Posted: 12/27/19 | December 27th, 2019
A long time ago in a state far, far away (Massachusetts), I used AT&T as my cellphone service provider. When the iPhone first came out, I bought it because I could remove the original AT&T SIM card, insert a local SIM from the country I was in, and still have a handy-dandy smartphone to tweet from.
So I unlocked my phone (hacked it so I could use it overseas) and off around the world I happily went.
Flash forward to the end of 2012, when Verizon announced that their iPhones would come automatically unlocked for international travel. I needed a new iPhone at this point, AT&T had awful customer service and high fees, and since the new phone would already be unlocked, it would save me some hassle. It was the excuse I needed to leave AT&T.
Flash forward again to the end of 2013, when T-Mobile announced it was giving all their users free international data and text messaging in over 140 countries — plus all calls while in those countries were 20 cents a minute.
Here’s a table of international fees I pulled together from each carrier’s website so you can compare:
| T-Mobile | AT&T | Verizon | |
| Data | $0 | $30-120 per month | $25 per 100MB |
| Texting | $0 | Starts at 10 cents each | 50 cents to send, 5 cents to receive |
| Roaming | 20 cents a minute | $30-120 per month | $4.99 per month |
That chart pretty lays the numbers out there. T-Mobile is the clear winner here.
Now, historically, T-Mobile had a reputation for being a really bad service provider. And, for a number of years, they were — but thanks to the money they received after the failed merger with AT&T, they heavily invested in their network and began offering 4G and LTE speeds. Now, their coverage map is almost as good as the other carriers (it still doesn’t have Verizon-level coverage but they cover 96% of the country).
With their plans starting at $50 USD per month, it was hard to make the case to stay with Verizon. I found Verizon had awful customer service and high roaming fees (one quick phone call in Canada cost me over $10!), and with my basic service plan costing $110 a month, it became a financial no-brainer.
So I made the switch. I broke my contract with Verizon, ordered a new iPhone 5S, signed-up for T-Mobile. My phone plan is now $70 per month (with taxes) — that’s a savings of $40 per month right away, but the big question remained: would I have good service both at home and abroad?
Flash forward again to 2019. I’ve had T-Mobile for over five years now.
And I still think it’s the best carrier if you’re a frequent traveler.
Here’s why.
Domestically, the service is pretty good. I have 4G or LTE wherever I go, and I haven’t had any dropped calls. At the recent SXSW music festival in Austin, Texas, I had some spotty service, but with 20,000 people there, that might have been the reason I only have a few instances of “no service” in a few rural areas, but that usually only lasts a few seconds. However, that used to happen with Verizon too, so, while annoying, it’s not a deal breaker for me.
Because I get this phone because it’s the cheapest U.S. provider out of the big three.
I don’t have any dropped calls, all my texts go through, and, for the most part, I have a 3G connection. A number of times while in the slightly rural areas, I only got the “E” network and had to deal with slightly slow Internet, but I always had it.
I am thrilled that T-Mobile — with its contract-free (and cheaper) plans, free international data, and better customer service model — is out there. I never again have to worry about buying foreign SIM cards and coverage again. There are no more additional costs in my travels. I know what my phone bill is going to be every month, and I get to keep the same number worldwide.
If you are a traveler and live in the US, you should 100% get T-Mobile. Your life will be a lot easier, you’ll be able to keep the same number, and you’ll stay connected around the world. (And your bill will be a lot cheaper.)
If you already have T-Mobile and don’t think you have this plan, you should. It’s available to all users, so make sure you call and get this service attached to your old plan if it isn’t already.
That said there are few instances where you should NOT get T-Mobile.
First, if you’re traveling for more than a month, it’s worth it to get local SIM cards. T-Mobile is great for people who bounce in and out of the country frequently (like myself). It’s not good for people who are doing multi-month trips. Get a local SIM card. It’s cheaper.
Second, it’s not great if you need fast Internet. They throttle your coverage to 2G most of the time and it can be painful if you need to use sometimes. You can upgrade to faster speeds for an added fee but then you’re not saving much money.
