Travel To North America

[Markj_UK]

Hi, I'm trying to find a solution for using my phone/tariff in North America (specifically Canada).  I've been told that O2 have one solution for this and it's O2 Travel which allows unlimited calls, texts and data for £6 a day.  As I'm travelling for an extended period this will quickly mount up to a sizeable bill.  Are there any other solutions for such circumstances?  I'd ideally like to avoid having to buy a local phone or relying on Wi-Fi.

[MI5 · Accepted solution]

@Markj_UK 

Travel guide here Guide: Roaming MegaGuide 

You'll need either a local sim or wifi to avoid any sort of charges.

[Cleoriff]

@Markj_UK 

O2 have O2 Travel for £6.00 per day and also O2 Travel  Inclusive (which is tariff dependent) which will cost you nothing. All info in this guide Guide: Roaming MegaGuide 

[Markj_UK]

Thanks Cleoriff, much appreciated.  The customer services rep had no knowledge of travel Inclusive so will try and see if I can more info on that.

[MI5]

It's in the guide I posted above @Markj_UK 

but without knowledge of your tariff I couldn't say if you can get it.

[Markj_UK]

Thanks MI5 but looking to avoid relying on local sim or wifi and instead use my o2 account.  No problem with paying an additional fee but £6 a day for a month is a lot of money.  Going to see if O2 Travel Inclusive is available to me.

[Cleoriff]

@Markj_UK 

The tariffs which will give you O2 Travel Inclusive are:

https://www.o2.co.uk/international/travel-inclusive-zone 

If you aren't eligible for that, then O2 Travel is the other option. You only pay for the days you use it.

Wifi is plentiful in the US so you could use that. Keep in touch with family and friends by using Messenger or Whatsapp (make sure they have these apps as well)

People do benefit from the use of a local sim (T Mobile or AT&T) as data speeds with O2 are heavily throttled.

There are plenty of options. Enjoy your holiday.

[Bambino]

@Markj_UK Just to add that AT&T and T-Mobile are not available in Canada. The three major networks are Bell, Rogers, and Telus. As @Cleoriff has said, O2 throttles their data speeds for customers abroad, so if you're going to be in Canada for any appreciable time, and will be relying on data, you might want to look into getting a local Pay & Go sim from a Canadian network. It's my understanding that Telus has the most widespread coverage, but you should do the research for yourself.

[Cleoriff]

Thanks for the info re Canadian networks @Bambino. Must admit to my error about T Mobile and AT&T mobile as 'my brain' was in the US not Canada. Lol.