What's the best way to use an iphone 6 in Japan (mostly for data; some phone and texting - checking email, browsing, maybe Maps)?

Checking the webz, I'm not sure if my phone has a replaceable SIM card or not - sounds like not.

The verizon recommendation is their $10/day TravelPass but that adds up pretty quickly - 2 weeks will be $140!

Is there a better solution?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: konata88,

Do you really need to call or text or browse while you're out and about?

My suggestion is to just txt and call using a voip app while hooked up to wifi in your hotel room.(My understanding of Iphones is your msg will still be sent over the internet via IMessage)

Maps: Google Maps app allows you to download maps for offline use.

If you really want the piece of mind of being able to use your phone, go on ahead and enroll it in the TravelPass program and only use it on the days you can't get away with doing the above. Just keep your phone in airplane mode otherwise so you're only charged for the days you use it.

I just came back from two weeks in Europe and had to pay the $10/day Verizon charge. Worth every penny, if you'll do any kind of driving or coordinating with others. I drove a lot, so I could use Google Maps the whole time. I don't know what the locals in Japan use for texting, but in Germany it's 100% WhatsApp. When you don't have wifi, you will need a data plan. And I had to make a lot of phone calls too. I can write it off, since I was doing some work, but $140 to avoid the headaches I've had on previous trips was worth every penny.

Look at WhatsApp. Free texting, phone, video over WiFi. Consider getting a VPN like ExpressVPN for your phone to protect your browsing and data.

Personally, we used the TravelPass on our 10-day trip to Israel, and made good use of it with frequent DDG searches, looking up historical and biblical information.

Still open to suggestions but sounds like for Verizon, TravelPass is the only option.

Travel will not have WiFi access. Staying in a home without internet so will be limited to cell service.

Ugh. Expensive $10/day..... Will need to plan for No Phone days.

quote:

Originally posted by Rick Lee:
I just came back from two weeks in Europe and had to pay the $10/day Verizon charge. Worth every penny, if you'll do any kind of driving or coordinating with others. I drove a lot, so I could use Google Maps the whole time. I don't know what the locals in Japan use for texting, but in Germany it's 100% WhatsApp. When you don't have wifi, you will need a data plan. And I had to make a lot of phone calls too. I can write it off, since I was doing some work, but $140 to avoid the headaches I've had on previous trips was worth every penny.

Man, that is a lot of money when you get just buy a sim card and a monthly data plan for something like $40. This is what my wife and I do every time we visit France.

Konata, what you need to do is upgrade your phone.

I need to change carrier more than I need a new phone. As soon as this phone dies, I’ll switch to ATT - I think that will allow for local SIM card switching. I hate Verizon but can’t afford new phones on a whim. But the day the phone dies, bye bye Verizon.

quote:

Originally posted by Balzé Halzé:
Man, that is a lot of money when you get just buy a sim card and a monthly data plan for something like $40. This is what my wife and I do every time we visit France.

Konata, what you need to do is upgrade your phone.

I needed service as soon as I landed and couldn't wait go find a place to buy a SIM card and I certainly couldn't change my phone number while away. It's been a while since I have bought SIM cards in Germany, but last I tried, they would not sell to anyone without a German nat. ID card. I always had local friends with me to take care of it, but I wanted my voice and data service for every minute I was on the ground in Europe, and it was totally worth it.

I thought the convenience of being able to use our own phone numbers, as well as the frequent use of web searches, made the Travel Pass very worthwhile for me.
Particularly if there’s no WiFi, you may want to have regular phone service just as an insurance policy for emergencies at home or where you are.

When I was in Japan last time I had the Verizon International Plan it sucked ass but I made it work by getting by on Wifi mostly at the hotel and using GPS on Google Maps with every place favorited.

You could rent a pocket Wifi in Japan for 6-8 dollars per day, only down side is carrying a extra device and having to charge it.

Sim cards in Japan are on average 3-4 bucks a day but they throttle you afte 1-2 gigs a day and you can only make phone calls to others in Japan only and not back home to the US. This is the way to fo as long as you don't have to make phone calls.

