For jet-setters like myself, T-Mobile's free international data plan was a game changer. When I heard that T-Mobile is offering this incredible plan called "Simple Choice" in Oct 2013, I immediately switched to T-Mobile from AT&T. It was a big gamble to let go of the grandfathered unlimited data & talk that I had at AT&T because they no longer offer it but it was the best switch I've made!! I even paid for the early termination fee (now T-Mobile will even pay for it!!! Too bad it didn't happen earlier!) but I figured it would be worth it if I can use 3G data everywhere around the world considering how much I travel and how expensive international data roaming costs. A nice sales associate named Dione was incredibly helpful and assisted me to switch to T-Mobile smoothly.
Since I switched to TM, I've used this int'l 3G data (sometime it switched to GSPS, 2G, or E when I went to the countryside like Dolomiti in Italy even though I was told that the first 2.5GB is 3G, and then the data speed will become E) in France, Italy, UK, Portugal, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Thailand, and Japan and it worked perfectly fine. It was scary to use 3G abroad at first because I was used to switching my phone to airplane mode every time I traveled to avoid the risk of getting overcharged. Since no one else around me has had the chance to experiment how fast the data speed and how it actually works without getting outrageous charges, I had to take the risk and find out on my own. It was such a relief to receive a phone bill without no crazy oversea data charges! With my iPhone 5, the data speed is usually 3G while I'm abroad (while I'm in NYC it's usually LTE) but for me it's fast enough to use GPS, send pics, check websites, etc. Finding free wifi is especially challenging in Italy, UK, and Japan but thanks to T-Mobile I'm no longer wifi-dependent!!! It feels so liberating!!! Truly priceless!!
In France, my phone was using the local 3G data from Orange 3G and Bouyges and in Italy it was switching networks between TIM, Wind, and Vodafone. In UK, my phone was connected to Orange UK and EE. In Japan, my phone was connected to the 3G network of NTT Docomo and SoftBank and the data speed and connection was better than I expected. However, in Hong Kong, I was only connected to the cellular network of SMC HK which allowed me to send and receive texts for free but no 3G and therefore no web browsing, no FB, and so on on the first day. You might need to be patient and wait for a day because my phone didn't connect to the local 3G network in Hong Kong until the following day. In China, I was connected to China Unicom's cellular network but didn't get connected to 3G network for the first 2 days and I had no service in certain areas. In Portugal, I was connected to Vodafone and Optimus and the data speed was good. When my flight got canceled in Lisbon and the hotel wifi didn't work, I was able to rebook my flight using my iPhone 3G!! It saved me big time!!! This means a lot to me because I am prone to the flight cancellations while abroad and I used to struggle finding free or cheap wifi!! When I got stranded in Paris 15 years ago, three 2 minutes calls I made from the public phone at CDG cost me $100!! When Heathrow shut down the airport in 2010 due to snow, I got stranded in London for 5 days and I spent 6 hours at Starbucks everyday to take advantage of free wifi (actually, initially you have to pay £2 to get wifi access for all the UK Starbucks) to rebook my flight. And when I got stranded at Heathrow again in 2012, I paid £5 to use Boingo wifi to rebook my flight. When I got stranded in Paris again in 2012 thanx to the Air France strike, I struggled to use the hotel wifi which was unstable and had very weak signal. CDG Airport offered free wifi for only 15 min and after that is not free. I used to pay nearly additional $50-$60 to AT&T for making a few short international calls($1.99/min) and 30-40 texts while I was in Europe. So do you now see why I wish I had this service earlier?? Although we Americans are spoiled by readily available free wifi everywhere, many countries are still way behind when it comes to free wifi. I know this because I lived it.
The only issue I have is if I go outside the metropolitan area in the States, the reception is very weak. For example, I get no service when I go snowboarding in Mountain Creek (Vernon, NJ) which is inconvenient when I try to find friends who got separated. If you don't travel abroad very often, then stick to Verizon or AT&T because they have better coverage. But as for me, all this free int'l data I get for $78/month is a steal!
Thank you T-Mobile!!! You rock!! read more