We are leaving for Rome/Paris/London on Monday, and I need some last minute help with our cell phones. We have CDMA phones on Sprint, which obviously won't work for calling in Europe. I am going up to the store tonight to get an iPhone, and I will be able to unlock it if I want since I've had the account for 90 days. My main concern is being reachable by our parents in the U.S. while we are in Europe because they are watching our 2-year-old. They are not that savvy with International calling or anything, and I think they would probably have to call Sprint for "permission" to make international calls. My question is, should I just roam with the iPhone for $1.29 a minute or whatever (50 cents per text) so they can reach me using the US number (would this cost THEM any extra)? Or should I buy SIM cards in each country and text them the new numbers? Would the latter option be expensive/complicated for them? I don't expect that we will need to use our cells much within Europe, and if we want to chat with them, we can email or Skype over WiFi. I just want to be reachable in case something goes wrong. And one other little Skype question - how do they know we're going to Skype them? I mean, how do they know to answer the computer and/or cell phone? I've never done it before.
Posted by
Tuscaloosa, AL
1152 posts
Let me take the Skype question first. If you Skype from your computer you can call to a regular U.S. phone number for a fee or under a calling plan. Your parents will answer it just like any phone call. If you call a computer, the computer will have to be on and logged into Skype. As for your first questions: Roam on your home account. With your parents watching your 2-year-old and your concern about their ability to dial international numbers correctly, it simply isn't worth it to make it difficult for them to call. Presumably they won't be calling much, if at all. But does Sprint have an international roaming option? I know Verizon does. (Okay, just looked. They do.) Since you're leaving Monday, you need to do something tomorrow to be sure your iPhone is set up to work properly. I suspect Sprint will have to give you a micro-SIM that will work on GSM accounts (what Europe, AT&T, and T-Mobile use).
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32220 posts
Heather, It's unfortunate that you didn't arrange this earlier, as it doesn't allow much time to sort through the various options. I don't have any details on Skype, but Paul provided some good information on that. Regarding getting an iPhone from Sprint, I noticed this statement on their website in red lettering: "Traveling internationally with your phone" is not supported by the phone iPhone 4S 16GB." I'm assuming that also applies to the other iPhone versions from Sprint? I wasn't able to find any information on roaming rates on their website (although I just had a brief look), so I'm not sure that roaming with Sprint is going to be an option. Given the fact that your main concern is being reachable by your parents using a local number, the easiest and quickest solution would have been to buy a basic phone from one of the travel phone firms, along with the local number option. That would allow your parent to simply dial a local number, and the call would be forwarded to your travel phone. I checked Roam Simple (one of the travel phone firms) but unfortunately, even their FedEx "Express Shipping" usually takes two days, and I believe that doesn't include weekends. I'd suggest making a toll-free call first thing in the morning to see if they have any suggestions. As you'll be leaving in a few days, your only choice might be to buy an inexpensive PAYG phone in the first country you visit. Leave detailed instructions for your parents on the dialing sequence for international calls, and then either E-mail or text the number to them once you arrive. Good luck and happy travels!
Posted by
Texan in CA
4408 posts
Just a comment - it is practical to buy an iPhone here (if you were planning to do so anyway), but a phone there - with SIM - shouldn't cost anywhere near $100.
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
9363 posts
I agree with Paul. International roaming with Sprint is your best option in this case, and simplest for your parents. Just don't answer calls from the dentist's office and such. Anyone calling your regular number won't know that you are traveling.
Posted by
OP
Kansas City, MO, USA
14 posts
OK, thanks everyone. I got an iPhone last night and international roaming is available with Sprint. I plan to get a Skype account for when I want to call their cell phones and/or computer, but this way they can still reach me without Skype on their phones or access to their computer. And yes, I kind of did wait until the last minute - we were going to buy a phone there, but I don't see the point of buying one for $100 or so, when I could get an iPhone that I'd be able to use after the trip for $200, if that makes any sense! Thanks!
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32220 posts
Heather, It sounds like you've got everything worked out. It was late so I just checked the Sprint website briefly for information on international roaming. I'm assuming you bought an iPhone 4S? You'll have to be VERY careful with 3G data roaming, as the costs can be HUGE. Happy travels!
Posted by
New Haven, CT, USA
46 posts
Yes, make sure you turn off data roaming on your iphone. I would call sprint and have them walk you through how to do it. Your phone will likely access the internet without you even doing so manually (checking your email on it or whatever). My parents recently watched my 2 & 4 year old while we were in London/Paris in April and we used skype. I was also able to call my mom's cell phone (for free) through gmail. You might try that if you're taking a computer with you. I called them through gmail to see if they were available to skype (set this up before you go). I also printed out a instructions on how to call internationally for each country as well as the phone numbers for each hotel we were staying at since my parents are experiences international callers either. We did buy SIMs for both the UK & France. UK we bought in Heathrow and France we purchased ahead of time on eBay France.