Cell Service & Data Plans

International Dialing Primer

You will need to “escape” to international mode by dialing the escape prefix followed by the destination country code before punching in the rest of the number. Easy!

 

Example: Calling Portugal from a US Phone

The US escape sequence is 011. Portugal’s country code is 35.

  • Desired Portuguese Number: +351 21 924 9011

  • Dial: 011 351 21 924 9011

 

Example: Calling the US from a Portuguese Phone

The Portuguese escape sequence is 00. The US country code is 1.

  • Desired US Number: (215) 555-1212

  • Dial: 00 1 215 555 1212

Using Your Phone in Portugal

Portugal has very good cell coverage in our experience. It’s important to have a working smartphone. Google Maps is critical, especially so if you choose to rent a car. Driving in European cities is "hard mode" - there is no grid system, and many narrow one-way streets - if you don't have some form of GPS you will have a bad time. Even just walking around, it's a huge advantage to have an interactive map in your pocket like you're used to in the US. You don't want to spend your vacation fumbling with a paper map or scrambling to get your phone situation figured out.

It's also important that your phone's battery lasts all day. We are huge fans of power bricks and suggest you buy one and keep it with you so you never run out of juice!

If your cell service carrier is Google Fi, you can stop reading - your cell service and unlimited data plan will automatically work internationally with no extra charges. (We use Google Fi and really like it!)

If you do not use Google Fi, you have a few options. First, determine if your phone is “locked” or “unlocked” to your carrier. If you don't know, it's likely your phone is locked.

 

Your phone is probably locked if...

  • You purchased it directly from your carrier, perhaps to get a discount

  • You have some kind of active contract with your carrier, e.g. 1- or 2-year

 

Your phone is probably unlocked if...

  • You purchased it directly from Apple (iPhone) or Google (Android) and chose not to associate it with a carrier

  • If you have an iPhone running iOS 14 or better, you can check yourself: In the Settings app, go to General and then About. If the Carrier Lock setting says No SIM Restrictions, you are good to go!

 

If you’re still not sure whether your phone is locked or not

Call your carrier and ask them!

If Your Phone Is Locked

You will need to get your phone set up for international use with your carrier before you leave the US. Luckily it’s much cheaper now than it has been in the past. AT&T and Verizon let you pay a daily flat fee to use your phone as normal overseas. T-Mobile will work at lower speeds out-of-the-box with most plans, or you can purchase their International Pass package.

Check out your carrier’s website for details:

If Your Phone Is Unlocked

You can go through your carrier as indicated above, or you can buy an international SIM card.

If you are not familiar, a SIM card is a little removable electronic card in your phone that ties it to a cell service provider (also known as a carrier). If you change your SIM card, your phone will be connected to a different carrier and have a different phone number. If you put your old SIM card back in, you’ll be back on your regular carrier and use your normal number.

We purchased two 20GB Orange SIM cards from Amazon on a 2019 trip for about $40 apiece - they’re compatible with all SIM sizes (standard/micro/nano). These support all EU countries and are especially nice if Portugal is just one stop on your Eurotrip. You can also buy SIM cards at the airport after you land, or at convenience stores. We think it’s better to buy in advance.

If you buy a SIM card in advance, don’t plug it in until you land in Portugal.

The instructions below for SIM swapping are for an iPhone 6, but all phones (including Android) work similarly.