Cell phone use in France & Italy

Cheryl, your Verizon will not work, as it uses CDMA technology which is different than the GSM used in Europe and much of the rest of the world. A few thoughts for you to consider.

From reading other Posts here, apparently Verizon can provide rentals for those travelling to Europe. I don't have any information on the rate structure, so you might want to check with Verizon.

You could certainly purchase an "inexpensive" Phone in either France or Italy, but whether this is a good solution will depend on your usage. If you plan on calling back to the U.S., the bill could be expensive. Also, keep in mind that when you use the phone outside the country where it was purchased, you'll be subject to roaming charges. The roaming rates are much more reasonable now than in the past, mostly due to pressure from the E.U. Using text is a cost effective way to keep in touch, as received SMS messages are usually free.

You could also rent a phone from Cellular Abroad, although for such a short trip, I'd be inclined to look at the first two options.

Good luck!

Do not bother with the phone. You can buy inexpensive phone cards for about 7-10 euros. You can buy them at any tabacco/news stand. I bought one in Paris and talked to folks at home quite a bit and had to give it away when I went to Rome because there was still time on it.

You will have to buy one in France and another in Italy.

Unless you have a real need to be in touch instantly (which to myself defies the whole purpose of going on vacation), get a phone card, not a cell phone. Among other things, the time differences are big enough that doing business over the phone can be hard.

Because we have extended (read elderly) family issues I keep in touch on my laptop via SKYPE with my adult sons back in the states. If you're taking a laptop it's great and almost free. Still, taking a laptop is kinda a pain. Unless you have a serious need to be in contact the phone card is the way to go.

Cheryl

I´d suggest you take a look at cell phone rental companies such as: phonerentalusa.com, worldcell.com and planetfone.com
You´ll benefit from having a local line, free incoming calls(one country), your cell phone number days in advance and appropriate customer assistance.

Good trip.

Another consideration is whether you will be taking regular trips to Europe. I purchased an unlocked GSM quad-band phone and then purchased a SIM card through Range Roamer which works in 160 countries. Can't remember if the minutes are good for 9 or 15 months, but I'll just be adding some minutes before my next trip next April. They provide you an 800 number for friends/family to get in touch with you while you are gone (you pay $.69/min to receive the calls). Hope this helps.

Hello Everyone!

Thanks for all of the suggestions. Phone cards seem the better option. I am looking into texting, we'll see if Verizon offers that service.

Best Regards,
Cheryl

Janis,

$.69/min is a lot. Cheryl is better off buying a regular SIM card in Europe. Per min rate would be $.17-.25 depending on each country.Incoming calls will be free.

Cheryl,

I don't believe texting will work on Verizon either. You still need a GSM phone for texting, which Verizon doesn't offer. If your US phone is not GSM, it won't get a signal in Europe, so no texting either.
You can get cheap unlocked GSM phones on ebay.

Bea, Texting is NOT going to work for any of our 4 family phones from verizon! Why do we pay as much as we do per month for 4 family phones and not one is useable in EU.

David--I am thinking along your lines ( no pun :)
why I do I want to be connected by phone? We need a break from it all......

Cheryl

Cheryl,

You didn't say before it would be 4 of you .But then you say "not pay for 4" but "pay for ONE usable in EU"?! I am a bit confused...

I have used the pin cards. I'm still considering making the leap to a cell phone.

I don't really want the phone for calling the US. I'm more interested in calling ahead for lodging or ticket reservations as I'm traveling without having to stop and make multiple calls on a pay phone. I don't leave home with reservations, just a general itenerary and make reservations a day or two ahead.

My T-Mobile phone is enabled but I think I can do better on the rate by getting a local phone and sim card.

It's seems to be easier to save money if you stay in one country vs. traveling through multiple countries.

Brad,

"My T-Mobile phone is enabled but I think I can do better on the rate by getting a local phone and sim card."

If your T-Mobile phone is "enabled" (not sure if that term is completely accurate?), why would you need a local phone? Have your present phone unlocked and simply insert a Euro SIM card when you arrive.

Cheryl,

"Why do we pay as much as we do per month for 4 family phones and not one is useable in EU."

The reason your phones are not useable in the EU (or much of the rest of the world) is that your provider (Verizon) chose to use CDMA technology rather than GSM which is used by about 85% of the rest of the world. On the other hand AT&T and T-Mobile in the U.S. chose to use GSM, so if the phone handset has the two Euro frequency bands (in addition to the North American bands), then it will operate just fine in any country with a GSM network.

If you're upset at your mobile phone costs, you might have a look at This news item regarding the proposed pricing for the 3G I-Phone in Canada (the 3G I-Phone will be released on 11 July in Canada and many Euro countries at the same time). Unfortunately, the ruinediphone.com site referred to in the article seems to be "down" this morning, but many of the posts on the Blog were commenting on the much better rates that American consumers pay for cell phone service.

Regarding your upcoming trip, you might want to have at least one phone for the trip. I really find it very useful to have a phone when travelling, especially since I travel "solo" and like to let my family at home know where I am (I use roaming with my home network, and it works well - text is not too expensive). Did you check the rental rates at Cellular Abroad or from Verizon?

Good luck and happy travels!

Cheryl I am in Paris right now and you can bring an unlocked quad or tri cell and get the sim here for cheap. I brought my 18 y.o. niece and a few days she wanted "alone time" so we gave her one of the phones (we got 2) and told her to come back at a certain time.
Also, the phone gave us mobility a phone card could not. I could get a reservation, provide them with an active number, and also while driving to Normandy, followup on the location of our chateau.
If you plan on doing side trips a phone is good to have since the streets are tricky, and not always easy to find places.
My call to the USA cost 45 p per min and within France its 39 p a min. My carrier is Orange, which is all over France and the UK

Hi all--
Bea, Sorry for the confusion. it will be just the 2 of us traveling to EU..my family plan has 4 mobile phones. All are pretty new phones--none will work in the EU.

Michelle--thanks for update, you are gently persuading me to look into renting a phone.

Ken---You always have great advice. thanks

3 days before take off!!!

Cheryl