Cell phone in europe

How many countries will you be in? If you'll only be in a couple countries I would just buy a sim card once you get to the country. Or you get one card at the first country you are in and put, say, 50 euro on the card and just use it for your entire trip. I have an Italian chip and last month I went to Germany, Czech Republic and Slovenia. My phone worked in all countries, but the rates were a bit more when I was out of Italy. I think in total I only used 20 euro. I don't use my phone too much. Oh and to get a SIM card in europe really only costs 10 Euro or so...then of course you add euro to get minutes. My husband on the otherhand works in Germany quite often so he carries a German chip in his wallet and puts it in his phone while he is in Germany.

Martine,

Do you currently have a Cell phone plan at home, and which network is it with?

If you're with Rogers or Fido on a contract plan and only planning to make occasional calls in Europe, roaming might be the best option (that's what I do).

I tend to use texts as much as possible to keep in touch with family back home, as sent texts are only 60-cents each and received texts are free.

Cheers!

In the UK £10 will buy you a sim card which will also include £10 call time. If you pick the right pay as you go (PAYG) plan calls to the USA will cost you about 4/5 pence per minute and there is no charge to receive calls.

I've got a Verizon cell phone that won't work in the UK or anyplace else in Europe. I've thinking about buying a prepaid ("throwaway") phone when I get to London, and using that instead of my current phone. Anyone here have any idea how much a prepaid phone costs? I'll need it for about 10 days.

Here are PAYG phone prices from a major UK retailer. Stores in almost every town.

http://www.carphonewarehouse.com/mobiles/pay-as-you-go/by-price

Hi all,

Thanks for your replies.

My current phone is with Bell, and it won't work in Europe, it would have been my first options...

This time, we'll be in Italy only, but who knows where we'll visit next?

Michelle:
-> Can you get the SIM cards at the airport? We are arriving in Genoa.
-> What store sells them and for which provider?

Merci!

Martine,

Thanks for the additional info. I'm assuming the "unlocked phone" that you have is not from Bell. Just to confirm, is it a quad band unlocked GSM phone?

If this is a GSM phone, there are several choices:

Buy a "travel SIM" from firms such as Call in Europe, Cellular Abroad or others. This might be the best solution if you're going to be travelling in several countries as the rate structure will be consistent regardless of where you are. However, be sure to check their websites so that you're very clear on what it will cost you (based on your anticipated calling pattern).

Buy a SIM at the first country you arrive in. This will provide the cheapest rates in that country, but will be more expensive when you're in other countries as you'll be "roaming". Euro cell networks usually have several PAYG plans, so it would be a good idea to check their websites first, so that you have some idea of the costs. Be sure you know how to top up the card. One thing to note is that if the account isn't used for 6 months or more, the card may expire (you'd have to re-activate on future trips or buy a new SIM).

Sign up for a one-year plan with Rogers or Fido, using your existing phone. That would also provide you with consistent rates in various countries in Europe and could be used back home for a few months before the plan ends. Check their respective websites for the roaming details.

Good luck with your decision.

Ken my unlocked phone is not from Bell, and it is a quad band GSM. Thanks for all the helpfull information, we are going to look into all these options, and make a decision.

Here's another option that we're going to use on our upcoming trip to France:

http://www.mobal.com/worldphone/?source=0046&gclid=COLlgv2NmZwCFdVL5QodUzNWdQ

Mobal's GSM World Phone costs $49 (plus shipping) and comes with a SIM card that works in 150 countries. The phone is good indefinitely and there is no monthly charge or minimum usage fees, so you can put it in the drawer when you get home and use it for future trips. Calls are charged to your credit card as you use the phone.

Martine, Are you taking a laptop or netbook with you? I got so confused with all the cell phone options, I ended up taking my Sammy and using Skype to call everyone. It worked GREAT! Of course, you had to have wireless connection to use, but that's available almost everywhere in Europe now. I also got an online # so everyone could call me. The whole deal cost me about $36.00 for 2 months. Might be something you want to consider.

My advice is to not use Call In Europe. Your usuage is directly tied to your credit card with no fraud detection or charge limit. The result is if your phone or card is stolen, the thief can rack up several thousand dollars worth of calls until you discover the theft and notify Call In Europe. Their terms and conditions state you are still liable for all the charges, fraudulent or not, until you notify them. If you discover the theft right away, their terms and conditions state you are liable for all the charges. This is what happened to me. CIE sued me for $5000. It's too late for me, but I don't want anyone else to go through this as well.

Mr Jung,
The phone was not stolen but found in a trash bin after it was carelessly thrown away by one of your relatives. Once this fact was reported to us, the service was immediately cut. It is important here to mention what transpired. As a result of all of the facts that were presented to the judge the verdict was found in our favor. We stand by the quality service that we offer to many? of our satisfied customers.

Martine, you need to estimate how much you'll be using the cellphone to get a sense of your best option. Buying a SIM from one of the companies that sells them before you travel is convenient, but more expensive. Buying a SIM in the countries you visit gives you the best rate, but you spend time finding stores and buying SIMs. If you're not making that many calls, then buying a SIM in the 1st country you visit and using that in the rest (paying roaming rates) is another alternative. You can see costs of various carriers/plans at http://www.prepaidgsm.net/en/operators.html

Hello,
Actually there is an important aspect to keep in mind when one says that local prepaid sim cards give the best rates: in France, as it is where you go Martine, the rates of the main carriers (Orange, SFR and Bouygues) will be Euro 45-55 cents for domestic calls and Euro 75 cents to the USA. At current 1.43 exchange rate, it is quite prohibitive.
You can get local European prepaid or postpaid SIM cards from the US and they will bill you in $US so no exposure to exchange rate. At minute rates that vary from $29cts to $49cts/min (depending on the local sim card you buy for local & calls back to the US) you save a bundle. I personally used a call in europe French sim for a recent trip and did not have to complain. Cheers.

I have to second Call in Europe. I used their sim card when I went to Spain and France and was glad to have it. Service was great every time I used it. Y Their is an unlock code to be used everytime you turn the phone on, so unless you delete that codoe, I don't see much potential for fraudulent use.

Philip makes a good point; you need to check the rate of the national carriers. From the info he posted, France seems to be an expensive country! In Italy, you can call domestically for 17 cents Euro a minute (or 12 cents with a 16 cent connect charge) and calls to the USA are 30 cents Euro a minute. See http://www.prepaidgsm.net/en/italia/wind.html

Martine- Sorry for being to late with a response. You can buy a chip in any cell phone store. I've never been to the airport you're landing in, but there may be a cell phone store there. If not just look around the first downtown area you're in.

Hi Martine........

I have a CallinEurope phone and have used it on two trips in the past. The service was excellent and the price was very reasonable. I think their current price is only $29 for a phone with SIM card, and the per minute rate is also very inexpensive.

Thanks everyone for all helpful answers, we have purchased a italy sim card with roam simple, after comparing all of our options.