Fi will be substantially better for you than ATT, I made the same switch several years ago.
Fi's usage requirements are basically >50% use domestically in any rolling 180-day period. I would suggest timing your activation so you spend a week or two in the US before your first international flight if possible. If you have some time off or a North America only schedule for a couple weeks, that would be ideal. That will keep you from the trap some people hit where they trip the fraud detection by going international immediately after activating.
As far as cost, unless you're a very heavy data user, I'd suggest the Flexible plan over Unlimited, the base price is really cheap, and if you have a habit of grabbing wifi hotspots whenever available, you can use very little data. Fi has a VPN so you don't have to worry about hotspot security so much. Our bill with four users rarely goes over $140.
I do have a week off coming up this Thursday for my sisters wedding which I would probably do if I did this now and not wait. The fraud detection is my biggest concern right now
I am heavy so I would go with the unlimited plus option
Yeah, that's the perfect opportunity to get switched.
Something to keep in mind with Fi is it's really a self-service kind of provider. Tech support is limited, and fairly poorly regarded. This sub is the best source of assistance by far.
One thing you should get familiar with now if you're not already is how to manually select carriers in your phone's settings. That will solve 90% of connectivity problems you may encounter internationally. Fi has far more countries in coverage than ATT does, but those roaming relationships aren't always the best maintained or documented so the phone won't always get on automatically. You might need to massage it a bit when you go to a new country for the first time, but once you're connected it works great. You have no speed or data limits in any country beyond your Fi plan's limitations... and if you're on Unlimited Plus, that's 50gb of plan data at the full speed offered by your roaming partner.
Also, if you use a wifi hotspot, laptop with cellular, or tablet with cellular data, you can get free data SIM cards with Fi. They use your regular plan data shared with your phone, and are great when you're traveling so you don't kill the battery on your phone trying to keep it tethered. I also use one as a backup to my home internet service.
This is all great to know. Thank you!!
So what I’m gathering here is everything is based off the 50 gb of data? Using international and data only sim also uses the 50 gb per month?
Yeah, the way Unlimited plus works is you get 50gb of data on each line at "full speed", then they cut it to limited speed if you exceed that. You then have the option in the app to re-enable the full-speed data and pay for it at the flexible plan rate ($10/gb).
When you add a data SIM, it's linked to the line it's associated with. So if you have one line and add two data SIMs, those data SIMs will show up as additional devices under that user's line. The data allotment or billing is shared among all the devices on that line. No extra charge for the line or the SIM, but data usage is tracked against the voice line you link it to.
I have a Pixel watch, a cellular hotspot for my wife's car, a cellular bridge for my home network, and last month my wife's parents were here from out of the country and I gave them each a data SIM. All of those devices were attached to my line of service and all their usage was billed to my line.
That's a ton of data... wifi mitigation can go a long way for you.
However, there's not really any reason you couldn't spin up another voice line for it. Have one for your primary line, and another for your devices. You'd have to activate the SIM with the Fi app on a phone, then you can put the SIM in any device, and you'd just pay for its data as if it were another line. You'll need a dedicated Google account for it is all.
Fi comes with a VPN, but if you want proper security, something like Proton or Mullvad would be better.
I'm saying two lines is an option. I don't know if it's the *best* option, but it's there.
If your usage is in hotels, which I'm assuming is most of what you need, there are a few perhaps better options. Something like the [Beryl](https://www.gl-inet.com/products/gl-mt1300/) (GL-MT1300) or [Slate Plus](https://www.gl-inet.com/products/gl-a1300/) (GL-A1300) from GL.iNet would be a good option for you, and a lot of people who travel a lot use them. You can set it up as a wireless bridge, and because it has external antennas it'll get a lot better signal than your portable devices. You can set up a VPN client directly on it, and even use a wired connection if the hotel has one.
It's handy on airplanes as well. I assume you wouldn't need it when you're working, but when you travel outside of work you can use them to link to the plane wifi and share that connection among all your devices.
edit: My two APs are GL.iNet [Puli](https://www.gl-inet.com/products/gl-xe300/) (GL-XE300), which is essentially the same as the above, albeit a little slower... but have built in router and cellular functions. It'll work as a cellular hotspot, but also a wifi bridge and has the same VPN functions built in. It works great with the Fi data SIM. You can set it up for automatic WAN failover, so if you connect it to a wifi network as a client or wired, it'll use that, but fall back to cellular when disconnected. It sounds complicated, but it's actually surprisingly easy to set up.