Finally, in the years since T-Mobile came out with their plans, Google Fi has been introduced and this is often a better, faster, and cheaper alternative to T-Mobile. If you aren’t hooked on your iPhone, consider getting Google Fi as a better alternative that still allows you to roam the world with the same number.
They really are the “uncarrier,” and anything that breaks the Verizon/AT&T hold in the US is something I completely support.
So, to all the travelers out there (or people who are just fed up with the fees and services of the other carriers), make the switch to T-Mobile and simplify your life and lower your overseas phone costs.
Update 1/15/19: As of 2018, T-Mobile has decided that all accounts have to be in the USA for “the majority of their usage.” What that means is hard to decipher, but some accounts have been suspended for being away for more than 3 months in a row. So while T-Mobile is still great for the average travelers, long-term travelers may need to re-evaluate their plan. (Long-term travelers should be using local SIM cards anyway because that’s going to be much cheaper!)
Note: I know people will wonder, so I want to say that no, T-Mobile didn’t sponsor me or ask me to write this post. I pay my own monthly bill, switched when I heard about this amazing offer, and have been very happy with the service since. I’m just here preaching about something I believe will help other travelers.
Book Your Trip: Logistical Tips and Tricks
Book Your Flight
Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner or Momondo. They are my two favorite search engines because they search websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is left unturned.
Book Your Accommodation
You can book your hostel with Hostelworld as they have the largest inventory. If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com as they consistently return the cheapest rates for guesthouses and cheap hotels. I use them all the time.
Don’t Forget Travel Insurance
Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. I’ve been using World Nomads for ten years. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:
- World Nomads (for everyone below 70)
- Insure My Trip (for those over 70)
Looking for the best companies to save money with?
Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel! I list all the ones I use to save money when I travel – and that will save you time and money too!
Sam
I have the prepaid $30 month Walmart plan for Tmobile — 100 minutes free calls, then 10 cents per call, unlimited texts, and unlimited high speed data (up to 5G). Do you know if I can get international coverage with this bargain basement plan?
Nick
I’m about to go on a trip to Europe and I was just planning to use Wifi hotspots and Whatsapp to keep in touch but this sounds so much better. So I did a little browsing on T-mobile and it turns out T-mobile will pay any early-cancellation fees from your old carrier if you turn in your old device. Just letting everyone else know because that pretty much sold me.
Nat
Interesting. I had to leave TMo ~2 years ago because of the rural coverage issue. Whenever I wasn’t in a big city in the US, I couldn’t get service at all. And back then, they didn’t have the option to add an international plan for a month like AT&T did. Your post is making me cautiously optimistic about switching back. I really despise AT&T’s customer service.
chewy
I like T Mobile, but I switched to republic wireless about a year and a half ago, and now they have an option to just be able to use it over wifi for $5 a month. I usually get a local SIM when I go to any place for more than a few weeks, and if I’m there for less time I am not so concerned about being able to use my cell phone. I’m not really “traveling” a lot, but I’m living in different places for a few months at a time, so this works for me! I keep my US number, and switch to a cell and data plan when I’m home, otherwise I look forward to paying less when I’m away!
Kevin Hassett
I concur with what Matt said. I also made the switch from Verizon to the same T-Mo plan a few months back and am thrilled with the choice (and my bill was cut in half).
This is a no-brainer if you are on another carrier in the U.S., especially for travelers.
Alan Zisman
As a Canadian, T-Mobile isn’t an option for me. When I travel outside Canada I tend to get a local SIM card with data and phone service for the period I’ll be away. I’ve done this with Vodafone Italia, for instance. In the USA I tried going to ATT… Their on-device activation looked handy. To use it though, requires a US credit card – my Canadian Visa card won’t work. T-mobile though, sold me a SIM with service for $3/day for as many days as needed. No activation hassles. So they get my recommendation for travellers TO the US.
