Can someone explain mobile phone options?

nyyfan30 Active member

Member since 25 April 2017

nyyfan30Active member10 November 2018 12:22:24

Hello.聽 We will be moving to Lisbon from the USA, with unlocked iPhones.聽 We are used to a monthly phone plan that includes unlimited SMS/calling minutes and a predetermined data limit.聽 How does it work in Lisbon?聽聽We will travel throughout Europe A LOT, so we want our phone plan to be convenient to work throughout Europe, without costing a fortune when we travel.聽聽We would likely call back to the USA using either Skype or FaceTime from iPhone to iPhone.聽 So, we are really looking for an affordable plan for calling WITHIN Europe, not just within Portugal.聽聽 I have spent time on the Vodaphone website, but only part of it is in English, so it wasn't too helpful.聽聽We are likely willing to pay a little extra $ each month for the convenience of calls being really cheap when we travel around Europe.

It seems like mobile plans are fairly inexpensive, but that calls placed from mobile phones have a per minute charge typically?聽 That is quite different from the USA where the monthly plans are more expensive but calls are free.聽聽Help!

Any advice (maybe even from another US expat that has dealt with this transition) would be really appreciated.聽聽Thank you!

Jeff

Michae Lewis Member

Member since 28 March 2021

Michae LewisMember06 July 2021 06:35:07

Jeff, did you have any luck? Any advice for a similar situation?

JohnnyPT Portugal Expert

Member since 23 May 2020

JohnnyPTPortugal Expert07 July 2021 10:14:28

4730

Within EU

Official EU website - This site is kept up to date.

Roaming: Using a mobile phone in the EU

Fixed line telephone services

Internet and telecoms

Mobile calls outside EU

Meo

Nos

Vodafone

Lycamobile - Mobile virtual network operator聽(MVNO) / Portugal

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...

jkmet Member

Member since 20 December 2020

jkmetMember20 July 2021 21:30:54

I have a Samsung Smartphone and use Verizon as my provider in the US. I will move to Budens, PT in mid August, so I must ensure that I can use my Samsung Smartphone in PT. What are my best options. For example, what is the best service I can use and what must I do to reconfigure my phone to work in PT.

nz7521137 ViP

Member since 03 July 2021

nz7521137ViP20 July 2021 21:49:38

562

Unfortunately this all depends upon how you use your phone. I am still on a pre-paid Vodafone plan, which is the most cost effective option for me and my wife. But, this is the case for me and for some a post-paid option might be better. It also depends upon whether or no you have a landline and Internet at home. So, I guess you have to investigate on your own.

JohnnyPT Portugal Expert

Member since 23 May 2020

JohnnyPTPortugal Expert22 July 2021 16:56:15

4730

Choosing the operator with the best mobile tariff in Portugal

To help you in this process, the telecommunications regulator (ANACOM) provides a simulator to analyse all available mobile services. You can adjust by filters the information and functionality that most suits you.

You can initially filter by: "What type of tariff do you want to use?"
- prepaid / pr茅-pago
- with mandatory top-ups / com carregamentos obrigat贸rios
- with top-up options / com op莽玫es de carregamento
- without mandatory top-ups / sem carregamentos obrigat贸rios
- no mandatory top-ups with monthly fee / sem carregamentos obrigat贸rios com mensalidade
- post-paid / p贸s-pago
- all / todos

Simulator:
You can apply the search filters here:

Select "Expandir campos" / expand all search fields

Or you can view all existing tariffs in Portugal (there are approximately 200 different tariffs available from the 4 telecom operators: MEO, NOS, Vodafone, Nowo)