Has anyone ever purchased or rented a mobile phone from a company called Call in Europe? They have good rates for international phones. Their website is www.callineurope.com. My son is traveling in Europe for 5 weeks this summer and my husband and I will be in France in September. If you buy the phone your total outlay is 60 (29 fee, 19 for the phone and 12 for shipping). All you do after that is pay for usage. This lasts for 12 months and you can terminate anytime and restart up later for your next trip. I'd like some recommendations first.
Thanks.
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
9363 posts
You can do the same thing with Mobal (www.mobal.com) for $49. With Mobal, though, the SIM card (and phone number) are permanent, not just for 12 months. You don't have to terminate it and restart it at any time, just recharge the phone before your next trip.
Posted by
Bend, OR, United States
1167 posts
With Mobal there is no need to recharge. When you sign up for the service you give them a credit card # and they charge for calls as they are made. No contract, no expiration date, pay as you go.
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
9363 posts
Jeff, by "recharge" I meant "plug the phone in to recharge it". There is nothing else that you need to do to start using it again.
Posted by
Pacifica, CA, USA
186 posts
I chose the Call in Europe plan over others because of 2 main points one being the price of calls to the US (39cents CIE vs.$1.50 Mobal) and CIE is a direct connection unlike international SIM cards which are ring back plans. I didn't want to dial my call, hang up and have my phone ring back once the connection was made. I guess it's matter of choice. Also from what I understand the Call in Europe number doesn't expire if you renew it.
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
9363 posts
Gonzy, Mobal calls are direct, too. You don't call another number first to get rung through to a network, or hang up and wait to be called back. It works just like my normal phone. The per-minute cost needs to be considered, too, but for me, the convenience of not paying monthly fees (or additional fees for international roaming) even if I don't use the phone, and not having to buy minutes, or change SIM cards between countries, makes it worth it.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32209 posts
Gonzy made a good point. I've checked out Mobal and some of the others in the past, and found that their rates were not much different than roaming with my home cell network, and in some cases were higher. Therefore, I've just used roaming so far and tried to be frugal with the number of voice calls (I use text a lot instead).
The Call In Europe rates look attractive. If you decide to try this service, be sure to post a note here when you get back as I'm sure others would be interested.
Cheers!
Posted by
Petaluma, Northern California
345 posts
I use Mobal, my experience is the same as Nancy's-- no ring back plus all those conveniences (granted it's with a really big per minute rate.)
RE: Roaming. I got Mobal because I couldn't use my Verizon phone in EU and they didn't have the special international phone for their customers that they do now.
By the way, an often overlooked advantage of using these phone services: It's very, very nice not to have your regular phone with you in Europe. So, the only calls that come in are the ones you have to answer while you're on vacation. Everyone else: Voice Mail! Think about it! This is huge.