Ryan
I work for AT&T and my wife works at T-Mobile. I have extensive use with both carriers, and even my wife will admit, that AT&T has by far a more reliable and faster network. We have traveled quite extensively through the Pacific Northwest, Mid-West, Southwest, and Southeast. In every place we’ve been to AT&T has worked without fail, while T-Mobile has only been usable in large metro areas (except Milwaukee and Chicago, where it was abysmal). The new Mobile Share Value plans with 10GB+ are very fairly priced if you bring your own device or are on the Next program.
David
Hey Matt, how did your bill stay at $70 per month?
From reading T-Mobie’s international info, it looks like there is no extra charge for international text or data, but international calls are 20 cents per minute…
Paddy
I’m on T-Mobile in Mexico now for a couple of months, and have been thrilled with being able to text back & forth with folks at home without worrying about any cost. The first week I was nervously checking my usage & bill regularly, but there was no cost. The data connection is typically very slow and only worth using if I really have no choice. Even when I was trying to get something sorted out with the airline and needed to sit on hold for awhile, the $0.20/minute cost kept me from worrying too much about it.
My wife is on Verizon and her phone might as well be dead for all the use she can get out of it due to Verizon’s high international costs. Verizon also had the gall to talk her into a $5/month service that just gives her the ability to dial in Mexico, but still has high charges for actual use.
Otoh, when we’re up on the California North Coast, it’s my T-Mobile service that’s useless, and my wife’s Verizon phone that works like normal. However, if I had bought a phone from T-mobile (I have a Google-direct Nexus 5), my understanding is that T-mobile’s service will switch you automatically to calls over wifi if you don’t have a good cell signal (and have a wifi connection setup). This is regretfully not available if you bring in your own device (one rep said it was chip-embedded, but I suspect it’s just a pure software feature T-mobile holds back to sell more phones).
The best thing about T-mobile free/cheap international service is that I’ll be able to keep my known phone while I travel. People will no longer need to know my temporary number, or even that I’m overseas.
NomadicMatt
Yeah, I agree. They don’t always have the best service domestically but you can’t beat them on prices overseas,
Alise
This is so surprising but good to know! I’ve always used verizon, thinking that t mobile had shitty reception. Thanks for the tip. However, if you want to text local people in whatever country you are in, do you use a local phone or your t mobile phone still?
NomadicMatt
It depends on their service provider. You won’t get charged but they might.
Mark
How is the 3g speeds when roaming? I heard they were severely throttled. Can you confirm?
Gil
Data speeds are capped. So in terms of streaming, browsing, etc…you’re going to be somewhat restricted. Still a great deal though in terms of international use.
NomadicMatt
You get 3G up until 2.5 gigs of data then they throttle you down. I had no problem streaming YouTube videos or loading webpages in Thailand.
Ian
Man, you Americans get much better phone deals than us in Canada… our Big Three raised rates on the same day last week for the same amount within a hour of each other … aie!
NomadicMatt
I heard about the phone plans up north. Yikes! You all have it rough up there!
Kiya Johnson
Thanks, Matt! I was already a T-Mobile customer and didn’t realize I could qualify for this plan without paying extra. I called and wasn’t eligible for the plan switch but the T-Mo rep went ahead and credited me back the $100 migration fee. My bill is now also $30 cheaper. Wow…the things I learn from reading this blog!
NomadicMatt
No problem! Use the extra money on your next trip.
Mach
I too had AT&T for many years and besides the relatively higher charges, the need to sign-up for a 2 year contract, and the horrendous customer service I found the service good. This time around I could not commit to a 2 year contract and with the option of obtaining a no-contract plan from T-Mobile, I switched. I got the same horrendous service (no change there), lower monthly fee with no-contract, but the downside has been horrible service. I am in Austin, Texas and even outside of the couple of weeks of SXSW the service is horrible. I hardly ever get a connection the first time and usually it takes me 5-6 or more attempts before the call connects. I get varying amounts of bars and that makes no difference to the ability to connect. i have had 4 bars at certain times and still unable to make a phone call! Never had this problem with AT&T. Six of one and half a dozen of the other but to say T-Mobile is the best phone carrier for US travelers is misleading at best.
