buying cell phones in Europe

Consider switching to T-Mobile. They do not charge extra like other major carriers and their fees are quite reasonable for texting and data. Came back from a three-week trip in Europe and was charged less than $6 for three calls back to the states.

~Darrel

I am not an expert, but, it would help if you mentioned:

• your US carrier
• the countries you are going to
• whether you plan to use data services, as your question only mentions calling, and how much
• the type of phone you have now

A couple of points that come to mind:

• I thought that international charges on some carriers are capped, so over 5 weeks, the charge may not be that bad
• if you are interested in changing carriers, Google Fi offers a regularly priced plan that works in just about all European countries, has no roaming charges, and charges for data use at the same rate no matter what country you are in (this is what I have).
• depending on the type of phone you have, you could either get an eSim or physical Sim card for the country you are in. But if you are going to be in multiple countries, then it depends what countries as perhaps one carrier serves multiple countries so reduces the # of Sims you may have to purchase/change out.

The phone itself probably doesn't matter as far as service goes, since everything in Europe is
GSM standardized. You can definitely buy a cheap burner phone for your time there, but it's
the Sim cards/countries that matter.

Also note that if you get a different Sim card for your phone, your phone # will change. You
will be able to make outgoing calls, but anyone trying to call your current # won't be able to
connect.

I know I didn't answer your questions directly, but I think that if you provide a bit more information,
others may be able to provide more accurate assistance.

If either of your phones is unlocked (or can be unlocked by your carrier) the simplest thing to do is to get a SIM or e-SIM when you arrive in Europe. On this site read the Phones & Technology section under Travel Tips that explains about using your own phone in Europe. Chances are very strong that you’ll be able to use it in any country you visit.

As a Canadian, I can't comment t on the wisdom to change US phone carrier, but if you only want to phone to make reservations locally, many businesses use WhatsApp...which is a wifi connection. With WhatsApp, you can phone or text with wifi only...for free. Alternatively there are Sim cards that can be used in multiple EU countries, but as UK has left the EU, you would need a second sim card for there.
Buying a phone there seems overkill...and a pain, as you would need to consider all the extra plug converters you will need to buy to fit the phone's plug. Even to charge in US means an adapter.
However, if you spend numerous weeks there every year, then a simple pay as you go flip phone may then make sense.
(Personally, I would use sim cards with my current phone for the access to data, that comes in handy for Maps, if nothing else) there are times data just makes life easier.

I'm sorry, but the type of phone may matter. GSM is no longer the standard. In the past, if your phone had two radio frequencies (900 MHz and 1800 MHz), you were set for Europe. All of the European and U.S. phone companies, however, are moving to newer technologies that are faster and have more capacity. They are stopping support for some of the older technology to free up room on the radio spectrum for the new stuff, such as 5g.

If your phone is relatively new, you are probably safe to use it in Europe, but unless it is really new, you may miss out on having complete coverage.

Most likely age won’t be much of a factor regarding SIM cards. Too many of us might have older phones and I’m fairly certain that they will be grandfathered in. My circa 2014 iPhone worked perfectly in Italy and France last November using a European carrier’s card.

You can buy a cheap, unlocked Android phone for about $100 on Amazon (e.g. Moto G 5G refurbished) then buy a SIM card for it when you get to Europe. You could even buy an Orange SIM card ahead of time that will work for the first two weeks - may be able top up online to extend, otherwise buy another SIM while you are there.

The advantage of buying a phone beforehand is that you can add apps e.g. WhatsApp ahead of time so you don't have to waste time setting it up and learning how to use it once you get to Europe. You can also sign up for a cheap prepaid US phone service like Tello and use it as a spare phone in the US.