Mobile phone for 5 countries

I have an unlocked GSM phone I've used in Europe a few times, with local SIM cards. You can buy a local SIM in one country and use it in another, but the roaming charges will eat up the prepaid minutes pretty quickly. Still, if you will make only occasional calls this might work for you, or maybe you can get away with buying only one or two SIM cards. That has worked for me a few times.

If you have a smart phone or a laptop, you'd also have the option to use Skype to call if you are on WiFi. You can buy Skype credit in $10 USD increments. $10 would probably buy you plenty of calls in five countries.

If by chance you have a T-Mobile phone now (must be GSM and quad band, doesn't have to be unlocked), you can use that cheaply in many European countries - 20 cents a minute in Czech Republic and Austria (not in Slovenia and Croatia, though).

correcting bad post.
Eurobuzz does work in Bosnia, checked on thier website for coverage

Dave,

It would help to know if you presently have a cell phone, which network you're with and which handsets you're using?

Buying an unlocked GSM quad-band mobile and buying SIM cards in Europe is certainly one option. However you could find it difficult to top up the card after leaving the country of purchase, and buying a different SIM card in each country would be a real nuisance!

Given the fact that you'll be travelling in five countries, using a SIM and phone from one of the "travel phone" firms is the option I'd suggest. I'd recommend having a look at several of the firms in order to find the best one in terms of price and features. Some others that you could look at are Roam Simple, Cellular Abroad, Telestial, Mobal, OneSim or MaxRoam (there are others). Be sure to also check reviews for whichever travel phone firm you're considering.

Dave,

I would check with your current provider first and see what is offered in terms of international plans/coverage and go from there.

If they can't help you then you can buy a unlocked quad band phone here or over there. You can always use it back in the USA too!

from my limited experience with my EU SIMs is that yes you can use them in other countries, but as mentioned you will eat up your time faster. If you want to "save" money, you can buy a SIM in each country, but i would look into the cost vs benefit for doing so. A drawback is that you will have a non local number once you leave, but on the + you will only have one number to use.

with re to the one phone number, yes it will work across boarders. given a few minutes, it will say "welcome to..." at least that what my T SIM does when i travel. Whats also cool is that it knows you are there so you can call any local number just as if you were a local. the only thing is that anyone calling you will need to call international.

As mentioned, if you do buy a SIM over there in a particular country, make sure you can buy/add minutes to it once you're outside of that country. Just don't take their word for it either, do it by adding minutes from however they "say" you can.

If you care to, look at T mobile. they are offering a 50 USD/month International plan right now. It includes 1 GB 3/4G and then drops you down to 2G after you eat the 1 GB up. I have that plan for my new Note 3 and will be using it on my trip this year and i will also be buying a PAYG SIM in germany too.

just so you know i bought my first cell phone in the UK several years ago. With a 10 BPS minutes and the phone cost, it was about 80 USD. the phone wasn't fancy just a slider type so i didnt make any butt calls. I brought it back home and use it there now for emergencies and carry it around even though i just got my Note 3, i prefer the slider since i can drop it into my pocket. I will also bring it on my trip too.

happy trails.

Ray: "If you care to, look at T mobile. they are offering a 50 USD/month International plan right now. It includes 1 GB 3/4G and then drops you down to 2G after you eat the 1 GB up. I have that plan for my new Note 3 and will be using it on my trip this year and i will also be buying a PAYG SIM in germany too."

Ray, if you mean T-Mobile's "Simple Choice" plan, note that you don't get 3G /4G in Europe as part of the plan - it's free 2G data in Europe (but unlimited). I just used it in Germany this month. You can buy a pass to upgrade to 3G data. 2G is pretty slow but I lived with it.

@ ANdrew H,

" Ray, if you mean T-Mobile's "Simple Choice" plan, note that you don't get 3G /4G in Europe as part of the plan - it's free 2G data in Europe (but unlimited). I just used it in Germany this month. You can buy a pass to upgrade to 3G data. 2G is pretty slow but I lived with it."

Andrew,

i don't mean the "simple choice" plan, i bought the Monthly plan that includes "international". here is the link. It starts at 50 USD. This is the one i will try on my trip.

[enter link description here][1] [1]: http://www.t-mobile.com/cell-phone-plans/individual.html

happy trails.

Ray, your link says "Simple Choice Plan" at the top, the same plan I was talking about. I have this plan and as I said used it this month in Germany. You can call T-Mobile customer service to clarify the data, but as they told me (and as it turned out when I got there), you get only 2G data for free while roaming internationally. (The little wireless icon on my phone said "2G" while I was in Europe and says "3G" in the states - my phone can't do 4G.) 2G is slow but I lived with it. If you want 3G, you have to buy a data pass.

My Android does WiFi calling, and that was a HUGE benefit - free WiFi calls back to the US! I love the Simple Choice plan.

@ Andrew,

I will find out when i go this sept.

what i was told was that my 3/4G would last until it was gone and then switch to 2G. They didnt say it would NOT work outside of the USA especially since i told them explicitly i wanted it for international travel. If that is only here in the USA, then so be it.

also, my e devices arent glued to my face 24/7 like others and im only using it for my travel plans/itineraries and for major screw ups somewhere down the road if it happens.
happy trails.

A lot of good information so far. Here are my takes on your options. If you only plan to use the phone for emergencies or just now-and-then I would check with your provider on their international rates. They have gotten much better by most providers over the last few years. If you plan to make quite a few calls within Europe then your idea of an unlocked phone with a European sim-card is better. Most sim-cards will now work in different countries you just pay a larger rate when with their "roaming" charges. You can talk with a clerk at different mobile phone/sim-card stores in Prague to make sure you get a company that will work in all your destinations.

The EU roaming rate is fine,drops to€0.19c n July.
The thing to look out for is in the first country the calls to US are likely to he 10/15c a min,but every other country will be an international roam rate,on which there is no EU mandated cap,unlike within the EU

Dick: "So that's $100 for a couple of weeks of so called "free data" at 2014 speeds. Not cheap."

I guess I don't understand. I used my T-Mobile phone for two weeks using free 2G data - as in $0, not $100, so it was really free not "free" for me.

I used free 2G data not just for the smart phone stuff; I used it to tether my netbook (with Hotspot) and make hotel reservations, check email, Facebook, etc. I never claimed it was fast, but I survived just fine somehow. And I had WiFi at most of my hotels, so I had access to faster internet when I really needed it.

Not everyone is glued to their smart phone 24/7 and can't live without constant fast internet access. Even in 2014!

Dick, like most people, I already had a cell phone I'd be paying for whether I ever traveled or not; my T-Mobile cell phone has been my only phone for years. I don't pay "extra" to be able to use my T-Mobile phone overseas - but it's a nice side benefit of the plan I was already paying for.

I'm not really interested in arguing with someone who apparently has no first-hand experience using T-Mobile in Europe but felt the need to quote some other website anyway to try to refute what I said. And I wasn't trying to urge anyone to dump their cell carrier if they are happy with their service. But many people might not be aware of T-Mobile's international roaming options - even current T-Mobile users. I see it as a huge benefit that saves me money, so I don't have to buy European SIM cards any longer when I travel. I simply shared my recent positive experience using T-Mobile in Europe. You are welcome to disagree, but I don't see any point in arguing about it with you further.