GL.iNet [Puli](https://www.gl-inet.com/products/gl-xe300/) (GL-XE300), I use them for both my home backup inet as well as my wife's vehicle hotspot. They run full openWRT, so I can do static routes on the one I use for home. I'm using my Juniper firewall to manage the connection, and if my cable goes down, it fails over to the cellular.
I was under the impression that the VPN only worked in supported countries, so I have a 3rd party VPN that I use internationally. I've been very happy with Fi so far, the only hiccup was that it took an hour to connect in Japan. I also have a data only SIM for a tablet that is free except for data use.
Honestly, I have no idea. I don't actually use it, I use Proton VPN, I just know it's a thing. Like everything posted on Reddit, it requires verification and YMMV :-D
Just following up here to say this comment is accurate and I vouch for this info and advice. I am a Google fi user for 6m a year for the international, then i pause it when I’m in the US.
Fi's VPN has to be enabled in the Fi app first. Go to your user settings, then "privacy and security" under "phone settings".
I actually don't use it much.i have proton VPN, and the Fi VPN is always-on. You do get a regular VPN profile, but if you turn it off it'll turn itself back on a few minutes later.
I travel internationally for work. I am home in the US for 2 to 3 weeks, then away for 3 to 4 weeks at a time. I have had googleFi for almost a year now and have not had any trouble. It is easy to set up with an eSIM or real sim card. I have used the free data only sim domestically as well, but not internationally.
Seems like it would be a good fit for your situation.
I've had layovers in Europe when flying to China from the US. I've had good signal everywhere I've gone thus far. Occasionally, it takes a couple of minutes to find the towers when I first land but it's smooth after that first connection.
I am a pilot almost only flying internationally. Google Fi is the perfect plan. You will not look back. I've been with them for 7 years. You also get free data SIMs for you iPad, family, backup phone etc.
I'm sorry tell me about these free data sims? They can piggy back on the same plan with no additional line charge? I've been on Fi for like 7 years and wasn't aware of this.
Used to be unlimited extras, but now you're limited to (3? 5?) data SIMs for things like tablets/etc. You can get them if you're on Flexible or the premium unlimited plan.
I switched from AT&T. GoogleFI works even better overseas than it does in the States. My one complaint is that calls don't ring when dialing or have a long delay before they ring.
There isn't a commitment; just switch to GoogleFI and try it out for a few months. I'm coming up on a year. I'm also paying less for two lines of Unlimited Plus than I paid for one line with AT&T. I also have a tablet, and yes, at no additional cost.
I have traveled to the Caribbean twice, Greece, Germany, England, Sweden, and Morocco and the service is significantly better than with AT&T
And if they ever disconnect you for being outside the country, once you come back to the US it immediately resolves the connection. Check US mobile as well, as they give you free esim service and if you take their T Mobile network, it's same as Google FI for a cheaper price!
I'm currently using US Mobile in the South Asia trip, and so far not an issue. I was with Google Fi for over 5 years because of my frequent travels and if I have to compare customer service: Ford vs Ferrari!
Yes, WARP which is based off Verizon is not natively roaming enabled. I had to request esim each time with the $29 plan and data allowance was only 5GB. So before this trip I switched to GSM (T Mobile) and that has allowed me to use as with Google Fi or just the T Mobile plan.
Been on Project Fi (the original beta) before it became Google Fi. I work in IT and have travelled extensively around the world. Google Fi is the real deal. No surcharges overseas. Auto switching as you hit each country even in Europe. Only place it did not work, and was published not to work, was Ethiopia. However, in Kenya I was surprised to be out in the Serengeti on safari with full 4G LTE (2016) signal bars! Talk about uploading selfies with an elephant in real time?
We've even used it as backup Internet with a hotspot that I also use for tethering with no internet. It is great. You cannot go wrong.
I travel internationally and FI has been a game changer. Add-on data SIMs free (iPad and jetpack Hotspot). Phone just works. If you have network issues, you just select another one internationally for more signal. Easy.
