Will Verizon iPhone 5 work in London?

[lmatt34]

I am considering buying the iPhone 5 on Verizon's network. I am traveling to London, England this winter and am wondering if it will work there, even if I have to get some sort of temporary international plan. I really only need voice to work there, but texting and data would be appreciated. Is this possible?

 

[JNaut]

If you're going to be there for any length of time, the best thing to do would be to pick up a pay-as-you go SIM. I do this when I travel to Ireland and it's very cheap (around $30/month for unlimited voice, texts, and 2GB data). It will be limited to 3G, though, since Europe uses different LTE networks.

Naturally, that will give you a local number. If you want to keep your US number so that people can reach you, you'll have to go for one of Verizon's international plans, which are much more costly.

 

[darster]

Get yourself a skype phone number. Foward your calls to that skype number before you leave. Once in London, get a sim card with a data plan. All your local calls will be forward to that skype number.