JackGlasser

to go to egypt in two months. interested in a cell phone from usa that can be used easily in egypt. I have verizone now. In israel i used amigo and it was much better than the verizon-vodophone i used in europe.

Lollie14

I am going next week and had our tour guide purchase a gsm phone for us to use while in Egypt with a prepaid sim card....I'll let you know how it goes.

NoFlyZone

Our AT&T phone works fine in Egypt. Even out at the oases.

sf7307

I used my AT&T phone also, but of course, calls are pretty expensive, so I wouldn't do that if you're planning to use it a lot (I think calls were $2.29 a minute on a international roaming plan).

NoFlyZone

We only use text messaging. Not only cheaper but you don't have to coordinate times for a phone call to ensure both parties are available.

Casual_Cairo

I think it all depends on why you want a phone on holiday. Is it to keep in touch with people back home primarily? Then use your own phone from home and find out from your provider how it will work.

If you want to use it to contact guides and others in Egypt then get one here, borrowed or rented or bought, or bring one that takes SIM cards and buy a SIM card to put in it when you arrive. You can make overseas calls with this one too, but it might be easier for others from home to reach you if you want them to via your own phone from home.

JackGlasser

for health emergencies the use of a cell phone primarily. Will be with a group.

sf7307

Is there someone with you in poor health, so you expect to have to use the phone for that purpose? Or are you just "planning ahead"? If it's for health emergencies, and you really don't expect to have to use it, then I'd use your American cell phone, enabled for international roaming.

abby97

My AT&T Blackberry has been working really well in Cairo (we contcacted our provider prior to departure to have the international service set up for a monthly charge). We also bought Egyptian cell phones to keep in touch w/ our guide and others in Egypt, as Debbie suggests above. Between the two, I think we're completely covered and feel that we could reach anyone in case of emergency or otherwise.

gotoforest

Hi abby97..you said"We also bought Egyptian cell phones to keep in touch w/ our guide and others in Egypt" can you please tell me where you bought the cell phone in egypt and the cost. Did you also buy sim card for that.

Casual_Cairo

I think she told me that Ahmed arranged the phones and sold them to them.
Some companies have phones you can rent while you are here if you don't want to have the actual hardware when you go home. Don't know if Ahmed is offering to buy them back from them at the end of the trip or what exactly - will be interesting to hear.

JackGlasser

it would be helpful to really know of a good reasonable cell phone company that is easily used in egypt. For israel: amigo out of brooklyn, ny was great: very inexpansive: largest costs was shipping back and forth within usa about $20 and cost of calls for 8 days to usa and within Israel about $15!!. great reception, simple to use. For central europe verizon sent me vodophone which really was complexl, somewhat fair in reception \, unfortunately had to reprogrammed frequently when crossing bordrs, tc. Sub optimal.