Cricket Customer - we need a 1 week plan for kid going to Ireland/UK - need simple and works

[Hogan773]

Hi - I always know that HoFo can help me cut to the quick with stuff like this

Son going on a school trip for 10 days in Ireland/Scotland/London area this summer. What is a good value but fully reliable plan that I can get a SIM card for him to use over there?

It's been years since I had to look at this stuff so I don't know if the world has moved to lots of data or even unlimited hopefully....and while I want a good value, I also need this to be user friendly (ie he is traveling with a high school group so I can't have him needing to go visit some specific tobacconist over in the shady part of town that sells some unicorn SIM card that only costs 1 sheckel and gives you unlimited data as long as you VPN through a Polish network etc....I am joking of course but there are always some crazy hoop things that people are willing to do on these boards (yes at one point I had my 15 yr old on that RingPlus crazy free thing) but in this case I need a sim card that I can give to him here before he leaves I think....

Thanks in advance my friends!

[cleocatsky]

Hi - I always know that HoFo can help me cut to the quick with stuff like this

Son going on a school trip for 10 days in Ireland/Scotland/London area this summer. What is a good value but fully reliable plan that I can get a SIM card for him to use over there?

It's been years since I had to look at this stuff so I don't know if the world has moved to lots of data or even unlimited hopefully....and while I want a good value, I also need this to be user friendly (ie he is traveling with a high school group so I can't have him needing to go visit some specific tobacconist over in the shady part of town that sells some unicorn SIM card that only costs 1 sheckel and gives you unlimited data as long as you VPN through a Polish network etc....I am joking of course but there are always some crazy hoop things that people are willing to do on these boards (yes at one point I had my 15 yr old on that RingPlus crazy free thing) but in this case I need a sim card that I can give to him here before he leaves I think....

Thanks in advance my friends!

If his phone supports e sims, I’d consider adding an Airalo data e sim for Ireland and relying on WhatsApp which is widely used in Europe. I’m in Slovenia today and have had no trouble communicating with my guide regarding when and where to meet. It has been equally useful in Greece, Italy, Albania and Croatia thus far.


Sent from my iPad using HoFo

[Boz1]

In addition to the above, the phone needs to be unlocked.

If the phone is unlocked but not eSIM capable, other services sell physical SIM cards that would have data service in Ireland and the UK, including Keepgo and Vegolink, just to name 2.

You can see my recent experience with Keepgo eSIM, and how using Google Voice might also be useful at: https://www.howardforums.com/showthr...GV)-amp-Keepgo

[Relztrah]

Here is my experience with Travelsim. I used a physical SIM card, not ESIM.

[Hogan773]

Ahh okay thanks, I think

I haven't had a chance to research the links in depth but it feels like these are going to be complicated hoop-jumping solutions. That said I do take the point about just using data and then phoning thru Whatsapp or something.

Aren't there just prepaid plans in the UK where we could pay like 25 or 30 bucks and get a month of unlimited everything for him? I realize he is only there one week. I dont care about getting a fixed amount of data and trying to save the last 750 megabytes that he didn't use and keeping it for 10 years in case I also travel over there etc

[october262]

Ahh okay thanks, I think

I haven't had a chance to research the links in depth but it feels like these are going to be complicated hoop-jumping solutions. That said I do take the point about just using data and then phoning thru Whatsapp or something.

Aren't there just prepaid plans in the UK where we could pay like 25 or 30 bucks and get a month of unlimited everything for him? I realize he is only there one week. I dont care about getting a fixed amount of data and trying to save the last 750 megabytes that he didn't use and keeping it for 10 years in case I also travel over there etc

when he lands at the airport, he can stop at convenience store there in the airport and pick up
& activate a prepaid sim.

[robbyrobby]

Ahh okay thanks, I think

I haven't had a chance to research the links in depth but it feels like these are going to be complicated hoop-jumping solutions. That said I do take the point about just using data and then phoning thru Whatsapp or something.

Aren't there just prepaid plans in the UK where we could pay like 25 or 30 bucks and get a month of unlimited everything for him? I realize he is only there one week. I dont care about getting a fixed amount of data and trying to save the last 750 megabytes that he didn't use and keeping it for 10 years in case I also travel over there etc

'unlimited' is primarily and anomaly of the United States and not widely available around the world. on the other hand most people pay far less for cell phone service than we do here. many in Europe get by for under $ 10 month but perhaps being a bit more conscious of when and where to connect to WiFi to keep cellular usage lower.

