dsim8

How do I use my new 3gs iphone in the the above countries? Do i need simm cards for each of these countries? Is there one company that sells a card that will work in all 3 countries? Can it be installed easily into the iphone?

Thanks
sdim8

travelgourmet

You should have no problems using your iPhone in any of these countries. The iPhone is actually one of the most global phones out there - it even works in Korea and Japan, where most Western phones won't.

As for the SIM cards, they are easy enough to pop in and out of the iPhone - you will need to either bring the tool that came with it, or a small paper clip (the thinner the better). But, this may not do you any good anyway. Unless your iPhone is unlocked, then you can only use the SIM card that came with it. You can try to ask your carrier to unlock it, which they may or may not do, depending upon local laws. If you are coming from the States, AT&T will NOT usually unlock your phone.

If your carrier won't unlock it, then you are left paying international roaming rates, which can be high - ask about any sort of discount plans, and turn off the data roaming, as the data costs really pile up. Bear in mind that the map application uses the data connection, so don't plan on using it unless you want to spend a lot of money.

Mo

I have an i phone and I know AT&T will not unlock it for you. Whereas I could put a sim card in other phones I purchased (also locked) you can not do this in i phones just as the previous poster said if its unlocked. I know there is a cottage industry out there for people selling unlocked i phones or for a fee they will unlock it for you. Call AT&T and they will give you the price of what each call would most likely be as well as the opportunity to buy the internationally plan for a month (I'm sorry I can't remember the prices). I called when I was going to travel to Thailand this past spring. Although the international plan was a good deal in my opinion I didn't get it because I knew I didn't need to make any calls and that I could keep in contact with back home through my computer.

kfusto

We used an iphone in Germany, Austria and Italy last fall. Great for use where there were wireless networks available but very expensive for calls as the plans AT&T offers are not cost effective.

We bought calling cards and used them from hotels and then saved the iphone for internet when free and texting.

MarleneQ

Hello. I was in Budapest the weekend of 24 July. My husband needed his iphone for work, so he just contacted his carrier (AT&T) and purchased an international plan that was good for 1 month. The calls were a little pricey, but the texting was free. It was amazing to me that we were in a country so far away from home (USA), and boom, the phone would ring, and it would be our neighbor or family member, etc. It was great b/c we could keep in touch with everyone via email, phone, text, etc., plus use the gps feature, the camera, news, etc. It was worth the money for us. We were also in London, and then in Scotland, and never had any problem with the service. Budapest was beautiful, and we had a fabulous time!