Multiple questions on Cell Phones in Europe-ADVICE
 

There have been at least 4 questions on cell phones for use in europe in the last day. Keyword in the box "Search this Forum" cell phones and you will retrieve alot of information and opinions regarding cell phones.

After much research I decided to purchase one rather than buy. In the past i would just use a phone card purchased in the country of my destination. Sometimes this was easy and sometimes it was more difficult.

When it was approaching the time for our trip to Italy I decided to buy one. Our daughter will be in England for 4 mos. student teaching and will need a phone, so why not just buy it and use it on our travels. There are many websites, but i narrowed it down to telestial.com and cellularabroad.com.

I paid $240 for a Motorola phone with a SIM card for Italy. It got GREAT reception. When my daughter goes to England we will purchase a SIM card for the UK. Everything is pre-paid. Included with our phone was a global card that can be used in almost any country. It gave us $10 worth of credit. The two differences between that global card and a SIM is that with a country specific SIM incoming calls are FREE and outgoing calls are pre-paid. With the global you register you crdit card with the company and it is a pay-as-you-go, incoming calls are not free. For us that global card will come in handy b/c if our daughter travels to multiple countries she can at least call and let us know she is ok without changing to different SIM cards. She will only have SIM cards for Italy and the UK. We have told her that if she loses the phone she must report it IMEDIATELY b/c of it being regitered to a credit card. The card she will have it registered to will have a low credit limit and I will make sure that the company keeps it low.

Hope all this makes sense and helps. If not search the forum for other peoples input and try the websites for more info. Good luck!

I recommend against simply giving a european phone company your credit card number and signing an agreement. Reviewing the horror stories here and elsewhere suggests that there is simply no way of knowing when you are going to get ripped off for $1000-$2000. I guess getting a card with a limit would work, but why bother?

When I went to Europe last year, I had my AT&T phone, a Siemens S46, with me. It worked fine everywhere I went in 5 countries (including from the Stena ferry in the middle of the North Sea!) and I didn't experience any of the uncertainty posed by the interoperability issues documented on several threads. I didn't need to buy SIM cards, I didn't sign an agreement, and I didn't expose my credit card to mischief. I used the phone just as I do at home. The convenience and lack of hassle costs a little more, but you may conclude it is worth it, as I did.

You have definetly given me something to consider re: global card. The phone was a good purchase for us b/c we are all tied to a contract with Verizon for at least another year, and Verizon does not have anything that would fit our needs at this time. It is all very confusing when trying to find the best solution for your own circumstances. I think the phone purchase fits our need but after your advice,Robespierre, I think we will forgo the global card and if she needs to get in touch with us just call with the UK or Italy SIM and let it roam. We will not be holding a conversation. We just like knowing she got to her destination and that she has a way to communicate in case of emergencies. Thanks for the advice. this forum is great!

Macknmo...

What's done is done by telestial is a rip off joint as far as I am concerned. Their phone charges are obscenely high, you can do far better on e bay or a company such as expansys-usa.com which has much cheaper rates for phones but what is done is done.

Also they rip people off big time with the prepaid SIM's they sell doubling or tripling the price they charge but I can understand people opting for their service; especially in case of a country with a foreign language.

However, what isn't done can still save you money. Now that you have a phone that is unlocked, have your daughter upon arrival in the UK, go to the corner mobile phone store (and believe me they are on every corner) and ask for a prepaid Virgin Mobile service pack. Total cost, £10 with £5 worth of credit. Remember, she is in the UK and can ask questions. Transaction should take about 15 seconds.

As you know, GSM receiving calls in the country of origin in Europe is FREE so she will not pay to receive calls. You will pay slightly more (incidentally the best service to call UK mobiles is to use the 1016868... prefix where the charge is only 13 cents a minute; do remember calling mobile phones in the UK is more expensive than the cheap landline charges advertised which is why her receiving calls is free)....in the UK Virgin mobile rates for all calls within the UK are 15p a minute timed to the second for the first five minutes of use each day and drop to 5p a minu te after that. Calls are timed to the SECOND. Speak for 15 seconds and it costs you 4p...calls to North America are a very reasonable 20p a minute again timed to the second and calls to North America count in the 5 minute limit noted above.

Recharging is easy as Virgin service packs now come with swipe cards. Walk into almost any pharmacy (Boots, for example) or mobile phone store, tell the clerk you wish to buy £5 or more worth of recharge service, he or she swipes the card in a machine that looks like a credit card machine, pay your £5 and voila it is done.

Voicemail is free also.

Really a great and very very very easy deal and while she is in England, she will be exchanging text messages with all of her friends up the gazoos.

Trust me, it's very easy.

You don't need the rip off folks at Telestial.

Any questions, just ask Professor xyz who will always give you the correct and best advice on this subject; especially concerning mobile phones in the UK and France.

Just get a global SIM card that does not charge to receive calls wherever you are in europe, like www.globalsimcard.co.uk

You might also want to compare prices and service with http://www.globalsimcard.co.uk

Sorry, had the wrong thing on the clipboard.

http://www.united-mobile.com