Best SIM card for multi-country travel

Getting SIMs for the countries you're in would probably be cheaper on a per-call basis, but you'll have a different phone number every time you swap SIMs, which could be a pain.

I'm in the same boat (5 countries, 30 days, want to be reachable at one number) and I opted for Telestial's Explorer SIM because it combined decent prices with a toll-free number people can use from the US to reach me at my expense. (I'm mostly carrying a phone so my aging parents can call me in an emergency, that seemed more practical than trying to teach them how to dial an international number.) The sales folks at Telestial were very helpful and actually talked me out of a more expensive option, so ask them what they recommend based on the kind of traveling and the amount of calling you want to do. I notice that they have a couple of new global SIMs since I bought mine, so one of those might be a good fit.

By the way, you can get a used quad-band phone on eBay for $40 or less!

Cathy, it depends on how you plan on using your phone and how much. Is it just for the occasional call back to the US and as an emergency contact? In that case if you have a US GSM phone then you can do this at about $1/min and have your regular US number for folks to call. You're going to pay about $40 overhead to Telestial or the other companies to get their SIM (eg. they sell you a SIM for $49 that has $10 airtime), so it might be better to just use a US phone if you have one. One advantage of the Telestial SIM is that incoming calls are free; if your friends in the US use a calling card with good rates this may swing it to Telestial.

If you plan on calling around in Europe the rates are about $1 with a US phone, about 50 cents/min with Telestial, and about 10 cent/min if you get a country SIM (but ONLY in that country).

There is no really cheap option for multi-country travel with a cell phone.

I use a global SIM card from United Mobile (united-mobile.com)....good for virtually every GSM country in the world, and from just about every European country, their rates are 29 Euro cents per minute, even back to the U-S and Canada! Free incoming calls in 80 countries. You get a Jersey, U-K cell number....one of the lower rates I've seen for people who want to call you.

My husband just saw this online. http://reviews.cnet.com/cell-phones/rangeroamer/4505-6454_7-32562138.html');
Sounds like a good deal. If you're going to be in the UK, Tesco sells phones and sims quite cheaply and the rates are very reasonable. www.tescomobile.com

Thanks for all the info. I will be using the phone for slightly more than "just emergencies," as I will have no internet for two weeks on the cruise boat and will want to keep contact with my boyfriend and worry-wart parents. I've seen some good deals from Telestial (50 bucks for a phone + sim card + $20 airtime), but maybe the united mobile sim cards are good for after that? I guess I would have to change my phone number after that though. Thanks for all the help.

If you're on a cruise, you may not have cell reception at all. Check with the cruise line and make sure before you invest in an expensive doorstop!

"absence makes the heart grow fonder"

just a thought :-)

ok, just joking! One idea is to get a SIM card in the 1st country you visit and then just keep that in the phone. I'm not SURE about this, but I think incoming calls are free even if you're roaming. If so, then as long as you have them call you it would be easy, and they can use one of those cheap long distance calling cards or numbers from the USA.