# Prepaid smart phone with international roaming **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 20, 2016, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prepaid-smart-phone-with-international-roaming/755243 "2016-05-20T17:30:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mighty\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Girl)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2016, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prepaid-smart-phone-with-international-roaming/755243/1 "2016-05-20T17:30:53Z")
I will be traveling around a lot this year, again. Last year two things happened: I paid a fortune in roaming, and I lost my brand-new smartphone somewhere in Asia. This year I want to a) Leave my expensive phone at home, b) get a prepaid cell with roaming to make sure I don’t go above my slotted plan. A data plan would be nice too, but I can bum wifi from hotels if needed. Hours of internet search yields nothing, the pre-paid providers I found offer no international roaming service. I just need a cheap smartphone to check my phone, get sms and check my email. Anyone knows any company that offers this? Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2016, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prepaid-smart-phone-with-international-roaming/755243/2 "2016-05-20T21:21:18Z")
I’d say ditch the prepaid requirement, but still get a cheap phone and no-contract plan with any of the Simple Choice plans from Tmobile. Unlimited international data and texting, calls are .20 a minute. And there are ways to use data to make calls when you have a good connection in order to make the calls free, too. > **[International Plans | Traveling Abroad without Roaming Fees | T-Mobile](https://www.t-mobile.com/cell-phone-plans/international-roaming-plans)** > > T-Mobile international plans are great for data and texting while traveling abroad without incurring roaming charges. ---
**Author:** ![Arrendajo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Arrendajo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arrendajo)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2016, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prepaid-smart-phone-with-international-roaming/755243/3 "2016-05-20T22:09:51Z")
When I went to Lima in 2014 my prepaid T-Mobile phone hooked right up to T-Mobile Perú as soon as I was there. I made no prior arrangements and didn’t have to do anything other than turn on the phone. That’s the sum total of my international phone experience. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2016, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prepaid-smart-phone-with-international-roaming/755243/4 "2016-05-20T23:02:43Z")
A standard option is to purchase a local SIM card in the countries you are traveling to. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mighty\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Girl)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2016, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prepaid-smart-phone-with-international-roaming/755243/5 "2016-05-21T02:43:03Z")
**Voltaire** , that sounds like a great solution. I’ll probably buy one of their cheaper models, in case I lose it, again. **Arrendajo** , I’ll check that too. I would really prefer a pre-paid option, if possible. **Past Tense** , I need my clients in the US to be able to call a “local” number, plus I would have to buy several SIM cards in several countries. ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2016, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prepaid-smart-phone-with-international-roaming/755243/6 "2016-05-21T10:48:35Z")
There’s not much reason to prefer a prepaid plan to a Tmobile Simple Choice Plan, since there’s no annual contract. Basically, it’s a month to month contract and you can bring your own phone, buy one of theirs outright, or commit to make 24 payments over 2 years to finance a phone. The only practical reason I can think of to prefer a prepaid plan to this is if you didn’t want them to run a credit check, but even then, there’s a Simple Choice Plan that doesn’t require a credit check. (though the plan isn’t quite as good) ETA: Let us know if you need phone rec’s ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mighty\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Girl)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2016, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prepaid-smart-phone-with-international-roaming/755243/7 "2016-05-21T14:36:41Z")
What’s “recs”. I have a contract, so I wasn’t sure there was something else besides contract and pre-paid. ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2016, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prepaid-smart-phone-with-international-roaming/755243/8 "2016-05-21T17:48:54Z")
> [@Mighty\_Girl](#): > > What’s “recs”. > > I have a contract, so I wasn’t sure there was something else besides contract and pre-paid. Sorry, I meant phone recommendations. Yeah, the Simple Choice plan contract is monthly, not annual or biannual like most contract plans. Only choosing to finance a phone will get you on a two year contract, but even then, you can leave whenever you pay off the phone.