International Cell phone troubles
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- virtu
Ok, I am traveling to Munich and London in December. My wife is going for business, me for pleasure. I want to be able to keep in touch with her throughout the day via cellphone, but I dont know what is my best move. Does anyone have any experience traveling to these countries and using a cell phone? Or, do any locals know of the best way to make this happen? Any help would be very much appreciated.
Thanks a ton.
- Jaline0
So it's a trip for a few days?
- madirish0
why can't you just call? there is no secret to it.
- jox0
What makes you think it won't work?
- neue75_bold0
it's cheaper to get a new simcard in each city...
- GreedoLives0
your cellie provider can lease you an international phone, but thats mega-expensive last time i checked (something like $250 for two weeks, through verizon anyways), best move is to just get a disposable rechargeable cellie over there and give her the number.
- paraselene0
your american phone will not work over here unless it's special and clever.
you just pop into the carphone warehouse or an orange or vodafone shop when you arrive and get a pay-as-you-go phone for about £25-£30.
then chuck a bunch of prepay credit on it and take it with you. it's expensive to use a phone from one european country in another, but no more expensive than roaming in the states.
- madirish0
it will work, if it is tri-band (or quad if you happen to go through Luxemburgh).
let me guess though- you are on sprint of verizon and don't knw what a SIM card is, right?
- GreedoLives0
but seriously, how many tri-band phones are there in the US? they're about as useful as nipples on a man over here.
- jox0
but seriously, how many tri-band phones are there in the US? they're about as useful as nipples on a man over here.
GreedoLives
(Sep 26 07, 09:36)Then again, Europe got tri-band around the same time your country was invented - so we don't have that problem travelling to YOUR continent.
- madirish0
how many? i would guess of hand around 40 probably.
i have not had a non-tri band phone for probably 5 years...
- jox0
madirish
(Sep 26 07, 09:40)Check your email suckah.
- madirish0
but then again, i guess i could not be considered an 'average' mobile user...
also, with your US service provider- make sure you have activated/enabled your international service. why this is not default, i will never know.
- GreedoLives0
jox, i know, i wish it was different here, but it ain't...
i'd love to be able to just use my cellie across the pond but it aint happening without a major upgrade, a nutty calling plan or switching providers (which i'm too lazy to deal with).
- lvl_130
not sure who your carrier is, but when i was there i just called t-mobile and told them to activate my phone for europe travel (not really sure what they 'activated' that is just what they told me). it is $1 a minute but worked like a charm.
i have a razr
- jox0
(not really sure what they 'activated' that is just what they told me)
lvl_13
(Sep 26 07, 10:06)They actually unlocked it alltogether. Oldest trick in the book if your phone is locked to a provider in the US - tell 'em you're going overseas and need the code chop-chop.
- madirish0
T-Mobile that is the *only* us provider that will do this for you (unlock). it is a shame, but true. you *can* have ohters unlocked, but none allow it to be done.
the phone will still work no problem.
- lvl_130
ah, interesting. i had no idea. good to know for the future of my cell phones :)
- Jaline0
They actually unlocked it alltogether. Oldest trick in the book if your phone is locked to a provider in the US - tell 'em you're going overseas and need the code chop-chop.
jox
(Sep 26 07, 10:08)I just downloaded a program and hacked in to my phone to enable features.
- madirish0
you hakZ0r3d the mainframe?!?!?
- menos0
First things first: US mobile phone service (as a whole) is pretty bad in comparison to European service.
For you to go abroad to most places in Europe just make sure you have a tri-band phone and 'activate' your roaming. Easy as that. On t-mobile its free and done in an instant. Im t-mobile and just got a new phone locked to att and had it unblocked by att saying that i was going to europe. They say that if you've had your att contract for a while, then the unblocking is free otherwise i think you have to pay a small fee.
The other option as has been mentioned is to get an unblocked phone and just buy cheap sim cards as you go. In the UK you can get just the card starting at 5 pounds.