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Changing / Replacing Phone While International

YetAnotherJohn

Hello,

I am on a long term assignment in Germany using a Verizon International Plan to maintain my USA phone number. I have an older phone that I would like to replace. Is it possible to buy an unlocked phone locally and put in my existing Verizon sim card? I will not be able to connect to the USA network anytime soon and it does not look possible to order a phone from the Verizon store to ship internationally.

Thank you for your time.

Comments

SynthpopAddict

That's a good question. I'm not sure how it works, but considering how phones can break or get lost/stolen overseas too, would have to think it is possible to activate a new phone on Verizon no matter where you are so long as you're an existing customer.

Instead of paying for the International Plan, have you considered using the unlocked local phone for service with a German carrier? This would probably be cheaper and then you could simply pay whatever your regular bill is with Verizon so as not to lose your American phone number.

YetAnotherJohn

Thank you for taking the time to reply, it is very much appreciated.

I agree that this situation must come up from time to time but nothing I can find while searching has given me a clear answer. I suppose at this point I should just buy a cheap phone and see what happens.

With respect to using an International Plan, yes it is rather expensive but I need to be able to receive calls on my USA number at all times so switching to a local plan is not really an option (that said for any Verizon rep who reads this, your long term international plans are not very competitive which is frustrating, though I am sure I am a corner case).

Verizon_Support

Hello, YetAnotherJohn. Wishing you safe travels during your long term assignment. Just to confirm, is this for military duty by chance or personal/civilian assignment? Just to set proper expectations, to connect/activate any device on the Verizon network, you must be on a Verizon tower to complete it. Verizon towers only exist in the U.S. so it will not be possible to activate a device while traveling abroad. You do have the option to activate a device using a local SIM Card and provider in your area while in Germany. I do hope this helps.

-Natasha

SynthpopAddict

What happens if a Verizon customer loses their phone somehow while overseas and must get a new one? Are they stuck with getting a "burner phone" and a local carrier's service until they come back to the US?

@YetAnotherJohn
while looking around for an answer to another person's question, I came across this information for the International Support Team.

If your device is lost, stolen or broken, or you experience a device issue while you are traveling outside the US, please use the below instructions to reach the International Support Team from a landline phone. If there is no toll free number listed for the country you’re in, you have to call (908) 559-4899 and charges apply.

1. Dial your country’s toll-free number

2. Enter your 10-digit mobile number when prompted by the International Hotline

To see if the country you're in has a toll-free number to reach International Services, go to this link and look for the toll free number list under "See Toll Free Numbers": https://www.verizon.com/plans/international/international-travel/

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