Can we stand another question about phones/sim cards in Europe?

Barry, you have a bunch of options. > Stay with AT&T and buy one of their international data packages. Affordable World Packages. These are better than no package, but they aren't super cheap. Big advantage, no need to get phone unlocked or get a different SIM card. > Get a data package from a travel phone company. I haven't looked at these recently, but the costs weren't great and you'd probably do better with the AT&T plan. > Get a prepaid data package over there. Here is a post with my experience with T-Mobile U.K. You can likely find a prepaid phone SIM in France that offers similar options. (The European Union regulates all this so you can find similar plans in all EU countries.) For overseas data use local prepaid is best solution Others will chime in to tell you to just use wifi.

Chiming in: just use wifi for your internet, then you don't have to worry about data costs. If you are really only going to use it "in case", why mess with the complexities of data plans and such? You can always find a hotspot.

I won't chime in and tell you just to use wifi! In my experience you can usually access wifi at hotels that advertise it, but not always, and wifi hotspots aren't always easy to connect and there's not as many (particularly in say Paris) as you'd expect. If you want the security of knowing you have data access, I would absolutely go for it. It's helped me out in my trips, particularly with maps, finding places to eat, or public transit/train schedules. Having data available has saved a lot of time I would otherwise use researching prior. If you're not planning on using it often, but just want it for "emergencies" it would probably be easiest to use AT&T's international data plan. If you want to use it a lot, get a prepaid SIM in France. It will allow you to go on the internet since you got the right kind of phone. I have a European smartphone running Android and I make frequent use of the DeutscheBahn app, Google Translate, Skype, and Oeffi which is a multi-national European public transit app. It's wonderful!

Thanks, everyone. If I understand you all correctly, once the sim card is in the phone (assuming there's enough credit) I can make and receive calls, send texts and gain access to data if wifi isn't available? (This is all new territory for me, as you may have guessed.)

as long as you are able to get the phone unlocked, the sim card will allow you to use the smartphone just as you would in the states. data, calls, wifi, everything.

barry, Lots of good information so far! I'm not sure how easy it will be to obtain a PAYG SIM that includes data in France? It's relatively easy to find SIM's that cover voice and text, but for the most part data seems to be restricted to contract (monthly pay) customers. As Paul has noted, there are some exceptions to this and it is possible to obtain these in the U.K. Be sure to let us know what you find, as I'm sure the information will be helpful for others here. Happy travels!

Thanks again, all. Does anyone out there have any experience (good, bad or indifferent) using LeFrenchMobile (http://www.lefrenchmobile.com/)? The rates they cite don't seem too out of line.

I can't speak to France but I helped a newcomer obtain a prepaid SIM that included data here in Germany today. So I don't think it will be a problem. If one carrier doesn't offer it, try another - just like the U.S., cell phone shops litter the streets in Europe.

Some carriers require you to have been with them a minimum amount of time before they will give you the unlock code. They make you wait longer if it is a prepaid account. It helps if you tell them that you need the unlock code for a trip overseas. Here is what AT&T says on its web site about what the requirements are for getting the code: http://www.att.com/esupport/article.jsp?sid=55002&cv=820#fbid=fkrJoN-SYLY You need to copy that into the address bar on your browser. I'd convert it to a link you could just click, but in my experience the Rick Steves site doesn't like links that have question marks in them. In looking at your specific phone, it appears that AT&T itself may not have the ability to generate unlock codes yet because the phone is new. I've read that at least one of the third-party companies that sells unlock codes can find ones for your phone. It may be worth a look (search for ZTE Z990 unlock code). In my experience the cost of buying an unlock code isn't much.

not wanting to hijack this thread but does anyone have experience with New Zealand? I have an out of contract ATT world phone and a Sprint iphone 4s that I need to get unlocked. Is data coverage expensive over there also? Can anyone suggest a mobile website for me to check out for down under?
Thanks!

I should have put the cart before the horse and made sure my carrier (AT&T) would unlock my phone before I started this thread. Turns out they can't, or won't, unlock it. A seat of the pants estimate of the three or four on line prepaid vendors I looked at leads me to think lefrenchmobile would have been the most suitable for my needs, but my analysis was about as far from rigorous as you can get. Thanks for all of your input nevertheless.

What a bummer, Barry. Thanks for sharing that for future people considering buying phones through AT&T though. I've heard that many providers can be difficult about unlocking. The family who just moved here that I'm helping out bought an android phone through Verizon, and they were willing to unlock it, and she is now able to use it here. It's not a quad-band gsm either as far as I know. For people considering buying phones in the future - but I don't know if the family's phone is legal in Germany either, since some U.S. cell phones use the same "band" as emergency services here.

Believe me, I pointed out to them the wording on the website (several times, and at increasing volumes:-)....I've been a pre-paid wireless customer for years, and as I bought the phone in February I definitely have the receipt. Their apologies sounded almost sincere. I wasn't aware phones could be unlocked without their doing it, so thanks for that info.