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Buy one? rent one? (Moderated by Deepika, EleanorSews)
Posted on: 7/27/09 11:54 AM ET
We'll be leaving on a trip to Europe for a river cruise and, due to family stuff, want a cell phone with us. I've checked into our Verizon overseas plan and it's expensive but convenient. Apparently the 'smart' way to do this is to buy an unlocked phone that uses SIM cards and just get a sim card when we arrive. Does anyone have with doing this? I'm starting to get a little short on time (of course). Thanks in advance for your help!
Patti soon to be in Vienna
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Patti soon to be in Vienna
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Patti
R-r-r-ripping my way to fitting success
R-r-r-ripping my way to fitting success
Posted on: 7/27/09 12:29 PM ET
In reply to Patti B
We used to buy prepaid cell phones when we were in Turkey.
I worked at a number of archaeological sites when I was a grad student, so we were there for months at a time.
We would just get the prepaid phones and this was the best way to do it.
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I worked at a number of archaeological sites when I was a grad student, so we were there for months at a time.
We would just get the prepaid phones and this was the best way to do it.
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Michelle
http://cheapandpicky.blogspot.com/
http://cheapandpicky.blogspot.com/
Posted on: 7/27/09 3:20 PM ET
In reply to Patti B
Patti, phones have proved to be one of our biggest headaches when traveling in France. For several years, we have done what someone has already suggested to you: take our GSM phones along and buy sim cards on arrival--but there are still problems in that some servers won't cover travel into another country. Uh-huh, you can get across some border or other and find your phone won't work. And then, if you haven't bought enough minutes, you're cut off in the middle of a conversation and have to negotiate with an automated service in a foreign language about paying--in Euros--for more time. Aaack!
If your current server can guarantee everything you need, it would probably be worth the convenience just to stick with them.
However, the next time we go, we'll probably just buy some throwaway phones, as Michelle suggested.
-- Edited on 7/27/09 3:27 PM --
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If your current server can guarantee everything you need, it would probably be worth the convenience just to stick with them.
However, the next time we go, we'll probably just buy some throwaway phones, as Michelle suggested.
-- Edited on 7/27/09 3:27 PM --
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Elona
Posted on: 7/27/09 3:53 PM ET
In reply to Patti B
You don't have to buy an unlocked phone, you can request that Verizon unlocks yours. We did that with our T-mobile phones and they unlocked them, and the SIM cards we bought overseas (India and Russia) worked fine. Sure beats using their expensive overseas plan. You may need a couple of days for this though.
Posted on: 7/27/09 3:54 PM ET
I am signed up with Pennytalk which lets me telephone to anywhere (I believe most of the world) for 2 cents a minute. I call family/friends in Europe frequently. On their website they tell you how you can use your phone from Europe after you register and prepay for minutes.
Posted on: 7/27/09 4:16 PM ET
In reply to Patti B
One issue we discovered when we bought a pay as you go phone in Amsterdam, is that although it worked fien in Belgium and paris, we could not top it up anywhere but The Netherlands. Even if we went to the same company store.
We used the phone for daily calls back to Canada to talk with the kids.
Dh's IPhone costs $2.00 per minute for sending and receiving calls when he is in Europe. Expensive but at least I know what expect.
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We used the phone for daily calls back to Canada to talk with the kids.
Dh's IPhone costs $2.00 per minute for sending and receiving calls when he is in Europe. Expensive but at least I know what expect.
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Living life to the fullest.
Who knew being a Granny was the best thing ever?
Who knew being a Granny was the best thing ever?
Posted on: 7/27/09 4:48 PM ET
In reply to Patti B
DH has one that he bought for his trips to the UK (Scotland) from Mobal.com that was inexpensive to buy and only works in the UK.
From what he tells me, it costs him nothing to receive phone calls, BUT I have no idea what the caller pays --- which would be his office --- per minute for such a call to their own long distance carrier.
If he originates the call, it is quite expensive. He's happy with it, though, for the small about of usage he gets from it.
Might be worth a browse, though, to check it out.
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From what he tells me, it costs him nothing to receive phone calls, BUT I have no idea what the caller pays --- which would be his office --- per minute for such a call to their own long distance carrier.
If he originates the call, it is quite expensive. He's happy with it, though, for the small about of usage he gets from it.
Might be worth a browse, though, to check it out.
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iPad's auto-correct is my enema.
Posted on: 7/28/09 0:51 AM ET
In reply to Patti B
We used our regular phones (GSM) and had At&T activate them for the country we were staying in. It was cheap ~ $6. It wasn't cheap to call the US ~$1/minute but we mostly used them to confirm and make reservations and call each other. Worked fine and much easier than other options.
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wino
Posted on: 7/28/09 10:23 AM ET
Wino and Elona, I think I shall simplify my life and just use our cellular's overseas plan. We'll only be gone 3 weeks, in various countries, and for limited usage. I do appreciate all the suggestions and will probably try one of them on the next trip! Thanks all!
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Patti
R-r-r-ripping my way to fitting success
R-r-r-ripping my way to fitting success
Posted on: 7/28/09 12:40 PM ET
T-mobile and AT&T are the only US phones that when/if unlocked, may be compatible with European SIMs--but not all of them. You must have a quad capable phone with the correct frequencies. And the SIMs are country specific. A SIM gives you a "local" number for that country. If you change countries, you either purchase a SIM for that country or if you keep the old one, pay the intercountry rate. A SIM can run you 35euro so it begins to add up for casual use.
I purchased an unlocked Motorola V180 phone through eBay (very basic) and during my upcoming six weeks in Spain, will use a Spanish SIM via Vodafone with prepaid minutes. Incoming calls are free (of course someone calling you from the US will pay the international call charge). Calls within Spain are very reasonable. For calls back to the US, I am purchasing a Eurodirect card (look on the internet) and calling that access number in order to place calls via my cellphone. That way the person in the USA does not get caught with a foreign cellphone charge (which at least Verizon charges if you receive a call from a foreign cellphone) and to my Spanish cellphone, it looks like a "local" call. If you take a phone, remember to take an electrical plug converter for the country(ries) you are visiting. Cellphones do not need the transformer block--all you need is the plug converter as they can handle the 220. Hope this helps.
I purchased an unlocked Motorola V180 phone through eBay (very basic) and during my upcoming six weeks in Spain, will use a Spanish SIM via Vodafone with prepaid minutes. Incoming calls are free (of course someone calling you from the US will pay the international call charge). Calls within Spain are very reasonable. For calls back to the US, I am purchasing a Eurodirect card (look on the internet) and calling that access number in order to place calls via my cellphone. That way the person in the USA does not get caught with a foreign cellphone charge (which at least Verizon charges if you receive a call from a foreign cellphone) and to my Spanish cellphone, it looks like a "local" call. If you take a phone, remember to take an electrical plug converter for the country(ries) you are visiting. Cellphones do not need the transformer block--all you need is the plug converter as they can handle the 220. Hope this helps.
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