Cell phones in Germany

Janet, do you already own a triband phone? Does your phone support the global GSM standard (900 Mhz or 1800 Mhz) as opposed to the US frequency of 1900 Mhz? If it does support 1800 Mhz you can buy the cheapest set from and German Aldi discount store for around €20. It means your kids could call you using the cheapest 1010 pre dial for German phone numbers and you would have got a 0 cent per minute incoming air time plan.

Janet, it would help to know if you presently have a Cell Phone, and if so which network this is on and which phone handset you have? I always take my home Cell Phone with me when travelling (using roaming with my home network), and it works well anywhere in Europe. I've found that using SMS / Text is a very inexpensive way to keep in touch with family, using the more expensive voice calls only when absolutely necessary.

If you're presently with either AT&T (formerly Cingular) or T-Mobile, you should be able to travel with your home cell. However, the phone MUST have the Euro frequencies (900/1800 MHz), in addition to the North American frequencies 850 / 1900 MHz). If you intend to use a Euro SIM card in the phone, the handset MUST be unlocked.

Happy travels!

Thanks for the reply

We have basic Verizon Wireless.

Janet, thanks for the info. Unfortunately, Verizon phones will be useless in Europe as they use CDMA technology rather than GSM (which is somewhat the "world standard").

There are sevearl options here:

1.) Some CDMA networks in North America have started to offer "dual-technology" phone options, which have both CDMA & GSM 900/1800 in the same handset. Two examples are the Motorola A840 and the Blackberry 8830. You could check with Verizon to see whether you'd be able to upgrade your present handset? I don't have much info on the GSM roaming plans offered by Verizon - you'd have to check with them.

2.) Buy an unlocked quad-band GSM Phone (Motorola has a good line of quad-band flips) off E-Bay, and then pick-up a SIM card when you arrive in Germany. Make sure it has a "world charger"!

3.) Rent a GSM phone before leaving (try www.cellularabroad.com or similar firms). The rates seem a bit expensive but it would provide you with a Phone at least.

Good luck!

Janet, I ran out of space in my previous reply (this message board is too restrictive in some ways).

4.) You could also try www.telestial.com as they provide international Cell phones. I suspect they use a "call back" style of operation, where the caller initiates a call, then hangs-up and the network calls them back to complete the call. I find that too awkward so would never use that type of system.

5.) You could check AT&T or T-Mobile to find out whether they currently offer PAYG Phones with roaming ability? AFAIK international roaming is only available to contract customers, however this may have changed recently?

Again, good luck and happy travels!!!

Verizon allows you to rent a different phone for use in Europe.

I have Cingular & my bf has Verizon, so we just plan to use mine while travelling.

I like Mobal (www.mobal.com), which Rick Steves recommends. You buy the phone for a one-time $49 charge, you get a permanent UK phone number and worldwide SIM card. Then all calls are charged to a credit card -- so you never run out of minutes or have to buy a SIM card for different countries. You only pay when you use it -- no monthly fees. I've used it in Ireland, the UK, Finland, and Spain with crystal clarity and no problems.

I've looked at Mobal phones, however the prices seem a bit steep. In some cases, they are equal or more than what I normally pay with roaming. In my circumstances, it's better to keep my "regular" number so that family and friends can always reach me if necessary.

Be sure to let your family and friends know you will be travelling in a foreign country where cell phone calls will cost you more than normal.

My daughter took her Verizon cell phone to China where the roaming rate was about $1.5 per minute. Being able to talk to her was nice although I don't really like having to pay for the calls that she got from friends wanting various things like babysitting services. People have no way of knowing that when they dial your local cell phone they may be connected to you overseas. However, it doesn't really matter to Verizon because it's still $1.50 per minute!