U.S. Cell phones that work in Europe
 

This will be a comprehensive list of all the carriers and phones you can use both here and there without buying a SIM.

Please post only your <u>personal</u> experience here (no rumors, speculation, or discussion, please) and where you used the phone. Mention any plan you need to be on or action you have to take. I'll start:

AT&amp;T Wireless with Nationwide Roaming, $1/min, Siemens S46 - UK, North Sea Ferry

Nokia 6610, SET300, T610...

T mobile US - UK, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland

T Mobile Samsung -- both the 715 and another without the camera. Used in England, Ireland, France, and Italy with great ease. World plan (free to sign up). 95 cents a minute; 35 cents text messages (a much better deal when trying to find someone in a big city -- I'm in front of the Trevi Fountain, see u in five).

Pardon this very naive question, but Surfergirl, is it 95 cents no matter how far you are calling? (I told you it was going to be a naive one.)

Sony Ericsson T300 (bought in 2003), used with T-Mobile. Incoming/outgoing calls $0.99/minute, good reception. Used in Holland, France, Germany, Switzerland so far. VERY EASY.

Yes, 95 cents, for example, calling from Italy to the U.S.; calling from Italy to Italy; and calling your family sitting next to you in the cafe on family time. That's why the text message option is better (cheaper). Not a stupid question. I had the same question before I used the phone overseas so I could figure 30 one minute phone calls would cost me about $30, whereas 90 text messages would cost about the same.

Thanks very much. I've already copied your posts for future study.

Here's an even dumber question (yours were not, btw!), I'm planning on getting a nokia through T-mobile to use in Europe...but they said it would come &quot;locked&quot; for 6 months. Can I unlock it using an online pay service? Should I even attempt to do this? Or is it against their provider agreement? Would it be cheaper to switch sim cards according to the country I'm in? Help...lol this whole phone thing is driving me batty! :-)

The whole point to switching SIM cards is b/c it will be cheaper. If you don't plan to talk a LOT, T-Mobile will do until you can get it unlocked ($0.99/minute is cheaper than other USA services).

Nokia phones can easily be unlocked depending on how much you want to pay. Look at www.unlockme.co.uk..there is a forum where if you supply the imei # (on the box or there is a code that displays it as well as the carrier to which it is locked, they will provide the unlocking code for free. It is absolutely legal to unlock your phone, the phone is your property. It is the company that deliberately disables one of the benefits of gsm phones which is illegal in several countries such as Finland BTW. Or when you arrive in Europe you will find lots of store fronts quite willing to unlock the phone for not very much.....

Should not be a problem.

Thanks so much! I, too , am beginning to comprehend this! Cheers to all!

Add Hungary and Romania to the T-Mobile US Samsung tri-band list.

Formerly ATT Wireless, now ATT/Cingular:

$1.29/min - Germany, Austria, UK, France
$1.69/min - Jamaica
$2.29/min - China
$3.49/min - Kenya (I actually used a local SIM here, but my roaming service did pick up both Kencell and Safaricom so I know it would have worked)

I used a Siemens S46 (GSM 900/1900) but the rates are the same regardless of the phone model.

You just need to contact customer service to activate international roaming. There's no activation or monthly fee.

You can also sign up for the optional discounted international roaming plan which I did for one trip. This brings the cost of calls in Western Europe down to $0.99/min with a monthly fee of $5.99. You can cancel the plan after you return and the fee is pro-rated. In my case I didn't end up paying the full $5.99 monthly fee.

Does anyone know which if any phone will work in Greece this way?

whoa, back up, folks. It's me again. What's this about the nokia being locked up for six months? I was planning on purchasing it with T-Mobile, and would not want it to be useless if by chance I'm able to go somewhere this summer. Help? Merci beaucoup. J.

brotherleelove2004, I used my Samsung phone with T-Mobile in Greece with no problems using the international roaming feature for 99 cents per minute.

xyz123 commented on unlocking Nokia phones, about 6 posts up...

ttt

When I called T-Mobil the other day about the details and a contract, they told me their phones would come locked up. When I mentioned that I had heard of sites where I could get the phone unlocked, the guy seemed interested.. I made up a site LOL...and said it was true that I could do this..I was just wondering about the legality of that, which was answered by a very nice reader here. I'm still in doubt as to which would be cheaper: T-Mobile with a contract for a year (free phone) or buying Mobalphone and paying per call billed to a credit card... Holy Moly!
De rien! et Bisous!

&gt; Or when you arrive in Europe you will find lots of store fronts quite willing to unlock the phone for not very much....

Just for Info. You will not find a store in Germany which is willing to unlock you phone. So it you arrive in Frankfurt or Munich be prepared. London seems to be no problem...