Blackberry in France & Italy-cost of use?
Oct 20th, 2008, 06:47 PM
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Blackberry in France & Italy-cost of use?
I know there are threads about using your cell in Europe and, honest, I have reviewed several of them. Here's my understanding--please correct me if I'm wrong:
I have a Blackberry Curve, about one year old. I can go to AT&T store and have my sim card unlocked. Then, when I'm in Italy and Paris I can make calls both within the countries and to the US. I can also pick up my e-mails and send.
Correct?
If so, what is the cost to use my phone? Per minute? Per call? Per Internet browse? Per e-mail check?
If anyone can help me or steer me in the right direction it will be very much appreciated. By the way, I've been to the AT&T store AND to the AT&T Web site and neither could answer my questions.
Leaving next Monday.
I have a Blackberry Curve, about one year old. I can go to AT&T store and have my sim card unlocked. Then, when I'm in Italy and Paris I can make calls both within the countries and to the US. I can also pick up my e-mails and send.
Correct?
If so, what is the cost to use my phone? Per minute? Per call? Per Internet browse? Per e-mail check?
If anyone can help me or steer me in the right direction it will be very much appreciated. By the way, I've been to the AT&T store AND to the AT&T Web site and neither could answer my questions.
Leaving next Monday.
Oct 20th, 2008, 07:24 PM
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If you want to use your unlocked Blackberry, then you'll need to buy a data plan, plane and simple. A regular service will not work with your emails. A local data plan will depend on how much time you use, as it will be a pay-for-use service and emails and web browsing can get expensive.
AT&T doesn't offer the best roaming service in Europe, which is why I gave up my iPhone service with them, but you can sign up for their data service while traveling. They offer two types, one for 20MB and one for 50 MB/month. They are expensive when compared with the unlimited data/browsing service offered by T-Mobile at only $19.95 month.
AT&T doesn't offer the best roaming service in Europe, which is why I gave up my iPhone service with them, but you can sign up for their data service while traveling. They offer two types, one for 20MB and one for 50 MB/month. They are expensive when compared with the unlimited data/browsing service offered by T-Mobile at only $19.95 month.
Oct 20th, 2008, 08:23 PM
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If I buy a sim card in Italy do I need to buy another one when I arrive in France?
Will a sim card in each country allow me to purcase a block of minutes OR a cheap per minute plan in each country?
Will a sim card in each country allow me to purcase a block of minutes OR a cheap per minute plan in each country?
Oct 20th, 2008, 08:25 PM
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You don't need to deal with the SIM card issue at all. Just go to an AT&T office and tell them where you're traveling and get the best plan you can from them for the duration of your travel.
When you arrive in Europe look at your Blackberry and you'll see that it's searching for the best local network. It will find it and you'll be set to go. Same when you go to Italy.
When you arrive in Europe look at your Blackberry and you'll see that it's searching for the best local network. It will find it and you'll be set to go. Same when you go to Italy.
Oct 20th, 2008, 10:45 PM
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You'll pay the same for your AT&T Blackberry data service in Italy as you did in Paris. You'll also have to make sure that AT&T activates your international service before you leave on this trip or you will find yourself without a working phone.
Oct 21st, 2008, 01:13 AM
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You can call AT & T and have them put you through to their international department to work out all of these details. When we travel to Europe, I cancel my data/internet plan, since I don't really need it, and I add international calling (I think it might be called World Traveller). I use my blackberry to text our kids back at home - it ends up being similar to email and it's a lot cheaper. You can attach photos to text messages, too. You definitely need to tell AT & T which countries you will be in, and keep the service until you are sure you've been billed for all texts & calls. When you get home, add your data plan back on. I have rented phones for international use in the past, and they ended up costing a lot more than what I described above.
On a related topic, my husband didn't realize that using his iPhone to search the web in Mexico would cost a bunch of money. AT & T contacted us to point out he had excessive usage, then retroactively added an international data plan to his account, which brought the bill down by about $800. I was very impressed they would take the time to help us!
