trisig

I called Sprint to ask about using my cell phone in Europe. This sprint representative said all I have to do is purchase the international calling plan at $4.00 per month and I can receive and make calls for $.07 a minute. Does this sound right? I thought I would have to do more than this. I want to make sure this is right, because I am meeting my husband over there and we need this in case one of us has a delay. I think I am going to call again and ask another representative if there is something more that I need to do with my phone. Does anybody have experience with this?

Thanks

MarkvonKramer

ttt

xyz123

I doubt this idiot knew what he was talking about...sprint is not a gsm carrier and your phone will be worthless in Europe.

freeman0819

trisig- that doesn't sound right. I used to have Sprint and I inquired about making calls FROM the US to certain international destinations. There was the $4/month fee and xx number of cents to call certain places. I think the agent you talked to misunderstood your qestion, because that's definitely the WRONG answer (unless this is some new program they have).

Call back and ask to speak to a supervisor if you get the same answer OR go into a local Sprint store. My Sprint phone did not work once I came to Europe (different networks).

Is your husband already in Europe, or will he be (trying to use) using a Sprint phone also? You are better off getting a phone when you arrive in Europe, i.e. a cheapy little pre-paid phone for $75-$100 with some minutes included.

trisig

My problem is that my husband will have to know the phone number before I leave the U.S. He is currently out of the country and will have to use a phone card to call me. I better call Sprint again and get this straightened out.

sandi_travelnut

You can always email the information to him. There are internet cafes everywhere. Sprint offers no quad -band phones on the GSM network so I don't see how it would work.

Sher

Sandi. Sprint lists GSM phones on the website for about $500.
But I don't know about the service because it says roaming and I don't think it would be .07.

sandi_travelnut

I guess if you have a Sprint phone that works on the GSM ntwk, you will be charged the following roaming charges for your calls. This is from the website:

What charges and rates apply to GSM International Roaming services?

The following charges and rates apply to GSM International Roaming services:
Monthly Recurring Charge (MRC) is $6.00 per month.
Airtime charges are $1.50 per minute, with long distance included.
IR activation fee is $36.00.
Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card is free.
Taxes vary by country.

cherrybomb

you will not be able to use your current Sprint phone in Europe--you can have it "unlocked" or rather, unblocked to call from the US to Europe only. They do have 2 options--one is that $500 GSM phone (which cannot be used in very many countries and has very high rates) or the even more expensive satellite phone. I believe both require a plan.

You are better off purchasing a cheap phone when you get to Europe and use SIM cards or try www.mobal.com - it is more expensive per minute than buying a phone locally, but only costs $99 for the phone and you can use it in almost every country with the exception of a few in Asia. You are only billed when you use it.

If you don't plan to use the cell for more than a few minute calls it is fine. To avoid the per minute call fees, my husband and I use it to text each other or whoever we are contacting. It is only 80 cents a text and only the person sending the text is charged, you are not charged to receive a text.

ciaolaura

Mobal also carries a $49 phone that works in Europe. I used it in England and Italy on my last trip and it was great. No roaming charges, although the cost per minutes is not cheap - but there is no guess work involved in their pricing scheme.

escrowmanager

Aloha,
I am with AT&T (fomerly Cingular) and called them to ask the same question as I will be in Germany in October. They said all I need to do is a week before I leave to call them back and add on "Roaming" for an additional $5.00 a month and the charge would be .99 per minute insterad of $1.35 per minute. They dd not say that my phone would need upgrades or that I would require a diffrent phone? Please say it aint so??
Anybody else have AT&T and may know if this is correct??
Mahalo,
Jeanne

dsd123

Yeah, as others have said there's no way it's that cheap. What I did when I went to Italy was get a phone from onesimcard.com. It works pretty much everywhere in Europe, and the per minute fee is way less than what any domestic carrier is going to charge you. Your question really depends on how much you're going to use the phone. If you plan on only using it once to meet up, that's different than if you want to have it all the time while you're there. Can you be more specific?

Also the advantage to onesimcard was that I knew the number ahead of time, and I knew it would work before I left. I didn't have to worry about fussing with SIM cards and getting them to work and stuff, and it works all over Europe as opposed to ones you buy over there that only work in one country. Hope this helps.

annw

BEWARE of your advice from Sprint!

After spending $600 for a sprint phone usable in Europe, finally getting the correct sim chip to install in the phone (they sent the wrong one first round and I was unable to make a call home during a medical emergency), then finding out in Italy this past June that Sprint had changed the chip needed and claimed they notified me accordingly (they didn't--it arrived just 3 days ago), I would strongly encourage you to 1) talk with someone else at Sprint, ask if you need a special chip and when/where can you get it, and 2) find a way to communicate (leave message with agreed upon reliable person or on email) until you can pick up a phone in Europe as described by the above posters.

One added note -- Sprint also told my husband that the phone would work anyway even without the new sim card. It didn't, except for emergency calls, so no good for calling home or family.

trisig

Thank you all for your response. I called Sprint back. The rep said I was given the incorrect information. She said that I could rent a GSM phone from them for $65 per month and it would be $1.29 per minute. I would also be charged $20 for shipping. The cheapest GSM phone to purchase is $125. I am considering the Mobal phone. Then I can use it each trip to Europe! How much is it per minute? I don't plan to use it for more than a few minutes to meet up with my husband and emergencies.

Travelnut

We have a Mobal phone (the $49 one). The rates are roughly 1.50-2.50€ per minute, incoming or outgoing. That's steep but we keep it short. Over a 10-day period, we paid maybe $20 (they charge your credit card for the minutes used). The website provides the rates.

go here: http://tinyurl.com/2r62xy