buying a SIM near Shannon
 

I read in a post that you can't buy SIM cards at the Shannon Airport anymore, but that was from a year or two ago. Does anyone have current info on this? I just bought my tickets for 2 weeks in Ireland this Sept. and am having the rent vs. buy phone debate. I'm flying into Shannon and out of Dublin. When I get to Shannon where can I get a SIM card? I would just do phone cards but since I'm renting a car I thought I'd like to have the phone for some added security as a solo female driver navigating unfamiliar roads! I'm thinking of trying to get a cheap unlocked phone on ebay and getting the SIM card when I get over there. Also, I'm wondering about the charger; do most chargers have internal power converters? My personal phone does but wouldn't work outside of the US so it looks like I'll have to buy an unlocked GSM. Anyone have any suggestions? Thanks!

Retty much ALL but the cheapest of newer power supplies (chargers) are dual-voltage, but if it turns out to not be the case with the particular phone you buy, you can usually purchace a car charger for about $10 and just recharge the phone as you drive.
If you go to www.vodaphone.ie they will offer lists of places where you can purchase a Sim. I'm sure that the O2 web site has a similar function.
Another useful tip:
"Top Up" call credit lasts for six months, but Vodaphone will keep your account active (and permit INCOMING calls) for 12 months. Since we go every year, I buy a small "Top Up" on the last day there and it keeps my # 'alive' until I return and buy additional time. For us, the advantage is that we have had the same Irish phone number for the last three years, making it very easy for friends and relatives, here in the US AND in Ireland, to contact us.
Even if you don't go back to Ireland right away, that same phone (and Sim, but at a varying premium) is useable throughout Europe.
Bob

Two things...you can top up a Vodafone IE using vouchers of any affiliated vodafone company...thus if you visit Germany and wish to keep the Vodafone account active, you top up with a Vodafone DE voucher while in Germany.

Secondly, I bought a little gizmo that is dual voltage tht plus into the wall socket and allows me to use the cheap car charger to power my phone (and battery charger too) right in the hotel room. Works beautifully.

Thridly, because of competitive pressures be aware that Vodafone IE and Vodafone UK are moving to integrate their networks and lower roaming fees between the UK and Ireland to very little; as a matter of fact there is a programme called Vodafone Passport that enables you to roam on all the vodafone networks in Europe and Australia and fairly low roaming rates...

Thanks for the info--it looks like eBay has some cheap $20-$30 phones that are unlocked GSMs. Since I don't know how often I'll be traveling out of the US I hate to spend $$ on a phone I may not use for several years. But I'm still wondering where to get one from. I hear they're cheaper in Ireland but I don't know how long it will take me to get one once I get there and I don't want to spend my first few hours trying to track down a SIM card! Any ideas? Should I get one before I go or just expect that I'll be able to get one easily in/near Shannon airport??

Hi Bob-I checked the vodafone website; some good info there. I think I should be able to find a SIM card easily. It's all part of the adventure, right?! Now, for my next question...

What is the best way for my US relatives to call my # while I'm in Ireland? I know I won't get the # until I get the SIM card but free incoming calls sounds pretty nice. Are there good US calling cards that I can have them buy so they can call me and not spend a ton?

I've found the cheapest way to call Ireland from the US is via one of the 10-10 numbers. We usually use 10-10-987, but I have no scientific evidence that they are THE cheapest. I only know that the first time my wife called her cousin in Co. Cork, preparetory to our first ever visit, in 1999, we dialed direct and the 20 minute call ended up costing us about $20 !!
A typical, 10-10-987 call currently averages an hour (or MORE - those girls sure know how to talk!)and consistently runs less than $5.00.
Your rates may vary, but I'm sure that there are web sites that compare those services.
Bob

Which direction are you going from Shannon? If you're going west on the N-21 toward Tralee & Dingle, there's a shop on Bridge Street in Newcastlewest (Co. Limerick) called 'Talknology' that should sell you a SIM card or a (new or used) cellular phone.

While you're there, stop for lunch at the Heather Tavern (across the street): Proprietors Frank & Kathy Duggan are friends of mine and they will do you right. They've got a housefull of daughters who all work at the eather.