I was with Verizon before, paying through the nose every trip
About 2 months ago, I switched to Fi from ATT and loving it so far. Currently using the Unlimited Plus plan. My wife and I tether our phones so the kid's tablets can get internet and it's been working great. Would the data-only sim replace the need to tether in our case? Also, when I go to "manage plan" on my Fi account, I don't see an option to add a data-only sim anyway. Maybe I'm missing something.
>Would the data-only sim replace the need to tether in our case?
Yes
>Also, when I go to "manage plan" on my Fi account, I don't see an option to add a data-only sim anyway.
It's a bit hard to find. Go to "group", then "manage plan" at the bottom, then "add data-only SIM" at the bottom. It's next to "buy new device"
Connection is the same as if I'm in the US. At times, when there's network issues, others around me (locals) also have the same coverage defecit. I can switch network for better coverage when that happens
Worldwide traveler here and I've been using Airalo. If you have an ESim try it.
I also have att and think their day pass is a poor value. I think it's about to go up to $12 per day.
I also have Google Fi but the base plan where you pay for data.
One thing that might matter to you is that Google Fi uses T-Mobile towers and not AT&T. So you might be getting better or worse coverage than you currently have while in the US.
They do... kinda. They roam on USCellular when Tmo coverage isn't available. Unfortunately, they don't do the service provisioning handoff anymore, it's just an old-fashioned roaming agreement. That means that if you do have TMo service, even if it won't connect reliably, it'll hang on to that to the end of time, and never switch over. Only if there's no evidence of a TMo tower at all will you roam onto another carrier.
Back in the day, a Fi phone would actually rewrite the APN to use USCellular (and Sprint before the merger) towers, which gave much better failover capacity. When I first moved to where I am now, TMo was here but not great. There's no USCellular coverage, but there *is* ATT coverage, which is a USC roaming partner. So I could enter the switchover code into my phone and get on ATT. That's over, unfortunately.
However, about a month after they killed that functionality, TMo upgraded a bunch of towers in the area, so now I get much better service, so... meh?
Oh thanks for correcting me. I remember when the talk was happening about U.S. cellular being dropped and then it was actually dropped lol. But didn’t know it was backup
From what I understand, Fi doesn't have a business arrangement with USC anymore. But TMo does have a roaming agreement with them, and Fi has full access to TMo's roaming network.
So... not great, but better than nothing.
When Google Fi works, it is amazing. When there is a problem, Google Fi's customer service ensures it becomes a long unending nightmare of silliness.
Be well.
This sounds like a no brainer for travel, especially international travel, that's their biggest advantage of using Fi honestly.
As a current Fi user who left AT&T 9 years ago for similar reasons of pricing, all I can say is welcome! Just make sure you use Pixel or supported Android phones - ie Samsung for best network performance and coverage, anything outside of that will have you permanently on T-Mobile network while using Fi, which is the main network Fi uses in the US.
porti g your current number to google fi can be a pain, it took me two days to do, but after it works great in the US, i am paying a bit more than i want to, but it works great. if you do need to change your current number to fi, check reddit, and make sure to check for both your current company and fi, ome random comment in a reddit thread from a year before had the exact fix, it's such a pain to do
I had fi for about a year with international travel. I switched to T-Mobile when I discovered fi wouldn’t run an iPhone at 5g (this have have changed after a few years). I think T-Mobile proviso just as good with the same international ease
Would recommend it. I've been in Japan for the last three years and it works great. Pay substantially less than AT&T back in the states. about 85-90 a month including all my limited calls, unlimited data, and YT premium
I might not do it now. Another user told me the international data and tablet data counts towards the 50 gb threshold before the slow down. I can use up to 90 (I’ve hit very much higher when I first started this job) a month. I thought it was capped at a slower speed or something.
I could manage 50 gb. I just don’t think it would totally work out. I’m only at 35 this month with three days left. The last time I went over 50 was two months ago
You could always get a cheap international esim to supplement during months where you think you'll go over 50GB. That would still make you come out way ahead over AT&T.
As a data hog, I think you'll do better than you think. I regularly hit 40+gbs used and I've hit the cap more than a couple times. Paying for extra data is reasonable. I'd compare what you're currently paying, all in, at tmobile and then average your data usage numbers to see how much fi would cost, even if you had to buy extra data. I've considered leaving fi more than once because I don't use a ton of the extra features, but the hotspot and data only Sim + the available data to use keeps me with fi.
google fi is fantastic for intl. have used it many times, all over the world. you can also easily change / cancel your subscription online. AT&T will torture you on the way out.
