PJK

I honestly try to do my research before posting a new question, so if this inquiry is naive, redundant, or just plain stupid, please chalk it off to age, ignorance, or cell phone anxiety disorder and not to unwillingness to TRY to figure this out on my own.

Leaving for Italy in about a month with an added four days in London on the way home. Neither my cell nor my husband's works outside the US, though for what seems to me to be a rather high rate for calls, I could get a one-month plan through Verizon that we could use in case of emergencies.

A friend of ours has given us two cells phones, a Razr and a Siemens, which his daughter used when she was an exchange student in France last year. They are both supposedly "on." Additionally, he has given us a SIM card which appears (based on my limited ability to translate French) to be valid until July of 2011. (However, the Sim card only appears to be a 5 euro card so no big deal if we can't use it.)

I have read what I can find on this board, as well as looking at websites for both phone companies. I am still feeling totally incapable of figuring out how I will go about using either of these phones, how I will know the rate, etc. I would like to be able to call and receive calls from the US but only for quick check-ins with my grown children. I would also like to be able to call our friends who will be traveling with us part of the time and will be carrying an iphone that supposedly will work in Italy. I want to be able to make calls in case of emergency or need to re-schedule flights or confirm reservations.

Would one of you kind souls give me the most basic tutorial possible?

Thanks in advance. PJK

kybourbon

Are you starting in Rome? If so, go into the TIM store at Rome Termini (upstairs) and buy a TIM card which will only be about 5-10€. They will put it in your phone and activate it.

kybourbon

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...activation.cfm

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-sim-cards.cfm

logos999

Lets keep it easy. You go to ebay.com and spend $15 on this card # 350220856975. You ask someone how to insert it into your vintage Siemens or Razr and check if you get a network at home. Read the manual first, it's comprehensive. If you don't your phone may be locked. You ask the folks who gave it to you, how to unlock it.
The manual will tell you how to add money to your account using your credit card. Calls are reasonably cheap all over Europe and in the US too. No need to worry, when you cross borders.

sfgirl42

logos999---whenever I've gotten a French sim card I can't use it until I'm in France. If the daughter who used it in France then it's fine.
The expiration date is the date for the actual phone number. When you get to France, you find a local shop that sells phone cards and time (the sim card should have a name on it...Orange, SFR...you buy minutes for that particular company, and they give you a cash register sheet which has a phone number to call and an authorization number you'll punch in the phone, and it will add the amount you've purchased to the phone account. I've never used a credit card to add minutes; I prefer to pay for something when I'm getting it rather than getting a bill when I get home.
I'm trusting you're getting a charger with the phone (also a converter); you'll need to charge it here before the trip so you can start using the phone when you arrive (if needed).
I've recently bought an Orange sim for my upcoming trip and have the brochure in English on using the card (chip). I can write those instructions for you if you want.
Like logos999 suggests, I buy my chips on ebay, I have a favorite seller; it's not an uncommon item on ebay.

Incoming calls are free. The company I bought my phone (and chip) from has good info on their site:
http://www.telestial.com/view_produc...T_ID=LSIM-FR02


I don't know about Italy but I imagine it is much the same.
To verify: Open the back (battery area) and remove (carefully) the battery. The chip will be below it. Have some place safe to put it when you insert the Italian chip.
I bought (new) a Siemans in 2001 and it's worked fine for me ever since. No fancy bells and whistles but it does calls and texts fine--which is what I really need it for.
I am not a techie and I was able to learn to use it. The rates will depend on which phone company the chip is from.

Hope this helps--don't hesitate to ask more questions if you have them. Good luck, and good trip!

logos999

sfgirl42, this works in many places including the US. The usual UK phone number. Incoming is free in the US as well. Repeat: NO airtime charges for incoming in USA. The manual explains it. Don't know how long this company will last but at $15 with $10 credit included, I gave it a try. Works nicely.

Telestial is ridiculously expensive.

DeborahAnn

logos, I looked at the ebay link you provided and more listings for this company.

Have you used this card in Italy? Any problems with being out of network with it outside of Rome? I don't understand all the different phone companies but if there is satelite reception this card should work, right?

Will the people in Italy contacting me have a problem calling a UK phone number, will it be more expensive for them so they are less likely to want to use the number?

