We are always looking to add new options for people who are looking to get coverage abroad. One of the reasons why we had shied away a bit from talking about Google Fi international coverage was because the information that we were getting kept evolving. As of right now it does seem that Google Fi is on more solid ground when it comes to international coverage. In the sense that they don’t have a lot of fine print that you need to be aware of before you take the phone abroad. There are still certain fine points about Google Fi’s international coverage that we are going to want to discuss though. Particularly in the sense that what you see is what you get. That can be a good thing and a bad thing.
If you’re a regular user of Google Fi there are probably a couple of things that you already know. One, if you have an Android phone and particularly a Google manufactured home you’re going to in the good graces of Google. That essentially means that you’re going to be able to get all of the benefits that the network has to offer. Including the unlimited data and texts that Google International coverage promises. At least if you’re on the unlimited plan. Calls are still billed differently than text and data. Therefore that’s certainly something to keep an eye out for. Here are a couple of things that we are going to be talking about in this article.
- What Type of Coverage Can I Expect From Google Fi Abroad
- Google Fi International Coverage Rates
- Google Fi International Coverage Speed
- How Long Can I Be Abroad With My Google Fi Phone?
- Can I Get A US Number From Google Fi If I’m Located Abroad?
- Google Fi iPhone Concerns
- How Does It Rack Up Against Other Service Providers?
- Google Fi or A Local SIM Card
What Type of Coverage Can I Expect From Google Fi Abroad
One of the things that had us on the fence about “recommending” or covering the Google Fi option was the lack of information about what international coverage from Google Fi looked like. We are talking about the tangible performance that you could really expect from the network. Even as a subscriber there are a ton of things that you have to dig deep into the Google page to be able to find. It’s not that other service providers don’t hide the fine print. Like how T-Mobile’s unlimited text and data internationally are offered at 2G speeds. Yet, this is information that you can find on their site in 2 minutes. With Google there’s not a lot of info about things like speed of the coverage. Certainly, that’s something that is rather important.
As far as the coverage that you’re looking at, well it’s going to expand to over 200 countries. You can find the list of those countries pretty quickly on the site. As we always say though about these lists of countries, don’t expect to be getting the same type of coverage in the middle of the capital city in that country and in the rural areas. This is an issue that we see plaguing a lot of people. If you’re heading over to a place like Machu Picchu en Peru to visit don’t expect the same type of coverage in Lima than in the ruins. It’s kind of a given, but some people tend to overlook some of these situations.
For the most part though, Google Fi has certainly been getting reviews for their international coverage. One of the things though that we feel needs to be pointed out is that you’ll be well served if you play by the rules of Google. What we mean by that is, ideally get a Google phone or by one from them. The plans are certainly very accessible. We are going to talk more about this shortly, but there are first class and second class customers on this network. Playing into Google’s good graces to be a first class customer is a good idea.
Google Fi International Coverage Rates
Google Fi can be a great ally for travelers. The thing is you have to make sure that you’re on the right plan. Really a wrong move in this department is going to be the difference between having the unlimited data and text option or having to pay $10 per GB that you use. There are only really two options as far as travel plans with Google Fi go. You’re either on the unlimited plan or the flexible plan. The flexible plan is obviously the one that you’re going to be charged $10 per GB of usage. Be very, very careful if you have that plan. It can be really easy to rack up a nasty bill, because by all accounts you are going to be getting decent speedy coverage and that can lead you to go a little overboard.
When it comes to calls they are going to be priced at 20 cents a minute. That may not seem like much on paper, but just do the math if you’re playing on calling back home and spending at least twenty minutes on the phone every day. Luckily, there are a ton of other options that you can choose from. Specifically apps that you can use to call back home. If you have the unlimited data plan you may not even need to connect to a local wifi network to be able to make the call.
Even if you’re on the unlimited plan it could still be a good idea to keep tabs on your data usage. You get no data throttling until you’ve used 22GB on the unlimited plan or 15GB on the flex plan. That is a lot of data that you have to use. In any case though, you never want to be at the mercy of any company counting up minutes or data. There’s a good chance that you want to keep control of the data that you use particularly so that you can control the speed that you’re getting.
Google Fi International Coverage Speed
By most accounts this is what really separates Google Fi from Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T and other service providers. As we mentioned you have T-Mobile announcing in bright letters that you’re going to be able to use unlimited data and texting while traveling abroad. Yet this data is going to be coming at you at 2G speeds. If you want to remember what it was like trying to access the internet on your phone in the mid to late 2000’s this a great option for you. The reality is though, that when you’re used to 4G and 5G speeds you probably don’t want to go back.
With Google Fi you can expect a decent amount of LTE speed coverage in most destinations abroad. As we mentioned, they promise that there is no data throttling until you use up around 22GB of that data per month on the unlimited plan. With some of the other options out there you’re going to have to put down a decent amount of cash if you want to keep getting those LTE speeds.
As we’ve mentioned before the speed that you get is going to depend on where you are when you’re traveling. We are not just talking about the country. Obviously, if the country that you’re traveling to is not on the list of the 200+ countries that you’re promised coverage in, then really there is not much that you can do. What we are saying is that you can’t expect reliable LTE speeds in every single spot. Again, for those folks that are used to 4G coverage being their minimum this could be a change.
How Long Can I Be Abroad With My Google Fi Phone?
This is one of those things that’s in the fine print, but Google doesn’t grant easy access to that fine print. That’s pretty much our main complaint if you will with this service. According to multiple sources though, you can only expect to be granted coverage for 6 months while you’re abroad. Even if you continue to pay your bill and you have an American billing address and things like. This is something that was reported by users on different blog boards and online content that was used to create this article. There may be someone out there that has been abroad for longer and has no trouble.