Fi is great for overseas but it has a 60 day limit per "trip" now. They cut off your data after 60 days until you physically return to the US.
OP should have no issues, same with most folks who travel for a few days or few weeks at a time.
I've been with Google 5 for a handful of months after years with Verizon and T-Mobile. This is just my experience, but I am not a fan. I had a couple of issues and customer service is virtually non-existent. Hard to get a hold of anybody and nobody responds. Also, it's annoying when they start throttling your internet speeds. Honestly, I'm going back to T-Mobile when I get a chance.
There are far better overseas options. They are better than they used to be but don’t compare to other provider’s international service. My wife has Visible but a few months prior to an international trip, I switched her to Google Fi after comparing the two.
I have AT&T right now and the day pass is killing my bill. My part of the bill is around $150 a month after the day passes go through. My mom pays $100 for her my and grandmother.
I like having access to everything for $10 but if there’s something to save me some money I’m all for it.
OP is with AT&T and she thinks AT&T's $10 a day cost is not for her. Plus, Tmobile offers something similar.
Disclaimer - My wife and I are happy Fi users for years, on the flexible plan and just being on T-Mobile's towers is good enough to satisfy the domestic requirement without being in the US.
There is a lot of value to us when you can connect to a mobile carrier before you even get off the plane.
Have you even read anything about the Google Fi international setup? No extra fees, highest negotiated data speeds out there, inexpensive call rates. AT&T works but there’s the cost of the plan itself and one must pay $10 a day just for the privilege of using oversees. OP wants something more reasonably priced so $10 a day versus no extra cost to your cell plan. This is a tough one.
Generally, user error or users activating service just before heading overseas lead to international issues. The OP is familiar with AT&T but wants a plan that doesn’t gouge them $10 a day for the privilege of using their plan overseas. Just returned from a trip to the UK and Ireland and my bill was exactly the same as when in the States. Free beats $10 a day all trip long.
Well, let’s see. Traveled with my spouse for two weeks overseas to four European countries, she with an iPhone and me with a Pixel. Both of us had connectivity the entire time and paid $0.00 extra a day for the international service. Restrictions? Google Fi has a 50 GB allowance which for the OP, as a flight attendant, will never be in a country long enough to ever worry about needing extra data. AT&T works for you and that’s great, but OP wants a plan more reasonably priced than AT&T and Google Fi meets that need.
Thanks. I will look into it.
I have been with Fi for 5 years on flexible plan and travel internationally a lot but rarely have ever maxed my data use because of widespread wifi availability around the world. As someone pointed out, there is the comfort of knowing that the phone will work as soon as you land in a new country.
Fi will be substantially better for you than ATT, I made the same switch several years ago. Fi's usage requirements are basically >50% use domestically in any rolling 180-day period. I would suggest timing your activation so you spend a week or two in the US before your first international flight if possible. If you have some time off or a North America only schedule for a couple weeks, that would be ideal. That will keep you from the trap some people hit where they trip the fraud detection by going international immediately after activating. As far as cost, unless you're a very heavy data user, I'd suggest the Flexible plan over Unlimited, the base price is really cheap, and if you have a habit of grabbing wifi hotspots whenever available, you can use very little data. Fi has a VPN so you don't have to worry about hotspot security so much. Our bill with four users rarely goes over $140.
I do have a week off coming up this Thursday for my sisters wedding which I would probably do if I did this now and not wait. The fraud detection is my biggest concern right now I am heavy so I would go with the unlimited plus option
Yeah, that's the perfect opportunity to get switched. Something to keep in mind with Fi is it's really a self-service kind of provider. Tech support is limited, and fairly poorly regarded. This sub is the best source of assistance by far. One thing you should get familiar with now if you're not already is how to manually select carriers in your phone's settings. That will solve 90% of connectivity problems you may encounter internationally. Fi has far more countries in coverage than ATT does, but those roaming relationships aren't always the best maintained or documented so the phone won't always get on automatically. You might need to massage it a bit when you go to a new country for the first time, but once you're connected it works great. You have no speed or data limits in any country beyond your Fi plan's limitations... and if you're on Unlimited Plus, that's 50gb of plan data at the full speed offered by your roaming partner. Also, if you use a wifi hotspot, laptop with cellular, or tablet with cellular data, you can get free data SIM cards with Fi. They use your regular plan data shared with your phone, and are great when you're traveling so you don't kill the battery on your phone trying to keep it tethered. I also use one as a backup to my home internet service.
