside is we needed it mailed to England and picked it up when we arrived. But greater value for money than some of the posts above.

I bought a unit called Pokefi when I was flying cathay pacific. It creates a private wifi hub and is about the size of a deck of cards. You can buy it direct as well. It came with 5gb loaded and I used it to listen to about 25 hours of podcasts last December while in Sri Lanka as I had to complete professional development requirement before Dec. 31st. I still had close to 1gb left.
I was just in Paris and used it pretty much every day. I put my phone on airplane mode to ensure that I don’t connect to my Canadian phone provider and turn on wifi and connect. Got 5gb for US$15 from their website before leaving which will be valid for 2 years.

As long as your phone is unlocked, in Italy you can get a vodaphone sim card (9BG) for only like $30 and it will work in all 3 of those countries

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I used vodaphone in both Italy and UK....really cheap! About £10 for 30 days....just buy a £5 SIM card!

Most plans top out at max 150 if you do thed daily amount is you use it. Telus is 12 per day max 150. With all u spend on vacation it's worth it to have all your details on a phone.

@ren Rudy

my parents just got back from europe and they just got a different sim card once they landed there. Just make sure you unlock your phone before you go

You can always download your google maps when you are in a wifi area

Use the app maps.me
Download the area before you get there and then you are able to use the maps without data. I love it. My favourite travelling app.
I was just in Italy and London for 3 weeks and there is data everywhere. If I were you I’d spend the money on something else. Dont bother getting a phone plan. Everyone in Italy spoke some English. I had no problems communicating

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Get a sim card... it's way cheaper than using your Canadian provider. Itll give you a different phone number while you use it, but you can use some for phoning/texting/data for your trip and you'll save yourself quite a bit! We used vodafone in the Czech republic and it was great.
https://www.amazon.ca/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=sim+card+europe+data&tag=h0a61-20&index=aps&hvadid=267002317586&hvpos=1t3&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7211973448270890379&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1001962&hvtargid=kwd-322853104946&ref=pd_sl_o0fh1j7a9_e
AMAZON.CA
Amazon Search

We did England France and Italy as well. We used Three Mobile it was 30pounds for 10 gigs of data and a few thousand mins. Worked fine in all three countries. Like everyone else has said, unlock your phone before you go and get your Sim card there. Super fast and easy.

I second this. I got a 10 pound Three SIM card, and what with free wifi so many places, after 2 weeks, I still have over 9 pounds left of usage. I have used vodafone before, but Three is much better.

Just buy a cheap chip when you get there. Some of them work across countries.

Bianca Mueller

Just got back from another 3 weeks in Scandanavia russia and baltics and also previously in other areas of Europe and I don't buy SIM cards. I download offline google maps, use whatsapp with people I need to communicate wiith,( make sure I'm in airplane mode) and never really have had a problem. Wifi is virtually everywhere and if I ever get in a situation then I have the Bell $12/day option if I need to turn off airplane mode and use a phone call or text for whatever reason.

If any of you are in Vancouver, I sell these europe simcards. 5GB data: $40 $12GB sold out. If you guys are leaving later, my next shipment is in a couple days if needed. Thanks https://www.instagram.com/p/BkMIfmPBO8E/?taken-by=globalnoms

I used Three in the UK five years ago. One can also get the SIM at the airport, then top up online.
“Three” offers free roaming across most European countries. VERY useful. Needs unlocked phone, and make sure you order the right SIM format for your device.
Highly recommend Three. Good service at good coverage.

Get a free mobile SIM when you land in France, it's the best. You're covered pretty much everywhere in Europe and if you get the 20 euro per month you can phone Canada for free ( only in France though). They also have a 2 euro per month plan. I got the 20 euro one because I was working in France for a while and now I'm travelling I still have data and texting/calling to Europe everywhere I go so far.

Just bought the orange Holiday Sim only plan. 40E for 14 days includes 10GB plus a buncha talk time and texts.

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If you’re transferring in the UK, there are vending machines selling “Three (3)” sim cards right out of the arrivals hall or go straight to their store. I went to Italy, Slovenia and Croatia with the card and it saved my life!! Very worth the value

Three is AWESOME. Look them up online and see what countries they are active in. They are a focused-service voice and data provider in most European countries, operating out of the UK. One of my iPhones has their SIM permanently installed in it - I re-up online by logging into my account.
They even roam in Vancouver vía Telus (warning, that’s an expensive roam).

I think theres a place at airports to buy a sim if i recall its like 20ish$

Maps.me is a free app for iPhone. Just came back from Portugal and this worked well for directions and location

we just bought a vodafone sim in italy for about 20EU. it worked for a month. teenager happy. it worked in the UK too...I think throughout europe

and learn how to download your google maps for offline use https://support.google.com/maps/answer/6291838...
SUPPORT.GOOGLE.COM
Download areas and navigate offline - iPhone & iPad - Google Maps Help

I had a Telus plan, $10/day, only charged if you used the phone that day. Can use as if at home.

I think this is a good option if you'll be very occasional use - or you really need your own phone number. But for the 20EU we had pretty much unlimited use. Our social media teen manged to barely use up the data in 2 weeks...

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If your phone is unlocked, I'd buy a local SIM card where you are travelling.

the operator free in france .. you can have for 2€ per month a plan where everything free in france and 30 days of data anywhere.

roam mobility has an international partner, AlwaysOnline. Used them last month in multiple countries and had great coverage.

Bought the SIM card 15€ in Spain good to go

free mobile! You’ll get 20GB in data per month ... ! Since you start in France, Free is a good option.

As everyone says. Make sure your phone is unlocked and get a SIM card there. My daughter just returned from a month there and spent 15€ : 500 minutes, 300 intl. minutes, unlimited texting and 4G data. Never came close to running out. Video calling didn’t count in data. We get HOSED in Canada...

http://prepaid-data-sim-card.wikia.com/.../Prepaid_SIM...
PREPAID-DATA-SIM-CARD.WIKIA.COM
Prepaid Data SIM Card Wiki

Just buy SIM cards when there. I’ve been doing it for 4 months now. No plans from Canada can even come close.

all carriers have to unlock for free now - so if you aren't unlocked just call them and they should do immediately for you - free

Any sim card and package you get on one EU country does not incur any roaming charges in other EU countries. Thanks to the EU who have abolished them so don't worry about getting multiple sim cards. As you will learn telecom companies in canada rip of consumers.