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Drezha.
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October 1, 2019 at 7:36 pm #37146
Am flying to the US on Friday for our honeymoon and the plan was to use a Three SIM with Go Roam for some internet access whilst out there if we need to use maps etc.
However, it’s just occurred to me that I’m not sure that my phone will work, as my understanding is that they use different network frequencies?
Plan was to use the SIM in my Moto G5 to stop any bother with my iPhone Xr, however, I’m fairly certain that the iPhone would work, but not sure about the Moto G5. Interestingly, I’ve done a quick google and I might have the US version of the Moto G5, as I have the 32GB Plus version, but I’m almost 100% sure it doesn’t have NFC, but according to Wikipedia, the US version doesn’t. How I got that from Carphone Warehouse I don’t know… Obviously, if it is the US one, I imagine I’ll be fine.
The other option was to use it in my TP-Link M7350 portable router.
"Everything looks interesting until you do it. Then you find it’s just another job" - Terry Pratchett
October 1, 2019 at 8:00 pm #37147Carphone Warehouse used to do ‘grey imports’ to keep costs down. I don’t think they do anymore but with a G5 it’s a possibility.
October 1, 2019 at 8:09 pm #37149Congratulations and have a great time!
Hope the phone works OK.
When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.October 1, 2019 at 8:24 pm #37150Probably cheaper to buy a couple of pre-paid ‘throwaways’ when you land. Probably get at most Walmart, CVS, WalGreen, Best Buy etc but watch out for their coverage areas. link
[edit] I said ‘couple’ as imo swmbo spends a lot more time on the phone than the male of the species!
October 1, 2019 at 9:32 pm #37153Carphone Warehouse used to do ‘grey imports’ to keep costs down. I don’t think they do anymore but with a G5 it’s a possibility. List of USA frequencies and carriers.
Thanks for the link. Another google search suggests Three roam on AT+T and that the 4G should therefore work on the Moto G5 if GSM Arena is to be believed (no reason why not!) It would appear that potentially I’d get online regardless of what version I have, as some of the bands overlap.
The phone is currently in Manchester, whilst I’m in Nottingham, so I can’t check until I get back home tomorrow and find the model number.
In fairness, the first 8 days, we’re unlikely to need it, as we’ll be on a cruise ship for that time!
"Everything looks interesting until you do it. Then you find it’s just another job" - Terry Pratchett
October 1, 2019 at 10:22 pm #37154@Drezha I reckon you’ll be fine looking at this chart
@ED – Three really have broken the ground as far as international roaming is concerned as well as data linits. It applies to mobile broadband sims as well as phones and includes tethering (Personal Hotspots).
If you’re happy with just the EU then the Essentials Plan is fine, you need the Advanced Plan for the USA plus you get the full monty of other countries and benefits – comparison chart. But it’s not huge £££+ more.
The days of a cheap phone and sim at the airport are on their way out, unless you’re staying for a month or more then you’re at the mercy of “fair usage”.
My daughter will be going to China for 3 months next year (University language degree) but I’ll bet if I ask “nicely” (as I have been with Three since almost the start and pay the family’s phone bills) I can negotiate something. It’s a million to one I won’t get a deal.
If Three don’t play ball it will of course be their fault that I’ll be off. In fact they’ll be leaving me, not me leaving them, as this isn’t the original deal I signed up for. All the contract changes since then have been imposed upon me. I know China didn’t have a mobile service back then but WTF? Who agreed to adding all these countries and what has it cost us bill payers? Nobody asked me. I have no intentions of visiting Guatemala so why am I subsidising the handful of people who will?
I will have negotiated fairly and Three will have dismissed my reasonable demands out of hand. How could any head of household possibly agree to dividing the family in such a way? Either we all have roaming or we all leave together!
I mean robbing barstewards! I’ve worked out my gross payments to Three amount to over £100 a month! Do they let me negotiate any side deals with say EE for the China data? Do they hell! It’s all or nothing.
That’s it, Three have until the end of the month to agree to my perfectly reasonable proposition (which I now understand Three need in writing)! or I’m off and taking the family with me. None of them want to change but I pay the bills so I make the decisions, especially now the kids haven’t talked to each other for nearly 3 years. Jack is on my side though, so I’ll take it he’s speaking for them all. Paying off his student loan was a small price to pay, but I sort of said I would one day, maybe, sort of do that. If we could afford it, which we couldn’t. Then I found some cash down the back of the sofa.
Have you seen how much Three want for the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G? I’m damn sure I could negotiate a better deal myself by tea time! There are 5 of us after all, six if I included the mother-in-law. But she’d probably want another Huawei.
If they think they’ll get a penny out of me for ending my contract early they can go do one!
October 1, 2019 at 11:03 pm #37155Congratulations on the wedding. Sorry no info on you’re phone.
But if it was me I’d buy a cheap data only sim card on landing And use whats app or fb messenger for the gouration.
