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I am traveling to Ireland on Tuesday and I have a few questions:
1. My fisrt destination is Dublin, where should I go to buy a SIM card?
2. Will it change my phone number while I am there?
I have a Tour 9630 and my carrier is Verizon. Thanks in advance!
I can't answer the first question.
If you get a sim card over there, it will change your number to a "local" number. It also may or may not have any data associated with it.
Since you have verizon, you might consider using their Global plan. It reduces phone costs to about $0.99/minute which is still not cheap but about half of what they normally charge and you can get UNlimited data. It would cost about $65-70/month and replaces your current BIS $29/monthly plan, so about $40 extra per month. Weaknesses - you keep your current phone number so Ireland-locals calling you would be calling the US which is International. Of course, US-locals calling you would be calling the US-number - no changes in costs to them.
Someone should be able to answer the sim card part.
It depends on how long you will be overseas. If you'll only be there a week or two, I would call customer service and speak to the International department. I spent 8 days in Mexico, had unlimited data and international roaming and it was only $20.00 extra. If you'll be overseas for a month or more, get a pre-paid SIM from the carrier in Ireland...
If you plan to go the local SIM route make sure to have Verizon Global CS unlock the phone for you, as you will need to do this in order to get the local SIM to work. :) Also as the other person said, it may or may not include data, most likely not.
Also think how you will use your phone.
* If you are roaming on the US account, incoming calls are billable but most european services give free incoming calls but your US friends will have to pay international charges to call you (their problem).
* If you are making outgoing calls, where will you be calling? If you are dialling back to USA (international from Ireland) the cost on a local prepay SIM is at least comparable with the $1/minute which pk mentions and maybe higher. If you are using a prepay and mainly calling within the country you are visiting, local SIM probably comes cheaper. If you are roaming on your US account and calling other international (not local Irish and not US) numbers it will be very painful.
* If you go to a local SIM don't divert your regular cell number to it. You will get hit with international diversion costs. Better to modify your voicemail greeting to give callers your temporary number.