On a related topic, my husband didn't realize that using his iPhone to search the web in Mexico would cost a bunch of money. AT & T contacted us to point out he had excessive usage, then retroactively added an international data plan to his account, which brought the bill down by about $800. I was very impressed they would take the time to help us!
Oct 26th, 2008, 06:35 PM
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I took my blackberry to Europe in May - most of the trip was Italy, but we also hit Germany, Switzerland, Austria... I seem to remember my bill was around 300 bucks for that month (of which 16 nights was overseas). I don't remember for sure though - somewhere around 300 bucks or so.
Oct 26th, 2008, 06:36 PM
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ps. I didn't have a spare SIM, and most of that was phone calls - one thing to make absolutely sure is that you get on a special European data plan or your bill could be in the 1000s. No joke - I was warned about that ahead of time.
Oct 26th, 2008, 06:47 PM
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Well, AT&T has a lot to learn about internal communication (insert irony emoticon here). What an annoyingly long saga I went through with them. I'll just give you the highlights:
Stopped into the local AT&T store: Advised I had to call headquarters to have the phone unlocked. $64.99 for the month and .99 per call/e-mail use.
Called AT&T International.
First rep: If you've had your BBerry less than 2 years we can't unlock it, you'll have to buy the $64.99 plan.
"Okay." Transferred me to another person to set it up.
Second rep: "You Do know the $64.99 is a one year contract and, if you cancel before the end of year you pay $100.
"Look, I just wanted to unlock it and buy a sim card."
"Oh, we can do that!" Transferring me to person who can do that.
Third rep: Tried to unlock the card, one hour later, voila, it's open!
Hopefully, this means I can purchase the sim card in Italy (for both Italy and France) and all will be well that ends well.
Stopped into the local AT&T store: Advised I had to call headquarters to have the phone unlocked. $64.99 for the month and .99 per call/e-mail use.
Called AT&T International.
First rep: If you've had your BBerry less than 2 years we can't unlock it, you'll have to buy the $64.99 plan.
"Okay." Transferred me to another person to set it up.
Second rep: "You Do know the $64.99 is a one year contract and, if you cancel before the end of year you pay $100.
"Look, I just wanted to unlock it and buy a sim card."
"Oh, we can do that!" Transferring me to person who can do that.
Third rep: Tried to unlock the card, one hour later, voila, it's open!
Hopefully, this means I can purchase the sim card in Italy (for both Italy and France) and all will be well that ends well.
Oct 26th, 2008, 07:38 PM
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I used www.callineurope.com for my BB (voice and data) in Europe and was most pleased. Turned out to be about 1/3 less than AT&T even with their discount international roaming plan. If you do not need/want to use your data (e.g., email or web) while traveling you can simply turn it off while overseas and use the BB only as a phone.
Oct 27th, 2008, 04:45 AM
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MelJ, consider the fact that full service internet points/cafes are much more common in Europe than they are here in the U.S., so it's a great deal easier to easier to stay in touch via email when traveling there than it is here. You will also probably be able to use local wifi services rather than relying on AT&T.
Note that the keyboards are not identical to ours, and if you're in a large enough city may be able to ask for an English one. They're not too very different, but it's nice if you don't have to make any adjustment at all.
Note that the keyboards are not identical to ours, and if you're in a large enough city may be able to ask for an English one. They're not too very different, but it's nice if you don't have to make any adjustment at all.
Oct 27th, 2008, 05:00 AM
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Hi, MelJ:
I don't know if what I have to say is accurate or not, as it all comes out of the mouths of ATT employees, who are, as you note, notoriously unreliable, but....my understanding is that the Blackberry is already a quad- or tri-band phone and does not need to be unlocked, for starters. It's already set up for global use.
