Buying inexpensive cell phones just for traveling?
Apr 11th, 2011, 07:05 PM
#1
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Buying inexpensive cell phones just for traveling?
My husband and I are going to Rome this weekend, but we will be separated for most of the time because he will be on business.
Where can we buy cheap cell phones (that will work in any country) so we can keep in touch as needed? I know they exist because my sister has seen them in airports, but I want to see if we can pick some up ahead of time.
Where can we buy cheap cell phones (that will work in any country) so we can keep in touch as needed? I know they exist because my sister has seen them in airports, but I want to see if we can pick some up ahead of time.
Apr 11th, 2011, 07:17 PM
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Where are you now?
If you are in the US, I don't think you can do this before you go to Rome this weekend. If you are in another country, I assume you can buy phones that operate on the necessary frequencies for Italy.
We have one cheap cell that we use in Italy, which we purchased on ebay.com. We can use that to call one of our US cell phones which is usable in other countries, with a special plan and instructions. That is a Sprint phone.
That's about as much as I know about doing it ahead of time from the US. Maybe you are in another country. Also, perhaps people here can you tell where to buy cheap phones in Italy.
If you are in the US, I don't think you can do this before you go to Rome this weekend. If you are in another country, I assume you can buy phones that operate on the necessary frequencies for Italy.
We have one cheap cell that we use in Italy, which we purchased on ebay.com. We can use that to call one of our US cell phones which is usable in other countries, with a special plan and instructions. That is a Sprint phone.
That's about as much as I know about doing it ahead of time from the US. Maybe you are in another country. Also, perhaps people here can you tell where to buy cheap phones in Italy.
Apr 11th, 2011, 07:17 PM
#3
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Why not? Make sure that they are GSM type phones, not locked into anyone's service (Motorola's seem bad for this) and you know how to change the SIM card. Then you can pick up pay as you go SIM cards from most Tabac's or phone shops. A cheap cell phone handset costs about 50 euro in Italy.
Apr 11th, 2011, 07:31 PM
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Hi tuscanlifedit, I'm in the US. I know we left this very late. I'm ideally looking for a cheap pay-as-you go international phone I can buy here (that's not tied up in any complicated plans).
At this point, unless those phones actually exist in stores here, I'm considering just buying cheap pay-as-you-go European phones in the airport in Italy (if they sell them). The question is, if we buy these cell phones in Italy, would they also work elsewhere in Europe? We'll want to use them for future trips as well.
At this point, unless those phones actually exist in stores here, I'm considering just buying cheap pay-as-you-go European phones in the airport in Italy (if they sell them). The question is, if we buy these cell phones in Italy, would they also work elsewhere in Europe? We'll want to use them for future trips as well.
Apr 11th, 2011, 10:27 PM
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At this stage, just wait till you get to Italy and you should be able to get a fairly cheap mobile phone with a sim package. It will probably be locked to the Italian provider but you can deal with that later.
There are oodles of cheap gsm phones with the 2 European frequencies available on ebay. It just depends on how many bells and whistles you want. Do you want a camera? Do you want an MP3 player? But as it's late, you probably can't do it right now.
There are oodles of cheap gsm phones with the 2 European frequencies available on ebay. It just depends on how many bells and whistles you want. Do you want a camera? Do you want an MP3 player? But as it's late, you probably can't do it right now.
Apr 11th, 2011, 10:49 PM
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I use my phone with an Italian SIM card all over Europe.
If your usage model is very low, less than 20min total or so, it is probably cheaper using your US phones provided that 1) you have a service thru GSM carrier like AT&T or T-mobile 2) you have quad band phones 3) you have international calling plan enabled to lower your minutes air charge,4) turn-off data roaming, and 5) have discipline by NOT answering unnecessary calls.
If your usage model is very low, less than 20min total or so, it is probably cheaper using your US phones provided that 1) you have a service thru GSM carrier like AT&T or T-mobile 2) you have quad band phones 3) you have international calling plan enabled to lower your minutes air charge,4) turn-off data roaming, and 5) have discipline by NOT answering unnecessary calls.
Apr 12th, 2011, 04:36 AM
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Thanks everyone. Our US phones unfortunately aren't internationally equipped. Looks like I'll be buying Italian phones in the airport. I have a layover in Turin Airport and hope they sell them there. Good to hear that phones purchased in Italy might work all over Europe. Any further advice is MUCH appreciated!
Apr 12th, 2011, 04:49 AM
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<<5) have discipline by NOT answering unnecessary calls.>>
That doesn't apply for AT&T customers. AT&T charges for all incoming calls that get transferred to your voicemail, even if you don't answer and the caller doesn't leave a message. They count the transfer back to voicemail like a call from Italy back to the U.S.
@cosmiclatte - I agree with the other posters, at this point your best bet is to go to a TIM store and buy an inexpensive phone with an Italian SIM and pre-paid minutes.
