phones and wifi

With no SIM card in the phone you shouldn't have to worry about roaming, but your phone may keep giving you error messages. Try it without a SIM card now and see how it functions in the U.S. That may influence what you do.

Sandy, I'm not clear why you're planning to unlock your phones and then remove the SIM card? None of the uses you've mention involve a Cell phone, so I'm not sure why unlocking would be necessary? As Paul mentioned, you'll probably get a "No Service - Insert SIM" message each time you use the phone. This may be objectionable when you're trying to use Skype or whatever via Wi-Fi. You may find that it's necessary to leave the SIM in place, and disable all cellular data roaming instead. Which cellular network are your phones with? Have you considered signing-up for a travel plan with your home network to provide basic phone capability? Happy travels!

Whoa! Skype works great for calling non-Skypers'; in fact, you can call anyone in the world, using Wi-Fi, from your Skype enabled device for approx $2.3 cents/minute.....you just need wi-fi acess. Buy some Skype minutes now, and play with it at home before you go. Why the heck are you pulling out your SIM??????. Unless you are going to stick in an EU SIM, leave it in, sign up for a "lo-cost" international package from your provider, turn off your data, and use your phone for calls and super cheap texting. Go to your provider's web site and do some reading on how you can use your phone overseas. You will see that they have plenty of options. If you don't understand how to "shut off data"/diable roaming, etc. call them and ask. You can also buy limited, pre-paid data packages from your provider. I took my iPhone to Spain last year, and left my SIM in the phone. I found plenty of aps that did not require data (translation aps, map aps, etc.) I used Skype to call home, and call others, when I could find wi-fi. I signed up for a AT&T Internatioanl plan and had "reduced" phone calls, and super cheap texting. The one thing to remember is that anyone calling your phone (leaving messages from the States, etc) charges you at taht higher rate, unless you transfer your phone to Google Voice, etc.

Thanks for replies, Paul, Ken and Steve. We've heard horror stories about huge charges incurred just for turning a cell on because automatic s alone might run up a bill. Our carrier, T Mobile, hasn't been much help so far, but has indicated that charges would be in the $2/minute and $5/megabyte range with an international plan. At least that's the memory I have of a conversation with a Mumbai call center. So the unlocking and removal are all to avoid any nasty surprises when we get home. We have unlimited data (for the US) but only pay-as-you-go texting on our plan, but I suppose that's an option if I can ascertain the exact charges. We planned on putting in a French or int'l. SIM, but then wondered why we would have to if we were using wifi and not making phone calls. We have pulled the SIM from one phone, and it seemed to function, but haven't done a full test with both cards removed and Skyping from one to the other. If people need to contact us in an emergency, will an email work under the unlocked, card out circumstances? I do have Skype minutes, and if the charge is only 2.3 cents/minute, that's probably the way to go. We've also seen $2.99/mo. and $9/mo. Skype plans recommended. I'm having trouble figuring out the cost of calls from France to the US as everything on Skype's website seems to be geared for the reverse, but I did find something that indicated charges from 2.3 to about 30 cents/min. depending on circumstances. That's fine. I just don't want anything higher than $1/minute.
All in all, we just keep getting confused with all the possibilities out there. Any more hints or input?

That was supposed to be "automatic updates," not "automatic s."

Sandy, I had a brief look at the T-Mobile roaming rates for France, and the costs would be: > $1.49 / min. for voice calls (which doesn't include local tolls or long distance charges). > 50¢ per sent text message and 20¢ for each received text message. > $15 per MB of data use. The rates seem high compared to those offered by AT&T, so I can understand why you're reluctant to travel with your home plan. If you're travelling with unlocked phones, one other option would be to use a SIM from one of the "travel phone" firms such as Cellular Abroad, Roam Simple, Call-In-Europe, Telestial or Mobal. These often use a number based in the U.K., so rates are fairly cheap. Check the respective websites for specific details. If you left the cellular data switched "off", that would provide phone capability for checking reservations or perhaps brief calls to the U.S. When you had Wi-Fi available, you would be able to access internet functions or E-mail. Cheers!

Sandy, Skype calculates the rate based on where you are calling so long as the call starts on a computer connection. So calls to a U.S. number are charged as if you were calling from home. The $3 unlimited domestic calling rate should cover all your calls to the U.S. even if you are overseas.

Skype on my Ipod touch acted as if I were in the US when I was in Spain. When I called a US number, I just put in the area code and number. When I called Spain, from Spain, I had to use access codes as if I were calling from the US. It worked great for me. I tested it before I traveled and decided to pack earbuds with a microphone to make sure I could hear and be heard clearly.

If your phones are unlocked, you could use prepaid Lebara sim cards to make cheap calls to each other and to the States without need for wifi. The rates keep getting cheaper. The website shows .01€/minute for calls to the US + .15€ connection fee. Calls within France are .15€/min + .15€ connection fee. Lebara to Lebara is shown as free "On Recharge". I'm not positive what that means as Lebara came on the scene shortly after our last trip to France eighteen months ago. Most likely it requires a top-up which can be done online or on the phone in English. Note that this is a phone sim only with no data capability. The sim costs 10€ with 7.50€ talk time included when bought from a shop. Some people on Trip Advisor have reported being able to get a free sim through the mail. http://www.lebara.fr/