Using my phone abroad (international roaming in Europe)

[olegdolzikov]

Is any add-on which would allow me to receive and place calls while traveling in Europe?

[dabr]

@srlawren   Absolutely agree about Whatsapp.  It's the only messaging app I have on my phone and it's used for almost all my messaging and occasionally for calling too.  The only problem with it is that all your contacts also need to have it (luckily all my contacts do 😊), but I've been thinking the TextNow app, that seems to get a lot of recommendations around here, sounds interesting, so I might try that out one day but just haven't really felt a need for it so far and maybe probably won't ever really need it. 😊

[AE_Collector]

@srlawren 

Good to hear your thoughts on these communication programs/apps. Overall I am far from a big user of these apps so I appreciate hearing the thoughts of one who has Had a good opportunity to compare. I will give WhatsApp more of a chance consequently.

AE_Collector

[srlawren]

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@AE_Collector wrote:

So someone else suggested WhatsApp which I resisted not wanting yet another communications app. But finally I tried it and its okay, at least the 6 of us are all on it. But now I have yet another communications app!

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@AE_Collector we've ventured a bit off topic here, so sorry to the OP for thread-jacking.  That said, WhatsApp is definitely my favourite, and I can converse with the majority of my friends, family, and colleagues (at least for non-work related chatter) there and I'm in several group chats of between 3 and 11 people.  It works well overall.  If I could pick just one to get everyone on, it would be WhatsApp.  I've finally moved my two frequent Facebook Messenger and one Hangouts contacts over to WhatsApp, so that helps and I barely need those services any more.  I do have a pair of Skype group chats with some names you might recognize, but that's about all I use it for these days.  For work, 98% MS Teams and 2% Slack and thank goodness MS finally shut down Skype for Business in favour of Teams.

[dude65]

Like others say...you will either need to use a wifi app or purchase a sim card in the european country your traveling to.

[AE_Collector]

@srlawren 

I have been feeling somewhat along that line with too many ways to communicate lately. The biggest problem lately is I decide I need t contact someone that I was chatting with last month but I cant remember whether I was talking with the person by phone, text, iMessage, email, gmail, facebook messenger.... I spend the next 20 minutes searching for any trace of our previous conversation.

My retirees coffee group (so several ~60 year olds) was having problems communicating so I tried to get them onto Hangouts but one Of them couldn’t get the app installed. So someone else suggested WhatsApp which I resisted not wanting yet another communications app. But finally I tried it and its okay, at least the 6 of us are all on it. But now I have yet another communications app!

Ahh for the Good Old Days....

AE_Collector

[Triguy]

You could purchase a local sim or Gigsky.  If you have access to wifi the you could use apps like Textnow, Skype,  or WhatsApp.

[srlawren]

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@AE_Collector wrote:

We have been using Google Hangouts for several years as a family chat group which allows one on one as well as any other combinations of groups. If travelling with either cell internet OR lots of wifi access you don’t really need a phone Cell plan to keep up with home at least.

AE_Collector

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@AE_Collector oh yeah, I definitely missed Hangouts in my previous list.  I find it a bit dated compared to the other options, and I believe Google are still planning to sunset it at some point for regular consumer use, so I'm not sure I'd recommend someone not already using it to start at this point in time.

It would sure be nice if there was one standard IM system!  Ooops: https://xkcd.com/927/

On a related note, these are also applicable:

https://xkcd.com/1810/

https://xkcd.com/1254/

[darlicious]

https://toomanyadapters.com/buying-local-sim-cards/ 

https://traveldave.co.uk/chatsim-the-ultimate-sim-card-for-travel/

@olegdolzikov

If your trip starts in the UK they have some of the cheaest plans/sims in the world with 1gb plans starting at €6/£5 with 30gb topping out for less than CDN$20! Almost all cards allow free roaming in the EU. Theres even a whats app specific sim card.

[AE_Collector]

We have been using Google Hangouts for several years as a family chat group which allows one on one as well as any other combinations of groups. If travelling with either cell internet OR lots of wifi access you don’t really need a phone Cell plan to keep up with home at least.

AE_Collector

[srlawren]

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@popping wrote:

3.  User can change phone number by updating WhatsApp account after arriving at the  destination.  Family and friends continue to communicate with the traveler without knowing the new phone number of the traveler.  No long distance charge for friends and family in Canada.

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@popping FYI this step is not necessary.  Your phone number is used for two things:

1) for you to verify you are you when you first set it up on a new phone, and

2) to help your friends find you on WhatsApp.

In this case, as long as you're still using the same device you do at home, it doesn't matter what the phone number of your travel/overseas SIM card is.  You can leave it as your usual PM phone number, and none of your WhatsApp contacts even need to know you're away much less using a different SIM card phone number.  I tested this personally in Europe in summer 2018 and it worked fine.

FYI your points about WhatsApp while travelling also apply to some other data-based IM services such as Skype, Facebook Messenger, and probably many others.  (I would guess but cannot confirm: Line, WeChat, Snapchat, Signal, Slack, etc.).  The hard part is getting your iPhone friends to use anything but iMessage.  It's a battle every time, as they can't be bothered with another app.  I actually wish Apple would open iMessage up to Android and become the defacto IM standard (or really any of the above, so I wouldn't have to run several IM apps all the time lol.)

[popping]

@olegdolzikov 

PM has US roaming add-on only.  Get a local SIM card when your arrive at your destination.

My family members are using WhatsApp to communicate to each other and family.

Reasons:

1.  It works with users with Apple and Android phones.

2.  It works on Wifi as well as mobile data.  The traveler can send message home using airport wIfi without getting a local SIM card.

3.  User can change phone number by updating WhatsApp account after arriving at the  destination.  Family and friends continue to communicate with the traveler without knowing the new phone number of the traveler.  No long distance charge for friends and family in Canada.

[gblackma]

Sorry @olegdolzikov there are no European roaming add ons. Get a local SIM. Enjoy your trip. Stay safe. 

[dabr · Accepted solution]

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@olegdolzikov wrote:

Is any add-on which would allow me to receive and place calls while traveling in Europe?

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@olegdolzikov  Sorry no, PM only has the 10 day roaming available for travel in US.  For Europe you'll need to purchase a local SIM/plan or rely upon WIFI apps.