Best network for USA roaming

07-11-2021 11:08am #1

Traveling to USA for 2 weeks in may so would consider a network change before I travel. I'm currently with Gomo as it's the cheapest, just wanted to keep my number, I have a work phone so mostly use that but now I may need a change

KildareP · 07-11-2021 11:19am

If you are on the €14.99 plan you will have access to WiFi Calling.

Otherwise, Vodafone and 3 are the only options that are reasonably priced.

Vodafone charge €2.99 a day for unlimited calls and texts to/from USA and Ireland with 500MB of data.

Three charge €20 for a 30 day add-on for 300 minutes to/from USA and Ireland and 1GB of data.

GoMo and Eir charge €30 for 1GB which might be fine for whatsapp voice but €1.99 a minute to make/take normal calls which adds up very quickly

You could also look at a T-mobile eSIM which you can download ahead of time and activate with a prepay plan although USA mobile calls are significantly more expensive than here!

07-11-2021 11:25am

Oh sorry I forgot to say I've no real need for calls, data only as most of calles can be taken through teams

ongarite · 07-11-2021 11:33am

Just back from 3 weeks in US. Have GoMo on personal phone and ended up only using it on hotel WiFi.

Used my work phone for everyday data needs.

Even with Vodafone who are the best value, it'll cost you €40 just for the 2 weeks of limited data usage.

sully123 · 07-11-2021 11:44am

A lot of people were getting a sim from three uk and using that as they offer free US roaming. {or did}

It worked very well for me. I ordered it from... Is it mymemory or mrmemory? online shop.

There was a thread all about it. Can't seem to find it in my threads atm

07-11-2021 11:44am

Anyone know if there is an esim I could sign up to four a month?

T-Mobile is iPhone only

Max Q · 08-11-2021 5:08pm

I looked at the T-mobile esim app but at the payment screen you have to select a country, it's a very limited list and Ireland is not on it. I tried to get the payment to go through by selecting US but it got rejected. Anyone successfully get this working?

08-11-2021 5:10pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118137366#Comment_118137366

That may not be an issue for me, I've a sister in NY

lordsheepface · 09-11-2021 6:01pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118130915#Comment_118130915

It used to be a 3Pay UK SIM that came preloaded with credit I believe.

cardhappy69 · 17-08-2022 11:01am

USA roaming

hi I'm on gomo and heading off to USA for three weeks. Can anyone advise what SIM they used while in USA for data.

Micky 32 · 03-09-2022 12:54pm

I think we can forget about USA roaming now. I’m over there currently stuck on edge. It really has deteriorated. The worst i have seen it and I regularly travel there. I’m with Vodafone.

Ah-Watch · 05-09-2022 3:06pm

AT&T and TMobile have esim support on prepaid. It depends how much you'll require it to be honest but eSim can be handy for longer stays and if you're going to be calling alot locally.

@Micky 32 I think I read before you were having problems and stuck on Edge. I've been there twice in the last few months and didn't have any real issues except for having to manually select T-Mobile. You cannot roam on AT&T like before which is kind of annoying because it was always reliable and connected automatically. Maybe it's bands on your phone which is giving issues/ maybe something on Vodafones side? I've had my personal and work phones with me both times- iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 and both had 4G/LTE. Might also be TMobile service is poor in that area too to be fair. I was mainly in NYC/ CT / Chicago / Milwaukee areas but they were fine.

Micky 32 · 07-09-2022 2:24pm

i’m here now a good few days. The phone actually improved more and more as time went on. 4G works fairly ok now and successfully drops to E when a call comes through and back to 4G when the call ends. It sometimes drops to Edge for no reason but doing the airplane mode trick connects it back to 4G. I’m getting good download speeds too.

However i’m in a town near the Grand Canyon and i have about 2/3bars of 4G with good download speeds but i can’t make or receive calls. I suspect the mast i’m connected to doesn’t transmit Edge. Networks should have had 4G calling roaming ready by now. There was lots of warning for the 2g/3g shutdowns.

Micky 32 · 09-09-2022 3:52am

Roaming in the USA has now stopped working. Hasn’t worked all day. Important work calls missed.

Praetorian · 12-09-2022 11:32am

I'm in the USA on a Vodafone business account and can't receive calls / texts or data. Trying to get help through the chat function for 2 days and no joy so far. Never had this issue before in the states, but it seems to be a regular occurrence now with Vodafone whilst roaming. Happened me earlier in the year in Italy and also Germany. Took me 4 days in Germany to get it sorted. There is no excuse for this BS. I'm going to make it my business to move all our company phones off Vodafone when I get home.

We need our phones to do everything these days. I had to buy a ducking map ffs. Feels like 1992 not 2022.

Roberto_gas · 12-09-2022 4:16pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119607087#Comment_119607087

Having same issue in Italy ! Did you ever solve it ? 4G signal stays for 30 secs with data and gone.

Micky 32 · 12-09-2022 11:00pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119607087#Comment_119607087

Yeah disappointing. Vodafone in the USA worked great up until now. Customer service were clueless. “ can you try AT&T network “. I guess some of the customer service team didn’t get the memo that they shut down 3G/2G and that you must only use T-Mobile. My partners An Post phone wasn’t working either.

I found that repeatedly toggling airplane mode would get it to work for a few mins. Even for an hour or two.

Thankfully i pre downloaded google maps on my phone before my trip.

