Let me begin by saying I know very little about this technology, so I probably will be using the wrong terminology, etc.

Briefly (?) I understand that my current cell phone with Cingular service, could be used in Europe at 1.29/min., (or .99, if I buy their special service for overseas, etc.). They said that if I buy a SIM card in Europe for this phone, I still have to pay the above rate b/c my phone is connected to Cingular service. ??

So, I must buy a new phone that is not "connected" to any particular provider here in US? Can I do this any place than Ebay, and how do I know which phone to buy other than an unlocked quadband gsm phone? We go to Europe about once a year so I don't mind buying a phone that I can use in the future, but I don't want an expensive one with all the whistles, etc.

Would I be better off just using my own cell phone and paying the .99/min.?

I apologize for all these "duh"-type questions, and I would really appreciate anyone's expertise and advice! Mille fois merci! I know this issue has been done almost as many times as "comfortable yet attractive shoes", but I still don't quite get it!

Me either Grandmere. I have a simple cell phone here in the states. No e-mail, no nothing. So does my DH. BUT, he has this strange habit of wandering away. So, when we are in Rome this fall, I want to be able to get hold of him with the ever popular "where the He** are you?"
Sooooo... I'll watch the responses to your post with interest.

SuzieCII,

Glad to know I'm not alone in this; let's hope somebody has the patience to walk us through this!

Here is a recent thread related to your question.
http://tinyurl.com/2v2gh2

Phoning from Europe with a local phone card is much much cheaper.

Unless you're going to be on the phone alot, I would just use your current phone, rather than going through the expense and hassle of buying new phones, SIM cards, etc. Also keep in mind that texting is a far cheaper way to communicate overseas... I have Cingular, and I believe it's $.15 per outgoing message, and $.10 incoming (or maybe the other way around...)

If you use Verizon, Sprint, or Nextel, your phone will not work in most places outside the US. If your service provider is Cingular or T Mobile, it's possible you could use your present phone in Europe. To do this, your phone has to be either a European triband, operating on frequencies 900, 1800, and 1900, or a quadband, operating on frequencies 850, 900, 1800, and 1900. Your service provider can tell you if your phone fits the bill. If it does, you can arrange for overseas service from your present service provider and pay whatever calling rate they charge, or you could ask them to unlock the phone. T Mobile will certainly do this, and I think Cingular will also. They'll send you an unlock code, and you can take this to your local cell phone store to have the phone unlocked. After it's unlocked, you can buy a sim in Europe for the country you're in, or you can go to www.prepaidgsm.net/en/international.html and buy one of the international sims they talk about. United Mobile or United Mobile + would be a good choice. After you get the sim in the mail, your local cell phone store will show you how to insert it.

Grandmere, if your current cell phone is GSM with either 900 or 1800 bands (tri-band or quad-band) then it will work in Europe. If it is CDMA it won't work at all.

If the phone is GSM 900/1800 and unlocked, you can buy a sim card anywhere, and use it in your phone. When you take out the Cingular sim card and use another, your phone will no longer be connected to Cingular and therefore incur no charges with that provider.

You first need to find out what kind of phone you have, and whether it will even work in Europe.

I forgot to add that Motorola (www.store.motorola.com/),
TigerDirect (www.tigerdirect.com)
and Amazon (www.amazon.com)
sell phones of the type you need. They're called unlocked gsm phones.

Now see? To my eyes this is all in Romanian or some such.

How's this? Can I get to Europe and purchase two "to go" phones with about an hour each on them and Michael and I can use them to get hold of each other while we're in Rome when he wanders off from me or we get separated? We won't be calling back to the states...

Coz, of course, our cell's are Verizon.

And neither of us have a blackberry, I have no idea what an Ipod does...

Robespierre is rolling his eyes at this...

Grandmere...how much sense is this making to you!?

This is making a bit more sense than I thought it would although the Cingular people on phone today gave me a bit of info that doesn't fit with what I'm reading here. I will take the phone to the local Cingular store tonight and try to ask the right questions.

Thanks, everyone, but please don't "hang up" yet; I may be back with more questions

You might also try this article:
www.thetravelinsider.info/2002/0308.htm

Do not go to the store. Go online and look up the Cingular number for international questions. Have your IMEI number available for the phone you want to unlock. They will give you the unlock code over the phone and instructions on how to unlock. FYI_ You will need your new sim card in the phone in order to begin the unlock process. I just hung up with them and it was quick and easy! One reminder they gave me, if after three tries you are unsuccessful with the unlock, do not attempt again-it will lock the phone forever and render it useless....good luck! I'm heading out in one week and will be doing the same thing

The IMEI number is specific to your phone hardware; it's usually buried somewhere on your phone under the battery or SIM card.

