Re: using phone in Europe

KH5

I am going to Portugal for 3 weeks would like to use my I phone5 for calls and to use as a gps whilst driving.
I was reading on the Internet to ask my service provider here (fido) to contact apple and unlock my phone here, then buy a European sim card(vodophone) there.
Does this sound right.
Thanks
KH5

KH5

Thank you.

Cawtau

@KH5 wrote:

I am going to Portugal for 3 weeks would like to use my I phone5 for calls and to use as a gps whilst driving.
I was reading on the Internet to ask my service provider here (fido) to contact apple and unlock my phone here, then buy a European sim card(vodophone) there.
Does this sound right.
Thanks
KH5

***Edites to add labels***

Hello KH5,

Welcome to the forums!

One thing to note is that you will likely not get LTE with that phone in Portugal. Assuming you have the Canadian iPhone 5 (A1428), that phone's LTE bands are 4 and 17. According to Frequency Check, Vodafone Porgual's LTE bands are 3, 7, and 20. On the other hand, that phone would have all of the compatible bands/frequencies for their 2G and '3G' networks.

While it doesn't sound like you intend on using a lot of data on your trip, you should be aware that the refresh rate for your GPS map would be limited to '3G'. Of course, you could download an offline map...

Have a great trip!

Cheers

AdamBeast

Another option is to buy a travel pack from fido, like this one:

for $95 one-time fee, you will get 200 minutes, Unlimited SMS, 500MB of data across Europe.

A travel pack expires after 30 days since added, you can choose any day to add it.

The fee is charged on your next fido bill.

Buying a travel pack is simpler than to unlock a phone, becasue you don't need to change sim, neither need to buy new sim nor pay bill with a Europe local provider. Also you are still using your Fido number in Europe for calls / sms.

More info can be found here for travel package.

KAPABLE-K

If you have purchased a Fido device from us, you will be able to unlock it directly with Fido. This will allow you to use your device anywhere in the world where a carrier offers a service compatible with your device.

Things to Know

To unlock your device, your account must be in good standing and must satisfy one of the following criteria:
If you received a rebate associated with a Fido agreement on your Fido device, that device must have been registered in your account more than 90 days ago.
If you personally purchased your device from Fido and did not receive any rebate on it, then it must be registered in your account.
If you purchased your device from a third party, it must have been registered in your account more than 90 days ago.
A $50 fee (plus applicable taxes) applies. It will appear on your next invoice or will be deducted from your Prepaid balance.
Unlocking your device via Fido will not void your manufacturer’s warranty.
Only Fido devices can be unlocked by Fido. If you have an unlocked device from another carrier, see how to configure it to work with Fido.
Unlocking your device will not terminate your Fido service or Fido Agreement, all aspects of your service remain unchanged.

Call us

Dial 6-1-1, free of charge, from a Fido phone or 1-888-481-3436 from any other phone

FidoManuel

Hey @KH5!

Welcome to the Community!

The information @KAPABLE-K provided is right!

There's an unlocking fee of 50$ that will be billed on your next invoice if you want to unlock your phone.

If you have the phone for less than 90 days, we won't be able to unlock it, in that case we can still offer you some Travel packs for Europe.

You can choose one from the Zone 2 travel pack list.

Let me know if you have any question