international data

Sarah is a professional artist who's traveling to Japan for an art gallery showing of her paintings. Will she have trouble connecting with her mobile device? Rich says it used to be that way, but now he recommends checking out prepaidwithdata.wikia.com. You can also call AT&T and get their Passport. It's $10 a day and it will cover mobile data charges around the world. The other option is to rely on your hotel wifi. You can also download Google Maps before you leave the hotel. It'll be listed under "offline maps" and it won't use your data. Apple Maps will also work well in Japan.

Albert travelled overseas and brought his T-Mobile phone because it offers free 2G/EDGE speeds. Leo says that it works great, even if it's slower. He can pay $10 a day for a limited amount of data on other wireless plans, too. And that's largely thanks to T-Mobile disrupting the industry.  Leo also says to google Prepaidwithdata Wiki and go to the page to find out where he can get a MiFi card when travelling overseas. 

Chris is traveling to Brazil and he's noticed that the data rates down south are extremely slow.  Would the SkyRoam Solis help? Leo says no. If the 4G/LTE is a lousy carrier, it really won't matter what you use. Leo recommends to go to Prepaidwithdata.wikia.com and read the most up to date information. You may be better off with a local SIM. 

Sarah is traveling overseas and wants an international cell phone plan. Leo says that it depends on where she is going and for how long. A smartphone is very valuable for traveling overseas. Sarah will be in the Middle East, Israel, Syria, as well as some countries in Europe. She should check out prepaidwithData.wikia.com. She can unlock her phone and get a local SIM that will work in each country. The downside is, she'll have a different phone number.

Mike wants to know what he needs to use his iPad on Wi-Fi. Leo says that any iPad will work on Wi-Fi. If he has LTE, however, he could use it anywhere. But for Wi-Fi, a regular iPad will work just fine. Since Mike is traveling internationally, Leo recommends also getting a MiFi card, which he can put a local SIM in for Wi-Fi. But since Mike is in the US Virgin Islands, international data roaming won't be an issue. Leo recommends getting an AT&T carrier version of the iPad. Leo likes the iPad Mini for traveling.

Edward is traveling to Europe for six weeks and wants to know the best option for having cellular service. Leo says that laws in the EU recently changed and roaming is available across the entire EU. So one SIM will work in all countries. Leo recommends going over to prepaidwithdata.wikia.com. It will have information about what the best cell provider is in every country and where to buy a SIM. He'll also need to have his phone unlocked to take a new SIM and he'll get a new number.

Ernesto needs a new cell phone for his father. He doesn't do any smart things like apps or texting. He just talks. He wants one that will work between the US and Mexico. Leo says that a "feature phone" is an easy and inexpensive purchase. Alcatel is one brand that works in both places. He should go to T-Mobile and he can probably get one for free on a pay as you go plan. They also offer free international data and cheap international calls. It'll also work in 190 other countries as well. The chatroom says that AT&T is best in Mexico.

Kirk is going on vacation to the south pacific and needs an international plan for his phone. Leo says that T-Mobile started a free 2G-3G international data and texting plan and it has put pressure on other carriers to do the same. Leo always brings T-Mobile with him when he travels. Leo also recommends Google Fi because it uses various carriers. AT&T has a daily pass option, which is $10 a day. Verizon was the hardest to use overseas, but they've recently started the day pass like AT&T. Kirk should check with his carrier and see what they offer.

Sandy is going to Japan and is taking her Samsung Galaxy S5 through Verizon. How can she use data while overseas? Leo says that Verizon is the least friendly overseas. Verizon offers an international data package, but it's very expensive and complicated. She can buy the best she can, but use Wi-Fi whenever she can. Turn off international data roaming in the settings. Then Google can pre-cache her maps so she can use them there.

Moe is going to be traveling to India in a few months and he wants to know if Verizon is a good choice for traveling. Leo says no, it really isn't. They've gotten better, since they've left CDMA behind for LTE and that means it could work in India. And the FCC requires all Verizon SIM slots to be unlocked. Moe will have to be sure that the frequencies are supported. He may also request his phone be unlocked as well. A better bet would be to get a cheap GSM compatible phone locally in India, with a local SIM card. He'll have a local number, but it'll work better.