Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Cell phones in Europe

Fodor's Travel Talk Forums (https://www.fodors.com/community/)

- Europe (https://www.fodors.com/community/europe/)

- - Cell phones in Europe (https://www.fodors.com/community/europe/cell-phones-in-europe-607378/)

>>Can that person put my SIM card in his phone just to find out if his is also unlocked?<< Yes

>>I mean, if he put the card in his phone, it wouldn't make it stop working for me when I put it back in my phone, would it?<< No

VS

topping..... (I'm still using a Motorola Timeport tri-band phone with an Oskar SIM card. As long as it's replenished once a year, I can keep my phone #)

Oskar was bought by Vodafone, first thing they did: Triple!! roaming fees

But if I'm not roaming out of the Czech Republic, then it wouldn't matter, correct?

Yes, correct. Oskar has always been my fav. choice in places like Mexico. Inexpensive, unlimited free SMS via Web interface. It's all over now. :-(
Well, 09.is is an alternatve.

Robespierre is very helpful. There's one thing, though...he states you can get free razr phones from Wirefly. That's true - wirefly offers t-mobile deals that even t-mobile doesn't offer. But here's the thing - I looked Wirefly up on rateacompany.com and out of 19 responses, they were given a rating of 0.5, the worst! Nearly everybody had enormous headaches dealing with them! Don't bother.

I haven't had a single issue with Wirefly. Perhaps the bad rating was the creation of competitors who can't touch their deals. It's not unprecedented.

rateacompany.com doesn't come up.

"buttoncat" has never posted here before.

Hmmm.

Robespierre: The fact that I have never posted here before is neither here nor there. I'll try to get a valid link for the ratings page. Wirefly can be looked up on any ratings page.)

Meanwhile, do you work for Wirefly?

Hmmmm...

Doesn't feel too good, does it?

(The reasons I'm spending any effort at all on this to inform people are: (1) I went up on Wirefly and found "deals" I couldn't find with the cellphone companies themselves, which sounded suspicious, and which involved the handing over of sums of money to someone I'd never done business with before, (2) I really am a sincere, nonaffiliated reader of Fodor's website who rarely posts, and (3) Robespierre has - perhaps inadvertently - taken upon himself the role of authority in this area, and many people may follow his advice.

Sorry, Robespierre, and others, if there was any discomfort generated by my posts. I'm finding this a very informative section, and would like the conversation to continue.

Saw this little bit on MSNBC yesterday..or was it CNN Headline News? Either way, here's a site that might be helpful: http://www.cellularabroad.com/

The fact that I have never posted here before is neither here nor there. Maybe, but it's interesting - and a little suspicious.

I'll try to get a valid link for the ratings page. Surely it can't be that hard.

Wirefly can be looked up on any ratings page. Then why can't you seem to manage it? The ones I saw were all 7s and 8s.

Meanwhile, do you work for Wirefly? They don't need me to pimp for them. Their reputation speaks for itself.

Doesn't feel too good, does it? What, being the subject of a clumsy smear? Hardly.

(The reasons I'm spending any effort at all on this to inform people are: (1) I went up on Wirefly and found "deals" I couldn't find with the cellphone companies themselves, which sounded suspicious, if you knew the first thing about how the cellular business worked, this wouldn't surprise you and which involved the handing over of sums of money to someone I'd never done business with before, your credit card agreement protects you against fraud.

(2) I really am a sincere, nonaffiliated reader of Fodor's website who <s>rarely</s> never posts, and

(3) Robespierre has - perhaps inadvertently - taken upon himself the role of authority in this area, and many people may follow his advice. Never said that. I bought a phone from them, which even you could probably manage. No authority required.

Sorry, Robespierre, and others, if there was any discomfort generated by my posts. You overestimate yourself.

I'm finding this a very informative section, and would like the conversation to continue. There are dozens of threads about cell phones for travel. What's a "section?"

Cellular abroad, like telestial, is one of those rip off American firms that offer sim cards for triple the price and try to lull you into thinking it is difficult to get a sim card upon arrival in a foreign country or that it is a big advantage to have your foreign number in advance. They triple and quadruple the prices you will pay for sim cards if you wait for arrival in the country involved and for the most part their prices for international cards are way out of line.

Example, they want $50 plus shipping for an Irish sim card (O2) + some absurd amount for shipping...the same card is readilly available on arrival in Ireland for perhaps €10 to €15....and it's real tough to let people know your local phone number (like e mail and sms have not been invented)...not only that in some cases even if you get the sim card in advance, you won't know your number until you register for the first time on the network in the country of the sim card.

This is simply not rocket science...if you are going to be in one country for any period of time, get yourself an unlocked gsm mobile phone either dual band (900/1800 please) or tri band (hopefully 900/1800/1900) readilly available on ebay or at some internet merchants.

Then upon arrival in the European country, go into any mobile phone store, and they are just about on every corner, and you can get a local sim...and the clerk will help you set it up and go over such things as setting the voice menus to English if it is possible and how to set up voice mail...I have read some people say this is a pain as they don't want to waste a single minute of their precious holiday time...fine go off and let yourself be ripped off by these rip off merchants. Some European sims are also available on ebay at very low prices.

