SIM cards in a foreign country

[Karen1]

I am thinking of changing from Teus to PM. I am not clear how my phone will work in foreign countries. With Telus I have always purchased an add on plan. These are not available with PM. If I buy a SIM card in a foreign country and put it in my phone what will the PM charges be? I do not have experience with this

[Lukedurward]

You don't need to unlock a Telus phone to use on PM

[kav2001c]

Just a thought, but I would strongly encourage you to simply buy a T Mobile SIM before your trip

US phone number so family friends can call / txt you easily, and works for free or very low cost in both countries.

Chile looks to be alot harder to get / activate a SIM, but Argentina is still harder than the USA where we can get a SIM off local shops or eBay

Argentina has some areas where data is REALLY slow, your phone will even time out claiming no data available (it really is, simply ping 8.8.8.8 to test it if you need to)

2G and 3G is on 850 and 1900 MHz 4G/LTE is on AWS (1700/2100) MHz and B28 (700 APT) (B28 being currently only used by Personal)

Watch out for incompatible networks and networks who refuse foreigner activation if you are not dual citizen

http://prepaid-data-sim-card.wikia.com/wiki/Argentina

Chile 

2G is on 1900, 3G on 850 and 1900 MHz, 4G/LTE is basically non-existant (2600 if you want to try)

http://prepaid-data-sim-card.wikia.com/wiki/Chile

[srlawren]

Does anyone on the communityhave experience with South American carriers?

[Karen1]

Wow, thanks for all the terrific information.  This is a whole new world for me as I have always purchased Telus's add on plans.

FYI- I am going to Chile and Argentina.  I have an iPhone 6 and my hushes an iPhone se

[srlawren]

Hi @Karen1,

I think you've got the correct answers to your questions, which is great.  I don't think you've mentioned which phone you have, nor which country you plan to visit.  One thing you might want to do (and we can help you with this if you're not sure the best approach) is to figure out what carrier(s) you are likely to use in your destination country, and make sure that your phone is compatible (frequency/band-wise) with their network.  Chances are you will get at least basic call and texting support okay, but data in either 3G or 4G may or may not be compatible with your phone.

One other note about having a different phone number while travelling with a foreign SIM:  if you will have a plan with data while in the foreign country, you can work around it for phone calls.  I've put details here and here for others in the past.  Just substitute "US" with your destination country, and "Roam mobility" with the carrier you plan to use there, and this should apply fine.

[daredogg]

I have a sister who moved to Shanghai in August. When she arrived, she bought a SIM card right at the airport and had service setup before she got her bags. So, depending on where you go, you might want to research ahead of time the pay-as-go / pre-paid options and availability. A lot of carriers are set up right in the airports for convenience sake.

Alright, look forward to welcoming you and your husband as new PM customers! Also, hope you have a great trip. Where you headed?

[Karen1]

Great thanks for all the information. It has been very helpful. I will wait the new SIM cards from PM (myself and my husband) and proceed with the unlocking and transfer. I will buy the SIM cards in the foreign country. It seems very straightforward.

[daredogg · Accepted solution]

Okay, sounds like you'll have to activate your plan before you leave (in order to get your refund on shipping). I also came from Telus and had them unlock my phone (it's an iPhone 5c).

Once you activate your phone with PM and port your number, your account with Telus will automatically close. If you're in the middle of your pay cycle, you'll get a credit. If you have any issues with porting your number, let the community know. It tends to take less than 10 minutes to port over a Telus number.

[Karen1]

Sorry forgot the second question.  The phone is unlocked.  I understand that I don't need it unlocked to move from Telus to PM.  However I thought I would have Telus unlock it so I had foreign SIM accessibility 

[Karen1]

I ordered the SIM card yesterday under the no charge plan.  I understand that I have until Nov 18 to claim back the shipping charge.  We are leaving Nov 2

[daredogg]

If your trip is coming up soon, I wonder if you should wait to set up your service with PM until you return? You can go ahead and order your SIM card now (price is now $5 per SIM, shipping included) so you have it, and you can easily activate your account when you're back.

Just a question... is your phone unlocked?  You being with Telus, your phone doesn't need to be unlocked to use Public Mobile as a carrier (same network), but you will need your phone unlocked to use it in a foreign country.

[Karen1]

I will be away for 30 days.  I had planned to buy the 90 day prepaid plan

[daredogg]

Yes, you would have a different phone number with a different SIM. When you get back to Canada, put your PM SIM card back in, and you'll be using your PM service again.

Just a question, however, how long do you plan on being out of the country?  If you're under 90 days then there's no risk of your PM account going dormant. Since PM is pre-pay, if you're going away say for a month, you don't have to pay your PM account. You can just renew when you return to Canada.

[Karen1]

Thanks for the prompt reply.  Just to clarify- if I use a foreign SIM card do I have a different phone number?  Also do I simply reinsert my PM SIM back into my phone when I return to Canada?

[daredogg]

Hello @Karen1, good question. As long as you have an unlocked phone, you can put any foreign country SIM card into your phone and use that service. There will be no charges from PM because you're not using their service. So, for example, if you travelled to Thailand, when you arrived in that country, you would purchase a SIM card with a cellular carrier there, and pay them. Your PM SIM wouldn't work, as @Ionut said since you're out of Canada.

Hopefully that helps your understanding.

[Ionut]

First. PM work only in Canada at the.moment. they speculate that they will add roaming but at the moment you can only have services in Canada.