NomadicMatt
It’s not misleading, it’s simply my opinion. I think they are the best for US travelers. I’m talking about using them overseas, not domestically. I don’t think they offer the best coverage in the US but they offer the best deals for travelers and if you are traveling a lot and want to save money, I think you should consider moving to T-mobile.
Elena
its true! and its amazing! i am studying abroad in montreal for four years and after my first year of switching sims back and forth, having to buy a new one every time i went back to the states, i jumped onto my family’s tmobile plan ( as an additional line my service only costs $10 /month).
I was worried about tmobile cutting me off after a month or two, but i am going onto month number 5 and still going strong!
Jim
TM is the best deal for travelers period. My wife and I pay around 100-bucks a month for unlimited minutes, text, and data (up to 2.5 gig each high speed, after that they throttle it back) We go to Mexico a lot, and my wife said it worked great over in Italy recently. Added around $2.20 to my bill when she was there, and that was for call usage. It used to kill us when we traveled. We would basically have to turn the phones off to keep from incurring charges, now we can tell people to text or call if they need to, and it is great for getting directions and reservations for restaurants or museums using the free data.
Katie
Interesting. I had T-Mobile for years – the service was very hit or miss in the US (I often couldn’t get service in my condo in Chicago or had to stand right by the window to get it and often had dropped calls). When I went to Egypt in 2008 with a semi-smart phone, I was able to access very slow internet and email the entire time for no extra charge. But then when I went to Europe in 2009, my plan had somehow changed (without them telling me) and I got socked with $800 in charges with no warning! Not happy and they would do nothing to help me out. Then I had another experience where someone was sending me hundreds of text messages that led me to get overage charges (even though I had blocked them and never received them). The T-Mobile reps wouldn’t listen to anything I had to say when I protested the $200+ bill for the overages.
I eventually cancelled my T-Mobile contract when I left on my RTW trip in 2011 (their one saving grace was they unlocked my phone for free). When I returned in fall 2013, I spent a day going back and forth between the AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile stores trying to decide which to go with and when I did all the math, AT&T came out on top. If T-Mobile offered free international data & texting at that time, they definitely didn’t advertise it. They also didn’t offer any kind of no-contract plan for a smartphone and their contract options were more pricey than AT&T.
When I went to Canada in June, I briefly added AT&T’s international data plan to my account, but because there was wi-fi pretty much everywhere I went, I barely used it and I cancelled before I ever got charged for it. I didn’t bother adding the data when I went to Nepal in October and again, I could find enough free wifi that I really wouldn’t have needed the data.
So I suppose if you think you’ll be texting that often or won’t have access to wifi, T-Mobile might make sense for traveling, but with the prevalence of free wifi, I’m not sure it makes that big of a difference.
James Long
Hi matt,
On our recent US road trip I bought a T-mobile sim for my phone. We are Australian with Aussie phone and didn’t want a contract nor did we have an address in the US. We paid cash no questions asked, although I have since logged on to their website with no problems. I originally had it on the $30 a month unlimited plan (3g limited to 500mb then unlimited 2g) and it was great. Used it as a GPS for the car and despite the occasional drop out (think rural NY state and Pennsylvania) it was great. Then transferred to the pay per day of $2 which suited us perfectly. Found no difference between 2G and 3G to be honest. Fast enough to do what we wanted.
Cheers James
Jim
I’m right with you Matt — I made the jump to T-Mobile a month ago for the same reason as you. You over looked two important points though: 1) T-Mobile will pay the any early cancellation charge you’re charged by ATT and Verizon, and 2) for an additional $10 per month you’ll not only get insurance for any lost or damaged phone (including water damage) but it also will give you a new phone every six months if you want one — so you’ll always have the latest model.
Be careful, however, and don’t pay for their insurance — pay the #10 for this Jump Plan which includes the insurance.
