warren137

What is the best way to communicate to the US from Europe. We'll be in 4 different countries for 15 days and need to stay in contact. Is a phone card the best way or internet cafe?

janisj

the three main ways - cell phone, calling cards and e-mail.

All work so it just depends on what you prefer. A cell phone would be the most expensive and "complicated" since your own probably doesn't work over there, so you'd have to buy or rent.

calling cards are probably the cheapest - but internet cafes/e-mail are pretty cheap too.

yorkshire

Depends on your preference. I'd prefer the internet cafe, but you may prefer calling cards, which are cheap as well.
Sometimes hotels charge for using phone cards.

Do you have a quad band GSM phone?

J62

I like the cell phone route myself. Internet cafes are numerous, but who wants to be tied to find one when and where you want. A phone card works ok for outgoing calls, but cell phone is always on and available wherever you are.

Before my last trip I bought an unlocked GSM quad band phone on ebay for about $20. (Moto V190). Because I wanted the cell # avail before I left home I purchased a local SIM card in advance over the internet.

Having a cell phone was very handy - for calling restaurants for reservations, receiving incoming calls from home, etc. Same uses as at home for a minor cost (compared to overall cost of trip).

KatieL

Internet Cafes are generally the cheapest....except in Venice and Switzerland. ha We found an abundance of internet cafes in Rome, Florence, Salzburg, Vienna, Munich, and Paris. We found expensive ones in Venice. We found only a few very expensive ones in Lucerne.

Phone cards work well, but sometimes they do not work from hotels. That is annoying, because the rates are more expensive at pay phones.

Cell phones to me are pretty expensive. It wouldn't be worth it to me, but I know it is to many.

KL467

I rented an international cell phone through Verizon at $1.49 per minute. I did not use it much, but liked that I could be contacted in an emergency.

I also use internet cafes a couple of times a week.

Calling cards can be different in different countries in Europe. In 2005, the one I used in Italy did not work in Greece.

I prefer the cell phone and Internet cafe options.

blackduff

Your cell phone will need the requirements for charging. If the transformer changes over to 220 volt, you're still going to have a plug converter too.

Then you have to carry this equipment for the whole time you're in Europe.

Blackduff

AisleSeat

I am told that the phone and the plan that I have are good for Europe at @ $1 a minute.

When I call home to the US do I dial a country code then the number? When someone calls me do they dial a country code then my number? Do I still get dinged a buck a minute when they call me?

I am a total newbie to using my phone on the other side of the pond so I appreciate your help.

scottvan

My preference is the phone card, since it's easy and relatively cheap. I typically don't want to be available 24/7 when I'm traveling, so it puts me in control of when and whom to contact. I always leave someone at home with contact info. for my lodgings so I can always be found in an emergency. Email is OK, but if I really need to communicate something and make sure someone hears it, a phone call is more efficient since I get immediate feedback without having to go back to the internet cafe a 2nd time to get a response or an acknowledgment.

rkkwan

Aisleseat - You'll dial the sign "+" (which on most phone is if you hold the "0" key for over a second), then country code (for the US, it's "1&quot, then area code and number.

In fact, you can try to do the same on your phone RIGHT NOW. It will work the same. +1 (xxx) xxx-xxxx

Your friends will dial you like you're in the US. They won't even know you're out of the country.

You'll still be charged your $1/min or whatever the rate is, when it's someone who calls you.

yorkshire

AisleSeat,
Instead of using your providers Int'l plan, you can unlock your phone and buy a sim card overseas that will be much less per minute. There are lots of websites that explain this. I am no tech expert myself, and it was super easy.
You may have to purchase an "unlock code" over the internet if your cell phone provider will not unlock your phone for you. (You just call them and ask).
Then you just buy a sim card at a store when you arrive overseas and buy pay as you go minutes. This is much much easier than it sounds and it the best way to affordable call and be called.

xyz123

aisle seat...

I assume you are on t mobile USA and have activated international calling so to answer your questions....