A note about Cingular: If you've joined their service or bought your phone within the last year, they won't unlock it for you. Cingular won't unlock because they give you a discount on the phone as compared to buying it already unlocked, then joining their service. (I know this from firsthand experience! With my phone, it was over a $100 difference.)

BUT you can do the unlock via any number of online services. You still need your IMEI number so they can make sure it's your phone and legit. Do a google search for "unlock gsm phone" and you'll see lots of results; I think the one I used is called GSMliberty. Unlocking the phone simply makes it available to use the hardware with SIMs other than the one of your service, in this case Cingular: you can continue to use your Cingular SIM without any issues, even overseas if you choose to pay their international rates.

Then when you are in Europe - or Asia - simply purchase a local prepaid SIM card. Remove your Cingular SIM and insert the new one into your phone in its place. (Your SIM is located under the cover near the battery. It's a small card with an electronic chip looking thing on one side. Take note of the way it is positioned before removing it!)

I just did this in Beijing with a China Mobile prepaid SIM. When I ran out of minutes on the phone after about a week, I purchased a recharge card. This looks like a phone card; you call into a number provided and enter a PIN from the card, and it refills your SIM with the amount you purchased the card for.

One note: If you're receiving communication from overseas (i.e, home), it's cheaper for you to receive calls than to make them. Same goes for text messages, which are much cheaper than calls. I'd never really "texted" before this last trip, and now I'm an expert LOL! Suzie, that may be the ideal way to communicate with your wandering DH... just pennies per message.

I hope this helps and doesn't further confuse the matter!

How much did you pay for your sim card....I have been surfing the web and found one that was $99.95 and another that was $19.95...both have the recharge options but the cheapr one says you might have to search for and switch networks with your phone in order to receive the best reception. Their minute rates are not much less than Cingular's, averaging $.50/minute throughout Europe and .99 to US, whereas Cingular has a flate .99 rate according to the representative I just spoke with for the cities I will be traveling in. If the SIM cards are expensive, is it better to use the CIngular international plan if you are placing few calls? And what about buying a local Sim once you get to Paris? I know in NY they will gouge you in Times Square and other locations, does Parisian phones stores operate similarly?

As already posted many times, do this:
- Buy or own standard unlocked phone 900/1800 Mhz

- Buy SIM card either www.globalsim.net (30&euro or www.united-mobile.com

- Put SIM into phone

- Use SIM in Europe

OP, you've got lots of good info. All of which has been previously discussed in this forum. If you search for user xyz123 or click on my name you will find lots of answers to your questions.

On correction though, someone mentioned that cingular will not unlock for you if you just recently joined them. But, that is no longer the case. Cingular (tmobile has always had it) now have a policy that as long as you have been with them for 90 days or more and in good standing they will unlock your phone. I unlocked both mine and the wife's phone which we got for free when we joined in January in April.

mrcamp, maybe that was because your phones are older models (and therefore free with service)? Cingular was very clear when I bought my phone and service in March that they would not unlock it since I'd received a significant discount through them for the (late-model) phone. However, many sites online will do it for free...

Also note that I simply bought a <i>local</i> SIM at the airport once I was in China, not an international one as recommended by other posters. Since it was prepaid, the cost of the SIM itself was included in the initial payment. No &quot;network switching&quot; needed since I was in fact switching networks for that time period. You can do the same in Europe.

Try http://www.prepaidgsm.net/forum/ for info. Except for xyz123 and very few others, the info on mobile phones and SIM cards you get here wont help. ;-)

If you speak/write German, even better info can be found on www.telefon-treff.de, they have 124677 users and any subject (when mobile phones are concerned) imaginable is covered.

One last question....can you purchase the sim cards in Paris? I am a last minute traveler and advance apologies for not being aware of previous threads. I have only been on this website for maybe 4 days and am trying to quickly pull my trip together. I have appreciated everyone's advice and am sorry it is a repetitive subject, but the advice has helped! I cannot order a sim online as it will not arrive in time for my departure nxt Monday (unless anyone else has received quickly from the UK!)