If you're going to be in 2 or more countries, probably an international sim such as united mobile is for you. We've described them, they are described on a real gsm message board (www.prepaidgsm.net) where experts cal help you, not people here who throw out wrong information or information that can cost you a lot of money (nobody rents a mobile phone in the 21st century as buying phones is so cheap). You can read all about united mobile at www.united-mobile.com.

Do be aware there are otjer internatonal cards and a new one just starting out that seems promising for Americans is yackie mobile...(www.yackiemobile.com)...in this one you will get a USA number which will forward to your mobile wherever you are in Europe at very advantageous rates (no need for a local sim, the sim you get from yackie handles everything)...they are just starting out and we have no great benefit of seeing how well they can deliver what they promise. Again, information is available at www.prepaidgsm.net

Also as we have noted, with a United Mobile sim card which at this point seems to be the best (yes that can change as the industry is undergoing a lot of pressure from eu regulators regarding the high cost of roaming) you can open up an account, for free, with callback world (www.callbackworld.com)....basically it will allow you to call back from any country where receiving calls on united mobile is free (and that includes all of Western and Central and much of Eastern Europe, Australia, South Africa and China) to the USA at the rate of 14¢/minute billed in 6 second increments not raised to the next highest minute. I was just in Europe for the entire month of June and it worked perfectly as described and call connections were excellent throughout Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, France and the UK...I got my bill from them and for the entire month, my cbw bill which must have been a hundred calls to the USA from wherever was $31...plus countless calls I received for free...callback world also gives you a US 800 number with a pin which charges the same 14¢/minute (so I paid for those calls to me).

If you want a functional mobile phone, not just one for emergencies only, this is a direction that bears your investigation. Trust me, this 21st century technology works.

This is amazingly helpful and very clear. I am one who needs it all spelled out, and now I think I am beginning to understand. I have an upcoming trip to Romania in September. We will need a cell phone to make/receive calls back in the US as well as inter-Romania calls to various relatives.

I have a Nokia 6102i phone with Cingular service, which is gsm 850/1800/1900.

I also have two O2 X1b pay as you go phones that I purchased in the UK last year (which we use for inter-UK calls when we travel there fairly frequently). They are tri band 900/1800/1900 mhz. Is it possible to unlock these phones?

Almost all phones can be unlocked...the Cingular phone you can call their customer service and they might provide the unlocking code for you.

The O2 phone...might already be unlocked. Many O2 phones are sold unlocked; if not you can do a little research on the web to find several unlocking services (I am not familiar with the brand of the O2 phones) or you can bite the bullet and purchase for less than $50 US a perfectly good functional unlocked dual band (making sure it is 900/1800 and absolutely not 850/1900 which work only in some places in the Ameruicas)..also somebody on this forum recently pointed to quad bands available on ebay for not too much.

I asked the Cingular folks for the unlock code for my Motorola V180. I was told that my service is still under the old AT&T network and that AT&T will only give unlock codes when service is terminated. Mine is a company phone and apparently my employers have not requested that their account be moved over to the Cingular side. If you have an account directly with Cingular, their policy is to provide the unlock codes after 3 months of service.

Does anyone have experience or know someone who does with yackiemobile? After learning about them in this forum, I ordered a SIM on Saturday. I received a "no reply" automated email with a link to print my order that doesn't work. The email stated my order is being processed and I'd be sent another email. None received so far.

Tonight I called their support line and after 6-7 rings received a recording that all representatives were busy and to either leave a message or call back another time! Wasn't given the option to hold - left a message that I want a status and left 2 numbers where I can be reached. They don't list a support email address and their chat line is closed. I'm questioning if their support is really 24/7.

Don't have warm and fuzzies from this so far.

I selected yackie because the rates seemed reasonable and I'm able to get a local US phone number which will make it easier and cheaper for callers to contact me when I'm in Europe.

Any guidance would be appreciated, including if there are any other options for purchasing a prepaid SIM to use in Europe with a US number.

On the prepaidgsm.net forum, there has been a whole discussion. Their deliveries have been somewhat delayed. Several who have gotten the sim card say it works pretty much as advertised. They are not willing to give up on them just yet, they are a start up company. They seem to have been a bit overwhelmed by response to them. I would give it a little more time.

Not to be totally dense, xyz, but where can I get a dual band phone for under $50? I'm finding mostly the $100 range.

Try ebay (you might have to go to the British or German site); at least that's what I've been told.....

As I posted above, the phone I bought from Mobal for $49 was unlocked and I was able to put the United Mobile sim card into it. However, I bought mine (a Nokia) a couple of years ago, and they are selling a different $49 model now -- a Motorola C117. So I don't know whether you would need an unlock code for that phone.

>dual band phone for under $50?
I've got 10 Boschs stocked in the basement, brand new cost me 6€ each. Shipping to the US would be expensive,but 5€ phones on ebay aren't a problem. (perfectly legal :-)