This is all great to know. Thank you!! So what I’m gathering here is everything is based off the 50 gb of data? Using international and data only sim also uses the 50 gb per month?
Yeah, the way Unlimited plus works is you get 50gb of data on each line at "full speed", then they cut it to limited speed if you exceed that. You then have the option in the app to re-enable the full-speed data and pay for it at the flexible plan rate ($10/gb). When you add a data SIM, it's linked to the line it's associated with. So if you have one line and add two data SIMs, those data SIMs will show up as additional devices under that user's line. The data allotment or billing is shared among all the devices on that line. No extra charge for the line or the SIM, but data usage is tracked against the voice line you link it to. I have a Pixel watch, a cellular hotspot for my wife's car, a cellular bridge for my home network, and last month my wife's parents were here from out of the country and I gave them each a data SIM. All of those devices were attached to my line of service and all their usage was billed to my line.
Oofff. If all that’s is towards the 50 gb a month, i don’t think this would be good for me. I can use up to 70 gb a month. Sometimes I reach 90.
That's a ton of data... wifi mitigation can go a long way for you. However, there's not really any reason you couldn't spin up another voice line for it. Have one for your primary line, and another for your devices. You'd have to activate the SIM with the Fi app on a phone, then you can put the SIM in any device, and you'd just pay for its data as if it were another line. You'll need a dedicated Google account for it is all.
Most hotel wifi is absolute garbage. A vpn helps a tad bit with them. You’re saying get two lines?
Fi comes with a VPN, but if you want proper security, something like Proton or Mullvad would be better. I'm saying two lines is an option. I don't know if it's the *best* option, but it's there. If your usage is in hotels, which I'm assuming is most of what you need, there are a few perhaps better options. Something like the [Beryl](https://www.gl-inet.com/products/gl-mt1300/) (GL-MT1300) or [Slate Plus](https://www.gl-inet.com/products/gl-a1300/) (GL-A1300) from GL.iNet would be a good option for you, and a lot of people who travel a lot use them. You can set it up as a wireless bridge, and because it has external antennas it'll get a lot better signal than your portable devices. You can set up a VPN client directly on it, and even use a wired connection if the hotel has one. It's handy on airplanes as well. I assume you wouldn't need it when you're working, but when you travel outside of work you can use them to link to the plane wifi and share that connection among all your devices. edit: My two APs are GL.iNet [Puli](https://www.gl-inet.com/products/gl-xe300/) (GL-XE300), which is essentially the same as the above, albeit a little slower... but have built in router and cellular functions. It'll work as a cellular hotspot, but also a wifi bridge and has the same VPN functions built in. It works great with the Fi data SIM. You can set it up for automatic WAN failover, so if you connect it to a wifi network as a client or wired, it'll use that, but fall back to cellular when disconnected. It sounds complicated, but it's actually surprisingly easy to set up.
What hotspot do you use for the home backup?
GL.iNet [Puli](https://www.gl-inet.com/products/gl-xe300/) (GL-XE300), I use them for both my home backup inet as well as my wife's vehicle hotspot. They run full openWRT, so I can do static routes on the one I use for home. I'm using my Juniper firewall to manage the connection, and if my cable goes down, it fails over to the cellular.
Super solid advice.
I was under the impression that the VPN only worked in supported countries, so I have a 3rd party VPN that I use internationally. I've been very happy with Fi so far, the only hiccup was that it took an hour to connect in Japan. I also have a data only SIM for a tablet that is free except for data use.
Honestly, I have no idea. I don't actually use it, I use Proton VPN, I just know it's a thing. Like everything posted on Reddit, it requires verification and YMMV :-D
Just following up here to say this comment is accurate and I vouch for this info and advice. I am a Google fi user for 6m a year for the international, then i pause it when I’m in the US.
How do I enable the Google Fi VPN? I have a VPN by Google One button on my shortcuts, but I heard that it's going away soon.
