02/06/23 Update: I’ve been back overseas since 03 July 2022. Google Fi has continued to be amazing. I have used it in Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Israel, Egypt, Bahrain, Qatar, and it worked great. I did have a little issue in Istanbul, Turkey that was surprising. It worked every time I started my phone or cycled airplane mode for a little while and then I would have to restart or recycle airplane mode again. So far, Istanbul was the only small problem I’ve had with Google Fi in 54 countries in 6 years.
07/06/20 Update: I want to clarify that while my Google Fi testimony below focuses on overseas use, Google Fi works in the US as well and is a replacement worth considering for all your cellular needs. Google Fi rides on the back of T-Mobile, Sprint, and US Cellular networks. Google Fi comes with 4 additional data only SIM cards for the price of your current plan. Group discounts make the monthly cost per phone even cheaper. Google Fi is my carrier.
Google FI Is The Solutions I’ve Been Looking For
I have written that I lived overseas for 5.5 years consecutively on this website multiple times. I lived in Naples, Italy for 2.5 years and Bangkok, Thailand for 3 years . In that time frame, I visited over 55 countries multiple times. Staying connected to the internet was a challenge for 4.5 out of 5.5 years. Google Fi changed my life and set me free.
I no longer have to buy new SIM cards every time I visit a different countries thanks to Google Fi. Google Fi has global reach in over 200 countries. The list is endless. The service is amazing. I have become one of those people that turns their phone on as soon as the plane lands and checks my email, social media thanks to Google Fi. I text everyone important before the plane arrives at the terminal. It’s awesome and reassuring. It’s definitely a game changer to no longer have to wait in line for an hour to get a SIM card.
Googel Fi Gives Freedom Like No Other
The anxiety that comes with wondering how you’re going to meet up with your transportation or your guide is gone. The old me had to get off the plane, clear immigration, get my luggage, find an ATM, and wait in line to get a SIM before connecting with others. That’s no longer. Now I’m sending and receiving updates as soon as the plane hits the ground and I switch my phone off airplane mode. I request a Grab/Uber/Lift before I’m at the curb because it takes them 10 minutes to arrive. This is perfect.
Google Fi Reduces Stress and Saves Time
As I wrote above, Google Fi keeps you in contact almost anywhere around the world that you may visit. For me, as a global citizen, telecom is super important. I hate the feeling of the unknown when I’ve landed in a country with communication challenges. The stress and worry that comes with waiting to find an ATM and understand how much money you’re pulling out (because you can’t google it) and then waiting in line to buy a SIM card is unnecessary now with Google FI. No more stress. No more wasted time.
How Google Fi Works
I receive a text message as soon as I land in different countries that says “Welcome to [Insert Country Name]. Google Fi has you covered”. From there, I am roaming on the back of a local network that Google has worked out some kind of arrangement with. That’s it. Sometimes there are glitches that require me to restart my phone but it’s not often. It’s a small price to pay for this convenience.
In The European Union
I had to get a new SIM card every time I traveled from Naples to Munich, Paris, Amsterdam, Ibiza, or any where else in Europe. It was a pain in the ass. I was too cheap to pay the roaming fees. Actually, I was too scared to pay the roaming fees because an account balance of €60 disappeared twice on two different two day trips within moments of landing. Trying to resolve this issue with Vodaphone, TIM, or Wind were extra challenging because of the language barrier. It’s my understanding that EU telecom rules have changed and this is no longer the case but that doesn’t help me now that I’m no longer there. The point is, I had to get a SIM card for every new country that I went to. It was time wasted that could’ve been spent touring. Google Fi works in Europe.
In Southeast Asia
In Bangkok, I had a similar experience with buying new SIM cards in every country. The one thing I will say about Asia and SIM cards is they were pretty cheap. I think data only for 3 days in Cambodia was $5USD. That’s not bad, but why bother when you don’t have to? I had a desk full of SIM cards. It was a pain. I always wondered what phone carriers everyone else on the plane had when they turned their phones on as soon as we landed. I never found out.
The Google Fi Light Comes On
As luck would have it, one of my friend visiting me in Thailand had another friend unexpectedly show up in Thailand. The three of us met for a beer at Soi Cowboy. My friend’s friend mentioned that he was using Google Fi and he liked it. He bought it for his trip through 5 countries on a month long vacation and it worked out perfectly for him in the first 3 places. I never heard of Google Fi prior to that so I pressed him to get more information.
He painted a picture that was too good to be true. There was no way in hell Google Fi was a real product with all these amazing features and I never heard of it. However, Google Fi turned out to be real.
I looked Into Google Fi and Took The Plunge
My research on the Google Fi product page showed there were two service options which are pay as you go and unlimited. It’s crazy. The pay as you go plan starts out at $20/month and will be NO HIGHER than $80/month if you go over 6 GB of data. Google Fi Unlimited is $70/month. What????? And check this out…you get unlimited tethering to give others a signal AND most amazing of all, you can get 4, yes FOUR data only sim cards for other devices. Do you understand what that means???? That means you can put a data only, so you can check email, facebook, whatever, but no make phone calls, on four other devices. That is insane. I’m sold. You can give one to a friend and let them use it while they’re overseas. Too simple.
I signed up for the pay as you go plan to see if this was bullshit or not and it has become the best decision I’ve made in a long time. $70/month for this freedom is crazy. Your family members back home can text you and you will get the message. That’s not the case when you use different SIM cards in foreign countries.
Pay As You Go Plan Benefits:
- Pay only for the data you’ve used
- You’re billed at end of the month—it’s $10 for each GB of data you use, down to the cent
- Full-speed hotspot tethering
- Share your data connection at the same $10/GB rate
- Affordable calls to other countries
- International calls from the US start at 1¢/min
- Same data & text rates abroad
- International data is $10/GB, and texts are free
- Data is free after you use 6 GB
- With Bill Protection, you won’t be charged after you use 6 GB (that’s a max bill of $80)
- Unlimited calls & texts
- No contracts, cancel anytime
- 24/7 customer support
- Low rates for calls while traveling internationally
Unlimited Plan Benefits:
- Unlimited data
- High-speed data up to 22 GB/person & slower after. Video may stream at DVD-quality (480p).
- Full-speed hotspot tethering
- Share your data connection at no extra charge
- Free calls to 50+ countries & territories
- Calls to all other destinations start at 1¢/min
- Free data & texts abroad
- International data & texts included
- Google One membership
- More space for everything with 100 GB of cloud storage for each member—and more
- Unlimited calls & texts
- No contracts, cancel anytime
- 24/7 customer support
- Low rates for calls while traveling internationally
Are You Still Reading This Testimony?
I’m shocked if you’re still reading this. If you aren’t sold on Google Fi from the testimony above then don’t sign up. You can contact me if you want more information. While I will get referral credit if you sign up under my link, everything in this post is true. I was very excited to write this post because it’s an amazing product and because I want the world to know this great product exists (mostly so Google doesn’t retire it). I don’t think Google is marketing Google Fi very well because it took a long time for Google Fi to find me. The four data SIMS are amazing and will end AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile. That is an amazing benefit. What are you waiting for?
