Confused Over Sim Cards

Pam, There are all kinds of possibilities, but given the fact you're going to travelling in several countries, using a "travel SIM" would probably be the best idea. That would provide consistent rates for all the countries you mentioned. In addition to Maxroam, Telestial or OneSim, you could also consider Roam Simple, Cellular Abroad, Call In Europe, Mobal or EuroBuzz. Even if you don't purchase data with the travel SIM, you'd have to be sure that the cellular data was disabled on your iPhone 3 as you could be charged for it if any of the "background functions" access the data network. Your travel SIM would likely be provided with a U.K.-based phone number. The cheapest way to keep in touch would be to use text messaging, as sent texts are usually fairly cheap for the sending party, and received texts are usually free (depending on which plan you choose). Assuming you have a U.K. number and your parents use their AT&T phone, voice calls would be work like this. If you call your parents, you'd have to dial their +1-US number and pay for the call according to the rates of whichever plan you choose. The network will route the call to wherever your parents are at the time, and they will also pay for EACH incoming call based on the terms of the AT&T roaming plan. If your parents call you, they will dial your +1-UK travel SIM number and pay for the call according to the AT&T rates. You will be charged the incoming call rate according to the terms of the travel SIM plan you choose. There are pros & cons for each method, but using a travel SIM seems like the best option in your circumstances. Happy travels!

I don't know if this is important, but I forgot to mention that I'll be using my locked Android phone (currently on Sprint so won't work in Europe) for Skype and GoogleVoice. I dug up my old iPhone 3, unlocked it, and thought it would be useful by purchasing a sim card for it. I've narrowed down my sim card options to (1) buy one there but more of a hassle, (2) Maxroam, (3) Telestial, or (4) OneSim. They all talk about data, but I only need voice/text. Has anyone used another company with only voice/text that I can purchase in advance from the US?

Pam, given the age of your parents, it sounds like you want something that will be reliable and not involve too much complication. I'd go with your mother's AT&T plan with a global calling add-on. Ken is right; be sure that you know how to disable data on her iPhone so you don't unknowingly run up any data charges. There are posts here that explain how to do that and I'm sure someone else can explain it again if needed. (I don't have an iPhone so I have no personal experience with this. By-the-way, does the iPhone have the right frequencies to use in Europe? I'm not sure.) It would be helpful if you also had an AT&T contract plan so you could also sign up for their international calling plan, but you don't. I'd find a reliable travel phone card and use that, as Ken suggests. Check out the Graffiti Wall here under Cell Phone Tips and see if there are reports of either problems with some companies or success stories. If you're willing to take a chance, T-Mobile reportedly now allows its prepaid phones to work overseas. You can get a prepaid SIM from a T-Mobile store (or a Best Buy or Walmart or even a drug store) and load some money on it and try it and see. Your downside risk is small because you can always use the SIM back in the U.S. if it doesn't work over there. Finally, you could also just buy a local SIM and communicate with that. The bottom line for the two weeks use you describe, you should keep any phone usage to the absolute minimum because all are costly in relation to your use in the U.S.

Pam, Paul brought up a good point. I'm assuming that your old iPhone 3G is an AT&T model, and it does in fact use a SIM card? If that's the case, it should work fine in Europe. Be sure to disable cellular data on BOTH your iPhone 3G and your Mom's iPhone 4. It's a good idea to check the data usage monitor every so often to ensure that the phones are not actually using any. Regarding ALL your phones, be sure to check the Chargers to ensure that they're designed for operation from 100-240 VAC. You will of course need Plug Adaptors specific to the countries you'll be visiting. Cheers!

Thanks, Paul and Ken, for all your advice and info. It's so very helpful! Yes, the iPhone 3 has a sim card in it, and we will make sure that data is turned OFF (do we do this by turning airplane mode ON?), and verify voltage and getting adapters. I feel very much relieved and appreciate your expertise, and taking the time to respond to my post. Thanks again!

Pam, Don't use "Airplane mode" to block data, as that will disable ALL wireless functions, including voice and text. I don't know if the menus for the iPhone 3G are set up the same as the iPhone 4S, but you'll probably have to: > Go to "Settings" > Choose "General" > Choose "Network" At that point you should see s switch to disable Cellular Data. Cheers!