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Cell phone--have never had one, won't be a heavy user, but would like one that will work with both US and various European SIM cards

Cell phone--have never had one, won't be a heavy user, but would like one that will work with both US and various European SIM cards

Old Apr 4th, 2004, 10:44 AM
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cmt
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Cell phone--have never had one, won't be a heavy user, but would like one that will work with both US and various European SIM cards

I need help understanding what to ask for when shopping for a cell phone that can be used in the US and in Europe.

I've never ever had a cell phone. I don't have a great need for one, but I'd like to have one at home for infrequent use. If I had one, I probably wouldn't use it very often, but if and when I do need to use it, I might need to use it a lot, just on one day. Therefore I don't like the plans that either charge a very high monthly fee for "unlimited" calls or charge a more moderate monthly fee, but for very few minutes. I could easily go weeks, maybe months without making a call.

When I was in Italy this fall, a friend in Bologna lent me an old cell phone and gave me a little chip (Vodaphone, I think) with my own phone number and a certain Euro amount of calls in it. I really liked having it, and the amount in the chip was more than enough for this trip. I returned the phone to my friend the day I left, but I still have the little chip. It can be extended if I just pay some more money, and I can do it at many places throughtout Italy.

What I'd really like is a phone that uses similar technology in the US--some prepaid chip that will apply to calls as I make them, and which can be renewed, with an additional payment, when I get close to running out. Then I'd like to remove the chip and put in an Italian or French or British chip if I take the phone on vacations.

Is there such a thing? I read the threads on Fodors, but I don't completely understand them. Also some of them seem contradictory, possibly because I didn't notice whether I was reading old or new posts and the marketing of cell phones may be changing constantly.

I think I'm supposed to get a GSM unlocked phone that uses a SIM car. I do not know what GSM and SIM mean, and I'm not absolutely sure what "unlocked" means. I called a local store that sells phones and a variety of plans. They sell the GSM/SIM things, which, according to some of the Fodors posts, is what I need in order to be able to insert SIM cards for various countries. But when I asked, I was told that none of these phones can work in Europe. However, the salesman didn't really sound like he was interested or knowledgeable about such things. He mentioned getting some service that can be used in Europe, but it's really expensive.

I will not be a big user of the cell phone, so if it's too expensive, I'll just do without it. But if possible I'd like to get one for occasional, inexpensive use.

Does anyone understand what I'm looking for? Is there such a thing? Do you have any suggestions?
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Old Apr 4th, 2004, 11:52 AM
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This is what my clients have the hardest time understanding (more so than cyrillic letters). There are certain concepts that you have to learn when thinking about a cell phone for US/European use, and the best explanation I have ever seen is available at:

http://www.thetravelinsider.info/2002/0308.htm

The short version is, you need:

-A Triband (or quadband) GSM phone (which will work on both US and European frequencies; it is not enough to just have a GSM phone (American frequencies are 800/1900 MHz, European are 900/1800 MHz)
-If you want to use a local carrier's SIM card in Europe the phone needs to be "unlocked". Some phones are sold this way, others can be unlocked by typing in a code (which you can get from some web sites, including the above, for a small fee).
-you can use your "home" carrier while in Europe, and some of them have reasonable rates IF you subscribe to their international service-you keep your same number (which means that Europeans have to dial an American number to reach you).
-In addition you need a phone charger that is dual voltage 110/220

For most people travelling to Europe who already have phones in the US I usually recommend that they just buy one over there. If they are purchasing a new phone here, then I caution that it is useful to have the international capabilities, but understand that the phone selection is far smaller (and can be more expensive, sometimes greater than buying two phones).
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Old Apr 4th, 2004, 12:28 PM
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Cingular has come out with their GSM phones....thats what u need to be used in Europe and the US, if u are signed up for 6 months u can sign ur # as international then u can use it in Europe. although calling places from Europe on it, it costs 99 cents a minute on top of ur monthly plan, but u wont have to pay extra if ppl r just calling u. or u can just buy a european cell phone here by the card and go from there. although personally i HATE the french cell phone system. thats just my opinion...and also, just an FYI, i need to sell my cell phone at the end of the year, its an SFR phone...based in france (im not sure if it works else where, i normally turn it off when im out of the country)
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Old Apr 4th, 2004, 12:41 PM
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Remember that even though it is a Cingular (or TMobile, or AT&T) GSM phone, it will not work in Europe unless the phone operates on European frequencies (as I noted above).
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Old Apr 4th, 2004, 12:54 PM
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cmt
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Thanks, MDM.