Your service uses a technology known as GSM...throughout the world the code to tell the switching equipment an international call is being made varies...in the USA it is 011 in most European countries it is 00 so to call the USA, at the asinine $1/minute rate from Europe, you would dial 00(international code)1 (the country code for the USA, Canada, and many other North American countries except Mexico) 212 (area code) number 555 1212...that is 001 212 555 1212...now all gsm phones to the best of my knowledge have a special key that stands in for the international code and that is the + key which sometimes is on the star key on Nokia phones or on the 0 key on others...look up in your manual how to use the + key but anyway you could dial the above number from Europe +1 212 555 1212 again with 1 being the country code for most North American countries except Mexico...to call a number in France since the country code for France is 33 you would dial +33 1 (which is the city code for Paris) xxxxxxxx...while in France you might read the number as 01xxxxxxxxx for most local numbers in Europe start with 0 so when calling internationally you drop a lead 0; another example, if you are in London you might see a number listed this way 020 7555 1212...that number would be dialed +44 20 7555 1212 again adding the + for the international code 44 (the country code for the UK and the channel islands) and the local number 20 7 555 1212 (20 being the city code for London, the rest being the local number)....

Now when people call you, they just dial your regular cell phone number, no international code, no nothing (1 917 555 1212) and the phone companies do the rest..simple and neat (BTW it never hurts if you do any degree of travelling to enter the + before all numbers in the phone book, I do that in case I'm using the phone internationally and the calls will go through)..

As far as paying to receive the calls, the answer is yes which is what makes T Mobile (and AT&T) international rates one big rip off and what's worse, if you don't answer the call and it bounces back to voicemail you get charged $2..one for the call going to your number in Europe and not being answered then being forwarded bck to voicemail.

But if you're not going to make or receive many calls, it's the easiest way to have a cell phone for emergencies and be reachable 24/7 albeit expensive.

Debi

For ease (and that is my definition of best) I have a cell phone (with the whole quad band thing) and an international calling plan. Previous poster explained how to dial it (works from anywhere I've ever been in the world), and it's so convenient. The only place I've been in the world where my cell phone didn't work was Japan - they have completely different technology and no phones (other than their own technology) work there. Just check with your provider (look on their website) and make sure the countries you're going to are covered. They make arrangements with telcos in the different countries, and some of the US providers have more partners than others.... Then - you always have email as a backup...

scatcat

I use a combination of internet, cell phone, and a phone card from each country. The cell phone is for the free incoming calls from Telestial and also emergencies. The calling card from each country is a very good value. Internet is just for the fun of it and to keep in touch with my kids. My husband is not internet friendly, thus phones.

suze

i use internet cafes exclusively

AisleSeat

WOW! XYZ I am impressed 1. that you took all the time to share this information and 2. that you knew all this information. Thank you. So that brings me to a couple of other questions.

What are the country codes for Austria and Germany? and ... if people back home call me on the cell phone, not knowing that I am away from home, do I get dinged the $1/$1 = $2 bounce back from Europe just because my phone is there?

xyz123

BTW...the technology used in Japan I believe is called UMTS or something like that an doperate on 2100 mhz...guess what...there are some phones put out by Sony Ericsson that have this technology instead of the fourth European/NA band and can be used with some of the international sim cards to work in Japan

yorkshire

Yes, every call you get will charge you that rate, which increases with voice mail.
You didn't answer: is it T-Mobile? If so, it is super easy to get around that rate. Buying and popping in a SIM card is as easy as buying a newspaper, we're talking 20 cents a minute or less.

Google to get the country codes.

rkkwan

Whether one should buy a local SIM or just use T-Mobile's USA (or whatever carrier you have) depends on how much calls you're going to make and take.

For example, I have an unlocked quad-band GSM phone, and I have a local Hong Kong SIM card, as I talk a lot there, especially locally.

But when I go to Europe, at most I'll make 1-2 calls. And I may use a little bit of text messaging ($0.35 to send, $0.15 to receive a message). Because I use so little there, I don't bother with a local SIM.

smarty

Blackberry...what a fabulous invention!