I don't know if you'll be able to buy one at the Turin airport, but if you can't you shouldn't have any problem getting one after you're in Rome.
That doesn't apply for AT&T customers. AT&T charges for all incoming calls that get transferred to your voicemail, even if you don't answer and the caller doesn't leave a message. They count the transfer back to voicemail like a call from Italy back to the U.S.
@cosmiclatte - I agree with the other posters, at this point your best bet is to go to a TIM store and buy an inexpensive phone with an Italian SIM and pre-paid minutes.
I don't know if you'll be able to buy one at the Turin airport, but if you can't you shouldn't have any problem getting one after you're in Rome.
Apr 12th, 2011, 05:05 AM
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Not only does AT&T charge you for a call back to voicemail, they charge you as if you received the original call (T Mobile US does too)...they claim you have received the call when it is transferred to voicdemail and the charge is for a call from Italy to the voicemail number in the USA, a minimum of $2.58...have that happen 5 or 6 times...well you see what we mean.
International roaming rates as practiced by the US carriers are outrageous. For the time being it's even worse with T Mobile USA (it will be merging soon with AT&T) because the justification for these asinine rates is the US company has to reimburse the European company for use of its lines. In many places in Europe, say in the UK, T Mobile USA roams on T Mobile UK a company owned by the same people. So in reimbursing T Mobile UK what T Mobile is doing is transferring money from its left pocket to its right pocket and charging you for it. A total disgrace.
International roaming rates as practiced by the US carriers are outrageous. For the time being it's even worse with T Mobile USA (it will be merging soon with AT&T) because the justification for these asinine rates is the US company has to reimburse the European company for use of its lines. In many places in Europe, say in the UK, T Mobile USA roams on T Mobile UK a company owned by the same people. So in reimbursing T Mobile UK what T Mobile is doing is transferring money from its left pocket to its right pocket and charging you for it. A total disgrace.
Apr 12th, 2011, 06:51 AM
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I don't understand why you are all saying that it is not possible for the OP to buy an unlocked phone in the US, along with any necessary charger/plug, and then purchase the appropriate SIM in Italy.
I am curious about this because I would like to buy a cell phone that I can use not only in Italy, but in other countries outside the US.
I thought I understood that I was best off buying an unlocked phone and then just buying the proper card for each country. Please correct me here..thanks!
I am curious about this because I would like to buy a cell phone that I can use not only in Italy, but in other countries outside the US.
I thought I understood that I was best off buying an unlocked phone and then just buying the proper card for each country. Please correct me here..thanks!
Apr 12th, 2011, 07:04 AM
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An unlocked quad-band GMS phone is what you want, ekscrunchy, for use almost anywhere in the world. Difficult to do for the OP because she is leaving the US in just a few days, but with a week or more you could easily get them from ebay and buy local SIMs as needed.
Any cheap dual-band phone purchased in Italy will work for all of the EU, with intra-EU roaming charges capped at a very reasonable rate, in the 50Cents/minute range if I remember correctly.
Any cheap dual-band phone purchased in Italy will work for all of the EU, with intra-EU roaming charges capped at a very reasonable rate, in the 50Cents/minute range if I remember correctly.
Apr 12th, 2011, 07:42 AM
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kayd: that last bit about any dual band phone working in the EU sounds right. We have used our TIM phone in both France and England, as well as in Italy.
I think that the issue in the US is to buy an UNLOCKED multi-band phone, is it not? That is how I have understood the problem, and why I bought my phone on ebay.com from someone who bought it in Italy.
The other option I used until I lost the phone was a phone from mobal.com. Had I insured my original phone, I would have had it replaced.
I think that the issue in the US is to buy an UNLOCKED multi-band phone, is it not? That is how I have understood the problem, and why I bought my phone on ebay.com from someone who bought it in Italy.
The other option I used until I lost the phone was a phone from mobal.com. Had I insured my original phone, I would have had it replaced.
Apr 12th, 2011, 07:57 AM
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Not just any dual band phone, but one purchased in Europe.
Unlocked quad-band is what Americans should look for, because dual-band phones available here operate on the two North American frequencies, not the two used in Europe.
Unlocked quad-band is what Americans should look for, because dual-band phones available here operate on the two North American frequencies, not the two used in Europe.
Apr 12th, 2011, 08:01 AM
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Just to clarify. Unlocked quad band gsm 2g phones are readilly available in the USA on ebay. The price differences are what bells and whistles you want. You might wish to get one with a 3 megapixel or greater camera, more money. You might wish to get one with an MP3 player, more money (although not excessively so). Almost all these quad bands sold on ebay are unlocked. You don't find too many dual band phone on ebay at the really cheap end of the scale although the ones I referred to above are hardly all that expensive. If you buy a cheap dual band on ebay and it is for European travel, make sure the two bands are 900/1800 mhz not 850/1900 mhz the later being the gsm bands used in the USA and Canada.
