Tracfones in Europe

Tracphones do not work in Europe. You need a quad band GSM phone, which you can buy cheaply once you arrive. There are a number of companies to choose from.

Ariadne, There are no "tracfones" sold in Europe (AFAIK), but you could certainly buy an inexpensive prepaid phone when you arrive there. Which country are you visiting first? When purchasing a phone in Europe, keep in mind that rates will be cheapest in the country of purchase, but higher in other countries as you'll be roaming. There also may be difficulties topping-up outside the country of purchase. You could also buy a phone from one of the "travel phone" firms such as Roam Simple, Cellular Abroad, Telestial, Mobal or EuroBuzz (there are others). They typically use U.K.-based numbers, have consistent rates throughout western Europe and offer post paid billing (calls charged to a credit card). If you currently have a Cellphone for use at home, you may also be able to roam with your home network. Many U.S. networks offer "travel packs" which reduce the cost of calls, text or data, and that can be a reasonably cost effective option for those that are using their phones occasionally. As you'd like to receive calls from the U.S., buying a cheap phone in Europe may not be the best choice, as anyone wanting to reach you will have to dial an international long distance call. Some of the travel phone firms listed above offer a "local connect" option which provides a local number in your home area, which is "mapped" to your travel number. Good luck with your choice!

For Nigel, and any other puzzled Europeans reading this: In the US, there are 4 main carriers (Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, and T-Mobile). AT&T markets their prepaid phones as "Go Phones" (the phones and the plans are sold together). To varying degrees, the other three carriers have "contracted out" their prepaid service, so other companies rent airtime on their networks, but sell phones and plans under other names. TracFone, Net10, Boost Mobile, Page Plus Cellular, and Metro PCS are some of the other companies selling prepaid service. Verizon and T-Mobile also sell their own prepaid plans; Sprint's are marketed as Virgin Mobile. Hence, the frequent references to "go phones" and this thread's reference to a "tracfone." Similar to asking for the "Xerox machine" when it's actually made by another company, these people are using the brand names for "prepaid service" as if they were generic.

Swan, what does the plan you purchased cover? Was that prepaid minutes?

Yes, terms like "tracfone" and "Go Phone" are only used in the US. You are looking for a "prepaid mobile phone." Afghanistan could be very pricey to call, whatever your method. Check carefully. For example, if I take my US T-Mobile prepaid phone abroad, it will work in Germany or Dublin or London for $1.49 per minute, but in Afghanistan, it's $5.99 per minute (not a typo - SIX DOLLARS per minute!). In addition to any replies you get here, a great source of information for phones is http://www.prepaidgsm.net/. Their "National Operators" tab will give you links to plans available in each country. Remember that roaming rates for phones within the EU are capped (so a phone bought in Germany will have higher rates in Dublin and London, but they won't be extreme). The "International Operators" tab will have more information about the travel phone firms Ken mentioned. And their Forums are a great place to ask more specific questions. But they can get very technical, so don't be afraid to ask for clarification.

I've never heard of "tracfone" - maybe something invented by Sarah Palin? Have you thought of Skype if you have a suitable device and available wifi on your travels? For example:- with Skype pay as you go, Afghanistan calls are about US$0.42 per minutes on pay as you go credit; or with a subscription (400 minutes) can be as low as US$0.238 per minute.

Yesterday I bought an inexpensive T-Mobile prepaid phone in an EE store in Bath. The phone is Samsung; the calling plan is T Mobile. Phone 2 gbp; the plan 20 gbp.