T-Mobile is without a doubt making a push to widen it’s lead as America’s number one mobile service provider. Don’t worry though this isn’t an article that is meant to praise the company over and over again. What we want to explore here is the viability of taking your regular number abroad and being able to do international texting, T-Mobile is certainly a company that is trying to make things easier on the consumer. One of the ways that they do that is by offering what we could call “decent” international coverage. It’s not going to be the fastest coverage out there. Yet, we could say right off the bat that you can take your regular phone, and text abroad. At least if you have a Magenta, T-Mobile ONE, or Simple Choice plan.
Now that we covered the fact that you can take your regular phone and text internationally we want to explore some of the different situations that you still need to take into account. Are you going to get hit with roaming fees or any other type of extra charge? Is the coverage and the speed that you are going to be getting enough? Certainly one of the main issues with the local SIM card option which is one we explore and recommend quite a bit on the site is the fact that you’ll essentially have a local number. Therefore texting is possible, but the process can be a little bit more complicated.
Can You Do International Texting in T-Mobile For Free?
Right off the bat, we can say that it’s not going to be for free. As we mentioned though if you have a Magenta, T-Mobile ONE, or Simple Choice plan you’ll have access to coverage in 210 countries. Essentially this coverage is going to be activated once you arrive at your destination. There is nothing that you are going to have to do to be able to get access to this coverage. You’ll have unlimited texting as you would with your regular plan through your T-Mobile phone. Again it’s not that international texting in T-Mobile is free, but you can have access to it through some of the more common plans.
Are We Done Here What Else Do I Need To Worry About?
Well, for us who have been in the international coverage world for a while it is actually a breath of fresh air to say that you can get coverage from your regular plan abroad. This wasn’t something that we could have considered the standard at all. On the contrary even a couple of years ago going to a rural area in your own country could mean some of the worst coverage that you can think of. That being said, what you may need to consider is that you can’t expect to be able to use your phone with the same coverage speeds that you’re getting locally. International data speed for T-Mobile will max out at 2G speeds. If you’re someone who is used to the 5G network that T-Mobile 2G speeds are going to be a problem.
Can I Do International Texting With T-Mobile At Better Speeds?
There is actually a way to be able to achieve greater speeds with your regular T-Mobile coverage. Essentially T-Mobile has made their International Day pass a way to be able to get pretty much the same type of coverage at faster speeds. There are a couple of things to consider here. The T-Mobile International Pass is not going to be part of your plan. Up to this point you can do international texting in T-Mobile with your regular plan. There is no extra charge if you want to go ahead and do that at 2G speeds. If you want to go faster you have the T-Mobile International Pass. Yet, adding that to your regular services is going to cost you. Here is a breakdown of what you can expect to pay and to from the T-Mobile International Pass.
- International Pass: 512MB of high-speed data at up to LTE speeds and unlimited calling, to be used up to 24 hours, for $5/day.
- 5GB International Pass: 5GB of high-speed data at up to LTE speeds and unlimited calling, to be used up to 10 days, for $35.
- 15GB International Pass: 15GB of high-speed data at up to LTE speeds and unlimited calling, to be used up to 30 days, for $50.
- (https://www.t-mobile.com/coverage/roaming)
What Are LTE Speeds?
Are you really getting a good deal with the International Pass from T-Mobile? Here is the situation technically speaking LTE speeds is the equivalent of 3.9G speed. The real speed can certainly vary and that’s why service providers have taken to using the LTE speed label. You could be paying 35 extra dollars per line for 5GB of speeds that could top out at less than 4G. Is it really going to be worth it? We actually think that the true answer to this question depends on where you are in the world. A lot of times in America we can take for granted that famed 5G network that we’ve been talking about.
You have to be very realistic with your expectations. Some light research of the mobile coverage in the country that you’re visiting can help you make the decision on whether or not paying for more speed is going to be worth your while. Here is why we are saying this. If you’re visiting a country that doesn’t even have an extended 4G network provided by local wireless companies it’s going to be very unlikely that you’ll be able to achieve true LTE speeds. As we mentioned you could be lucky to top out at 3G speeds. Paying 35 dollars a line for 10 days could be a hefty sum for what you’re getting.
