Europe & North Africa Cell Phone

Take a look at Mobal. They have a fifty dollar one and a ninety dollar one (more expensive covers more countries). One number forever, no plan (calls go on cc as they are made (maybe in clumps every few days?)), no annual fee, nothing expires, no sim card for each country. I've had mine for years and it works on every continent (Antarctica ?). All you have to do is turn it on and you're in business. What stinks is a buck a minute, but I use it so little it's not a problem.

Daniel, do you have a AT&T cell phone now? You can take it to Europe and use it there. I do that all the time. Call them and ask if yours is eledgible, or check their web site. They have EU calling plans that you can turn on and off at only $5.99/month. Then you have to pay $1.99 to .99/minute for any calls, but at least they are at a "reduced" rate. I have the same problem as you; an ailing relative, so we have to remain tethered to our cell phone. On my last trip AT&T even worked out a special cost reduction for me on my cell phone messages. Any voicemail messages left on your phone when you are overseas are charged at the overseas rate, even if you don't answer them. You can also buy a cheap quad band phone on EBay, and buy a prepaid EU SIM card at any electronics store when you arrive in the EU. This will give you cheap inter-EU calls, and cheap calls from the US.

Another vote for Mobal! Mine has been used in Finland, Spain, and Ireland with perfect clarity. And as Ed says, calls are charged as you make them (your account info is available online so you can check it), no running out of minutes at inopportune times or having minutes go to waste after a trip. And it's cheaper than the AT&T plan (even if your phone works for it, which is questionable). If you are considering another plan, such as CallinEurope, etc., be sure to read the fine print about their systems. Some of them require you to call a number, hang up, and wait while they connect your call, then call you back. It might be cheap, but it's far from convenient. I was suspicious of Mobal at first, because it seemed too easy to be true - but it really is great.

Daniel, buying a quad-band, unlocked GSM Phone on E-Bay is certainly one option. I've used that method in the past without any problems, but be sure to check the seller's ratings. ¶ Having a quad-band phone is your best option, as that will cover all the frequencies used in the areas you'll be travelling. ¶ You indicated that you have used AT&T phone cards. Do you have a Cell phone at present, and if so which network are you with? ¶ Using a phone or a SIM card from one of the travel phone firms is also a good choice. That's the method I used this year and it worked well. Check the websites for Roam Simple, Call In Europe, Cellular Abroad, Telestial or Mobal, but BE SURE to check their rates carefully. When I researched the various options, I found that Mobal tended to be more expensive than some of the others. You might also want to have a look at another Thread in this section of the HelpLine regarding the "issues" that one person experienced with Eurobuzz. Good luck!

Thanks...I am unfortunately with Verizon for my last two plans. The teen son, biggest user, feels that he needs that to stay in touch with his friends. The T-Mobile plan before that, we donated the phones. I could pickup a quad band flip on Ebay for $30, then buy a chip. But this trip take us three weeks in 5 European countries - Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg - then three weeks in Egypt and Jordan, where I figure picking up a chip isn't going to work. That's why I'm considering the Call in Europe or Eurobuzz plans. ** So I'm trying to find out about experience and reliability. I have pretty much decided to stay with messaging except for an emergency. So I guess whether it's a dollar per minute or $.69 cents a minute, is a non-event. But I saw the issues on Eurobuzz, hence my desire for real experience from "you guys". ** Not to be morbid, but after a call in Japan 4 years ago, I try to stay a bit more in touch.

Daniel, for an example of my "real experience", for the first time this year I tried a "World SIM" from one of the travel phone firms mentioned in my earlier post. If you're interested in which firm I used, I'll send you a PM. I used both voice and text during the trip (mostly text). I haven't finished compiling the costs yet, but so far I'm very pleased with the service. ¶ Given the fact you're going to be travelling in a number of different countries, using a "travel SIM" is the method I'd use. With a "travel SIM", you'll probably find that the rates will be higher for use in Africa, while calls in western Europe will be the same for all countries. Cheers!

Hi Daniel I think because you're going to Egypt and Jordan, you'll need a Mobal phone, which works globally - rather than a Europe service like Eurobuzz. The Mobal website has coverage maps, so you can check that the phone works where you are going. Sounds like you've got a great trip lined up. Al

AL, just to clarify, ALL of the travel SIM's will operate "globally". The main difference between them is which networks they use, and the rate plans. ¶ The SIM cards provided are usually with a European network (such as O2 in the UK), so one can travel anywhere in Europe and "roam" on the various cell networks in each country according to roaming agreements that are established between the networks.