Cell phone
 

Has anyone used the Mobal GSM World Phone for cell phone service in Europe??
Is it as good a deal as it sounds like?
Thank you

Have you checked what each call will cost to use your U.S. phone to call locally in Europe... calling local hotels and restaurants etc? Service is probably great.... and price too...........

The first thing to remember is that if it sounds too good to be true, is usually is. The Mobal GSM World Phone service is no different if you plan on making more just a couple of phone calls within Europe or back home. The costs can add up quickly.

If you’re from the States, then you're better off if you have T-Mobile, or even Cingular, as your service provider and have a GSM world phone, which both offer. This way you have one telephone number when traveling to Europe, or just about any place else in the world and not have to worry about another phone service.

If you plan on making local calls, then you can buy an unlocked GSM phone on eBay for under $30 USD and purchase an inexpensive local SIM card when you arrive in Europe (but not at the airport), recharging it as needed. Roaming charges in some parts of Europe have gone down in the past year, which helps if you’re traveling around and want to make a local call.

I know little about this whole international cell phone thing, but I do know a friend who made sure his service would work in Europe (it was T-Mobile, by the way) and he was glad he could use his own phone and his own number. The problem was that the dozens of calls he kept receiving from friends back home who didn't even know he was in Europe, cost him a couple hundred dollars.

Sounds simply like poor planning on his part. Your friend should have let everyone know that he was going to be out of the country. If they were his friends and their phone numbers listed in his cell phone, then the caller ID would show who's calling. He had the option of not answering the calls

I take my T-Mobile phone but I don't leave it on all the time. I periodically check for messages during the day. If hubby and I part ways, I turn it on for his absence.

We also take a Mobal phone. The phone has worked fine and the service has been prompt; quick answers via email to my questions. The rates are higher than using a local SIM, but you only pay for what you use - very minimal for us. No expirations to keep avoiding, no min. fees. You get a phone and SIM for $49.

He's a self-employed businessman, and most were business related calls. And the charges weren't for calls he accepted, but rather left voice mail messages.
I guess the point I was making is you might want to think twice about your own regular phone number on your phone in Europe.

By the way, on several occassions I have reached "business contacts" on their cell phones when they were out of the country. I had no way of knowing. I guess they paid for those calls.

I used my phone...Cingular...in Paris last month. It worked perfectly, I loved the convenience. Calls were not cheap, but not too bad either. .99 per minute. I'm NOT a big cell phone user, so in this case, it worked for me just fine. I could see for some people, the cost could add up quickly, but I liked having my number, it was so easy to use, and it was great.

If you're only visiting one country, I recommend buying a phone when you get there. Virgin, Orange, and O2 all offer a cheapo deal bundled with some air time for much less than $50.

I got a Siemens A57 phone with £5 on it for £20 from Virgin so DW and I could split up and I could co-ordinate with her on my T-Mobile service.

My head is spinning, and I find I must ask a question on this thread: if one buys, as Robespierre suggests, a package in one's destination, isn't one still faced with possible time limits on the SIM card?

Doesn't Mobal World Phone take care of that issue?

I have a phone bought on Ebay for Italy, and despite reading everything I can, I can't tell if it is unlocked for France, or how much a new Sim and minutes package will cost me in France. I keep reading and I am no more informed....

Mobal charges your credit card for airtime. SIMs typically have to be "topped up" either through the phone or at a kiosk.

You will know if your eBay phone will work when you take it into an Orange or O2 store in France. If it's locked, they may even know how to unlock it so they can sell you some airtime.

..I have only 1 cell which is a quad band as I travel extensively on business. The only people with the number are my secretary, my kids and my partner. When I give my cell # out at the arrival destination, I always say this is for back up only and that they will be charged as though long distance. This way I keep costs down butI know I can be reached for emergencies. The occasional call I make is not cheap, but I rarely use my cell (I email home and use another phone for business related calls). If you are one of those people who has a cell glued in place and gives a minute by minute travel log to friends back home (yes, I have overheard this!), the plan you need is entirely different.

We finally used our Mobal phone for the first time in Italy this past December. Loved the convenience of having our own phone and was pleasantly surprised by the charges. While I don't have the exact minutes used, we were gone 10 days and used the phone most every day, several times a day. I expected charges to be in the $40-$50 range but when our credit card bill came in a few days ago they added up to $25 and some change.

I have used it and the prices never killed me. I use it for Emergency and/or last minute issues.

IMHO it's just easier then dealing with the "buy a phone" I read on here. For one phone call a week WHY should I buy a phone in whatever country I land in?