Fodorite018

DD will be doing a study abroad term in France soon. We have AT&T and have used it in France before. We get the international plan for the time needed, and use texts. Anyway, DD has an iPhone currently. Her study abroad program provides a cell phone through PicCell and then if we opt for that, we pay for the usage. I am completely unfamiliar with PicCell so do not know which would be the cheapest or easiest for DD. Does anyone here have any input on this?

Thanks

Sarastro

Unfortunately I remember some serious complaints about a mobile phone company which had some tie in with a study program from an otherwise legitimate school or university. The complaints were about serious overcharges and outlandish fees. I cannot now say specifically what the name of the company was so it would not be fair to say it was PicCell but it could have been.

Still, it´s unlikely that your daughter will want to take an iPhone to France because the data costs can be onerous unless she disables data download while there. Have her look into Lebara once she arrives in France. They sell SIMs with time included for 10€. Inbound calls are free. Outbound calls to the US are .09€ per minute with a .09€ connect fee per call. That´s not a lot more expensive than what VoIP costs.

www.lebara.fr

Compare Lebara that with what PicCell is charging.

Fodorite018

We would definitely adjust the settings on her phone so I am not too worried about that. I don't know anything about PicCell and have never heard of them, so don't even know how to compare to see what is the better option for her. Right now, I only have general info from the study abroad and they provide the phone a couple weeks before she leaves. But I don't have the specific usage info just yet.

I will definitely have her look into the lebara, thank you.

Fodorite018

Another thought, I have an old Motorola Razor phone sitting in a drawer. Can she take that and buy a SIM card there and put it in and use it, or do we need to do something with it here? Sorry, I am so clueless with this stuff.

Sarastro

If the Razor is an unlocked, GSM phone which can operate on 900mHz and 1800mHz then yes it will work for her.

Seamus

If your old RAZR is an AT&T model it is a GSM that should work fine with a European SIM as long as it is unlocked. You can get an unlock code and instructions from AT&T (presuming that's where yo got it in the first place) or you can just take it to a local cell phone repair shop and they will unlock for a small fee. (Make sure the battery is still good, too.)

Fodorite018

Thanks The RAZR is from AT&T and we have used it in France before. I will look into getting it unlocked. Once DD arrives in Paris, does she just buy a SIM card or what exactly does she need to do to make it work?

I did some reading on TripAdvisor about PicCell and am glad I did. Sounds like that is not a venture I am willing to bet on.

Sarastro

Phonehouse is the largest independent retailer in France of mobile phones. They always have interesting solutions and low cost options for mobile communications:

www.phonehouse.fr

Phonehouse or Virginmobile always seem to have a basic phone to sell with SIM and minutes for under 30€. With any French plan, inbound minutes will always be free.

Plan2GoSoon

Has anyone heard of an app called Heytell? We have iphones and heard it worked on iphones, blackberries and androids. We were told of it recently and that calls were free. The person who told us called his brother in Ireland (from the US) and said he has been using it for awhile. We have not done any international travel so have not used it but am wondering if this is a good thing. Does anyone know? Thanks.