The Travel plan sounds pretty good I'll probably use it next time, for 10 bucks a day it's not going to kill you, thats one extra meal right their.

Just booked 12 days in China, but I don't be doing any driving or coordinating with other people. Mrs. Lee and her folks will handle all that. So I may just use an old beater phone and local SIM card for this trip. Though I'm sure I will need to jump on my regular phone once in a while when work issues come up.

Sign up for Google Fi. You can just get a second number if you don't want to switch from Verizon.

They are selling the Moto g6 for $99 right now. They charge you the same data rate when traveling. Basically you use your phone exactly the way you would at home and you are charged the same price you would be in the US.

Only thing that is slightly extra is an actual phone call.

What I am suggesting would, in the long run, be more expensive than $140 in travel passes. But if you are going to be a frequent international traveler then I think Google Fi is the way to go.

quote:

Originally posted by Rick Lee:
I just came back from two weeks in Europe and had to pay the $10/day Verizon charge. Worth every penny, if you'll do any kind of driving or coordinating with others. I drove a lot, so I could use Google Maps the whole time. I don't know what the locals in Japan use for texting, but in Germany it's 100% WhatsApp. When you don't have wifi, you will need a data plan. And I had to make a lot of phone calls too. I can write it off, since I was doing some work, but $140 to avoid the headaches I've had on previous trips was worth every penny.

This, check with Verizon as they have a monthly travel pass also and it might be cheaper. Or temporarily upgrading your plan, I upgraded my plan from the middle unlimited plan to the top tier one for an extra $10 a month, but the top tier plan includes 5 free travel pass days a month. Depending on which day your plan rolls over, and when your trip is, it might fall over 2 billing months and you'll end up with 10 travel pass days for $20.

I have an iPhone 6, Verizon model, it is capable of CDMA (for Verizon and Sprint), and can also do GSM (AT&T and T-Mobile here in the U.S., as well as most of the rest of the world).

This phone DOES use a SIM. If you look at the right side of the phone, where the power on / off button is, below the power button, you will see a small hole on the side. Unbend a paper clip and push the end into that hole, that will release the latch on the tray that holds the SIM. You need a nano-SIM (size). You can probably get the SIM inserted wherever you buy it. Save the one that you take out, to re-use when you return to the U.S. from your trip.

If the phone is locked by Verizon, you will have to get them to unlock it for your trip, so that you can buy a local SIM when you get there.

Sounds complicated if you have not done it before, but really, it's easy.

If you have questions, first choice would be to go to an Apple store if there's one near you, you'll probably get a better explanation than you would from Verizon, and it won't cost anything to get your questions answered.

About two years ago, I signed up for the $10 per day Verizon service, while on a trip to Bermuda. It did not work well at all and they ended up refunding my money.

Don't count on free WiFi in Japan. It's not nearly as prevelant as it is in the States or Europe. On our two-week Japan trip I rented a WiFi hot spot and it worked out great.

My understanding is that the Verizon plan charges you $10 for the 24 hour period following first use of the phone. So if you don't need it all day, you could wait until 10:00 pm to check email and such, and then only pay the one $10 for use the entire next day. But the triggering use can be data from push notifications and updates of which you may be unaware, so make sure you turn that stuff off.

I bought a prepaid sim card with data for Japan off of Amazon. Used Google Voice for calls and Text.

Another reason we love T-Mobile. They're more an international wireless company than the other three. A 30-Day, 15GB international data pass was $50/line. There are also a 10 day, 5GB plan for $35 and a $5/day plan that gives you 512MB.

When I managed our wireless plan at my ex-employer's Japan was one of the most difficult with which to deal. We tried several more economical alternatives. In the end, Verizon's international roaming charge was the only dependable way to go.

Pick up a pocketWIFI at the airport, then just use wifi calling/etc. You're not a 2nd class citizen on a foreign network.
Tmobile says LTE, but fine print says you're limited to just over 1G speeds, when it worked at all.
Verizon worked OK, but it was expensive to pay by the minute/GB/text.