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Sorry, there was a problem. Please try again later.When traveling outside of the country, it used to be recommended to buy a cheap phone for calls and texts once in the destination area and ask about an international calling option to keep in touch with those back home. If you use this option, you don't risk losing your primary device in another country! However these days with so many people traveling for business or making travel their business, it may not be the best option for them. If you are someone who knows you will need your device and all of the accounts and information it holds while in another country, there are a few options you may want to consider. First, you can choose to use only wi-fi. Simply turn your data off in settings and learn to say "What is the wi-fi password?" in the language of your destination country. Keep in mind there are some large drawbacks to this option. If there is no wi-fi, you will have no service. If the wi-fi requires a text message or web portal to initiate, you will not be able to get on the wi-fi. Wi-fi calling is generally less reliable than calling over a service provider's network as well, so that is also something to keep in mind. If you know you're going to be staying in accommodations with wi-fi, however, and the office has it as well, it might be an option for you! Another option to consider is asking your current service provider about an international plan. There are a few things to keep in mind about international plans: Service providers do NOT guarantee they will work for your device in your destination country. (They expect you to do the research) International plans do NOT work in every country. Rather your provider will have a list (likely on their web site) of the countries supported. The country being supported does NOT guarantee your device will work, either. It is important to verify with your provider that your device specifically is supported on the international plan in the country you plan to travel to. Now days, many service providers have that information on their web site and try to be as helpful as possible. Verizon has Trip Planner, AT&T has recommended travel plans, and T-Mobile has Traveling Internationally information. Finally, if you have an unlocked device, you can purchase a SIM card from a service provider in the destination country. It is best (and we highly recommend!) that you do this while still in the United States. Have the card shipped to you to test. This way you know it will work once you arrive in the country and there are no surprises waiting! Make sure to completely check out the rules and fees associated with an international plan from the local service provider as well! However, this option is generally found to be more reliable than the International plans from US providers, so it may be best for you! NETWORK BANDS: The main part of whether or not your phone will work in your destination country has to do with the network bands your device supports vs. the bands the carrier you intend to use supports. (In the case of international plans from the US carrier, the bands the carrier uses in your destination country need to be supported by the device itself.) A good place to start this search is https://willmyphonework.net/. This web site was created by a mobile enthusiast blogger as a not for profit way to help people get these answers for traveling. Please note we can not guarantee the accuracy of this information and the web site does still recommend looking up your phone's specifications to see which bands are supported and verifying the band support with the carrier you plan to use in your destination country as well. Once you have confirmed the bands are supported, you still need to confirm the carrier of choice allows that specific device to operate on their network. This usually will require a phone call or email to the carrier. -- Again, ordering the SIM to test is a great option!
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