This can also be an issue of where you’re located abroad. If you’ve ever explored some of the international coverage options that local wireless service providers offer you’ll know that traveling to Mexico and Canada is never going to be the same as going to Europe or Asia. The rates tend to be different; it’s typically easier to get coverage. Therefore the amount of time that you can get coverage abroad through the Google Fi network could varty. If you are just looking into Google Fi international coverage for a trip that’s going to last a week or something like that, you should be perfectly fine.
Another one of the great advantages of this particular service is the fact that you’re not going to have to worry about activating anything. Essentially Google will just detect that you’ve gone off to another country. Once it does it’s going to activate the international roaming feature. In both the flex and the unlimited plan they actually give you pretty easy access to your GB counter. They’ll let you know exactly how much data you’ve used up abroad so that you can keep tabs on that as we suggested.
Can I Get A US Number From Google Fi If I’m Located Abroad?
Yes, and no would be the right answer to this one. You’d have to have a US billing address and social security number to be able to order the phone. Essentially this is a service that is limited to US nationals or local citizens of the United States. If you are a US national you would be able to order the phone and have it shipped to a US address. Then you’d have to have someone pick it up for you and send it over or you could go pick it up.
This is where you could come across that problem of having your service cut off after a couple of months of being abroad. We would have to reiterate though, that it’s not necessarily a fact that we stand by that your service is going to be cut off if you spend too much time abroad. You would however have to find a way to prove that you’re an American citizen. If we were listing the best ways to have a US number even while abroad this method would not necessarily make the list. It’s a little bit too complex for our taste.
Google Fi iPhone Concerns
We talked about playing by the rules with Google. We have a full article on having an iPhone and trying to get service from the Google Fi network. Therefore, we are not going to dive too deep into this particular topic. The process of connecting an iPhone to the Google Fi network essentially has to involve you having an unlocked iPhone device. Then you just long into Google Fi and follow all of their instructions. It’s simple enough, but you won’t be getting the best coverage locally. As you won’t be able to hop from the different networks that Google Fi is connected to.
When it comes to traveling you can’t use your iPhone device as a wifi hotspot with Google Fi coverage. Pretty much our sentiment on this is that to be able to enjoy the full extent of the service that is being offered by the Google Fi network you need to have an Android phone. With an iPhone you could potentially have the unlimited texting option in your plan, but because it’s an iPhone you may not be able to text a contact that has an Android phone. It’s just little details like that that essentially make the iPhone and Google Fi not the best of partners.
How Does It Rack Up Against Other Service Providers?
By all accounts Google Fi is shaping out to be this decade’s low cost service provider. You could be looking at a 20 dollar a month difference in the total cost of the service compared to companies like T-Mobile. If you compare the unlimited Google Fi plan with T-Mobile’s essentials plan with 3 lines each you’re paying 25 dollars with Google and 30 with T-Mobile. Keep in mind were talking about T-Mobile’s premium budget plan versus Google’s premium plan. Yet, Google only promises the rate for the first three months. Also, you’d have to have one of their devices to take full advantage of the service. You can get an Android phone for 15 extra dollars a month from Google. So, the costs could even out. Data throttling starts at the aforementioned 22GB with Google, while T-Mobile gives you 40GB of 5G data locally.
If we are just talking about the international rates, it’s really hard to be able to bet against Google with its text and data offers. Even the calls with Google are a bit cheaper. You’re going to be paying 20 cents a minute versus 25 cents a minute. To be honest when it comes to rates Google comes out on top virtually in any way that you look at it. The amount of data that you get without throttling though is one of the elements that keep people on other service providers.
Google Fi or A Local SIM Card
The answer to this question is actually very simple. It all comes down to the amount of time that you’re going to be spending abroad. You should also take into account the quality of coverage, particularly speed that you’re getting from Google Fi at your destination. As we mentioned, there could be coverage from Google Fi in that country, but horrible speeds in the particular city or town that you happen to be based in. A lot of times the sad part about that, is that you really won’t know until you get there.
With the type of coverage that you get from Google Fi it wouldn’t be terribly wrong to arrive in the country just with your regular phone service. From there, you can start monitoring speeds and different elements on your own. To then ultimately make the determination as to whether or not you’re going to need some extra juice. If you already know that you’re going to need to make a lot of local calls when you arrive then the SIM card route could be the best way to go. Overall though, we would say that Google Fi customers potentially are the ones that are less likely to have to look into the SIM card route. Particularly, if they are able to get reliable Google Fi international coverage.
Final Thoughts On Google Fi International Coverage
As we just got done saying, if you’re able to get coverage at decent speeds from Google Fi it can totally be worth it to stick with your regular coverage on your trip abroad. This is true pretty much only if you have an unlimited plan from Google Fi. With the flex plan you could be walking into a trap. Particularly if the coverage is good. That can lead to a hefty bill at the end of the month that you’re not going to want to look at. We don’t have any type of problem saying that Google Fi is one of the best American service providers when it comes to international coverage. If a lot of companies follow along these lines the local SIM card route can become less and less viable.
In exploring the Google Fi option though we did find the one flaw that we feel could be the achilles heel of the service. iPhone users are not all that welcome into the network. There are a lot of things that still don’t work well with an iPhone on Google Fi. As we’ve mentioned in other articles on the topic it doesn’t seem like Google is in a hurry to change that. If they can promote their phones and operating systems with low cost wireless services why would they be in a hurry to accommodate better conditions for their direct competitors? Other than that we can once again mention Google Fi international coverage seems to be the real deal!