http://www.telestial.com/phones.htm I found some info (above) on phones that seem to be the right kind. However, they seem to have two frequencies, not three. Does that mean they're not "tri-band"? The USA SIM card is $49, with a starter supply of 125 minutes and lasts two months. Does that mean that EVERY 125 minutes will cost $49 (too much) or does the card have a value in itself, with the value of the minutes being only a part of the total value? (Same question would apply if I bought, e.g., an Italian or British SIM card with certain minutes and the right to extend it.)
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Old Apr 4th, 2004, 01:06 PM
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There are threads throughout the forum; many of which I have replied to and given absolutely correct information; unlike some of the information I have read. If you click on my screen name above, you will come of course some of my posts on this subject (I post on other subjects too) and be assured the information you are getting is correct.

Pre paid is a big thing in Europe; not so big here. The best US carrier for foreign use is T Mobile by far; but their rates for roaming outside the US are asininely high.

You can get fairly inexpensive unlocked GSM phones on the web in the US by doing a search under GSM phones. If you just want to use such a phone in Europe with a SIM card as you did in Italy, a dual band phone will work but such a phone will most assuredly not work in the US. You want an unlocked (all the web sites do sell unlocked phones although most are out of date a tad but what you want is a basic phone anyway). The newest and best phones come to Europe first and they can do everything but sing Happy Birthday to you (some even do that) but that is more phone than you'll ever need and most of the phones sold in Europe by the various companies are locked (read through the threads) to begin with.

Receiving calls on a GSM network is free provided you are in the country of origin. So with your vodafone Italy chip (SIM card) as described above, it cost you nothing (or the owner of the card) to receive calls while in Italy. But unlike what smebody else said in this thread, if you are a US customer using international rates, you will most assuredly pay through the nose to receive calls on their services while in Europe; it is called roaming.

Stay away from Telestial. In my opinion, their prices are much too high.

Again there are things such as frequencies (Cingular and AT&T WS GSM services have added an extra complexity to this) and other things.

If you have any specific questions, I will try to help you if you post them.

Good luck.
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Old Apr 4th, 2004, 01:26 PM
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You can make it economical with either a pre-paid plan, or a post-paid plan with the type of you use you're thinking about. No use for months, then use it a lot in a day. Neither will work, for these reasons:

With a post-paid plan, the minimal plan is about $25+tax per month, but that seems too much for you if you don't use your phone for months. And with a pre-paid plan, you need to pay like $50 up-front, and you have to recharge it every two months or you'll lose your number plus all the minutes.

And don't forget you need to pay for your phone too. Plus, you probably need to upgrade your phone every 18 months as your phone will look so huge and outdated on European streets that you'll be embarassed to use it. Therefore, not even considering using it outside the US, it's just not economical for you to have a cellphone. Just buy a phone card and dial international that way.

