Choosing a phone and international carrier: anxieties, questions, and decisions.
Getting a new phone was one of my most stressful projects of the summer. Typically a fun affair, I would usually enjoy the chance to get a new phone and be able to start over on newer tech. However, this phone was different because I'll be taking it abroad.
Taking a phone abroad raises the question of international calling, data plans, and the choice of a new carrier. Of course I want something stable that will allow me to access maps, photo and important documents for travel, and allow me to contact who I need while in a foreign country. This lead to decisions on phones and carriers and a conversation on quality and cost in order to choose the plans best for me.
A phone is extremely important to me traveling abroad, as its my only way to contact my family, boyfriend and friends, as well as the International Office and transportation. I wanted to be able to contact anyone I need and be able to capture my experience on a great device.
Choosing a Carrier
When I was looking at joining my parents phone plan, I was told Verizon or T Mobile were my options unless I wanted to choose a carrier from England. This presented the first challenge: do I want a foreign phone plan?
Foreign phone plans provide good coverage and connection as they have a home field advantage. Additionally, they have deals with their providers with perks like free movies Tuesdays or Netflix subscriptions. However, they also give you a UK telephone number which would make it easier for people in the country to call me and require an unlocked phone (to be talked about later).
International plans allow you to keep your phone number, but not all plans include calling. Most allow high data usage but may not have the strongest signal. However you enter and leave the country with a ready phone whereas with a foreign plan you need to visit a phone store.
When looking at phone plans I looked at THIS website which showed the best phone plans for the UK. One of which was T Mobile as it had a partnership with Orange, a British carrier. The downfall was T Mobile didn't include calling, however with unlimited data I could still be reached on a myriad of apps that allow calling.
Unlocking Your Phone
Phones bought in a carriers store will be locked, meaning a foreign SIM card cannot be inserted unless the company unlocks it for you. In order to do this with a phone you have it has to be paid off and then you can call the company and pay a fee to get it unlocked, this may take a day to process.
With a new phone, one can buy it in full from a neutral source like Best Buy or Amazon and have it unlocked. Again though, bought through a carrier it must be paid off and a fee paid to unlock it. Then, depending on the plan, you may need to wait up to a month for a successful unlock due to new phone policies. However, if you are only traveling for a short period of time some carriers are willing to unlock your phone for a month.
Something to note, is that different carriers have phones with different SIM card types. If you are looking at a foreign carrier, check it's SIM type with the phone you are planning to bring abroad.
Picking a Phone
Specifically keeping in mind the fact I’m going abroad, I made a list of features I’d want while abroad. This included: long battery life, big storage (my phone is maxed out), a great camera, and ideally a great display and speaker system.
Researching phones, my dream phone wast the new Note 9, but it came with a price tag of nearly $1000. I also really liked the Galaxy S9+ which came in around $850. Both of these phone varied in price depending on the deal you can manage.
The Decision
I went with a T Mobile plan but bought a phone at Best Buy so that its unlocked, in case while abroad I need to change my plan. T Mobile allows for unlimited data which will allow me to to use apps like Messenger, WhatsApp, and Duo to contact family and friends to make up for the lack of a cellular plan and was rated highly for their data in the UK.
This decision lead to my final one: the phone. In the end I got the Galaxy at a discounted price at Best Buy and activated it with my phone number at T Mobile. I’m already in love with the phone and its edge features. I’m confident taking this abroad and excited to be traveling with such a great camera in my pocket.
I’m looking forward to taking this phone abroad and look forward to using it to call the people I love and to take some very aesthetic Instagram pictures. As always, making this decision took a lot of anxiety induced research but I’m content and comfortable going abroad. I’m hoping for to more decisions and less stress to come. To keep up on more of my abroad adventures check in here!