Digging up an old post...

Does anyone have an update on buying cell phones and/or SIM cards at Shannon airport? To buy a phone in the US it looks to be about $200, including the Ireland SIM (cellularabroad.com). But I could use it in other countries over the years once I buy a SIM for that country, right? Renting from the same co. would be $125, so is it worth the other $75 to own the phone? I love to travel and hope to get back to Europe every 2-3 years (every year would be nice but I have to be financially responsible to a certain extent!) so buying would be nice. Oh, and another question-are all incoming calls free? If I buy a phone off ebay and a SIM card once I get to Ireland, will the incoming calls be free? Thanks for any help; it's one of the last things I need to take care of!

I just returned from Ireland and my $50 ebay cell phone worked great. It is a Motorola V180 850/900/1900 GSM unlocked. For the $50 it came with a wall charger, cover and car charger. We used the car charger to charge it while we were drving in the rental car.
This is what we did. We flew into Dublin and I got the sim card at the airport. The Vodaphone people were wonderful, by that I mean they were so polite and helpful because I am a techno idiot. They loaded the sim card for me and made sure the phone worked. I topped my SIM card off again at a Voda phone in Dublin. I can't remember what small town it was but I wasn't sure of my sim card balance and I went into a vodaphone store and they checked it on my phone. They were so helpful at every store we went to. My family back home here didn't call me on the cell phone but from what I understood from voda phone if they do it doesn't count against you. What we did was I used the phone along with a costco MCI calling card. I used the international number for Ireland on the costco card for calling home and hardly used the sim cards minutes. It worked great, in fact I came home with a big balance on the Sim. What I learned was when you use the MCI card along with the sim card you only get the sim card charged for a local call so the sim card lasts alot longer. I hope that makes sense. It really was easy and worked just great. Good Luck!

Glad to hear you did well with an ebay phone. I was a bit leery since I won't be able to see if it actually works until I get to Ireland (and it's too late to do anything if it doesn't work!). Do you remember who you got your phone from? It looks like there are a number of different sellers. I think I'll get one off ebay and hope for the best.

I don't remeber who I bought the phone from since it was back in January. I didn't know if it would work either. But it did and it worked great. We did have trouble once and it was the operator (ME) not the phone and we asked a teenager and she dailed the number right up. Good Luck. By the way, we loved Ireland and I can't wait to go back!

You cannot buy/rent a phone or SIM card at Shannon Airport. Instead try Shannon town: http://www.skycourtshannon.com/store...d=98&left=

Buying a cell phone and a sim from one of the American agencies that rip off people with absurdly high prices is...well absurd.

Go to ebay...buy an international tri band cell phone trying to make sure it has 900/1800/1900 (there are some areas in Ireland where a phone without 900 which the 850/1800/1900 tri bands lack will not work real well or buy a quad band...they are available and can be had for as little as $75...

Then upon arrival in Ireland, go into either an O2 store or a vodafone store and buy the sim there...the rip off artists who sell sims hear charge in the vicinity of $50 for something you can buy in Ireland for $10 to $15...so for about $90 you can set yourself up in business and be totally prerpared. Make sure the phone is unlocked (almost all on ebay are) and like I said you're best off if you get a tri band with one that has 900/1800/1900..there are areas in Ireland where the 850/1800/1900 just won't do.

Ok, thanks everyone. I just bought a 900/1800/1900 unlocked Motorola v66 off ebay. I'll pick up a SIM once I get to Ireland and go from there!

Chemgirl,
I was just putting the rest of my stuff away from my trip and I ran across my stuff from Vodaphone. I know I will not be back in Ireland until the summer of 2008. I think I still have 20 Euro on my SIM card. I would be more than happy to send it to you or so they say pass it on. I will send all the paper work I got with it. I think if you have problems with it you could take it into any Vodaphone store and they would help you. They are very helpful. You could even top it off with 5 Euro, so you bought something from them. Just let me know if you want it. I will be leaving on Monday for New York City so I need to get it in the mail to you before that. Let me know if you want it and we can exchange email and than I can get your address. If not maybe someone else on this board going to Ireland with a cell phone could use it.