Why T-Mobile Is The Best Yell Upward Carrier For Us Travelers
Posted: 03/20/2014 | March 20th, 2014
A long fourth dimension agone inwards a province far, far away (Massachusetts), I used AT&T every bit my cellular telephone service provider. I had been using them since I was 19. When the iPhone get-go came out, I bought it because I could take the master copy AT&T SIM card, insert a local SIM from the province I was in, in addition to nonetheless accept a handy-dandy smartphone to tweet from. So I unlocked my telephone (h4cked it in addition to hence I could utilisation it overseas) in addition to off roughly the footing I happily went.
Flash frontward to the destination of 2012, when Verizon announced taht their phones would come upwardly automatically unlocked for international travel. I needed a novel iPhone at this point, AT&T had awful client service in addition to high fees, in addition to since the novel telephone would already live unlocked, it would salve me some hassle. It was the excuse I needed to go out AT&T.
Flash frontward over again to the destination of 2013, when T-Mobile announced it was giving all their users costless international information in addition to text messaging in over 140 countries — plus all calls patch inwards those countries were 20 cents a minute. This was a pretty enticing offering since I pay a lot of coin a twelvemonth inwards telephone coverage.
Here’s a tabular array of international fees I pulled together from each carrier’s website in addition to hence y'all tin 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, five cents to receive |
Roaming | 20 cents a minute | $30-120 per month | $4.99 per month |
That nautical chart pretty lays the numbers out there. T-Mobile is the clear winner here.
Now, historically, T-Mobile had a reputation of beingness a actually bad service provider. And for a lay out of years, they were — but thank y'all to coin they received after the failed merger alongside AT&T, they heavily invested inwards their network in addition to began offering 4G in addition to LTE speeds. Now, their coverage map is almost every bit practiced every bit the other carriers (it nonetheless doesn’t accept Verizon-level coverage but they encompass 96% of the country).
With their plans starting at $50 USD per month, it was difficult to brand the representative to remain alongside Verizon. I constitute Verizon had awful client service and high roaming fees (one quick telephone phone weep upwardly inwards Canada terms me over $10!), in addition to alongside my basic service innovation costing $110 a month, it became a fiscal no-brainer.
So I made the switch. I broke my contract alongside Verizon, ordered a novel iPhone 5S, signed-up for T-Mobile, in addition to hoped I made the correct choice. My telephone innovation is immediately $70 per calendar month (with taxes) — that’s a savings of $40 per calendar month correct away, but the big interrogation remained: would I accept practiced service both at dwelling household in addition to abroad?
Service at dwelling household inwards New York City has been fine. I accept 4G or LTE wherever I go, in addition to I haven’t had whatsoever dropped calls. At the recent SXSW music festival inwards Austin, Texas, I had some spotty service, but alongside 20,000 people there, that mightiness accept been the reason. After using the telephone for unopen to 3 months now, I haven’t had whatsoever dropped calls in addition to exclusively a few instances of “no service” when I was inwards a few rural areas, but that normally exclusively lasts a few seconds. However, that used to lead house alongside Verizon too, in addition to hence I’m non concerned well-nigh it. (According to a novel study, T-Mobile has the fastest Internet coverage, too.)
And how does it create internationally? Well, I flew to Hong Kong inwards February, in addition to the 2nd nosotros landed I turned on my telephone in addition to waited for service. “Searching” my telephone shouted dorsum at me. Searching… searching… no service.
I slunk inwards my seat, deflated. I kept turning the telephone on in addition to off inwards hopes of finding a connection. The plane came to the gate. Still nothing.
I hopped on the airdrome Wi-Fi in addition to tweeted at T-Mobile. My innovation was the correct plan. It was all laid to go. But nothing.
Deflated fifty-fifty more, I walked through the terminal when it happened — service. 3G service. On my phone.
I had overreacted.
When I touched downwards after that twenty-four hours inwards Bangkok, my telephone buzzed live alongside updates every bit I connected to the local telephone operator, AIS alongside 3G service.
I was laid to go. But service doesn’t hateful practiced service.
So how did it run out?
Excellent.
I didn’t accept whatsoever dropped calls, all my texts went through, in addition to for the most utilisation I had a 3G connection. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 lay out of times patch inwards the slightly rural areas, I exclusively got the “E” network in addition to had to bargain alongside slightly ho-hum Internet, but I ever had it. (The exclusively 4G network inwards Thailand is through True Move, in addition to T-Mobile doesn’t partner alongside them.)
When I came dwelling household inwards early on March, I constitute my neb wasn’t $10,000 but nonetheless the same quondam $70 I was promised. There were no hidden fees! It was all every bit promised.
The next calendar week I was inwards Berlin in addition to London. My telephone worked perfectly there. There was nonetheless no 4G/LTE service but I ever had fast 3G service in addition to was able to upload in addition to portion information quickly. No dropped calls, missed text messages, or bad service.
I am thrilled past times this, in addition to T-Mobile — with its contract-free (and cheaper) plans, costless international data, in addition to ameliorate client service model — immediately has me every bit a client for a long, long time. I never over again accept to worry well-nigh buying unusual SIM cards in addition to coverage again. There are no to a greater extent than additional costs inwards my travels. I know what my telephone neb is going to live every month, in addition to I larn to proceed the same lay out worldwide.
If y'all are a traveler in addition to live inwards the US, y'all should 100% larn T-Mobile. Your life volition live a lot easier, you’ll live able to proceed the same number, in addition to you’ll remain connected roughly the world. (And your neb volition live a lot cheaper.)
If y'all already accept T-Mobile in addition to don’t mean value y'all accept this plan, y'all should. It’s available to all users, in addition to hence brand certain y'all telephone weep upwardly in addition to larn this service attached to your quondam innovation if it isn’t already.
I’m actually excited well-nigh T-Mobile, the the world of no contracts, no cancellation fees, in addition to costless international information in addition to texting.
They actually are the “uncarrier,” in addition to anything that breaks the Verizon/AT&T concur inwards the USA is something I completely support.
So, to all the travelers out in that place (or people who are only fed upwardly alongside the fees in addition to services of the other carriers), brand the switch to T-Mobile in addition to simplify your life in addition to lower your overseas telephone costs.
Update 3/15/15: Using T-Mobile phones inwards China gets y'all roughly the Great Firewall. I was able to utilisation Facebook, Twitter, in addition to Instagram without a problem.
Update 3/10/17: You tin send/receive unlimited texts in addition to motion painting messages from the air using T-Mobile phones on GoGo WiFi-enabled flights. You also larn ane threescore minutes of costless GoGo In-Flight WiFi on each flight!
Note: I know people volition wonder, in addition to hence I desire to state that no, T-Mobile didn’t sponsor me or inquire me to write this post. I pay my ain monthly bill, switched when I heard well-nigh this amazing offer, in addition to accept been really happy alongside the service since. I’m only hither preaching well-nigh something I believe volition assistance other travelers.
For to a greater extent than tips on saving coin on phones in addition to information when y'all travel, read 3 related posts below.
Sumber https://www.nomadicmatt.com
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