Quote:
Originally Posted by phoeniks26
I'm traveling to Romania in January for two weeks and had a couple questions. I know I can be overcharged for Verizon global services and my bb will work fine. But I still have a multi-part question that I haven't really had answered. I don't plan on using the phone much except for things like "I made it and the plane didn't crash and dont call me because it's $1.29/min" and "this is the only text your getting from Romania because you don't have a bb and texting you isn't free like it is with bbm"
1. Is the Verizon BB unlocked already and if not, how do I unlock it?
2. Would you recommend Orange or Vodafone since those are my two options while I'm there?
3. Since it's only a two week trip (with side visits to Hungary and Austria), would it even be worth it get a pre-paid Romanian SIM card? Or would it be better to just tell everyone in the U.S. not to call/text unless it's an emergency?
I'm sure most of these have been answered before, but I'd rather sound like an idiot on the internet than on the phone with Verizon  |
1. Unless you have entered an unlock code or purchased from a source other than VZW, your phone is most likely locked. To unlock, call customer service and ask for the unlock code. They may or may not give it to you depending on who you speak with, what kind of story you give them, your account history, etc. Tell them you are going out of the country and plan to use a local SIM while traveling. If they don't give you the code, be persistent.
1A. Even if your phone remains locked, you should have your existing SIM activated. Last I heard, VZW ships the phones with an inactive SIM. They must activate it before you can roam on the VZW SIM. (I don't understand why they sell global phones but don't activate global roaming by default...)
2. Unless you install a SIM from an alternate carrier (assuming you are able because you unlocked the phone), you are going to be using Vodaphone. Vodaphone is one of VZW's parents, so you will roam on Vodaphone wherever possible, throughout the globe.
3. If you don't intend to use the phone regularly, don't bother with the in-country SIM. IMO, the extra couple dollars you will spend on roaming for occasional voice calls or foreign texts outweighs changing numbers (and may actually cost less than the local SIM and prepaid minutes). If only for emergency use, you will want to have a phone number that your friends / family are familiar with.
3A. Be aware that not only will you be charged roaming for voice calls, you will be roaming for any data you use while abroad. This includes BBM, email, any apps that require data (inluding the ones that work in the background i.e. weather updates). You can turn data off (Manage Connections > Mobile Network Options > Data Services). I suggest getting a Global Data plan while you are traveling. It is not very expensive ($60/mo?), and they will prorate it, so it will only be $30 for your 2 week trip. You can email, use BBM, Facebook, etc, and minimize the need for voice calls.
Verizon International
