<p>Lattelady: Generally speaking, yes. There are some variables, such as how long you have had the iPhone on your contract, etc. I also forgot to mention that the pre-paid SIM card in your destination country will usually have a local phone number (for that Country/Region) assigned to it. You can also check out a service like [Welcome</a> to Truphone](<a href=“http://www.truphone.com/ROW/]Welcome”>http://www.truphone.com/ROW/) to get an international-friendly SIM card before you ever even leave the States. I think it will also provide you with a local US number in your current area code.</p>
<p>It is a bit more leg work to dig into this, and I won’t deny it can sometimes be a hassle, but it sure beats sticker shock if you do nothing and just roll with the punches while abroad, which is what your carrier is counting on. Just remember SIM card change = phone number change. </p>
<p>I also need to mention the iPhone 5 on Verizon is quite international friendly as well. The iPhone 4 and 4s, not so much with Verizon. </p>
<p>If anyone else needs further advice with things such as this, please let me know.</p>
<p>Thanks, rolltide. D did go to an AT&T store yesterday and was told that she had to be finished with her contract before they’d give her an unlock code. I appreciate your info. Should work for next summer’s trip.</p>
<p>Thanks AlbionGirl! D’s been told it is easy to get a prepaid phone in Oxford. She could even get one at Heathrow though it would be pricier. Your links show that they shouldn’t be too expensive. </p>
<p>We also determined yesterday that I can call the landline in her dorm room on Google Voice for .02 a minute. Not too shabby!</p>
<p>Yeah, Google Voice is a good service. You can also get Skype and purchase a low cost skype in or skype out number that you can forward calls to.</p>
<p>Rolltide90, thanks for the info. In researching the Chronic Unlocks service I see only good things and also learned something different than what D was told by AT&T. They told her that it became illegal in Feb 2013 to unlock phones before the contract commitment was over. According to what I’ve seen this morning, that only applies to phone purchased after 1-26-2013. We purchased her phone 5/2012. I think we may try ChronicUnlocks. If it doesn’t work she can still buy a prepaid phone. </p>
<p>Thank you to everyone for your invaluable suggestions and links!!</p>
<p>If you don’t have a plan with AT&T, another option is to get an unlocked quad band GSM phone before leaving for your overseas trip. Do an Amazon search and several models will pop up. The phones themselves are basic (non smartphone) and inexpensive, around $30, but will save you money in local and international calls if you purchase a SIM card in the country you wish to travel. I would keep this phone for dedicated overseas travel as it can be used in Europe, Asia (not sure about Japan or S. Korea), S. America.</p>
<p>I bought one to take with me on a trip to Asia and bought a SIM card there. It was convenient, worked very well and saved me in the cost of local and international calls. Said phone would also work well in Europe, as long as you buy your SIM card there, which is pretty reasonable. </p>
<p>In addition, while we in the U.S. do not buy SIM cards to use our phones, I found it easy to open the back phone case, pop in a pre-paid SIM card, and follow the directions to activate. You may need some help with non-English directions.</p>
<p>I think we are going to try the unlock. If it works, D will pick up a SIM card in London or Oxford. So, once she puts the SIM card in, should she have both the cellular data and the international data turned on?</p>
<p>My DD arrived in Morocco yesterday for a 5 week program of study. She used her NMF money last year to help off set expenses with her Congressional unpaid summer internship. So this trip is on us!
Our family installed the free Viber app on our Iphones which is a web based phone account. As long as we can connect to the web, we can text and call for free. It’s an app similar to Skype. In country she is purchasing a go phone for local calls among classmates.
She had requested an apartment with other students, but was assigned to a home stay. She just messaged today that the family was very nice, and the mom spoke French. So in addition to DD Arabic language classes, she has an opportunity to further her French language skills. Bad news is, no air conditioning at the host family house. It’s going to be a long, hot summer.</p>
<p>An update on phones (for those following this):</p>
<p>D vacillated between buying a prepaid phone/card or unlocking her phone. She decided to buy a phone there so we didn’t unlock her phone before she left. However, after getting there she decided she wanted to unlock her phone and just buy the sim card. (I think she found that most people were not buying phones). Using the link that rolltide90 posted (thank you), [url=<a href=“http://www.chronicunlocks.com/]ChronicUnlocks[/url”>http://www.chronicunlocks.com/]ChronicUnlocks[/url</a>], I was able to unlock her phone even though she was already there. Once I understood the process, that made sense (read the FAQs on their site for more info). D picked up a SIM with 300 UK minutes and unlimited data/UK texts. So she can message me through FB while keeping up with her classmates. In the dorm she is connected via ethernet and we can Facetime. I can call her at the dorm with Google Voice for .02 a minute. </p>
<p>One of D’s friends picked up a prepaid phone in Oxford and has been able to use it to call home to the US, so that is another option that works well. I would have preferred that D get a SIM card that allowed international calls but she reported the place we sold out of a lot of cards and she didn’t have a lot of options. We could have pre-ordered a card. </p>
<p>catfan, sounds like a great trip for your D. No AC at Oxford either but I’m sure it’s a little warmer in Morocco :).</p>
<p>^^^ I am so glad to hear that the unlock service worked for you guys! Good feedback to know for future reference. The Mrs has an iPhone I can’t pry from her, so I am sure on our travels abroad I will be doing the same thing.</p>
<p>Google Voice is nothing short of amazing, and I use it as my primary number. It has so many advantages I don’t even know where to begin.</p>
<p>I have personally used [Welcome</a> to Truphone](<a href=“http://www.truphone.com/ROW/]Welcome”>http://www.truphone.com/ROW/) myself, and I have one of their SIM cards. They are great because you can get everything pre-configured and tested before you go abroad, and when you land, you simply put in their SIM card and power up your phone.</p>
<p>Along with Skype, if you have the new office 365 university, that bundle includes 60 free Skype minutes/credits every month. When I was overseas my parents ended up using that for the majority of calls</p>
<p>Yes, rolltiide. In fact I emailed the guy who runs Chronic Unlocks on the 4th of July with questions. I did not expect an answer that day but he was very responsive. The process took about 12 hours longer than their website advertised but that may have been due to the holiday. I didn’t really matter due to D’s schedule anyway. She couldn’t get over to the Carphone Warehouse until a couple of days later. </p>
<p>We will look into Truphone for next summer’s abroad experience (which will also include some time with her parents, hopefully!).</p>