Carroll
This is a highly personal issue that is going to differ for everybody. The reason the mobile carriers give you 30-day returns is so you can figure out whether their network works for you. Sometimes they don’t have coverage in your neighborhood, and sometimes you just live in a dead zone (and every carrier has them).
If T-Mo works for you, great. If you don’t live in a urban core or a freeway corridor, though, you’re probably still screwed.
Abbey
Interesting- I used to have T-Mobile for 3 or 4 years, but the service was so spotty in the western United States that I eventually gave it up. Might be worth looking back into, although I still swear by keeping a “pay-as-you-go” phone for abroad. Sure, it might be circa 2002, but it still works, and it’s cheap!
NomadicMatt
Pay as you go is fine! But this allows me to keep one phone plan all year round. It works for me.
Rob
T-Mobile is an awesome company now with the new CEO (J.L.) who did a fantastic job revamping the company. Their plans are undeniably the best in the market! However, like one of your readers has mentioned, the ONLY negative thing when traveling internationally ESPECIALLY if you plan to stay in a foreign country for work, retirement, or just for an extended vacation, none of your local friends in those countries will call you or text you because it will be too expensive for them. I find that when I travel overseas, (other than Singapore which VERY, VERY expensive), it is usually always cheaper to buy a local SIM card with a prepaid plan.
If T-Mobile would have some form of a “dual SIM plan” that would be perfect!
brian
T-mobile has always had better international plans even before this change last year.
Caution though – the still have outrageous fees for those places not on the 100 country list. – So you still have to check the list and purchase locals sims occasionally instead of all the time. For me it means that this year I will need to purchase 2 sim cards instead of 9 I would have needed before. The speed maxes at 3G even if you are in a 4G area – which is fine for basic stuff.
Their coverage is weaker than ATT or Verizon – but the only relevant thing is how the coverage is where you live – as they all have weak spots somewhere.
Joe A.
I’ve had the same experience with T-mobile. They’ve been fantastic, I’ve had almost no coverage issues, and I’ve saved about $40 a month vs. my old verizon plan. For anyone considering the switch, it’s definitely worth it (especially if you live in a major metropolitan area).
Also, T-mobile has a $30 a month, pre-paid plan you can enroll in (it’s only online, I believe). It gets you 100 min of talk a month, plus unlimited texting and data, both domestic and international. It’s pretty rad.
Joe Bashe
I tried this. I have a pre-paid T-mobile plan and was told in the T-Mobile store it would work when I got to Thailand. I got on the ground and of course, no service. I spoke with T-mobile over my (free) Google voice number thru Gmail, and they confirmed that it doesn’t actually work for pre-paid plans, and that the only way to get it to work was to come back to the USA and get a new SIM card.
I wanted to stay with T-mobile so I didn’t have to worry about getting SIM cards in every country and could reach my friends and family back in the states with minimal trouble, but in the end I wasted $100 on filling my prepaid account. Anyways, $70 a month is way more than you’ll pay for 2 gigabytes of 4G data in any country in the world (other than the USA). So if you want to save money you can just use a SIM card from whatever country and Skype / Viber.
If you have an iPhone I’ve heard you can even make regular voice calls thru Google Hangouts though we’re still waiting for this on Android.
NomadicMatt
That’s true. $70 is more than SIM cards generally cost but when you are also living in the US, it’s a good, inexpensive option when compared to the other carriers.
Valentina
Is this the same plan as the family plans? I’m on a family plan now, but not sure if this is the same plan?
NomadicMatt
I don’t know. You’ll have to call them and ask.
David
So far my wife and I have been in The Netherlands for 3 weeks and we make great use of the free texting. Also having an iPhone helps with others texting us. On shopping trips if we get separated we just text each other. My wife has also made use of the free data roaming. I was uncertain about using data roaming after I upgraded to iOS 8 because you can only turn off 4g/LTE and then it comes up with 3g – was not sure if I would be charged for the data.