I don't think either pre-paid or post-paid suits your need.
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Old Apr 4th, 2004, 07:15 PM
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I have a Motorola flip phone from T-Mobile. It wieghs nothing and it has the capacity to function in Europe. You just have to know how to change the bands and the sales people will show you.
It cost 99 cents a minute to use it in Europe but I only plan on checking in with my dogsitter or if he needs to reach us he can leave a message. There are disposable one time charger available at stores such as Staples office supply they cost around $6.00 just in case I somehow forget to turn off my phone so there is no need to take along extra equipment.
I've never checked but I would guess that other companies besides T-mobile sell this little Motorola phone. It costs $50 ( or at least when I bought mine that's what it was running, but who knows since it doesn't go on-line or take photos it may be cheaper now.)
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Old Apr 6th, 2004, 03:10 AM
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Thanks for the information, everyone. I tried to learn a lot over the weekend. It looks like getting one of these phones for use in both the US and Europe is not such a good idea, at least not for me. My only experience using a cell phone was for a two-week period in Italy. There I really needed it more than I ever do at home, where I ususally have access to the fixed phones in my house or at work, and when out, I usually know what I'm doing and don't need a phone. I mistakenly thought it would be cheaper to get one of these tri-band phones for home and vacations, since I don't plan to use the phone very much. At this point, it's not worth getting a tri-band to use in the US and Europe when I'll be away only four weeks a year at most. Maybe the features of this service in the US will improve in a few years. Meanwhile, I'm not sure whether to get the traditional US type cell phone with monthly service, or just do without a cell phone, as I have for the rest of my life. But in any event, the information posted helped me give myself a crash, one-day course in this subject so I could do further searches on the topic on the Internet.
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Old Apr 6th, 2004, 12:27 PM
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Check-out johnnyjet.com
It's a great (and entertaining) web site and I think Johnny Jet sells international cell phones through the web site.
-Mark M.
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Old Apr 7th, 2004, 09:20 PM
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I own a Nokia 7210 which can be used all over the world, US, Europe, Asia and Australia all I have to do is select a new carrier in each location and that is then billed though my permanent carrier back to me. Pre-paid mobile phones tend to be sim locked with no international romaning allowed. Just go into a store ask for a prepaid mobile that has international roaming.
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Old Apr 8th, 2004, 01:17 AM
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In the last cellphone thread I wrote a large explanation of most cellphone issues, I would look at that (click on my name).
The little chip you used in Italy is a SIM -card, that is how they look and how they work (i.e. you put them into the phone and turn the phone on).
GSM is the net used in Europe and the rest of the world and slowly it gets better and better coverage in the US as well. To understand the difference between European and US triband look in my other post.

You first have to decide if you mind that you get different phone numbers in the US and when you travel. Because for each prepaid SIM-card you pick up you get a new phone number. If you mind you need a US provider with roaming. If you don't mind you find the cheapest GSM provider in the US with the cheapest plan you can find either monthly payments with free minutes or a prepaid solution. Shop around and see what you can find.
Then so you will be able to switch SIM-cards your phone needs to be unlocked, (locked means just locked to that specific providers SIM-cards).
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Old Apr 8th, 2004, 01:20 AM
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Oops hit reply too early...
Further I like the Sony Ericsson phones as they have all the necissary technology, small and very portable, and they have very good batterylife on mostly all their models (better than Nokia f. inst.). If you decide that a cellphone is too expensive in the US for your use, try buying a unlocked triband phone in Europe with a prepaid plan so you can decide to use it in the states later if they create better plans for your needs at a later time...

Cobos
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Old Apr 10th, 2004, 03:30 PM
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Thanks for the suggestion, Cobos. I think I will get a tri-band phone next time I'm in Italy if the prices are good. Right now, I don't think they would meet my needs in the US, but things may improve. I tend to be slow to buy new things and I keep my things a long time, so I can wait.

I'll go look for your post on the other cell phone thread now.
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Old Apr 22nd, 2004, 11:13 AM
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I have had a France Telecom phone with prepaid sim card for years. The problem with them is that it must be renewed within 2 months and then within 10 months to keep the same number. I make an annual business trip where I need it. I like to make another trip during the year but that has become difficult. I lend it to friends going but some don;t want it and others never use it, (despite my pleadings that I will pay for a recharge) and then I lose the phone number.

I called Telisis and the others who sell servie from the US but none can give me the number before I get to France even if I buy the package from them here. But I want to be able to print up cards or a rubber stamp to give people my number while there. Need to do this here.

Any suggestions?

A side story...yes the older phone has become dated and a little larger than what is cool. My daughter used in during her Junior College semester in Paris and quickly realized how happy she was having an old phone. While others found their fancy new units being stolen (twice right out of their hands while talking), hers was not apealing and nobody wanted it. And it isn't really that big.
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