Cell phone Austria and Switzerland

Cathy, A couple of questions..... > which cell network are you with? > are your present phones quad-band, GSM and unlocked? Rather than purchasing a local phone, you may be able to use your own phones with a SIM from another network. You could either buy a SIM in the first country you visit OR buy a SIM from one of the "travel phone" firms. Have a look at the websites for Cellular Abroad, Roam Simple, Call In Europe, Telestial, Mobal, EuroBuzz, BrightRoam or TruPhone. Advantages of using a travel phone or SIM is that you'll have a working phone as soon as you step off the plane, rates will be consistent in both countries you'll be visiting (depending on which service you choose) and no worries about topping-up. Happy travels!

Maybe things have changed since our last trip to Switzerland in 2007, but on that trip and 3 previous ones I found it simple and cost-effective to use the Swisscom payphones to call home. The meter starts at 0,60 CHF and then goes up at 0,10 CHF per minute at off-peak hours. A 10-minute phone call would be 1,60 CHF. This was for calls to the US but the rate to Canada was the same. I didn't even have to buy a phone card; the Swisscom phones would accept my credit card and would display the charge as it accrued. If you can confirm somehow that the rates and phone booth availability have not changed in the past few years, this might be cheaper than buying a cellphone or a sim card for Switzerland, especially since it appears you will only be there a few days.

Hi Thanks for the responses. Have thought about pay phone but have elderly parents and need to have an easy way to be reached. Ken- we are with Rogers and my Blackberry is not unlocked. I checked a couple of the links and like the idea of purchasing an 'international' phone that can take local SIM cards. Also heard that for planned calls home we could Skype. Need to research that more. I assume that we can buy an Al SIM card in Austria as it seems to have good coverage and will research what provider in Switzerland has good coverage.
Thanks everyone.

Cathy, Thanks for the additional information. I'm also with Rogers (and have been for many years). Their international roaming rates have improved over the last few years, but they're still a bit on the "pricey" side. For that reason, I've been using a SIM from one of the "travel phone" firms for the past few years (and will be again on my next trip). The fact that you're using a BlackBerry is significant, as if you were roaming with Rogers, you'd have to be VERY careful with the data roaming issue. Do you need or want data capability? I'm sure you heard about the traveller from Vancouver that went abroad last year, and came home to find a Telus bill for $35,000 waiting in the mailbox. The high cost was due mostly to data roaming. Telus reportedly took $10,000 off the top, but she was still "on the hook" (sorry about the pun) for the remainder. If you purchase a phone in Austria, and plan to use with a Swiss SIM, you'd need to ensure that the phone you buy is unlocked (that will most likely be the case). You have a few options: 1.) Buy an unlocked quad-band GSM phone off E-Bay and use it with a local SIM OR a SIM from one of the travel phone firms. I've seen some good deals on E-Bay, but there's a wide range of prices depending on brand and model. 2.) Buy a SIM or phone with SIM from one of the travel phone firms. I can provide a list of some of them if you're interested. One advantage of these is that you'd have a working phone as soon as you step off the plane, and rates would be the same in both countries. Also, no need to top up. 3.) Get your BlackBerry unlocked, and use with either a local SIM or a travel SIM (some of these offer limited data capability). Good luck with your decision!

Hi Ken Can't imagine what it was like to receive a 35,000.00 bill. I don't have a data plan on my Blackberry (simply 'inherited' it and use it for phone only). I think the travel phone with SIM card sounds like a good option. Would appreciate your recommendation. Have looked at some of the suggestions above, but have it does seem somewhat overwhelming and most seem to quote shipment to US and come with a US number as well. Maybe I am looking at the wrong thing. Thank-you for your input/feedback.
Cathy