So all you have to be concerned about is charges from wherever you're using it. It will automatically locate a local server wherever you are, but you'll be charged exorbitant fees if you don't sign up for a plan that reduces those fees. The $64.99 a month fee is the one to use if you're going to be traveling overseas for more than a few days, as it lowers the per-minute fee to $.99 per minute (for Europe). You do NOT have to continue paying that fee for a year ... and there is no fee to have it canceled. Just walk into your local ATT store when you get back and have it canceled (DO go in person - I've found the folks on their phone lines less than useless). I believe there is also some $5.99 plan if you're going to be using it for only a few days.
Good luck. I'm in the same boat - traveling a lot and running a small business and needing to be in touch with clients no matter where I am.
When it works, it's fabulous. I just got back from India and had better service there than I do sometimes here at home.
I don't know if what I have to say is accurate or not, as it all comes out of the mouths of ATT employees, who are, as you note, notoriously unreliable, but....my understanding is that the Blackberry is already a quad- or tri-band phone and does not need to be unlocked, for starters. It's already set up for global use.
So all you have to be concerned about is charges from wherever you're using it. It will automatically locate a local server wherever you are, but you'll be charged exorbitant fees if you don't sign up for a plan that reduces those fees. The $64.99 a month fee is the one to use if you're going to be traveling overseas for more than a few days, as it lowers the per-minute fee to $.99 per minute (for Europe). You do NOT have to continue paying that fee for a year ... and there is no fee to have it canceled. Just walk into your local ATT store when you get back and have it canceled (DO go in person - I've found the folks on their phone lines less than useless). I believe there is also some $5.99 plan if you're going to be using it for only a few days.
Good luck. I'm in the same boat - traveling a lot and running a small business and needing to be in touch with clients no matter where I am.
When it works, it's fabulous. I just got back from India and had better service there than I do sometimes here at home.
Oct 27th, 2008, 05:17 AM
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Mel
I have Sprint. I only had to sign up for their international plan (including unlimited data) for the time I was there (I bought the bberry the day before I left - nothing like planning!). I did not have to pay for each email use - at 99 cents a pop that is really going to add up. I hope that 64.99 is truly unlimited.
I paid 1.29 per minute for calls, but the data was included. The reason my bill was somewhere around 300 bucks is because those minutes really add up for calls.
You might want to ask them if each ping you get of an email arriving is "one email at 99 cents" because oh boy that will rack up.
I have Sprint. I only had to sign up for their international plan (including unlimited data) for the time I was there (I bought the bberry the day before I left - nothing like planning!). I did not have to pay for each email use - at 99 cents a pop that is really going to add up. I hope that 64.99 is truly unlimited.
I paid 1.29 per minute for calls, but the data was included. The reason my bill was somewhere around 300 bucks is because those minutes really add up for calls.
You might want to ask them if each ping you get of an email arriving is "one email at 99 cents" because oh boy that will rack up.
Oct 27th, 2008, 01:45 PM
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StCirq - are you back?
1. Phone (voice, text messaging) and data (email, web) are two separate services that are billed differently.
AT&T data service while outside the US is exorbitantly priced, IMO. You can use your BB as a phone only by turning off the data service while roaming. In the past when I traveled with a non-BB AT&T phone I simply activated the discount international roaming as the additional cost was worth it to avoid the hassle of getting a new SIM with a new number. Now that I have become accustomed to using all the features of my BB and wanted to use data as well as voice in Europe, I went with the Call In Europe option because it was cheaper, and people back home could just call my US number and be automatically forwarded without their having to pay international calling rates.
2. The number of bands (tri- or quad) has nothing to do with whether or not it is unlocked. Mot are locked. Even if AT&T or other carrier declines to unlock, you can just google a local service that will do ti for a fee.
3. Agree that AT&T agents are at least as bad as airline reservation agents in terms of inconsistency of information given. According to the website, international data use is billed at .0195/kb (Canada is .015/kb); sending text messages costs .50 each and sending picture/video messages are $1.30 each; incoming text or pic/vid messages are billed at same rate as at home.