Mike
NomadicMatt, great read, posts, comments and feedback. I agree with all the points you brought up about roaming for data, etc. Where I struggle in the US is finding the best US Carrier plan for calling to & from Canada, do you have any suggestions? How do you minimize those expenses and if you just used your mobile phone (you might already) would you still recommend T-Mobile. Thanks.
Frank
I have the T-Mobile Simple Choice Plan: Unlimited Talk + Text. It has 1 Gig of monthly data selected (free). I find that while travelling internationally I can text, but I don’t actually get internet/data support. This was in the Philippines (Cebu City) and Mexico City.
I always end up buying a local SIM.
Kevin
I’ve been w/TMo for 2 years (from VZ) and haven’t had any issues. Service has been great, maybe a few areas out on Long Island with no reception. However, those are areas I drive through anyway and I’ll get reception again within minutes. TMo’s service has been improving and I get better reception at places where my friends w/ other carriers don’t.
My family and I will be heading to Europe next week and we can’t wait to try out the free int’l data. I don’t mind the ‘slow’ speed, I just need it for Google Maps, Translate and Yelp. Why would I need faster speed to watch YouTube or Netflix when I’m on vacay?
Keith
We are traveling to New Zealand and Australia in Feb. 2015. The trip will be 3 weeks. We are doing a cruise along the NZ coast then crossing to Australia and staying in Oz an additional week. We are with Verizon and do not want to switch because Verizon is the only decent carrier on Cape Cod (they even have 4G there). I was thinking of getting a local sim card in New Zealand and another in Australia. Then someone recommended getting a T-Mobile sim for the trip. We want data for Facebook and maps and some texting and the ability for family to contact us if anything bad should happen. Not sure we need to call anyone locally in NZ/OZ because we don’t know anyone there – yet. Should and can we get a T-Mobile sim card for the trip? Not sure we could use T-Mobile in the US as even though VZ smartphones are unlocked they might block US carriers? Any recommendations are appreciated.
Geeta
I’ve had T-Mobile since 2006 on the individual plan and transferred to the family plan in 2011. The service in San Francisco is reasonable. If you travel to Toronto or New Delhi, the internet and phone call quality is pretty good and you can transfer on local mobile networks and utilize the internet to call out via phone software, bypassing phone charges altogether.
Yes, Verizon has the best coverage in the U.S. I remember travelling up to National Parks with friends and their phone would have coverage while my T-Mobile phone wouldn’t. But sometime their phones wouldn’t have coverage either out in the boonies. Driving through Vermont, I would recommend Verizon based on my experience with AT&T from in 2005-2007. However, things may have changed since then.
For the price, $115 for 4 lines with free international calling to land and mobile calling (we’re too lazy to use the internet or calling cards) to a bunch of countries, I feel we’re getting a reasonable deal.
Kasi
I am a frequent traveller and T-Mobile comes really handy. Unlimited FREE Data and Text is a boon. Yes, T-mobile domestic coverage is not that good but works 95% of the time – so who cares ? It is highly economical and while traveling you are always in touch with your family – for free !!
Marty
I have had T-Mobile for two years and I love it for the reasons you describe. I live in Spain half the year and I can keep the same number for my US friends and use WhatsApp for my international friends. The rest of the year I am in Boston or Atlanta and have had no problems with service. A great deal!
Laura
I’ve had T-Mobile for years. My bill is even less than $70/month (surround $65 or so). I was just in Kenya (Nairobi only) and The Netherlands… There were few times I didn’t have 3G and even fewer times where I couldn’t text. It works for me! I’m a fan. I wondered about countries that block phones not registered on their local network. 3 years ago I was in Turkey and bought a local SIM card for my unlocked US phone which stopped working after a couple of days because the phone was not registered with Turkey’s network.