[Hogan773]

I should say unlimited isn't a requirement

[ecs0013]

Not sure if he has a recent iPhone with eSIM, but there's a nifty little feature to keep in mind that can be helpful. In the case of dual SIMs, iPhones can pipe voice calls and texts over the other SIM - it's automatic and uses the same mechanism as Wi-Fi calling. As long as you have Wi-Fi calling turned on, and you're not in a country that AT&T/Cricket Wi-Fi calling doesn't work in (China, Saudi Arabia, India, Turkey, Israel, United Arab Emirates, Vietnam, Pakistan, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, and Syria), your Cricket line will say "Cricket using Cellular Data" and use data on the other line (Airalo, local SIM, etc.) to work. Folks without iPhones sometimes don't believe this is a thing, but it's basically just creating the VPN tunnel for Wi-Fi calling over a different data connection - I use it domestically with my Cricket line and a T-Mobile line as backup (for the rare cases where one works and the other doesn't).

As Cricket doesn't have international roaming outside of North America, it would fall to "No Service" the minute you're outside of the US/Canada/Mexico. At that point, the phone will try to establish the tunnel either over Wi-Fi or a functioning data SIM.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT209044 (scroll down to "Learn about Dual SIM status icons")

I had a family member who went to the Netherlands last month. Cricket + Airalo on a 2020 iPhone SE was a really good combination for her. Other than keeping an eye on data usage, everything worked as expected and she used normal voice calls and SMS quite a bit using the method above.

Additionally, by keeping the Cricket SIM active (as opposed to removing it for a local SIM), it keeps iMessage and FaceTime registered, and that will use whatever the "easiest" data pathway is (Wi-Fi, data-only travel SIM, etc.) before falling back to SMS.

[Hogan773]

Not sure if he has a recent iPhone with eSIM, but there's a nifty little feature to keep in mind that can be helpful. In the case of dual SIMs, iPhones can pipe voice calls and texts over the other SIM - it's automatic and uses the same mechanism as Wi-Fi calling. As long as you have Wi-Fi calling turned on, and you're not in a country that AT&T/Cricket Wi-Fi calling doesn't work in (China, Saudi Arabia, India, Turkey, Israel, United Arab Emirates, Vietnam, Pakistan, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, and Syria), your Cricket line will say "Cricket using Cellular Data" and use data on the other line (Airalo, local SIM, etc.) to work. Folks without iPhones sometimes don't believe this is a thing, but it's basically just creating the VPN tunnel for Wi-Fi calling over a different data connection - I use it domestically with my Cricket line and a T-Mobile line as backup (for the rare cases where one works and the other doesn't).

As Cricket doesn't have international roaming outside of North America, it would fall to "No Service" the minute you're outside of the US/Canada/Mexico. At that point, the phone will try to establish the tunnel either over Wi-Fi or a functioning data SIM.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT209044 (scroll down to "Learn about Dual SIM status icons")

I had a family member who went to the Netherlands last month. Cricket + Airalo on a 2020 iPhone SE was a really good combination for her. Other than keeping an eye on data usage, everything worked as expected and she used normal voice calls and SMS quite a bit using the method above.

Additionally, by keeping the Cricket SIM active (as opposed to removing it for a local SIM), it keeps iMessage and FaceTime registered, and that will use whatever the "easiest" data pathway is (Wi-Fi, data-only travel SIM, etc.) before falling back to SMS.

Interesting

He has an iPhone 11 so in Googling it seems that should have eSim

I will have to look at this

So basically you are saying I can just get him a data sim

I am thinking it will be easiest to try to buy something ahead of his departure. Maybe eSim makes that easier, hopefully, because then the vendor can just email us the QR code to scan rather than mailing a physical sim. I just don't want him to have to hold up his group to try to go get some Sim card upon landing. The teacher's advice in the orientation was that it is easiest to just call ATT or Verizon and add international to your plan for a month. Sure Teach, but I have Cricket haha...no can do....

