Using Phone Overseas
 

I am not really sure if I am posting this in the right place, I just joined here and just learning my way around. Anyway I will be traveling to Bangkok in Dec. I have a quad band Razr V3 from Cingular and purchased their International add on for $5.99 per month. Its called Cingular World. The rates for BKK are $1.29 per minute.

Okay now the problem. My friends here are telling me that I need to get my phone unlocked and buy a Sim Card there to put in the phone. I am just confused becuase if I have a plan from Cingular why do I need to use another Sim in BKK. Is it cheaper? The $1.29 per minute from Cingular sounds pretty good to me, or will there be more charges added on in BKK because it is a Sim Card from the US. Also I have no idea what it means to unlock a phone.

I am just really confused on what I need to do. I thought by buying the cingular plan I would be all set, but now I here about all this SIM card and unlock phone stuff.

any ideas or suggestions or answers would be much appreciated.

thanks a bunch

rachael

Hi Rachel,

You will get better information if you post his under Thailand.

Happy

YOur $1.29 is a roaming plan...you will be charged through your regular cingular bill. The benefit is that your american friends will be able to call you on your regular number. The downside is no one in BKK will want to call you as it will be call to america. The other downside is you may get calls from people at home that you don't want to pay $1.29 a minute to speak with!

If you instead make sure Cingular "unlocks" your phone before you go, you can buy a prepaid SIM card in BKK for about $20. You pull out your Cingular SIM and put in the new one, and Voila! you now have a phone that is 100% Thai.

Calls will be much, much cheaper, and you will have a BKK phone number, so you can ask the locals to call you back. Nice if you are wait-listed for dinner or the spa, or your tour guide is running late.

I'm suprised that you have to pay a monthly fee in addition to the $1.29 per minute. Are you sure that is not to give you a cheaper rate when calling to Thailand from the US?
T-mobile charges about $1.29/minute roaming in Thailand but there is no monthly fee.

Your friends are just trying to save you money. If you are cool with $1.29/minute and possibly getting calls from your librarian saying your reserved book came in, then stick with the plan you have.

T-Mobile USA charges $1.49/min for Thailand, but no monthly fee.

lcuy has explained well the difference using Cingular's service overseas and getting a local SIM card.

Thanks sooo much ICUY, I completly understand now. It does sound better to buy a prepaid sim in BKK. I will have to talk to cingular again and find out exactly what I am being charged for on the Cingular World Connect Plan. My gut said something about it being like regular Long distance roaming which he said would be like 1.99 per minute without the plan and 1.29 pm with the plan. I will have to get this clarified. Anyway though I have freinds in BKK and you are right they would prolly rather call a local number than an international number. Now all I have to do is get cingular to unlock my phone.

I will be traveling to Florence Italy in May of 07 so with my phone unlocked I will be able to do the same thing there?

So thanks again for the wonderful info, it has helped a bunch.

http://www.cingular.com/customer_service/cingular_world

Just for an FYI this is the plan I bought, however with your information its sounds like I will definently gst a sim there.

I wish you good luck with getting them to unlock the phone. It's my understanding the US carriers won't do it. Consequently many people buy unlocked phones on the internet and use them only for travel.

This thread from the Asia board might help
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34739616

Many phones can be unlocked by a 3rd for a fee. Like most independently owned cellular stores that cater to Chinese, Indians, Mexicans, etc.

Correct - you usually have to buy an unlocked phone to begin with, and they are several times more expensive than the locked versions that most carriers sell. Makes sense, because if it's unlocked you can use a local SIM and then they aren't making any money.

Bottom line - it depends how you want to use the phone. If it's for emergencies (either to make a call, or for someone from the US to reach you) then stick with the international roaming. If you expect to be making and receiving a lot of calls from Thailand while in Thailand, then go with the unlocked phone and local SIM - just remember that when the local SIM is in your phone, people dialing your US # will not be able to reach you.

Happy Travels!

You can get your phone unlocked but not by Cingular. I just had mine Razr unlocked by this service
http://www.thetravelinsider.info/roa...aunlocking.htm

It cost $25 and you do have to send your phone.

Thanks everyone for your input. I found somewhere to get it unlocked and I am going to do that. Everyone is right I tried to get cingular to unlock it. Not a chance.