What Does All Of This Speed Talk Mean For International Texting With T-Mobile?
The reason why we are talking about speed is that you may not be able to get texts as fast as you normally would stateside with T-Mobile. That’s the first thing that we feel that people should really wrap their head around. If you’re ok with having your texts essentially trickle in at different points during the day and you’re not worried about having an overly reliable line of communication we would actually say that it makes sense to stick with the 2G speed that is being provided at no extra costs. If you’re just using the phone for texting and you are very much on top of the extra data that you don’t want other apps using up texts will probably come in at a decent rate even at these low speeds.
What Other Options Do I Have To Text Internationally?
To be honest if you want to text with your regular number from T-Mobile you can do so at the slow rate or pay for the LTE speeds. That’s pretty much the only two options that you are going to have to get that done. Some of the options that we are going to explore now revolve around either using different mobile apps to communicate, or going out and getting a local SIM card to be able to get local coverage which usually means faster speeds. Obviously, the down side to the local SIM card option will be that you won’t be able to use your regular number.
Why Getting A Local SIM Card Can Still Be An Option
One of the main reasons why we still push the viability of getting a local SIM card over just using your regular coverage is because a lot of times the coverage that you can get from T-Mobile and even other local providers can be a bit limited. We are not just talking about speed now, we are talking about the fact that there are certain areas where you may not get coverage. One of the problems that we see people finding is that they looked up the country they were visiting on the T-Mobile site, and it was on the list of 210 countries. Yet, you arrive at the particular city that you’re visiting and you realize that there is little to no coverage throughout that town.
The scenario that we just described is still a very real possibility in this day and age. We know that people feel like communications have come a long way in the last 20 or 30 years. Some of these issues that we are talking about are problems that people had with their cellphones in the 90’s and early 2000’s. In certain countries abroad these problems can still be a reality. Therefore, getting a burner phone with a local SIM card, at least one for your group of travelers can certainly be a great option. It can keep you connected even in some of those remote areas where you really can’t expect to get great T-Mobile coverage.
Should I Be Looking To Move My Texting Through Social Media or Mobile Apps?
This can certainly be an option to consider. Sort of making sure that the people that you talk to on a regular basis have your contact information through a mobile app like Whattsapp, Telegram, or even a social media platform like Facebook, or Instagram. There are a lot of people that are not comfortable with having private conversations through mobile apps because they feel they are unsafe. We would actually agree, you do have to be careful about what type of information you are putting out there. Particularly on social media. That being said, the reason apps can work well is because you can have access to them through a wifi network.
Although as we said, there could be safety concerns that you would need to take into account the fact that you can contact someone on the other side of the world through a free wifi connection can also be appealing. Particularly if the coverage that you are able to get from T-Mobile in the country that you are visiting is sub par or otherwise expensive because you need to go ahead and pay more for extra speed. We have an article on mobile apps that you can use as well as a quick guide to Zoom so that you can make quick video calls for free through a wifi network.
Is International Texting T-Mobile Good?
We’ve talked through the speed problems and some of the options that you have to be able to resolve them. We do have to say that if we are looking back at how things where even a couple of years ago with international coverage the option that T-Mobile is putting on the table is certainly much more appealing than the piling roaming fees that a lot of service providers used to charge for subpart international coverage. You can get coverage with your regular plan as long it’s a Magenta, T-Mobile ONE, or Simple Choice plan in 210 countries. If you are looking to mainly be able to use this as a way to do international texting with T-Mobile we would certainly have to say that we are looking at one of the best international coverage options available.
As we’ve mentioned before though, it is certainly very naive to think that you’re going to be getting the same type of quality coverage that you can get locally on the international scene. That’s why it could be a good idea to essentially have a back up plan to stay connected while you are traveling abroad. Could we say that it’s actually worth it to pay for faster speeds? Well, that’s something that we actually already cover in another article all as well. If you want to check that one out the link is right here as well. Ultimately, international texting through T-Mobile on your regular plan is a reality. You can do so without having to put down an extra dime on your regular fee. Can it get better? Sure, we could definitely say that there is room for improvement. We do feel that improvement will come in time!