Hi All,

I'm planning to spend months in Europe, starting this December. I don't have a cell phone here in the US, but I intend to buy one, especially for my extended absences. BUT -- I'd like to get into a plan that allows for cheap international calling: within Germany, within Switzerland, within the US, and between those three countries. I wouldn't want to get a new sim & phone number every few months. Can it be done?

So far, I've looked at Cingular, T-Mobile (no coverage at my current home in the US), GlobalPhone, & Roadpost.

Love to hear how you roamers do it -- with a home on two continents. One plan/one phone number?

Thanks all!

s

Swandav2000

I suggest you buy a unlocked quad-band phone on Ebay and then buy a SIM card for the country / countries you will be calling from. There are some International Roaming plans but the lowest cost way will involve a different number in each country. www.prepaidgsm.net is a very good source for information about cell phones and international calling cards.

You can get a phone from Cingular with a US number and then request the SUBSIDY UNLOCK CODE from them. Be sure to tell them you need it for international travel. If you get the unlock code you can use a european service provider with a SIM in the country you're in.. but you can also ask Cingular to set up your phone to wok in that country as well. Call on Cingular will be EXPENSIVE $0.95 - $1.30 per minute!

Local rates vary country to country but are probably 1/4 the cost (or less) than with a US provider.

The lowest cost way to make phone calls back to the US is with a phone Card you buy in Europe for that purpose.

Make sure to check out www.prepaidgsm.net. It's very helpful. They have message board as part of the site.

Oh. My. Gosh. Fibonacci2358, what an incredible amount of information! Thank you so much! I've just started going through all the comparisons & options, but this should really help. Just to get an idea of the competitive costs is very helpful! Thank you!

s

S - I think my daughter may have an answer for you. I'll email her and see what she says. She had a plan that seemed to cover all her needs, including frequent text messaging me in the US.

Catbert, you sweetie! I had assumed that she took a SIM for the duration of her stay. But if she had a plan where she didn't have to change her phone number -- WoW! Thanks!

s

Have you considered buying a quad band phone from Cingular which works within Europe and you can also use for calling to and from the US? You can get a break on rates by opting for the "world traveler" option which you can add or remove from your plan at any time.

I finally did this since I generally go to Europe at least twice every year. I'm not sure whether or not this would be cheaper or more expensive than getting something else and adding the various local sim cards...perhaps more expensive but having this phone is convenient, absolutely hassle-free, and it works!

Just a thought.

Hi Intrepid1, Yup, Cingular is definitely a possibility -- just pay the bucks for the months I'm in Europe. Waaah! I'm SO cheap!

Thanks!

s

I have Cingular service in the US and my phone will work in Europe. I recently looked at the "World traveler" option and I think it's still a lot more expensive than buying a SIM in the country you're in. You could do both...Get your Cingular Subsididy Unlock Code so you can use the local SIM for local calls. If you also set up your phone with Cingular to work in Europe with the Cingular SIM, you can just swap SIM out and use it both ways.

I'm convinced however, that getting a local SIM is much lower in cost that using any US carrier while you're in Europe.

A word of caution - before you sign a contract with Cingular, be sure that they will indeed unlock the phone for you. In the past they and most other US companies have been unwilling to do so. If it is not unlocked you will be unable to use it with any SIM card other than Cingular's. I would be certain that the contract included wording that the phone will be unlocked - even if you have to write it in yourself before signing.

The option of buying your own unlocked GSM quad band (or at least tri band) phone on ebay is worth considering, especially if you don't want to establish an account with Cigular (or any service provider) at home.
I am a Cingular customer in the US and have used their World Traveler roaming plan in several countires. The advantage (maybe!) is that your number remains the same and people back home who call you are paying only for a local call. The disadvantage is that you pay the high international rates for incoming as well as outgoing calls and text messages.
I have also purchased and used local SIM cards in other countries and it has been pretty easy, though you have to learn your new number with each card. Usually calls are cheaper than the Cingular rate, and with the added advantage that incoming calls are usually free.
Since you will be in multiple countries you might be interested in a multi-country plan like the global roaming SIM sold online at www.gosim.com. I have not used them but it looks like a good deal.

Yes, Fibonacci2358, but every time you "SIM," you get a new phone number, right? That's what I'm trying to avoid; I expect to be in Germany for a month in Dec (new SIM & new number), then a few months in Switzerland next year (new SIM & new number), and so on over the next few years. So I don't want to have one or two new phone numbers every year! I guess I could just put in & use the SIM for local call, then take it out to talk to the US, but that seems like some trouble. Or I could just use the SIM and get the folks back home to note the new number while I'm in Europe! Ah. It shouldn't be this hard.

But really the site you gave me is an eye-opener. So many options. I'm going to continue to think, peruse, and compare.

I really appreciate everyone's advice!

s

I finally solved the two cell phones - one for use in the USA and one for use in Europe - problem by buying a quadband phone on ebay (not a cheap one, it has a decent camera and is Bluetooth wired, but worth the investment), and purchasing a global SIM card from Riing or whatever it calls itself these days.

Phone works everywhere, but you have to be willing to invest some effort in learning how to use it, especially if you sign up for a callback service, which drastically reduces the costs.

Thanks StCirq! I was hoping to hear from you! Yes, the new Riiing global cell is one of the options on the website that Finonacci2358 gave me! It does look like it's troublesome -- but worth it, eh? I'll definitely take a closer look.

Thanks again!

s

swandav: I've had it for almost a year now and will admit I still haven't figured out how to use the email feature on it yet (probably need to sign up for some service, but I don't know what...), but the phone is great.

You call a (many-digit) number in Liechtenstein, then key in the number you want to call, then hang up and get called back. Dialing all those digits is a bit of a pain, but the cost is only pennies per minute, and you get used to it after awhile.

StCirq, I just checked the site (United Mobile/Riing), and it says to call US-US, the charge is $2.49 per minute. I guess that's where I call +423 (Liechtenstein) to get the cheaper rates?

I'm SO confused.

s