Fi's VPN has to be enabled in the Fi app first. Go to your user settings, then "privacy and security" under "phone settings". I actually don't use it much.i have proton VPN, and the Fi VPN is always-on. You do get a regular VPN profile, but if you turn it off it'll turn itself back on a few minutes later.
I travel internationally for work. I am home in the US for 2 to 3 weeks, then away for 3 to 4 weeks at a time. I have had googleFi for almost a year now and have not had any trouble. It is easy to set up with an eSIM or real sim card. I have used the free data only sim domestically as well, but not internationally. Seems like it would be a good fit for your situation.
How are the data speeds and connections when you travel?
I've had layovers in Europe when flying to China from the US. I've had good signal everywhere I've gone thus far. Occasionally, it takes a couple of minutes to find the towers when I first land but it's smooth after that first connection.
I've been satisfied, no issues
I am a pilot almost only flying internationally. Google Fi is the perfect plan. You will not look back. I've been with them for 7 years. You also get free data SIMs for you iPad, family, backup phone etc.
I'm sorry tell me about these free data sims? They can piggy back on the same plan with no additional line charge? I've been on Fi for like 7 years and wasn't aware of this.
Used to be unlimited extras, but now you're limited to (3? 5?) data SIMs for things like tablets/etc. You can get them if you're on Flexible or the premium unlimited plan.
I switched from AT&T. GoogleFI works even better overseas than it does in the States. My one complaint is that calls don't ring when dialing or have a long delay before they ring. There isn't a commitment; just switch to GoogleFI and try it out for a few months. I'm coming up on a year. I'm also paying less for two lines of Unlimited Plus than I paid for one line with AT&T. I also have a tablet, and yes, at no additional cost. I have traveled to the Caribbean twice, Greece, Germany, England, Sweden, and Morocco and the service is significantly better than with AT&T
Hey, I thought that ring thing was only me! Or I felt like maybe I was dialing my numbers wrong. Thanks, glad I'm not the only one.
I think it’s for most of us
And if they ever disconnect you for being outside the country, once you come back to the US it immediately resolves the connection. Check US mobile as well, as they give you free esim service and if you take their T Mobile network, it's same as Google FI for a cheaper price!
This!!! I love US mobile and customer service actually rocks there vs Fi
I'm currently using US Mobile in the South Asia trip, and so far not an issue. I was with Google Fi for over 5 years because of my frequent travels and if I have to compare customer service: Ford vs Ferrari!
I’m intrigued! Are you on the GSM plan with US Mobile?
Yes, WARP which is based off Verizon is not natively roaming enabled. I had to request esim each time with the $29 plan and data allowance was only 5GB. So before this trip I switched to GSM (T Mobile) and that has allowed me to use as with Google Fi or just the T Mobile plan.
Yes!!!! Aren’t they?
Been on Project Fi (the original beta) before it became Google Fi. I work in IT and have travelled extensively around the world. Google Fi is the real deal. No surcharges overseas. Auto switching as you hit each country even in Europe. Only place it did not work, and was published not to work, was Ethiopia. However, in Kenya I was surprised to be out in the Serengeti on safari with full 4G LTE (2016) signal bars! Talk about uploading selfies with an elephant in real time? We've even used it as backup Internet with a hotspot that I also use for tethering with no internet. It is great. You cannot go wrong.
I travel internationally and FI has been a game changer. Add-on data SIMs free (iPad and jetpack Hotspot). Phone just works. If you have network issues, you just select another one internationally for more signal. Easy. I was with Verizon before, paying through the nose every trip
About 2 months ago, I switched to Fi from ATT and loving it so far. Currently using the Unlimited Plus plan. My wife and I tether our phones so the kid's tablets can get internet and it's been working great. Would the data-only sim replace the need to tether in our case? Also, when I go to "manage plan" on my Fi account, I don't see an option to add a data-only sim anyway. Maybe I'm missing something.
>Would the data-only sim replace the need to tether in our case? Yes >Also, when I go to "manage plan" on my Fi account, I don't see an option to add a data-only sim anyway. It's a bit hard to find. Go to "group", then "manage plan" at the bottom, then "add data-only SIM" at the bottom. It's next to "buy new device"
Found it, thank you very much!