Praetorian · 13-09-2022 12:27pm

Depending on which chat agent you talk to they blame different things

"However, The 3G networks in USA are now closed following the closure of the T Mobile 3G network in July. Voice coverage is now only provided on the T Mobile network. SMS and data is provided on the T Mobile network for all handsets. SMS and data is also provided on the AT&T network for customers with 4G/5G handsets

Furthermore, T Mobile have informed us that they are managing their Roaming traffic and that there is no longer access provided to 4G services in some of the major cities.

This is due to an issue with emergency call access for their customers. It seems that this change is also impacting access to 2G services in many locations leading to a situation where many customers cannot access any service"

Vodafone are a **** show these days. One cable being cut takes out all their service. How do they not have multiple routes etc. Roaming is flakey even in Italy / Germany / USA unless you make a big fuss about it. It's not like I'm travelling to North Korea or outer mongolia.

Praetorian · 13-09-2022 12:39pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119608696#Comment_119608696

Eventually got it escalated to someone who fixed it. Then we received the texts "welcome to italy" etc. then it worked perfectly.

Praetorian · 13-09-2022 4:19pm

Fix that worked for us =

turn 5g off. Use 4g only on iPhone. Magic reliable phone for the last few hours anyway.

why the 7-8 agents from Vodafone did not suggest that in the first place is beyond me.

Micky 32 · 13-09-2022 6:08pm

I noticed that when my phone did work in the US it seemed to want to stay on edge. Airplane moding it got 4G back for half an hour or so.

looks like the days of roaming are coming to an end.

Roberto_gas · 14-09-2022 3:09am

Well i got it sorted after they lifted roaming bar on my number..weirdos they are

Micky 32 · 17-09-2022 5:54pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119612021#Comment_119612021

Vodafone updated their website regarding roaming in the USA:

“When Roaming in the United States you will need to use the T Mobile USA network for voice services. You may also use this network for SMS and data services.

Please note:- coverage on the T Mobile network may be limited or not available at all in some cities and is not available in some rural areas. If there is no T Mobile service available you will not have access to voice services.”

I’m guessing T Mobile are getting congested with everyone roaming on their network since AT&T shut down their 3G/2G. AT&T used to work flawlessly for me. Vodafone say they are working on VoLTE roaming. Hopefully that should resolve some of the issues.

BArra · 18-09-2022 1:40pm

i posted this in the referral codes section, feel free to use it as it gives you a discount (and myself) - its Airalo (e-sim)

if your phone is capable of e-sim, it makes things very easy as you can setup as you wait at the gate to board your flight to the US and be good to go once you disembark stateside

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058242259/airalo-e-sim-for-data-when-travelling-non-eu

Micky 32 · 22-09-2022 12:06am

Some good news. It seems Vodafone has added Verizon to their roaming list. It supports VoLTE roaming too. However it seems limited to iPhones and Samsung phones. The list is on Vodafone’s website.

thebourke · 23-09-2022 3:28pm

recommend me a travel sim for 18 days in the US for data...5gb would be enough

Micky 32 · 23-09-2022 6:15pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119656081#Comment_119656081

I’m hearing good things about Airalo.

Micky 32 · 02-10-2022 11:31am

Currently in the USA at the moment. Roaming working very well. On AT&T at the moment and VoLTE working!

Ah-Watch · 05-10-2022 4:59pm

Also in the US and roaming on AT&T with calls texts and data working perfectly. Verizon also working too albeit possibly slower than AT&T. T Mobile has been hit and miss, data speeds can be the fastest of them all but inconsistent so I’d stick with either AT&T or Verizon.

Important to note that VoLTE needs to be turned on for best experience which may not be an option on older phones.

Micky 32 · 06-10-2022 10:17pm

Unfortunately for the An Post users they are still stuck on unreliable T-Mobile edge.

Juwwi · 13-12-2022 8:42pm

Can anyone help with advise for 11 days roaming in the US .

Im with 3 and they have an add on for €10 for 1GB ,, Im concerned with this option as to what will happen when you use up the 1GB will they warn you .

I tried to buy a pay as you go sim today in Voadafone and use the €2.99 a day option for Red Roaming with 200mb a day .

The guy working in Vodafone wouldn't sell it me saying I'm wasting my money , he said 200mb is not enough data and it wont work well .

His advice was to buy a pre paid sim card in the airport after l land for around $25 .

I have a dual sim phone unlocked so can use any provider , l would prefer to have it sorted before l go as this vending machine option l am concerned will be hassle .

lordsheepface · 13-12-2022 8:48pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119993488#Comment_119993488

what phone do you have - gomoworld may be an option if you have esim.

Juwwi · 13-12-2022 8:52pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119993520#Comment_119993520

a CAT S62 pro

lm useless with technical phone stuff

Juwwi · 13-12-2022 9:04pm

If I can't buy a pre paid sim over there , I just read online that you need a US credit to buy a pre paid sim , I'm not sure how true that is ,

I will have wifi from the hotel l'm staying in , l only really need the roaming data in case l'm stranded and want to order an UBER ,

if l go with the €10 add on for 1GB and only turn roaming on when I need to order the UBER , then turn it back off once the UBER arrives am l right in thinking 1GB should last a while ,, l'll have to ring 3 to ask what happens when the 1GB runs out though .

in2dark · 10-01-2023 12:06am

My phone doesnt support esim and i need to have 1-2 gb data for a weeks visit in the states.

Im currently with Gomo and Lyca.

Any suggestions? My phone is dual sim. Thanks in advance

Best network for USA roaming

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