Global calling card vs. cell/mobile phone?

Michelle,

There are several options you could consider. One question though - is there any possibility you may need a phone for future trips, or are you only concerned about having a phone for THIS trip?

Rather than renting a phone (which will be expensive) you might consider buying one. Some choices to consider:

Purchase an unlocked, quad-band GSM phone off E-Bay or wherever. If you choose that, be sure to check the Charger to ensure it's designed for "world operation". With that option you can either buy a PAYG SIM from one of the networks in Europe OR purchase a SIM from one of the "travel phone" firms such as Call In Europe, Roam Simple, Cellular Abroad, Telestial or Mobal. Check their respective websites for information on current rates.

If you're going to be travelling in multiple countries, using a SIM from one of the above firms will provide consistent rates regardless of which country you're in. I used a "travel SIM" this year, and it worked well (the number was based in the U.K.). I'm still compiling my expense data, so not sure yet what the cost was?

Purchase a phone (with SIM) from one of the above firms. That will provide you with a phone for future trips (although you may have to obtain a new SIM each time, as many of them "expire" if not used for a period of time).

Purchase a phone when you arrive in Europe. This will provide good rates, but if you travel outside the country of purchase, you'll be "roaming" and the rates will be higher. You'll also have to ensure that you know the procedure for "topping up" when your minutes are depleted. The SIM provided with this phone may also "expire" after several months of non-use.

Hope this helps? Happy travels!

We decided that since we travel to Europe at least once a year that it was worth it to us to buy a phone from Eurobuzz which includes a sim card with a UK phone number. The cost per minute is US$0.79/minute incoming and outgoing and per outgoing text but free incoming text. No monthly charge when the phone is not being used. Before this year we just purchased a local calling card to use in the hotel or at a pay phone--although phone booths are harder to find these days. We actually purchased 2 phones so we can find my husband who really likes to wander! Others like to just buy a sim card upon arrival which I'm sure you'll hear about shortly but this is what works well for us.

Your best choice depends on two things--how many countries are you planning to visit and how many calls--both local and back to the US--will you likely make?

The cheapest per call rates can be obtained by using local SIM cards in a phone that you buy rather than rent. (Renting a phone may have made sense one upon a time, but since it is easy to purchase a GSM unlocked phone online for well under 50 dollars nowadays, rental probably is the most expensive way to go.)

If you are going to be largely in one country for that month, it probably makes sense to buy a phone for European use and buy a local SIM card. That's especially so if you tend to make a lot of calls or long calls.

On the other hand, if you seldom use the phone, the cost of a SIM card will outweigh the savings you get per call. And if you are going from one country to another, you'll need a new SIM card for each one.

So, there's no one answer that fits all travel patterns. The most important variable is how you use the phone--high use vs. low use.

I had really good service from www.callineurope.com -- took an old unlocked cell which I forwarded home and other numbers to and used the call in europe sim card also took my iphone for wifi service (think skype would have worked but this option provided better coverage).