Hello, I'll be traveling through France, Spain and Ireland for two weeks on my honeymoon and want to know what I should do about having a cell phone. I'd like to have it for emergency calls and GPS. Any suggestions? And what the expected cost might be?
Thanks!
Customers of T-Mobile USA have 20 cent per minute voice calls, free unlimited text, and free unlimited 2G data. Tip: Download the Nokia Here maps when connected to wifi at home and you'll be able to navigate even when data isn't available. Have a great honeymoon!
Look at the website www.telestial.com.
I have used it on several trips to Europe. They give you a British phone number that can be used in 190 countries so it's good wherever you travel. You need an unlocked Quad band phone since Europe, and most of the world, uses 900 and 1800 bands as opposed to the US where we use the 850 and 1900 bands.
You can get an unlocked quad band phone pretty cheap here. ATT sells a gophone at department stores for about $25. It's not a smart phone but you can make and receive calls on it and are only charged for outgoing calls.
Telestial contracts with phone companies in each country. Look at telestial's website and see if it works for you.
good luck and happy honeymoon.
A) If you can get your cell phone unlocked, you can buy a SIM card here in Spain all over the place.
B) If you don’t do that you can buy a cheap phone with a sim that has minutes on it pretty cheap. I think mine cost a total of $22 US. I bought it in Toledo. It was Happy Movil. It also says Grupo The Phone House. I think the minutes can be used anywhere here in Europe. If I had a cheap phone with me that was unlocked, I could have just bought a sim card with minutes. I think the one I bought was $5 Euros +cost of phone. www.happymovil.es
C) I have an iPhone and had my cell service discontinued while I am here - I am gone for 5 months. I can use my phone though, wherever there is WIFI. If you download the MagicJack app, you can also make free phone calls, or use SKYPE for phone calls. You just have to be someplace that you have WIFI.
Check out those options!
Hi,
Eurobuzz worked fine for me. If all you want is to be able to make and receive phone calls this $30 gadget does it. calls are 79 cents per minute. That is high. But if you use it for those special times only...it is a cheap way to go. I spent six weeks in Spain this trip and my total phone charges were under $9.00.
Buying a country SIM is more than that and try getting a SIm to work using a foreign language. Or buy a calling card which is country specific...10 Euros ($14.00) and try making it work, when the connection giving directions is in a foreign language. Good grief how fast a=can those directions be made in French?
I have had the phone three years. Works fine. But it is not for socializing.
T-mobile sounds really nice, if you have that carrier.
wayne iNWI
Bring an unlocked phone and just change your sims as you travel. Alternatively at least for Spain you can usually buy a Lebara phone with sim for pay as you go calls. Cost around 25 euros for cheap Samsung phone with 15 euro credit. Calls between Lebarra phones are free which is great if traveling with 2 people. I brought a $20 radio shack Huawaii phone got a $4 unlock code on eBay search eBay by your model. Am additionally paying 10 euros for 1 GB data plan for internet which lasts 30 days again through Lebarra.
The cell plans didn't seem worth it to me. I downloaded an app called "Magic Jack" which allows me to make calls when I have wifi. Every hotel and restaurant seems to have wifi, so I could keep in touch and check voice messages and emails while over there with no issue. I run my own business so communication back home is very important to me, but being on vacation is as well. This seemed to do the trick allowing me to keep in touch but not being to accessible.
It doesn't help with GPS though.
