Thinking of Buying a Cell Phone to use all over Europe

All you need is a little $1 plug adapter (not a transformer) to use any phone in Europe. The advantage of buying a phone in the U.S. is you can shop around choose something and compare price, once you get to Europe you will just have what the company WIND or TIM in Italy have available and the phone will be set to Italian as the main language. I just bring an unlocked smart phone and buy a SIM card at TIM (I have done it twice in Venice the TIM shop is near the Rialto Bridge it is closed Sundays). You will need to buy a different SIM card in each country. I find having a smart phone (iPhone or android) is invaluable as I can get all kind of data like maps, schedules, find restaurants etc.

Thank You! What phone did you buy? I want to make sure I buy one that works over there. (something about quad bands). If I know your brand and model, I'll get the exact same one.

Tabatha, phone chargers are multi-voltage, so all you need is the appropriate plug adapter. If you buy a phone in Europe, you can get an adapter to charge it in the US, and vice versa. Of course, you have to double-check the charger (look for "Input: 100-240" and "50-60 Hz" on the charging "brick), but assuming it says those numbers, do NOT use a transformer or converter - just the plug adapter. Yes, there are four bands (frequencies) that phones use for voice (data is different). Europe uses 900 and 1800, and North America uses 850 and 1900. For a phone bought in the US to work in Europe, it must be quad band. A cheap phone bought in Europe will only have the two European bands, so it will work fine there, but not in the US. For a good tutorial on cell phone options, start here: http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/tips/cell-phone-europe.htm. First, read the grey box on the right, then the rest of the article.

Thanks! I know I can find a cheap cell phone unlocked here, it might be the way to go. But I just want to be positive I get one that works in Europe

I have used an unlocked Samsung Galaxy S3 (GSM) and a Verizon iPhone 5 in Italy recently. Neither are cheap but they are my regular phones in the U.S.

Thanks!!

For a phone to work in Europe, in addition to being unlocked, it has to be quad-band as they use different frequencies than we do in the US. Two years ago we bought a used unlocked, quad band phone online. When it arrived we bought a US SIM card to use the phone here to be sure it worked (it's now my cell phone). You can also look for a new unlocked quad phone but we found them to be expensive. When we arrive in another country we buy a SIM card and we're ready to go. If it doesn't come with a European charger you can easily get an adapter for a couple of $.

Tabatha, I'd suggest buying an unlocked quad-band GSM phone in the U.S. as that will provide you greater choice of the type of phone (candy bar, flip, smartphone) and you'll be able to familiarize yourself with it before your trip. If you buy a phone in the U.S., you WILL need to verify the "Input Voltage" specifications on the Charger. While it's likely it will be a multi-voltage Charger, it's still prudent to check. If you were to buy a phone in Europe you'd still need two Plug Adaptors, one for use in the U.K. (either for this trip or future trips) and one to charge in the U.S. (if you plan to charge before departure). If you buy a phone in the U.S., you'll need Plug Adaptors for the U.K. and Europe. That's not a big deal as they're cheap (I'd suggest taking more than one, as they're easy to misplace). Regarding SIM cards, you could certainly buy one in Italy. However, when you travel in other countries you'll be "roaming" so you'll deplete your minutes at a higher rate. You may also have trouble topping-up outside the country of purchase. Also, access to data plans my vary between countries. You could also use a SIM from one of the travel phone firms such as Roam Simple, Cellular Abroad, Telestial, Mobal or EuroBuzz (there are others). That will provide consistent rates through most countries in western Europe and usually post-paid billing so no need to top-up. With a travel SIM, you'd have a working phone as soon as you step off the plane. Happy travels!