[ecs0013]

Interesting

He has an iPhone 11 so in Googling it seems that should have eSim

I will have to look at this

So basically you are saying I can just get him a data sim

I am thinking it will be easiest to try to buy something ahead of his departure. Maybe eSim makes that easier, hopefully, because then the vendor can just email us the QR code to scan rather than mailing a physical sim. I just don't want him to have to hold up his group to try to go get some Sim card upon landing. The teacher's advice in the orientation was that it is easiest to just call ATT or Verizon and add international to your plan for a month. Sure Teach, but I have Cricket haha...no can do....

Yep, the XR/XS and later all support eSIM. As long as he's not needing to call anyone local when he's there, a data-only SIM could work well. Airalo will let him buy it ahead of time and load the eSIM profile on his phone stateside, but won't start counting data or time until it connects to one of the local networks in Ireland.

There's a lot of great resources in their help section: https://www.airalo.com/help

[Hogan773]

Yep, the XR/XS and later all support eSIM. As long as he's not needing to call anyone local when he's there, a data-only SIM could work well. Airalo will let him buy it ahead of time and load the eSIM profile on his phone stateside, but won't start counting data or time until it connects to one of the local networks in Ireland.

There's a lot of great resources in their help section: https://www.airalo.com/help

And Ireland and UK are going to both be covered?

I thought you guys said he could make calls using WiFi calling? Or you would still have to pay for the call you're saying?

[ecs0013]

And Ireland and UK are going to both be covered?

I thought you guys said he could make calls using WiFi calling? Or you would still have to pay for the call you're saying?

In terms of Airalo, they sell separate Ireland and UK eSIMs, so he’d need one of each and switch between them or there’s a “Eurolink” one that includes a handful of countries. Thankfully, the UK is still included even after Brexit. Airalo (and most other roaming eSIM products) are data-only and do not include a phone number or the ability to send/receive texts.

As for making calls, Wi-Fi calling will work fine, but his Cricket line would only be able to call US numbers (and Canada/Mexico if on an unlimited plan). That’s a limitation on the Cricket plan and won’t change where he’s at unless he buys an international calling add-on (just like if you were calling from the US to Ireland or the UK). If he’s on an unlimited plan, he’ll be able to text for free (texting to 37 countries is included): https://www.cricketwireless.com/supp...countries.html

If he’s needing to call anyone in Ireland or the UK, picking up a SIM upon landing might be better (since it would include data and a phone number - just not sure how messy it would be if he got an Irish number and was trying to call in the UK.)

Basically there’s two things to consider for international: where will you be using your phone and who will you be calling/texting. Confusingly, the two are often not entirely related.

[Hogan773]

In terms of Airalo, they sell separate Ireland and UK eSIMs, so he’d need one of each and switch between them or there’s a “Eurolink” one that includes a handful of countries. Thankfully, the UK is still included even after Brexit. Airalo (and most other roaming eSIM products) are data-only and do not include a phone number or the ability to send/receive texts.

As for making calls, Wi-Fi calling will work fine, but his Cricket line would only be able to call US numbers (and Canada/Mexico if on an unlimited plan). That’s a limitation on the Cricket plan and won’t change where he’s at unless he buys an international calling add-on (just like if you were calling from the US to Ireland or the UK). If he’s on an unlimited plan, he’ll be able to text for free (texting to 37 countries is included): https://www.cricketwireless.com/supp...countries.html

If he’s needing to call anyone in Ireland or the UK, picking up a SIM upon landing might be better (since it would include data and a phone number - just not sure how messy it would be if he got an Irish number and was trying to call in the UK.)

Basically there’s two things to consider for international: where will you be using your phone and who will you be calling/texting. Confusingly, the two are often not entirely related.

Ok

Is there any easy way to just get a sim or even an esim ahead of his trip though? I would be happy to pay a little more just so he would have it done. Like is there just a way to get a 30 day prepaid card from one of the major carriers that would include a phone number and would work in both Ireland and UK?

[robbyrobby]

Ok

Is there any easy way to just get a sim or even an esim ahead of his trip though? I would be happy to pay a little more just so he would have it done. Like is there just a way to get a 30 day prepaid card from one of the major carriers that would include a phone number and would work in both Ireland and UK?

you could try going directly to the websites of the UK carriers and see if they offer eSIM and allow you to signup using a foreign credit card and billing address.

maybe one of these paygo deals from three, looks like you may be able to buy on Amazon:

https://www.three.co.uk/pay-as-you-go/payg-data-packs

as far as the major carriers here offering a prepaid 30 day service with international roaming that is really not a thing they offer.