Cathy, If you want to have a look at the CBC news story, Here's the link. I also find it very complicated and time consuming to try and make sense of the various travel phone plans. I spent about a month looking at a number of them, and eventually chose what I felt was the best and most cost effective for my needs. It was the one that most closely resembled the operation of my home Cell phone, without a lot of "complications" such as call-back schemes, separate connection charges, etc. I eventually decided on Roam Simple. They have an office in Toronto and a toll free number, so you might give them a call as that will be the easiest way to get answers for your questions. They ship from Canada, so you won't have any problems in that regard. A few things to remember with the travel SIM's..... 1.) These typically use a U.K. number and have consistent rates throughout most countries in western Europe. Rates for travel in eastern Europe or other countries may be slightly higher. 2.) These often use post-paid billing, with calls charged to a credit card at regular intervals. That means no "topping-up" is necessary, but if the phone is lost or stolen it's critical to report it straight away to limit fraudulent charges. 3.) Some travel phone firms are able to provide a "local connect" number in your home calling area, which is mapped to your U.K. travel number (may be an extra charge). This allows your normal cell phone number to be call-forwarded to the local connect number so that calls are relayed to where ever you are. Continued......

Cathy - Part 2..... The local connect option is good if there's a critical need to receive calls directed to your home cell (ie: illness in the family). It has a "down side" though as anyone calling your regular cell number will reach you anytime, even in the wee hours of the morning, and you'll pay the incoming call costs! The people calling your normal cell number will only be dialing your regular local number so they won't pay any more than usual. As your BlackBerry is with Rogers, I'm assuming it's a quad-band GSM model? Is there any possibility you could get it unlocked? That would save you the cost of buying a new phone, and allow you to use a model that you're comfortable and familiar with. That would also allow you to use either a travel SIM, or SIM's purchased in Europe. If it is possible to use the BlackBerry, be sure to check the Charger to ensure it's designed for "world operation". You will of course need Plug Adapters. I'd have to dig back through my previous research in order to provide comments on the other travel phone firms. That could take awhile, as I'm not sure where I put the notes. Finally, I should mention that I don't work for any travel phone firms, nor receive any financial incentives from them. I'm simply sharing what works for me. Hope this helps. Good luck with your choice.

Hi Ken You certainly have done a great deal of research on this and those like myself on this forum will continue to benefit. Thank-you. I will explore the option of unlocking my BB but need to check if it is quad band etc. I also like the option of speaking with the Roam Simple that has the Toronto office. Will post once I have resolved this. Thanks again for sharing all your expertise.
Cathy

Cathy, Which model BlackBerry are you using? If it's an older model and the first contract has expired, Rogers may be willing to unlock it for you. I don't know how difficult it is to unlock BlackBerry products, but it's typically not hard to find unlocking shops in most cities. Roam Simple may be able to suggest one. You won't be able to use ANY other SIM's unless your phone is unlocked. You might try TechVille at 574 Kerr Street in Oakville (905 849 8702). You could also have a look at www.unlock-blackberrytorch.com/Network.asp?area=Oakville&in=Ontario (I have no idea how much they charge for unlocking, but you can give them a call). Cheers!

Hi Ken Thanks again. I think my BB is an older model as I 'inherited' it after my niece had used it for a few years. Will investigate unlocking it as that does seem to be the easiest option. Then I am thinking from what you have mentioned, that I can purchase a SIM card for Austria and Switzerland prior to our trip which will have us land with a phone ready to use. Will re-post once resolved.
Cathy

Swisscom in Switzerland has a great deal - you can buy a SIM card there for 20 CHF which comes with a 20 CHF credit, so it's essentially free. I don't recall the exact price per minute for phone calls, but it was fairly low (like 10 cents/minute). The best part of the deal was that you got virtually unlimited data for just 4 CHF/day. For me, that was key - I bought a cheap unlocked GSM Android phone online for $99 before I left home, and once I bought the SIM card upon arrival, I was able to do everything I needed to do, including using Skype for voice calls. The plan you want is called "Easy Be Free". I printed out the page describing it from the Swisscom website, went to a Swisscom store in the Geneva train station, showed the guy the printout, and had a working phone 15 minutes later. I found out about this plan on this site: http://prepaidwithdata.wikia.com -
It's a GREAT resource for finding cheap data plans (most of which also include voice time) for every country you could imagine.