Celia Corbin
I agree that T-mobile is the best for international service. Recently I was in Argentina with my brother and I couldn’t help but get phone envy when he was getting coverage everywhere I wasn’t. I was also a little bothered I was paying an additional $30/mo for 300MB and carefully watching my data as I did to not go over (which I always did) while his was at no charge. In the end, I was paying about $200/mo for AT&T service while my brother sat comfortably stress-free. Now that I’m on RTW travel next month, I’m signing up for their pay as you go for $3 service charge and unlimited text and data and 20c calls. AT&T Go Phone is $50/mo. Weighing my options, T-mobile is a no brainer! I’ll pick up local SIM cards along the way. 🙂
Monica Suma
Excellent post, really eye-opening. Have had A LOT of concerns about this recently, and wasn’t sure what to do. I used to have T-Mobile and coverage sucked big time, no signal even on Park Ave at times, very bad, but happy to hear they did a 360 degree switch and that this international plan is so inclusive. If I move back to the States, I will 100% do the switch. Amazing, very smart move. Saves so much hassle, time and money!
Becky Johnson
We have had the Simple Choice (post-paid) Family Plan with T-Mobile for years and have used the free international texting and data in Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Just turn on roaming (I leave it on all the time) and and the phone will select the correct local carrier. It won’t say T-Mobile, but don’t panic, there are no extra charges with T-Mobile, except 20¢ per minutes for phone calls.
Be sure to check with T-Mobile first. You do not have free roaming if you have a pre-paid plan, or, if you did not let T-Mobile do a credit check when you signed up.
We were able to use the “Here Drive” app as a navigation system all over New Zealand, and I don’t remember ever being dropped. The trick is to power your phone down when you go to a new area and maybe even remove the battery if possible. When you power back up it will find the nearest tower.
In Hawaii, btw, T-Mobile has an agreement with AT&T. If you go into an area covered by AT&T only, your phone will switch to AT&T at no extra charge. There is a limit, however, and AT& T will cut you off at some point.
My final suggestion is for people who want the post-paid plan, but a cheap phone. You can buy a prepaid T-Mobile phone at Walmart or elsewhere, but don’t use the included SIM card. I bought a $99 Nokia Windows phone and called called T-Mobile to set up the account. They mailed me a free SIM card, dropped the activation charge and set up my account over the phone. (First I went to a T-Mobile Store and was told I had to return that phone to Walmart and buy the same phone at their store for $150, pay a $20 activation charge, and pay $10 for the SIM card. The salesmen lie. Stay away from the stores and work with the phone reps, who are great.
We love T-Mobile. It is great to be with a company because you get great service, not because they roared you into a contract and you are stuck (like our former carrier, Verizon, who constantly found ways to charge us extra month after month.)
Stuart
Thanks for this post. Hope it solves our need for affordable connectivity to U.S. during forthcoming two-month stay in Oaxaca. We switched a couple of years back to a no-contract plan, found Nokia phones at Walmart site, learned after buying that they were locked to T-Mobile, when what we had wanted was to go with Consumer Cellular (AT&T network), which has much better coverage. So, played with T Mobile for two months until we could unlock phones and switch. Consumer Cellular is GREAT. Best customer service I\’ve ever had, anywhere. But they don\’t cover you outside U.S., so now we\’re back with T Mobile for this Mexico adventure. We\’ll let you know how it goes when we return. Fingers crossed.
Ed
I’ve had AT&T, Verizon, and TMO and I absolutely love TMO and see no reason to ever switch again. Verizon’s total coverage was the best, but the only advantage was that it covered me in rural areas where I don’t spend much time. TMO has greatly expanded their network and now I only lose coverage if I’m way out in the boonies. I recently drove with my family from WA to CA and I had coverage the entire way, as demonstrated by my two young sons in the back seat using my mobile hotspot for their tablets. We travel to Canada quite often and I always have great 4G, yes 4G, coverage across the border at no extra cost…and my kids can still use my mobile hotspot when out of the country. My wife is a true Verizon die hard and I won’t try to get her to switch, but TMO is the absolute perfect carrier for what I need and want.
