Heading to Germany, Austria, Belgium and the Netherlands in May and looking into what’s the best SimCard to buy and where. We are starting off in Vienna. In Italy we had a great deal for phone, text and data. Hoping for the same and need it for 30 days.
Any thoughts?

If you still have your italian SIM, it is good all over Europe.

Sim it expired from a year ago. It was just for a month. Don’t have it anymore.

Kevin sometimes they work longer, hence my comment. Just buy one in the first country you get to, do some shopping around for plans, but the rates are MUCH cheaper than here over all with any local provider with a pay-as-you-go, and there is no roaming across Europe, so it will work throughout your trip. Just make sure you top up in the country you get it before you leave, as sometimes you have to be in country to add more.

https://ca.simcorner.com/...
SimCorner worked well for our Europe trips. You're able to hotspot and their rates are really good. However, I've had issues activating and setting it up and it's a little tricky at first. But customer service is usually pretty good at replying
CA.SIMCORNER.COM
SimCorner - Buy Prepaid TraveI SIM Cards & International Roaming SIMs

Nathanae thanks. I’ll check them.

Hey Kevin, I don’t know about SIM cards but make sure you stay in Brugge. Best to overnight( I stayed 5 days) sine so many nooks and crannies in this medieval place.

Debbie we have two nights there. Woohoo.

Kevin avoid going on the weekend as it is very busy then. But do go as it is a gem!

Kevin there is a free harp concert that the fellow is fantastic. He played for the UN World Congress.
It’s in the hospital that is closed very close to the big church,

Several providers offer eSIM; airalo is supposed to offer the best eSIM for international travel.
I haven’t tried them out myself, but I’ve been reading about them.

Janice I’ve heard people getting the electronic sim but having troubles. Also shortages on online items. In Italy I just picked one up in Venice upon arrival. Worked like a charm. So now just trying to figure out whether to 1. Buy one online… sim or esim, 2. buy one in Vienna. Shaw should partner up with a European carrier for a better reciprocal deal. Our Canadian plans are dumb. My Italian plan was $25 Euro for 70 gigs of data and unlimited texts and 100 min of calls.

I used airalo in December in Europe. 30 days with 5GB was only $20 US, if you run out of data, you can add more. Super easy to use, I installed it before leaving and once in Europe, it switches to the different providers automatically!

I use keepgo esims. I have three on my iphone right now - Europe, Mexico and the US. No issues switching once I land. Automatically connects. Data only.
http://keepgo.refr.cc/lynnsadlowski
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Grab 3 GB FREE with keepgo data bundle

Gifgaf will mail you one for free. Then pick a plan and youre good to go. This is what we did for Europe last spring

Debbie Will it work for Barcelona France and Italy?

Debbie looks like giffgaff is a UK based product. Looks like its roaming for the EU. I think I’m going to keep looking for a EU sim. No roaming.

Kevin we used it all over italy with no issues. It cost us $10 for the month.

I used Holafly Esim. I had an unlimited data plan for 6 weeks. We went to Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium and the UK. It worked great!

T-Mobile (Magenta) Works in all the countries you will be in.
Unlimited plan for around $65usd

My friend swears by e SIM cards. She says they are the way to go now and loves them. Never had a issue with them at all. We are looking at esim for japan.

Stephani I’d love to have someone explain how the eSims work and trouble shooting common problems. Pros and cons. If an eSIM uses you same phone number that would be great.

Kevin I am sorry I cant answer those for you as we haven’t used them yet. From what my friend told me though is it is data, no phone number (down side). Different plans available, no need to swap out SIM cards.

Kevin https://ydeals.com/buying-a-sim-card-for-your-next-trip
YDEALS.COM
Buying a SIM Card For Your Next Trip? It's Easier To Download Them :: Ydeals.com

Kevin If you have YouTube you can find some good videos there on e sims and how to buy them and how they work.

Stephani ok. We need a number in order to connect with hotels and venues in case we are late or have problems. I found in Italy 100 minutes was plenty for important calls and then texts connecting home and data for keeping in touch and using maps etc. 20 gigs was plenty in Italy.

Kevin I cant i ever made any calls when in Italy but did need a working phone in Ireland. They may have plans with a phone number, I haven’t looked that far into it yet as I dont go on vacation for another few months still.

While e-sims can technically support having a phone number and making traditional voice calls, and traditional texting, most e-sims do not have these features. Most e-sims are data only.

Get the orange one from amazon. Was ~$40 USD, ton of data and worked all over europe. Get it shipped to your house and then put it in once you land in Europe

I also recently used airalo eSIM on our recent trip (this was to Japan) and it was very helpful - their website and FAQ is pretty helpful!