Tutor
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38 Messages
Using a US phone number in the UK
I am going to England for a week and need to be able to receive and send work-related texts and calls on my iPhone. Or at the very least, I need to be able to receive texts, and I also need to be able to promptly reply to texts when necessary.
Will simply having roaming enabled on my phone work to receive? Asking because prior roaming attempts, when I was on other networks, did not work (even to receive) although roaming was enabled, and I soon found out this was because roaming needed to be "activated" with the network prior to usage.
Are there any such prerequisites with AT&T or should it pretty much work straightaway (without any "activation") if I travel there with roaming enabled? Payment is only required to send (not receive) texts/calls, correct? And if necessary I'll be able to use a WiFi connection there (i.e. site won't be restricted in England) to pay for and activate a service to send texts/calls while roaming, with the service coming into effect immediately or soon after payment?
I have also read about an alternate option to use Google Voice and Skype to forward texts/calls while abroad, but the process seems more trouble than it's worth since I'm only going to England for a week and would need to revert the entire setup when I return to NYC.
Will simply having roaming enabled on my phone work to receive? Asking because prior roaming attempts, when I was on other networks, did not work (even to receive) although roaming was enabled, and I soon found out this was because roaming needed to be "activated" with the network prior to usage.
Are there any such prerequisites with AT&T or should it pretty much work straightaway (without any "activation") if I travel there with roaming enabled? Payment is only required to send (not receive) texts/calls, correct? And if necessary I'll be able to use a WiFi connection there (i.e. site won't be restricted in England) to pay for and activate a service to send texts/calls while roaming, with the service coming into effect immediately or soon after payment?
I have also read about an alternate option to use Google Voice and Skype to forward texts/calls while abroad, but the process seems more trouble than it's worth since I'm only going to England for a week and would need to revert the entire setup when I return to NYC.
formerlyknownas
ACE - Sage
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113.5K Messages
6 years ago
You should add $0 travel pay per use and either Passport ot travel Day Pass to you phone line.
https://www.att.com/offers/international-plans.html
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sandblaster
ACE - Expert
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64.7K Messages
6 years ago
Only received texts are free. Any call over the foreign carrier's network, whether originated by you or not will pay international roaming rates. If you are not getting an international plan, make sure you turn data roaming off. Data charges without a plan are very high.
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connorhawke
Tutor
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38 Messages
6 years ago
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formerlyknownas
ACE - Sage
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113.5K Messages
6 years ago
@connorhawke That was a HUGE omission! Prepaid cannot roam. You cannot use your US number.
All prepaid carriers have regular monthly options for a single price.
As soon as you were told, you had prepaid and can't roam, you had to make other plans, like move to postpaid right away.
Your only option is buy a prepaid sim with a UK number.
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adidaskid808
ACE - Professor
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1.7K Messages
6 years ago
Make sure your phone is unlocked to use local Sim card in UK.
Seem like you're not only using AT&T prepaid without roaming in UK & your phone are locked to AT&T.
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connorhawke
Tutor
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38 Messages
6 years ago
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sandblaster
ACE - Expert
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64.7K Messages
6 years ago
You just need to move to postpaid service. All postpaid plans allow international roaming.
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37lVmiC
Contributor
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1 Message
4 years ago
Thanks for your clarity. However, I tried buying a COL (Colombia) sim and put in my ATT iPhone and it did not work. they said ATT blocked it. Can I buy and install a UK sim and not use my ATT account?
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formerlyknownas
ACE - Sage
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113.5K Messages
4 years ago
Your phone is locked to At&t. Until you unlock it, you can’t use any other SIM card.
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GamalEldin
New Member
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3 Messages
3 years ago
AT&T is absolute garbage, I activated the roaming on it while I was in America and it is not a prepaid phone, as soon as I arrived to the UK I have no service forever I had to buy a UK Sim card and use it but I was never able to use my AT&T phone number at all in the Uk even though I paid the $15 international calling and roaming before I left the US, and my phone is unlocked and I do have roaming enabled
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