We will be visiting USA and Canada next year and would like to have a cell phone available incase of emergencies etc., our New Zealand cell phones will not work in USA. We will be flying into Seattle and the next day board a cruise to Alaska (doesn't give us a lot of time to search out cell phones) will then spend 3 weeks in Canadian Rockies before flying down to Denver and doing 4 weeks touring in USA so need a phone that will work in both countries. We would also like to be able to make/receive calls or at least text to and from New Zealand. Have looked at Tracfone but I think I'm right in saying this service is only for USA, not sure about making International calls or text either. Any suggestions please for a prepaid solution for us. Thanks.

Beyond the questions you have already asked is one of service availability. You will not have cell phone service on the cruise, and the areas you are visiting - Alaska, mountains may have spotty cell phone service. For example, we were unalbe to use our cell phones at the Grand Canyon a year ago.

So other than a satellite phone, you should not count on being always reachable by cell phone - there may be days at a time that it is not a good emergency contact option.

Patricia - xyz123 seems to know something about cell phones, search for him here and on Europe board.

If your phone takes a sim card and it is a tri band type phone you can get a T -mobile Sim card and it will work here.in the USA check out the t-mobile website

Patricia,

We did an 11 week trip thru the US from Australia earlier this year. After seeking advice, we went with Tracfone. There's a section on ny website dealing with cellphones - see http://dominic.kelly.site.net.au

We could not make overseas calls with Tracfone, but could receive them. Actually, you can make o/s calls, by using a phone card (AT&T, etc)

As to SMS text messaging, I think it depends which handset you purchase - some support it and others don't. Tracfone website should help.

I'm pretty sure the Tracfone works all over Nth America - phone system, county code etc is the same. I'm certain I used it successfully in Montreal during our brief stay (4 days) in Canada. You could email them and ask.

Dom

Thanks all the the help. It seems our options are to hire a tri-band phone in NZ from Vodafone (fairly expensive) and get global roaming and use our own sim card or purchase a sim card in USA. Alternatively we can hire a tri-band phone in USA which appears to about the same cost as in NZ, or buy a phone and prepaid sim card in USA. Dom, have read your website, its brilliant thats where I found out about Tracfone. Anyway I have emailed them and asked the relevant questions. Any other suggestions would be welcome.

Our trip is getting close now so thought I would bring this thread back up as we still haven't resolved the cell phone issue. I emailed Tracfone and got a very detailed reply from them, their phones do not have coverage in Canada, and it depends where we purchase one of their phones as to the coverage we would get in USA. Does anybody have any further suggestions of where we can purchase a triband cell phone and simcard that will give us coverage in Canada and USA, we will be travelling in Colorado, Kansas, Arkansas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. Thanks.

The information you have already received is accurate regarding cell phones. An international calling card that you can use VERY inexpensively from public phones might be something to fall back on. It would, at least, be reliable. On another note, I would love some tips from YOU regarding a cell phone in NZ which we will visit next spring. I'd love to have one to phone ahead, in case of emergencies, etc. What would be our best option?

Hi, I read on the net, that text messageing is not big in the USA.

You would be best to buy a tri band phone in New Zealand, and it will work in all countries (as long as they have the country has cell phone coverage). I have just bought one for my trip in Australia (but am from NZ) and it will do me fine for US Germany, England and Singaproe.

Global roaming is very expensive.

Not sure your cruise will be able to receive any reception.

Try band phones are grea, no worries where ever you, just shove in a prepaid card and off you go. (Some countries call pre paid, Pay as you go.

mistyjean, at this stage it would be best to post your question on the Australia-Pacific forum. I don't have detailed info about NZ, but you can pick up a base model Nokia 1100 in Australia for $99 (US$76) including $10 call credit, and I'm guessing that you could get a similar deal in NZ.

Phones bought on prepaid plans are locked into the sponsoring carrier's network for a certain period, but I believe that unlocking codes can be found on the WWW. The above is a simple GSM phone operating on the 900/1800 MHz frequency bands as used in most countries outside of North America.