Alyne Tamir
I just called T-Mobile to switch and they said you have to be in the US for 6 months out of the year, just FYi you might want to mention that for the digital nomads, this might not work! BUT you can freeze it as much as you want, so you could alternate between sims and having t-mobile? not as convenient but not awful i guess 🙂
NomadicMatt
If you’re out of the country for that long of a stretch at once, I wouldn’t recommend T-Mobile (I mention it above). SIM cards will work out cheaper. T-Mobile is good if you are bouncing in and out of the US.
Jon Grah
I want to get a usa sim card so that I can use certain 2FA services that specifically require a USA cell phone # (I must select a carrier from the list of approved providers). So I was thinking of using t-Mobile pay as you go $3/mo. I really wanted $0/month if they had it and then I just pay for sms or voice as I go. I will be using it mostly in thailand. Just to receive the occasional SMS and then power it off. No data. Doesn\’t seem like USA carriers are interested in providing something like that.
Google Voice number will not work for what I intend.
Now thailand I do not have this problem with their carriers. I have a $0 /mo prepaid plan and the sim card has 1 year validity on it. And I know how to bring it back to 1 year validity from the present day if I need to (by making small topups). And I can still receive SMS for free internationally.
Gabrielle
To buy a local prepaid card is the best option everywhere. I just came back from my holidays in Vilnius. I was using prepaid sim card there called Omnitel Extra and I can recommend it for those who going to visit Lithuania. The plan which we had was great, and they have 4G Internet. I can strongly recommend it.
NomadicMatt
For those travelers an extended amount of time, SIM cards will definitely work out cheaper.
Sean
Hi, I came to the same conclusion. For anyone roaming through NAFTA countries, the unlimited incoming and outgoing voice calls is unbeatable. Even data is reasonable and unlimited. The international call plans also are very good for calling those countries in a “bundle”.
However, there are some zones or conditions when Google Fi would be better:
1. For a globetrotter, Google Fi’s rates drop dramatically when placing calls from a non-Nafta location if you connect via WiFi; in contrast, T-Mobile charges 20 cents per minutes to place calls from outside NAFTA EVEN IF YOU ARE CALLING OVER WIFI.
2. If you travel to countries not in the “country bundles”, Google Fi is cheaper when you are using over WiFi; T-Mobile charges the same rate whether or not your are using WiFi Calling.
3. For data speeds, Google Fi offers at least 3G speeds internationally (and, in future, 4G); T-Mobile only offers 2G! You may even be able to place Google Fi calls over 3G/4G and not pay the 20 cents per minute for cell network calls!
4. For data cost, the theoretical unlimited T-Mobile plan is of little use outside of NAFTA since you can at most use it for e-mail. Google Fi charges a flat $10/GB AND unused data allowance rolls over!
The long and short – if you are mainly in NAFTA countries, T-Mobile is unbeatable.
However, if you are travelling through other countries on a regular basis, Google Fi would give you faster data speeds and potentially cheaper voice calls.
Amy Hecht
Switched from ATT to T-mobile so can travel to France for 2 weeks. Worked amazingly well for getting around – used google map everywhere, texted all the time and the phone calls we made only ended up adding up to an extra 10-20$ for the entire 2 weeks (this is a family plan with 3 adults using our phones all the time)!
So glad we switched. Don’t have to worry anymore about turning off phone or will rack up huge fees.
NomadicMatt
That’s awesome to hear!
roamer
I’m thinking of getting T-Mobile for one month for a trip to Europe (and then porting out of it again because T-Mobile coverage is still so bad in the US)
How does the quality differ? It appears from comparisons on websites that AT&T can do LTE in Europe, but T-Mobile is 3G at best. But the web sites aren’t consistent.
NomadicMatt
T-Mobile is 3G unless you pay for higher speed. AT&T isn’t free!
NomadicMatt
Hey everyone! Due to the age of this post and the difficulty in moderating lots of posts spam, comments here have been turned off. If you would like to continue the discussion, head over to the forums at http://forums.nomadicmatt.com and chat there! I post frequently and reply to threads on the boards! See ya there! Thanks! – Matt