Use prepaid cards in Europe with my Verizon S3 sch-i535?

Use prepaid cards in Europe with my Verizon S3 sch-i535? - Happy young couple doing purchase on Internet together at home

I am going to England, Scotland, and Ireland soon for about 10 days. I have a rooted Samsung Galaxy S3 (SCH-I535) on Verizon with Android 4.2.2.

I'd like to use voice + data (no SMS) over there using one prepaid card across all 3 countries, not using the VZW network at all. I don't want Verizon to charge me anything extra.

Does anyone know if this is possible? What company would sell the prepaid card, and what do I need to do to prepare?



Best Answer

While your hardware is perfectly capable, Verizon has crippled the software so you cannot access data networks with a non-Verizon SIM card, and can only access some voice networks (at least, without a bit of hacking). And this is the "fixed" software that came with the Jelly Bean update.

Specifically, there is no way to change the APN settings manually, and thus if you need to connect to a network other than Verizon's defaults, you are out of luck.

There are various guides for adding support after "root"-ing your phone, but rooting is a step I only advise for people who are very familiar and very comfortable with hacking their phones (which voids your warranty and insurance and if it goes awry, leaves you with a glossy brick).




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Tutorial on how to enter card in your Verizon prepaid service




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