Using US mobile phones

AshvEd

Does anyone have experience using US mobile phones in SE Asia (Singapore, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia)? We have Verizon and might take one of their limited plans or look for SIM cards. We always try to use wi-fi for the internet however we do want to be voice connected for emergencies.

British

We had great Wi-Fi everywhere, so you can easily use FaceTime for free. We have Comcast which now includes cell phones for $12 a month for the both of us. So we had automatic service in each country and when we arrived in the country our phones would ping to say how much a minute it was, generally about 10 cents

BKMD

Verizon uses CDMA which is a data protocol tied to the hardware, which doesn't lend itself to swapping sim cards. GSM is pretty much the world standard outside North America (which AT&T uses), and those are the phones you can swap sim cards.

There is limited CDMA service around the world, but not in all countries. Suggest you check with Verizon for specifics. If you need to use your phone a lot, it's probably most cost-effective to pick up a phone and sim card in the countries you visit. My daughter was recently in the UK, and Verizon charged $10/day for service.

taxare

We have had good wi-fi access most of the time in the countries you mention. I would suggest you also look on the Verizon website and learn how to use their wi-fi calling. If there is wi-fi you can call. You can always add their international pay as you go plan, and you will be able to call anytime/anywhere with no charge until the actual call (its expensive on a per minute basis) or as noted above if you really need to call daily, add the $10 day plan.

AshvEd

Thanks for the great suggestions. Ed