As noted, the suggestion to wait for arrival in Italy is based on time restraints. The cheap end phones sold in Europe are probably although not necessarily so dual band 900/1800 with almost nothing but a basic phone which is absoluteluy fine for communication. The problem might be that it will probbly be locked. When we refer to locked for a gsm phone we mean in its boot up, a little bit of code is inserted that will only recognize the sim card of the company which locked the phone. Thus if you purchase from a TIM shop in Italy a locked dual band phone for €15, while you could roam in France using the TIM sim card, you wouldn't be able to purchase and use a French sim card in the phne unless it is unlocked either legally or illegally so to speak With an unlocked phone, change the sim card and you change the carrier.
While within the eu, roaming rates have been coming down by leaps and bounds. Receiving calls with an Italian sim card in Italy is free to the recipient; receiving calls in other eu countries is something like 0,19€/minute scheduled to come down again in July I believe. Making calls within the eu is also relatively cheap, something like 0,38€/minute again scheduled to come down. And the eu requires that after the first 30 seconds, calls be timed to the nearest second, not the next highest minute. The ultimate goal is to make all of the eu like the USA, no roaming charges at all within the eu but that's still a couple of years away.
But calls say from Europe to the USA or anywhere outside the eu can become very expensive especially after you leave the country of origin of the sim card. Thus while it may be reasonable to call the USA in Italy using an Italian sim card, if you try to make that same call from France using the Italian sim card, it can cost almost an arm and a leg.
As noted, the suggestion to wait for arrival in Italy is based on time restraints. The cheap end phones sold in Europe are probably although not necessarily so dual band 900/1800 with almost nothing but a basic phone which is absoluteluy fine for communication. The problem might be that it will probbly be locked. When we refer to locked for a gsm phone we mean in its boot up, a little bit of code is inserted that will only recognize the sim card of the company which locked the phone. Thus if you purchase from a TIM shop in Italy a locked dual band phone for €15, while you could roam in France using the TIM sim card, you wouldn't be able to purchase and use a French sim card in the phne unless it is unlocked either legally or illegally so to speak With an unlocked phone, change the sim card and you change the carrier.
While within the eu, roaming rates have been coming down by leaps and bounds. Receiving calls with an Italian sim card in Italy is free to the recipient; receiving calls in other eu countries is something like 0,19€/minute scheduled to come down again in July I believe. Making calls within the eu is also relatively cheap, something like 0,38€/minute again scheduled to come down. And the eu requires that after the first 30 seconds, calls be timed to the nearest second, not the next highest minute. The ultimate goal is to make all of the eu like the USA, no roaming charges at all within the eu but that's still a couple of years away.
But calls say from Europe to the USA or anywhere outside the eu can become very expensive especially after you leave the country of origin of the sim card. Thus while it may be reasonable to call the USA in Italy using an Italian sim card, if you try to make that same call from France using the Italian sim card, it can cost almost an arm and a leg.
Apr 12th, 2011, 09:23 AM
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Pardon my ignorance, but is this the kind of phone I should be looking at? ($99, new, with free shipping...)
http://www.jr.com/lg/pe/LG_KP500COOKIEB/
I am leery of buying on Ebay; how would I know if the phone worked until I took it to Europe? Would prices be much lower than this new phone, assuming that the link above is the correct sort of phone..??
http://www.jr.com/lg/pe/LG_KP500COOKIEB/
I am leery of buying on Ebay; how would I know if the phone worked until I took it to Europe? Would prices be much lower than this new phone, assuming that the link above is the correct sort of phone..??
Apr 12th, 2011, 09:34 AM
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@ ek - Yes, the phone you linked to should work, but you could pay a fraction of that on ebay if you don't need all the bells and whistles.
You can research the model of the phone you're going to buy on ebay before you buy it (or post it here like you just did!). As long as its an unlocked quad band gsm phone it should work just fine.
You can test the functionality of the phone with a U.S. SIM card before you go.
You can research the model of the phone you're going to buy on ebay before you buy it (or post it here like you just did!). As long as its an unlocked quad band gsm phone it should work just fine.
You can test the functionality of the phone with a U.S. SIM card before you go.
Apr 12th, 2011, 10:18 AM
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I just found this on ebay for under $30:
LG CU405 BLUETOOTH UNLOCKED QUADBAND GSM FAST PHONE
It is the same model I bought last year for about the same price, and all went smoothly.
On eBay, search "quad band unlocked" and see what comes up. Most on offer are fancier, but this has all the essentials. You can do a bit of reseach about the seller, then decide whether to leap or forget it.
LG CU405 BLUETOOTH UNLOCKED QUADBAND GSM FAST PHONE
It is the same model I bought last year for about the same price, and all went smoothly.
On eBay, search "quad band unlocked" and see what comes up. Most on offer are fancier, but this has all the essentials. You can do a bit of reseach about the seller, then decide whether to leap or forget it.