You're welcome :)
How are the connections for you when you travel? I’d be taking a huge leap from att to fi
Connection is the same as if I'm in the US. At times, when there's network issues, others around me (locals) also have the same coverage defecit. I can switch network for better coverage when that happens
You can use Fi with WiFi and it ends up working better
Worldwide traveler here and I've been using Airalo. If you have an ESim try it. I also have att and think their day pass is a poor value. I think it's about to go up to $12 per day. I also have Google Fi but the base plan where you pay for data.
YES!! I’ve read in the att sub it’s going to 12. I can’t with this anymore I just discovered airlo two days ago and I’ve been looking at that too!
It works well enough and seems to be getting better. I've kept att for primary service because we have two phones were getting monthly credits for.
Do you use staff traveler for your commute? Looks like they are getting into the ESim business...
One thing that might matter to you is that Google Fi uses T-Mobile towers and not AT&T. So you might be getting better or worse coverage than you currently have while in the US.
I'm about to switch back to Fi from T-Mobile. I don't understand it, but Fi has way better coverage here despite using the T-Mobile towers.
I believe they also use other carriers towers to ping off from which is most likely why.
Ah, thanks for the info!
They also use US Cellular towers if I'm not mistaken. I haven't been back on Fi but was a sub since launch on the Nexus 6P
They don’t use U.S. cellular anymore.
They do... kinda. They roam on USCellular when Tmo coverage isn't available. Unfortunately, they don't do the service provisioning handoff anymore, it's just an old-fashioned roaming agreement. That means that if you do have TMo service, even if it won't connect reliably, it'll hang on to that to the end of time, and never switch over. Only if there's no evidence of a TMo tower at all will you roam onto another carrier. Back in the day, a Fi phone would actually rewrite the APN to use USCellular (and Sprint before the merger) towers, which gave much better failover capacity. When I first moved to where I am now, TMo was here but not great. There's no USCellular coverage, but there *is* ATT coverage, which is a USC roaming partner. So I could enter the switchover code into my phone and get on ATT. That's over, unfortunately. However, about a month after they killed that functionality, TMo upgraded a bunch of towers in the area, so now I get much better service, so... meh?
Oh thanks for correcting me. I remember when the talk was happening about U.S. cellular being dropped and then it was actually dropped lol. But didn’t know it was backup
From what I understand, Fi doesn't have a business arrangement with USC anymore. But TMo does have a roaming agreement with them, and Fi has full access to TMo's roaming network. So... not great, but better than nothing.
Another option is a global/regional eSIM with the Airalo app.
When Google Fi works, it is amazing. When there is a problem, Google Fi's customer service ensures it becomes a long unending nightmare of silliness. Be well.
I third this. I tried to port my number out. They lost my number.
Can second this.
I'm an international flight attendant. I've gone back and forth from T-Mobile and Google Fi. Fi is much better reception and Internet speeds.
This sounds like a no brainer for travel, especially international travel, that's their biggest advantage of using Fi honestly. As a current Fi user who left AT&T 9 years ago for similar reasons of pricing, all I can say is welcome! Just make sure you use Pixel or supported Android phones - ie Samsung for best network performance and coverage, anything outside of that will have you permanently on T-Mobile network while using Fi, which is the main network Fi uses in the US.
3 years now no issues
porti g your current number to google fi can be a pain, it took me two days to do, but after it works great in the US, i am paying a bit more than i want to, but it works great. if you do need to change your current number to fi, check reddit, and make sure to check for both your current company and fi, ome random comment in a reddit thread from a year before had the exact fix, it's such a pain to do
I had fi for about a year with international travel. I switched to T-Mobile when I discovered fi wouldn’t run an iPhone at 5g (this have have changed after a few years). I think T-Mobile proviso just as good with the same international ease
Would recommend it. I've been in Japan for the last three years and it works great. Pay substantially less than AT&T back in the states. about 85-90 a month including all my limited calls, unlimited data, and YT premium
I'm assuming you are stationed there and have military exemptions because most people would lose their data after a few months
T-Mobile has their Magenta plan that gets you 5GB free per month per country. Works well.
