Mobile Talk+Data Providers - Xfinity

[Jay Bee]

Hi guys,

I know most here are better at giving insights into bball (e.g., need to use the portal, need to practice free throws, need to attempt more mid-range shots, etc.), but thought some of you geeks may have words of wisdom on mobile phone service providers.

I recently moved and now have Xfinity wifi due to limited choices. It's working just fine and the pricing is actually good.

I've had AT&T for phone purposes for many years, and have watched the price go up over time. I use an old iphone 11 and rarely talk on it - mostly it's for texting, Scoop, X, xxx, news/scores, TikTok... and often at home I put it on airplane mode and simply use Xfinity wifi instead of AT&T wireless.

It appears - although it seems wild - that I can switch to Xfinity for my phone for $0 for the next 12 months.. thereafter, the price (as of now) is only $40 / month. AT&T is charging me over $100. Is this a no brainer for me to switch?

It looks like I'm able to use 'eSim' too? So, I could make the switch nice and easy in a few minutes, yes?

Any watchouts for me to consider or do I make the move pronto? I think the biggest fear is driving around and not being able to get service... (meaning here in the Twin Cities metro.. not spending a lot of time in desolate places around the world).

Thanks for any insights, dorkwads.

[Dish]

Xfinity is most likely using Verizon as their carrier. I'd recommend double checking to make sure your eSIM will pick up VZ (it should, if it was US Cellular or one of the non three major carriers, I'd maybe be more concerned).

Working in this industry, the best advice I can provide is check a coverage map for Minnesota. T-Mo has probably the best coverage, VZ can be spotty further north. You're most likely only getting 4G coverage, which is probably more than fine for what you're describing your phone usage as.

It's a good deal, and if you're fine with Xfinity/Verizon, you're probably fine.

[WhiteTrash]

Dish, any thoughts on AT&T? One of my companies has 25-ish phones and 30 vehicle gps units. The service is OK but people tell me Verizon is better. Would you use AT&t?

[mu_hilltopper]

Visible wireless is excellent.  $25/month, unlimited everything.  Every so often they have a $20/month deal you can lock in.

Been using it for 2-3 years now.  Verizon network. Never let me down.  Truth is, you likely have wifi (calling) at home and work, so 80% of your life is already covered.

eSIMs are amazing.  I've switched carriers using that process and am blown away by how quickly the eSIM is delivered and installed, so painless.

-- Bonus tip.  If you're ever travelling to a foreign country, try BNESim.  We've used it 3x going to Europe .. it'll be like $4 for 3GB of data, delivered instantly. 

(And if you think 3GB of data isn't enough, I bought them for my wife and kids, and all of us had 1-2GBs of data left at the end of the trip.)

[warriorchick]

-- Bonus tip.  If you're ever travelling to a foreign country, try BNESim.  We've used it 3x going to Europe .. it'll be like $4 for 3GB of data, delivered instantly. 

(And if you think 3GB of data isn't enough, I bought them for my wife and kids, and all of us had 1-2GBs of data left at the end of the trip.)

How easy is it to set up once you get it?  I have looked into ESims before, and it looks like a 5- or 6-step process.  Is it possible to set it up and confirm it is working before you actually get to Europe?  The idea of futzing around with it while I am jetlagged and on some random street corner in Portugal does not appeal to me.

[mu_hilltopper]

How easy is it to set up once you get it?  I have looked into ESims before, and it looks like a 5- or 6-step process.  Is it possible to set it up and confirm it is working before you actually get to Europe?  The idea of futzing around with it while I am jetlagged and on some random street corner in Portugal does not appeal to me.

So .. we bought/received/loaded our eSIMs before we left last week.  You don't (can't?) toggle it "on" until you get to the country/region it's intended, so no testing in the US.

We turned them on whilst on the plane, worked immediately.    (Actually, one tip, you need to go into the SIM menu and toggle "roaming - on" and then it worked.)


Anyhow .. they're so cheap, even if it fails and you buy a second one .. you're out $4?

[Hards Alumni]

I tried Saily when I was in Greece, and it would not work on my phone.

[mu_hilltopper]

Here's a way to test, cheaply:  Buy the eSIM for the United States .. 1GB is $1.38.

Install the app, buy the eSIM, walk though the process.  Toggle off your regular phone SIM, toggle on the new one .. see if you have data.

[MU1in77]

We have US Cellular and signed up for their international plan on both our phones when we went to Italy in Sept of 2023. On the day we arrived neither phone worked even though we were assured there would be no problem. I spent an hour that night on the phone using the AirBNB internet with US Cellular before getting an answer from one of the tech people that because our phones were 5G the plan would not work in Italy. It took us 2 months to get all the fees removed.

[rocky_warrior]

If you actually travel internationally quite a bit, I don't think you can beat Google Fi.  Works here (t-mobile), and every other country I've visited.

https://fi.google.com/about/international-rates

Make calls to other countries at little to no additional cost, and get international texting from the US included free. All plans include data, calls, and texts within the US, Canada and Mexico. Plus, Flexible and Unlimited Plus also come with international data in 200+ destinations, and for supported Pixel and Samsung phones, 5G coverage is available in select countries and territories.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

Interesting discussion on the e-Sim purchase.  I will have to look into.
I believe not every phone is e-Sim capable.

I have AT&T and for international, they charge $10/day unlimited talk, text, data, with a max of $100 per month.  If another user on your plan is also international I believe they only charge $5/day for the any additional persons.

That being said, I always use WhatsApp and try to avoid cell usage and stick to WIFI.  At the end of the trip, I'll have a few days without the $10/day charge.   

[Hards Alumni]

Here's a way to test, cheaply:  Buy the eSIM for the United States .. 1GB is $1.38.

Install the app, buy the eSIM, walk though the process.  Toggle off your regular phone SIM, toggle on the new one .. see if you have data.

Yeah, that's what I should have done.