I have traveled internationally with my mobile phone, but have always kept the SIM card from my US carrier (AT&T). As a result, I try to minimize my airtime when abroad: no phone calls, use WiFi whenever possible, etc. I am planning several, more extended, trips and am considering getting a local prepaid SIM when I arrive in Stockholm. I have an unlocked iPhone 6, so the SIM is removable. When I return to the US, I'll put my AT&T SIM back in, and keep the Swedish SIM for future travel. I'm aware that some prepaid plans are terminated after a period of inactivity.
I will not have a fixed address in Europe, but I will have credit cards that can be used in Europe.
I've looked at some of the related questions, but they all assume that one knows what they're doing... I don't!
I am trying to avoid putting multiple questions here, but they're all closely related:
- I've never done this before; is this a complicated procedure -- or is what I've described even possible?
- Will this cause any issues for my US carrier (e.g., will they terminate my plan)? Obviously, I expect to be billed for my normal monthly plan.
- Although I am primarily interested in data, will I be assigned a Swedish phone number for local calls and SMS if needed?
- I assume that if someone calls/texts my US number, it will be the same as if the phone was turned off, and I'll get voicemail/texts when I return.
Followup:
I was able to purchase and use a prepaid SIM from Telia.se in my iPhone with minimal problems. I was assigned a Swedish mobile phone number, was able to make and receive phone calls, send and receive text messages, and access the internet.
Since I don't have a personnummer, I was unable to place international calls. This (mostly) wasn't a problem for me, since the whole point of the SIM was for in-country use. The only issue I had was that I was unable to call an International Freephone number from my mobile (which make sense, I guess).