I have a new flip phone that my Dad bought and hated. Since it’s still in the box, can I take that to Europe and buy a sims card for it? I’m spending a week in Germany and 4 weeks in Italy. Do I need another Sims card for Italy? Once I have these cards, is the phone good for calling the States? Can I text for free? I was going to call for an International Plan on my IPhone, but I understand that ATT doesn’t offer much of a savings. They had told me that $60.00 for a month would allow me unlimited texts and calls would be 35 cents per minute. What’s the best way to keep in touch with family? Is one sims card good for several countries? How much are they? Is it just for calling within that country or anywhere in Europe? Thank you!!!! 🙏
Posted by
899 posts
Posted by
Brooklyn, NY
4273 posts
Keep in touch through email and FB if the phone doesn't work out.
Posted by
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA
14767 posts
I also use WhatsApp for texting (either within Europe or from Europe to the US) when I have wifi.
Posted by
The Heartland USA
8987 posts
Note that if you get a SIM card in Europe, it will give you a European phone number, which means you have to send that number to folks in the US and tell them how to call/text a European number. And then you have to know how to call internationally to the US.
Just how much do you plan to use your phone? That is the key question. We got by with the ATT $10/day plan (pay only for the days that you actually use the cellular service) and using hotel and public wifi and email for messages. We made all our calls back home on the 2-3 days that we actually turned on phone service.
Posted by
Portland, Oregon
5687 posts
Install the Google Hangouts app on your iPhone and you can make free phone calls to US numbers, even to landlines. It will work on WiFI or with mobile data. You can also install Google Voice which will give you a new (additional) phone number for free to let you receive voice calls in Hangouts too plus do free texting in the Google Voice app, but it will be with the new Google voice number, not your AT&T number.
Dad's new flip phone may be locked anyway, but I wouldn't bother with it unless you really can't use your iPhone. Could be it is locked by AT&T though so you may not be able to buy a SIM card for it, but you could use it on WiFi to keep in touch. If by chance the iPhone is unlocked you could buy a SIM for it. I have read that buying a SIM in Germany might be a challenge for tourists at the moment due to German regulations, but it should be easy in Italy, if the phone is unlocked. SIM plans tend to be by the month (or two weeks) so five weeks means you'd probably want to buy another SIM when you get to Italy and use it for a month.
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
7166 posts
I seldom use my phone overseas. I mostly wait until I’m connected to my hotel’s WiFi to send messages, FaceTime, or Skype. Seldom is there a time I need to make a call.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32357 posts
It's possible that the flip phone may not even work in Europe. Without more information, that's impossible to determine. Which network is it with, is it a GSM phone, which frequency bands is it equipped with, does it even take a SIM card and above all, is it unlocked? The easiest solution would be to simply use your iPhone and pay the $60.
You can still keep costs low if travelling with your iPhone by using Skype, Facetime or whatever to keep in touch with home using WiFi. However one point to note is that not all WiFi in Europe is "fast".