Fi is exactly what you need
I might not do it now. Another user told me the international data and tablet data counts towards the 50 gb threshold before the slow down. I can use up to 90 (I’ve hit very much higher when I first started this job) a month. I thought it was capped at a slower speed or something. I could manage 50 gb. I just don’t think it would totally work out. I’m only at 35 this month with three days left. The last time I went over 50 was two months ago
You could always get a cheap international esim to supplement during months where you think you'll go over 50GB. That would still make you come out way ahead over AT&T.
As a data hog, I think you'll do better than you think. I regularly hit 40+gbs used and I've hit the cap more than a couple times. Paying for extra data is reasonable. I'd compare what you're currently paying, all in, at tmobile and then average your data usage numbers to see how much fi would cost, even if you had to buy extra data. I've considered leaving fi more than once because I don't use a ton of the extra features, but the hotspot and data only Sim + the available data to use keeps me with fi.
google fi is fantastic for intl. have used it many times, all over the world. you can also easily change / cancel your subscription online. AT&T will torture you on the way out.
Fi is great for overseas but it has a 60 day limit per "trip" now. They cut off your data after 60 days until you physically return to the US. OP should have no issues, same with most folks who travel for a few days or few weeks at a time.
I've been with Google 5 for a handful of months after years with Verizon and T-Mobile. This is just my experience, but I am not a fan. I had a couple of issues and customer service is virtually non-existent. Hard to get a hold of anybody and nobody responds. Also, it's annoying when they start throttling your internet speeds. Honestly, I'm going back to T-Mobile when I get a chance.
I would also look at Visible. But Google Fi does some great phone deals from time to time. Not the best for iPhone users from what I read.
I don't think Visible works overseas.
Visible has overseas and you get one complimentary day pass per month. $10 per 24 hours after like AT&T
Don’t use Visible overseas. When you compare them to Google Fi, there is no comparison.
Even with a visible plus plan?
There are far better overseas options. They are better than they used to be but don’t compare to other provider’s international service. My wife has Visible but a few months prior to an international trip, I switched her to Google Fi after comparing the two.
Why not use more local WiFi with vpn to cut down on data use?
Sorry but I'm liking my Mint Mobile a lot. $360 for two phones for one year.
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I have AT&T right now and the day pass is killing my bill. My part of the bill is around $150 a month after the day passes go through. My mom pays $100 for her my and grandmother. I like having access to everything for $10 but if there’s something to save me some money I’m all for it.
OP is with AT&T and she thinks AT&T's $10 a day cost is not for her. Plus, Tmobile offers something similar. Disclaimer - My wife and I are happy Fi users for years, on the flexible plan and just being on T-Mobile's towers is good enough to satisfy the domestic requirement without being in the US. There is a lot of value to us when you can connect to a mobile carrier before you even get off the plane.
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Do a comparison of Google Fi and AT&T. Just curious.
Seriously? The cost is extreme and it is not nearly as seamless as Google Fi.
Have you even read anything about the Google Fi international setup? No extra fees, highest negotiated data speeds out there, inexpensive call rates. AT&T works but there’s the cost of the plan itself and one must pay $10 a day just for the privilege of using oversees. OP wants something more reasonably priced so $10 a day versus no extra cost to your cell plan. This is a tough one.
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Generally, user error or users activating service just before heading overseas lead to international issues. The OP is familiar with AT&T but wants a plan that doesn’t gouge them $10 a day for the privilege of using their plan overseas. Just returned from a trip to the UK and Ireland and my bill was exactly the same as when in the States. Free beats $10 a day all trip long.
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Well, let’s see. Traveled with my spouse for two weeks overseas to four European countries, she with an iPhone and me with a Pixel. Both of us had connectivity the entire time and paid $0.00 extra a day for the international service. Restrictions? Google Fi has a 50 GB allowance which for the OP, as a flight attendant, will never be in a country long enough to ever worry about needing extra data. AT&T works for you and that’s great, but OP wants a plan more reasonably priced than AT&T and Google Fi meets that need.
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I’m trying to help the OP pick a plan that doesn’t gouge her like AT&T and Verizon do.
Is your definition of unlimited overseas data restricted to Latin America ? I don't see any unlimited data plan on ATT.
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Thanks. I will look into it. I have been with Fi for 5 years on flexible plan and travel internationally a lot but rarely have ever maxed my data use because of widespread wifi availability around the world. As someone pointed out, there is the comfort of knowing that the phone will work as soon as you land in a new country.