The one thing that was consistent when I asked multiple agents was that the data plan required a contract and had an early termination fee - which is what led me to seek out alternatives. If you can find an agent that tells you otherwise it may be worth it to subscribe for the period you will be out of the country, though you may want to ask the agent (and get their name/ID) to notate in your record what they tell you about canceling without penalty for reference if you encounter an argument later.
1. Phone (voice, text messaging) and data (email, web) are two separate services that are billed differently.
AT&T data service while outside the US is exorbitantly priced, IMO. You can use your BB as a phone only by turning off the data service while roaming. In the past when I traveled with a non-BB AT&T phone I simply activated the discount international roaming as the additional cost was worth it to avoid the hassle of getting a new SIM with a new number. Now that I have become accustomed to using all the features of my BB and wanted to use data as well as voice in Europe, I went with the Call In Europe option because it was cheaper, and people back home could just call my US number and be automatically forwarded without their having to pay international calling rates.
2. The number of bands (tri- or quad) has nothing to do with whether or not it is unlocked. Mot are locked. Even if AT&T or other carrier declines to unlock, you can just google a local service that will do ti for a fee.
3. Agree that AT&T agents are at least as bad as airline reservation agents in terms of inconsistency of information given. According to the website, international data use is billed at .0195/kb (Canada is .015/kb); sending text messages costs .50 each and sending picture/video messages are $1.30 each; incoming text or pic/vid messages are billed at same rate as at home.
The one thing that was consistent when I asked multiple agents was that the data plan required a contract and had an early termination fee - which is what led me to seek out alternatives. If you can find an agent that tells you otherwise it may be worth it to subscribe for the period you will be out of the country, though you may want to ask the agent (and get their name/ID) to notate in your record what they tell you about canceling without penalty for reference if you encounter an argument later.
Oct 27th, 2008, 01:51 PM
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Hi, Seamus:
Yes, I'm back, getting ready to post the rest of my India reports - if I can just catch up on "real" work!
I did just go to AT&T Saturday and confirm that my phone and data plan for the India trip would end at the end of this month. Didn't encounter an argument about that, but will check when the bill comes to make sure!
Yes, I'm back, getting ready to post the rest of my India reports - if I can just catch up on "real" work!
I did just go to AT&T Saturday and confirm that my phone and data plan for the India trip would end at the end of this month. Didn't encounter an argument about that, but will check when the bill comes to make sure!
Oct 27th, 2008, 02:00 PM
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As an AT&T myself, here is what I know. To roam in most of Western Europe the rate is $1.29/min. There is a $5.99 international travel package that will bring that down to $0.99. You can add and remove that as you wish, and does nto bneed to me held for any minimum period of time besides the one month. If you plan on making a lot of calls, you will be better getting a local sim card. $0.99 can add up very quickly. I see you mentioned you've already unlocked your phone. AT&T should do that for you if you have been a customer in good standing for more than 90 days.
Oct 27th, 2008, 02:15 PM
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For anyone in a price-comparison mood: here's T-Mobile's unlimited offering:
o Activate International Roaming on your my.t-mobile.com account
o Add the $9.99 T-MobileWeb to your plan
o Go to Europe
o Be sure your phone is registered on a T-Mobile cell site
o Access your email for free through m.gmail.com
o Activate International Roaming on your my.t-mobile.com account
o Add the $9.99 T-MobileWeb to your plan
o Go to Europe
o Be sure your phone is registered on a T-Mobile cell site
o Access your email for free through m.gmail.com
Oct 27th, 2008, 02:25 PM
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<i>There is a $5.99 international travel package that will bring that down to $0.99</i>
Let's be clear: AT&T charges $5.99 for <u>every month</u> that you roam in Europe. So if you make a call in Paris on the 31st of May, one in June and another on the 1st of July, you get nailed for $17.97
T-Mobile charges 99¢ with no monthly anything.
Let's be clear: AT&T charges $5.99 for <u>every month</u> that you roam in Europe. So if you make a call in Paris on the 31st of May, one in June and another on the 1st of July, you get nailed for $17.97
T-Mobile charges 99¢ with no monthly anything.
