OK I am an idiot I admit it! - TravelPUNK Backpacker College Student Budget Travel Message Boards!

PHAT MATT · 08-10-2006, 07:35 PM

I know I need to buy a quad band phone that has compatablility in the country I will be in. And I know I should buy prepaid Sim Card unless I want to pay out the ass for international calls on my provider.

My questions are... I am visiting many countries in Europe, will I have to buy a new Sim for each country? (example UK, Germany, Netherlands, Greece, Czech, Sweden, etc)?

The sim just makes the phone to where its *from* the part of the world I am calling from so its not international roaming, Correct? (if that makes sense), So I would still have to buy airtime correct?

What about if I am just wanting to be able to receive/make calls here and there from home *US* and call a fellow backpacker or hostel here and there? What you think would be best for me... I havent had a cell phone in year and if I had one right now at home I would never use it. When I get one it will pretty much be for my trip which went from being 1 month, now in the last week I am planning for 3 months!

Yea I am a moron I know.... Just trying to get this all figured ou from those who know...

Thanks,
Matt

foofiter · 08-11-2006, 08:38 AM

As far as needing a sim for each country for it to cost less I am curious myself. I will be using it for mostly text as it is MUCH cheaper and easier to do. I do this now.

Note the phone will have to be unlocked. A lot of mom and pop cell phone shops do it for around $25usd.

The best way for someone to contact you from back in the USA is to have them buy Phone Card to call Europe. Most prepaid plans outside the USA make all incoming calls and texts free. I am in Brazil now and my dad does exactly this to keep in touch. It costs him 15c per min to call me from the usa using his brazil phone card.

If you want to call them yourself use Skype. A lot of internet cafes have it now. It works great and only cost 3c per min to call a phone anywhere in the USA.

Hope this helps and I hope someone will be able to answer about a card for each country.

Foo

**tumblezweedz** · 08-11-2006, 11:07 AM

We live in Germany and use prepaid cards for our phone. We were able to use it in Italy, Switzerland, Belgium and Netherlands without a different sim card - I think Luxembourg is okay too, not sure about France. When we lived in Lithuania we had an account with one of the local providers, and had to buy new sim cards when we went to Latvia and Estonia, and I think Poland. It wasn't ever difficult to find phone shops and usually there was someone who could speak English, so if you ever have a question or problem, getting an answer should be fairly easy.

DJ_VeeeNoM · 08-12-2006, 08:34 AM

Don't get all jolly texter on us, I finished up having to pay over 1900$ on texting alone.

**MolsonGirl** · 08-13-2006, 06:29 AM

I had a O2 phone and I used it all over the UK and Spain and a bit of France as well. I'm pretty sure most of the phones over there realize the EU is small enough to need to overlap countries.

Actually my O2 phone even roamed when I was back in Canada, finding a canadian service provided (before I switched my chip back)

PHAT MATT · 08-13-2006, 08:58 AM

Thanks for the advice! I had considered buying a super phone with internet, cam, mp3 player, etc... but since I will not be using a phone much I will probably get a cheapo GSM and seperate ipod and digi cam!

What exactly do you mean by 02 phone?

Thanks,
Matt

**MolsonGirl** · 08-13-2006, 11:10 AM

O2 is a service provider in England.

**beergal** · 08-13-2006, 11:52 AM

yeah i have an o2 phone and subscribe to the euro bolt on it costs £1.99 a month subscription charge but makes all the texts around europe pretty cheap enough as well as calling phones.