Has anyone out there used products such as Roam4Less, TravelSIM, or Brightroam? They seem to offer fairly reasonable deals for unlocked GSM phones, but I am skeptical. Has anyone relied on simply arriving in a country and buying a local SIM card for their unlocked phone? I was thinking about buying a Skype-compatible phone for use in Europe. Has anyone out there done this? I am thinking it might be cheaper than bringing my US 4-band phone and buying a local SIM card. The SIMS are not always the same shape as the ones that go into my phone, which is about six years old. I know some people that have simply made a habit of ducking into internet cafes every other day. Since I am new to Skype I have not noticed how common Skype is these places. Anyone know anything?
Posted by
New England
312 posts
Hi William, Last summer, I used Skype to call home using my iTouch whenever my hotel/B&B offered WIFI. It was great value. I purchased $10 Skype credit and called home for five cents/minute instead of .99 on TMobile. But is that what you mean by Skype-compatible phone? Guess I can't really help. Cheers.
Posted by
NY, USA
500 posts
You can use skype on any smart device from iPod touch to iPhone or Android phones, other smart phones or on a netbook or laptop. There are two types of SIM cards, regular and micro SIM that the iPhone 4 uses. As long as you have a wifi connection you can use skype. Local SIM cards can be pretty cheap now. Are you going to multiple countries or one?
Posted by
OP
Harrison, NY, 10528
53 posts
Hello Lisa, Thank you. I will be going to Portugal in April, but then to several countries in July. This is why I prefer not to have to buy several SIM cards. My Motorola phone works internationally, but is currently w/o any plan. It is not compatible w/Skype, which is why I thought buying one of their phones might be a good idea - I travel abroad several weeks out of the year. I know how to use it with my laptop. However, Back-Door traveler that I am, I go via Backpack, and prefer not to make heavier the load by lugging my laptop. Anyway, the info you have given me is food for though, and I appreciate it! William
Posted by
Germany, Germany
813 posts
I have an iphone3 with the Skype app. I've tried it around in different countries and never had it work well. It cuts out and the sound quality is sketchy at best. When I call the US directly the connections are fine. Just my experiences living in Europe.