I've used the company Call in Europe for France but they are as expensive in Italy as my T-mobile international rate. Thanks, Deborah

PJK

Thank you. You all are great to help me out. PJK

logos999

>Have you used this card in Italy?
Havn't used it in Rome, but worked well for me so far in Germany, Austria, Southern Tyrol. Will go to the Czech Republic this evening. I'm sure it won't be a problem there either. The card does "roaming" whenever outside the UK, so several networks can be used, i.e ALL German mobile networks.
It has nothing to do with satellite. All those transmitters are located on buildings or towers.

They will have to call the UK number, costs can be about 10ct per minute for then, but yes SOME may think of the costs for calling abroad.

So far this card has been perfect, because of free incoming everywhere and reasonably low outgoing.

DeborahAnn

logos, I thought it was satelite when out in the countryside so I appreciate knowing otherwise The card you recommend would be a very good one for our trip to Ireland in September, less expensive than Call in Europe and T-Mobile so I'm going to buy it for one of our phones. Thanks, Deborah

logos999

You're welcome. I used it in Italy again today, works on all GSM networks.

grandmere

May I piggyback onto this thread with my related question?

I bought a cheap Siemens phone through Telestial a few years ago; it works well in France, but as logos999 says, it is ridiculously expensive.
What can I do with this phone next trip to enable me to make calls less expensively?
Thank you!

logos999

You could buy the SIM card mentioned above and have the phone unlocked, in case it is locked to a phone company. If you just buy the SIM card and it doesn't work your phone must be unlocked to use it with that other SIM card. Telestial can help you in that case. It involves entering a 10 digit number which a Telestial rep. can give you. It's and old phone and probably not worth more than $5 anyway today, so unlocking, if needed, should be cheap or free.

Once you replaced the SIM card inside the phone, your tariffs will be that of the new phone company. The card has all the deatails of your new account. You won't have to deal with Telestial any longer.

logos999

If your existing phone number is from the UK and starts with 44-792xxxxxxx you have a rather substantial chance that the phone will work with that new $15 "cheaper rates SIM card" mentioned above, even if the phone is locked. .

Sher

Last year I purchased a Call In Europe SIM to use in France with my unlocked phone. The price per call was .59 per minute(to call the US) if I remember correctly. And I don't think at the time the cost was excessive.

This year I am traveling to three countries. I purchased a One Sim Card at the NY Times travel show for $25 with only $10 worth of call time. The price per call from Poland to the US is .59 per and for Hungary and Croatia it is .69 which I think is a little excessive. But maybe not as I have really no idea how much calls in those countries are. But upon arriving in both Hungary and Croatia we need to call the apartment owners to meet us.

The number is from Estonia. I now use Skype to keep in touch with my kids and parents. So the phone may do me for other uses even with only $10 of call time.

logos999

It is really had to convince someone to call a mobile phone in Estonia. It's not only hard to reach even from Europe but rather expensive to call. Calling a UK number is rather inexpensive for the caller. Imho those Estonian travesim/airbalticcard SIMs are good for travelling to Russia only. But in the last few years quite a few well known companies have gone. At least the Estonian cards are still working! Check www.airbalticcard.com for the cheapest Estonain card. For central Europe, I wouldn't buy it.

Sher

Well. I wasn't trying to convince her to buy one. I was just telling her what I did.
I am not planning to use this SIM constantly when in Croatia, Hungary and Poland. I am just going to use the $10 in air time upon entering each country to notify the property owners when to meet us. And this was easy for me to do with SIM in hand upon arrival.
I don't plan to replace one Estonian card with another. I will probably just use up the air time and use Skype. And if I decide to purchase another SIM it will be for the country I am in. But I probably will not need to.
But thanks for the info anyway.

logos999

Didn't say so. Was just an info that Estonian cards are "not that good". Given how much you pay for airtime it pays to shop around. Local SIMs are more expensive for international calls, with only few exceptions. If you stay in one country, know and use those exception, you can save a lot of money.

Sher

I suppose I should have asked where the number originated when I purchased the card. I did not think about that and it isn't as if I haven't used SIM cards before.

I am glad the SIM you purchased on EBAy worked out well as last year I purchased one for Portugal there and it was misrepresented as having more time on it than it actually did. So it is good to know that your card is valid for the time stated.

Although this card does have the Estonia number I hope it is more valid than the Ebay SIM and I will be able to contact the company with a US number if I have a complaint.

Thanks, again.

logos999

Never had to complain to customer service with the Estonian SIMs and it's great for travelling in Russia. The issue I had was to be reached from Germany. The only access numbers that actually worked 100% were BT or T-Com for 0.60€ per minute. That made it a not so good deal.