Cellphones for overseas

[haulingthescoreup]

I sort of lost track on the best way to handle cell phone calls home from Europe.

DD#2 will be in Ireland for 6 weeks this summer. We have a Verizon account, and her phone is a Samsung SCH u70.

She has the option to rent a phone that will allow her to call home. It's through Pixel Wireless, but I don't know the details. Maybe there is also a mysterious chip of some sort that she can buy ahead of time for her current phone (and test drive! thanks ducky) that provides an alternate service.

This is a kid who has a deep psychic need to touch home base frequently. Those of you who travel a lot, what's the best option?

[TigerCat]

I have T-Mobile HTSU, and that is, IMO, the best service to have when traveling abroad. But it is pricey to use overseas because you have to pay the roaming charges there, which I think for mine is around $1.00 per minute plus usage against your minutes. And you need to have a worldphone (mine is Nokia), so you need to make sure that Samsung is too. It's good for emergencies nonetheless. Will she be staying at the same place with the same people? If so, it would just be better to use a native's phone and pay them because by now you can call the US for a few cents per minute and vice versa. When I call Europe or the UK from my home phone for example, it only costs 4 cents per minute. Another option might be an international prepaid calling card of some sort.

[Anonymous]

Since Verizon is CDMA I do not think the phone will be of any use, unless she has a World Phone that has both GSM and CDMA.

Check out this article, it should be a start:




http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/cheap/20030923a1.asp#rentphone

[Anonymous]

Not sure if you've looked, but Verizon's website has a lot of information regarding international usage.

http://b2b.vzw.com/international/Global_Phone/

http://b2b.vzw.com/international/Global_Phone/Europe/Ireland.html

[Anonymous]

Jaybee is right she will need a GSM phone rather than CDMA.  If you can upgrade her current plan, great but it will still be pricey to use her mobile for international calls on a regular basis.

You will need to work with her current provider for best options on Intl calling plans. I personally like T-mobile as they have the best intl service. 

I would also definately recommend prepaid calling cards which she can use from a land line.  

Years and years ago before GSM phones popular here I rented world phones when traveling but there were always hidden charges and 6 months is a long time to rent.

[Scamp]

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haulingthescoreup wrote:
I sort of lost track on the best way to handle cell phone calls home from Europe.

DD#2 will be in Ireland for 6 weeks this summer. We have a Verizon account, and her phone is a Samsung SCH u70.

She has the option to rent a phone that will allow her to call home. It's through Pixel Wireless, but I don't know the details. Maybe there is also a mysterious chip of some sort that she can buy ahead of time for her current phone (and test drive! thanks ducky) that provides an alternate service.

This is a kid who has a deep psychic need to touch home base frequently. Those of you who travel a lot, what's the best option?

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HTSU, if she has friends over there, have her ask them about the int'l call and text-messaging rates on the various UK pay-as-you go phones, and if they sound the most reasonable (compared to taking a compatible US phone and plan over there and using it - other posters are right that it's more than a buck a minute to talk that way, even on the best available plans, and int'l texts are usually about 50 cents apiece), find out if she could buy either a pay-as-you go SIM card for her own phone (if she has a GSM SIM-card one) or an entire pay-as-you-go package, phone and all, that she could use while there.

If it sounds like the best way to go but they can't sell to a non-UK-citizen, maybe one of her friends can buy it for her and she can pay them back, then use her own money to top up the minutes.

[Lel]

Prepaid phone cards are probably the best way to go, unless there is a need for you to be able to reach her on her cell phone at all times. Using a card would only cost a few cents a minute, though there are sometimes connection fees or maintenance fees.

Calling her in Ireland using a prepaid card is also the cheapest way to go, too.

Check out comfi.com. You should be able to find a variety of phone cards on that website. They aren't really "cards"; you get the dialing information and PIN numbers via email.

[rubaty]

I suggest phone cards from AT & T if she wants to call home alot.  I live in Europe and have used them before and the rates are pretty good.  You can buy them @ BestBuy.  I would also take a look at something like Vonage also. 

[Anonymous]

CDMA will work in many countries now.

Before only GSM would work. 

Another advantage of the GSM system is if you have an unlocked phone, you can change SIM cards so if you are overseas, you can purchase a local SIM card  and use it on your phone. However, you will not receive calls from your original cellphone number because the SIM card is not the one given by your original service provider.