October 1, 2019 at 11:08 pm #37156I think there is a bit of a gotcha if you have a 3 Advanced plan and use Go Roam in the USA.
Calls to the UK are indeed included in your normal allowance and you do get unlimited data but it seems calls to USA numbers are £1.40 min.
Correct me if im wrong 😁
October 2, 2019 at 9:40 am #37157My O2 account has the free International roaming bolt on. In the USA the cost would be £4.99 for every day I make a call and that includes 120 min of calls to UK or US numbers plus unlimited texts and data, receiving calls is free. So for 14 days thats an absolute maximum of £70 if I used the phone every day. If you’re on holiday and spend more than 2 hours a day on the phone then I think you are doing something wrong 😁
October 2, 2019 at 1:12 pm #37158If you’re on holiday and spend more than 2 hours a day on the phone then I think you are doing something wrong 😁
Totally agree, but it’s not always planned!!
Some years ago ( 8 – 9 ) we went to France to visit family we’d not seen for some time. While we were there, there was a death in the family and as the eldest the wife became co-ordinator and remote organiser for the funeral. We came back to a £250 bill, so £70 looks good – even though it needed organising prior to departure, but some sort of cap would be a better way forward.
Unfortunately the user base ( in most cases, loyal, ) has just been fodder for the profiteers of the mobile environment. They are getting better though.
October 2, 2019 at 1:37 pm #37159Congratulations – I went to the USA (Colorado, Utah, Nevada) in 2016 on Three and my then S5 was AOK. Buying a SIM there is not easy – there is not really an equivalent to PAYG here, so if you can confirm a working phone and plan before you go that is the best bet I reckon.
October 2, 2019 at 8:52 pm #37170I think there is a bit of a gotcha if you have a 3 Advanced plan and use Go Roam in the USA. Calls to the UK are indeed included in your normal allowance and you do get unlimited data but it seems calls to USA numbers are £1.40 min. Correct me if im wrong 😁
Yeah, we won’t be calling anyone!
Wedding was last year, so we’re a bit late with the honeymoon mind! We’re on a 7 day cruise around Hawaii then we’ve got 4 days in Vegas on the way back, so the cruise bit, we’ll not have internet (or signal for when we’re at sea). But it’s for bits when we’re out and about and want to check Tripadvisor or something. Fully expect we’ll have WiFi at the hotels! Cant imagine the MGM Grand doesn’t have WiFi… (though, as it’s America, it may be an additional cost…)
"Everything looks interesting until you do it. Then you find it’s just another job" - Terry Pratchett
October 2, 2019 at 9:09 pm #37171Watch out for the WiFi on the cruise ship, could well be satellite broadband. £££££.
October 2, 2019 at 9:44 pm #37174Watch out for the WiFi on the cruise ship, could well be satellite broadband. £££££.
It is. We wont be connecting – we can already buy passes for it online and we won’t forking out what they want for it!
"Everything looks interesting until you do it. Then you find it’s just another job" - Terry Pratchett
October 3, 2019 at 10:26 pm #37189congrats on your wedding mate, Three had my kecks down last year in USA call charges and internet. Calling home was no problem but trying to call US numbers was a no no with three and iPhone xs. regards wifi on cruise you will find all the crew go ashore to use free wifi at certain shops etc. have a look where they go .
October 9, 2019 at 3:29 am #37272So after a few days on the cruise, it quickly became apparent that the connection on the Moto G5 was crappy – was getting Edge at best, occasionally HDSPA (or whatever it is).
Resorted only to a WiFi at a McDonalds.Today I gave in and tried the SIM in my iPhone XR. Instantly got 4G (or I guess as the Yanks call it, LTE) so in the iPhone it’ll stay for the rest of the holiday!
Would appear that the Moto G5 does have the NFC so it must be the EU version.
Anyhow, that’s enough internet – back to enjoying the sun!
"Everything looks interesting until you do it. Then you find it’s just another job" - Terry Pratchett
October 9, 2019 at 9:39 am #37273https://www.3gpp.org/about-3gpp
The above link to the 3G partnership project sets out where we are now with mobile networks. In short though, Long Term Evolution did not initially meet the requirements the 3GPP set out for a 4G network but with LTE Advanced they relented and let LTE A operators call their networks 4G. For 5G we have LTE A Pro with New Radio (NR) and the 3GPP is on side with that. 2G GSM networks have started to shut down, AT&T shut their US service in 2017.
October 14, 2019 at 4:52 pm #37410Good job that Drezha is not with Vodaphone — £000’s in roaming charges. That could dent your credit score pdq! link
October 16, 2019 at 6:01 pm #37449Yeah, I forgot to turn roaming off on the Tesco SIM. By the time I’d walked off the plane to immigration, the phone reached my spending limit and stopped my data! (I’ve a £2.50 buffer).
Turns out that it’s £5/MB on Tesco in the US…
"Everything looks interesting until you do it. Then you find it’s just another job" - Terry Pratchett
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