Comments on: Going abroad? Don't be afraid to pack the cell phone

Don't let the horror stories scare you off. Firing up the cell phone in another country need not be as vexing or expensive as you think.

[rikkles]

Or better yet, get yourself your own .tel domain, which will give you total freedom from telecom providers among many other benefits.
When you land in another country, buy the cheapest SIM card or phone package you can find, update your .tel with your new phone number, and you're done: instantly reachable, everyone knows your new phone number, and you reduce your roaming costs dramatically.

[jelorenz]

@rikkles
Thanks, excellent tip. My wife and I have had our German T-Mobile SIM cards for several years.
Now we just point our family and friends to our dot tel account with our local German numbers.

[nfrengle]

I don't know about Korea, but the reality of roaming in Japan is different than you report (and no doubt different than what the know-nothing-about-Japan people at AT&T and/or T-Mobile told you). I worked for some years in the mobile industry there, so I can assure you that there is no GSM being used on 2100mhz frequency there: It is 3G. In fact, outside of the U.S, nearly all of the rest of the world uses 2100 mhz for UMTS, which is what they use in Japan, and is the only compatible system in use there: Their 2G standards was called PDC, and is only used there, and their version of CDMA switched the uplink and downlink, and so is incompatible with CDMA elsewhere. However, it does mean that if you have a phone that will do both US and European 3G, it should work in Japan. Or, if you have a phone that does European 3G, it also works in Japan. Also, if you have an unlocked phone, do as people in many parts of the world do: Get a prepaid sim card while you are abroad. This means that you incur no roaming fees, and also don't have to worry about getting home and finding a $3,000 cellphone bill waiting. Vodafone has a deal this summer, where all 35 European countries incur no roaming fees, just the standard rates, up to certain limits, which is great if you intend to travel to multiple countries in Europe. There are other deals as well. It is legal, and fairly simple, as well, to unlock most phones, and if you don't need to be contacted on your usual number, this is definitely the least expensive way to travel with a cell phone.

[badasscat]

I have a phone that will do both US and European 3G (Samsung SGH-A707), and it does not work in Japan. I know of no US phone that does.

[Eddie-c]

The Blackjack2 will as will some Nokias. Basically you need to look for a device that does UMTS 1900/2100MHz.
Japan and N. Korea also use wide-band cdma (w-cdma) but I think it's going to be a while - if at all - for those devices to hit US markets.

[malexandria1]

Great, timely article! I'm going to Paris in August, this article confirmed for me that I'm leaving my iPhone at Home and will just get a local pay as you go phone for emergencies. I'll take my iPod Touch instead and use Wi-Fi in a pinch. I'm going to be on Vacation, so talking on the phone or checking email when 80 percent of it is spam isn't something I'll miss.

[bladeslap]

Wait! You CAN use your iphone3G in Paris and have unlimited data - Here's how!

1. If you have a U.S. iPhone 3G, you can either unlock it using software (I wouldn't) or buy a TURBOSIM card ... it's a little card that the SIM card goes on top of - You have to make sure you buy a reputable one. It's about $25-30. This fools the phone into thinking you are using an AT&T SIM card.

2. When you go to France, go to a store that has "SFR" (Red and white sign). Get a prepaid SIM card ... say for 30 or 40 euros

3. Next, purchase an iPhone 3G prepaid credit for the time you will be in france

This enables you to have unlimited internet ... works like a charm! Only thing is SFR is completely in FRENCH so unless you speak the language, you'll have to have the person at the store help you.

Also, you'll have to put the sim card in on top of the TurboSIM card.

Another important thing -Under the carrier settings in your iphone, you have to put wapsfr (No user name or password is required) -It's under general settings, advanced, Cellular network, APN -- You generally have a certain word you have to put in no matter which country you go to - For Australia it was something different ..

Your other option is purchase an unlocked phone from Australia or some other country where the actual phone company (like Vodaphone) allows you to unlock the phone for a fee.

The same applies to Australia - Australia is even better! Go to Optus and get a 3G prepaid card for like 70-80 - I had to try two or three different turbosim cards before i got it working properly (one of them only allowed me to use EDGE as opposed to 3G) ... Also, when you put the SIM card in with the turobsim, you often have to power-cycle the phone ...

Iphone 3g is amazing especially ineternationally! Don't short-change yourself -The maps work GREAT in france - Love also getting email whenever and wherever i want.

Good luck and feel free to email me if you have any questions -

p.s. i think a good turbosim card is yevgeni or something like that

[Kalvos]

Watch out for pay-as-you-go. I have both a Tracfone and an unlocked Nokia with ATT pay-as-you-go. Neither worked in Europe (or even Canada!), so I was glad to have remembered to pack my Telestial auto-recharge SIM card for the Nokia. Outgoing rates are typical, but incoming calls from the U.S. are expensive -- incoming for emergencies only!

If the caller is in the U.S. and you are in Europe for example, the caller won't be charged extra....but you will! Incoming calls while traveling abroad are typically the same rate as outgoing calls. Make sure you don't answer the phone!

[Kalvos]

Just one point to the post in response to mine: The Telestial SIM card is a 'world card' based in Estonia -- not expensive to call out, but very costly when calling our phone from the U.S. Yes, Verizon charged our friend calling from the U.S. (land line) over $3 per minute surcharge to call our number. It took him many arguments with Verizon to get the nearly $35 surcharge removed. Telestial claims to have a toll-free number in the U.S. that will forward to their Estonian numbers to avoid these surcharges, but we have yet to find what it is. Always things to watch out for!

[erictbar]

Thank you for this informative FAQ. I'm bookmarking it for later use, thanks!

[foxcityfc]

In the UK.. o2 and the 3 network do allow for free calls between mobiles on the same network

[doctor_tech]

While your article is informative it does have a few errors. First one "This also means that international calling rates apply to you as well if you call from the country where you're travelling to the U.S." This is also true if you have a US based sim card in your phone. Infact it can actually be more as you also get charged a handling fee by at least on of the operators.
Second one "Free mobile-to-mobile minutes on the same carrier usually are not offered outside the United States." Rubbish. I have a call lan that allows me to call the wife's mobile from my mobile and its free she can also do the same. We are with Orange (French Telecom).
You forget to mention that it is possible to now buy dual sim card phones. These are excellent for travelling. As you can have 2 sim cards working simultaneously from one phone. So you could have you normal sim card and a pay as you go card from the country you are visiting. I have one and my mum has one. Mine actually has my work and personal phone cards in it. So I only carry one phone.
Don't know if I am allowed to post the link to the site where you can get them but here goes any way. www.chinavasion.com/?ref=7179

[Maggie Reardon]

Thanks for your comments. I should have specified that I meant the mobile to mobile thing applied to people with U.S. based cell phone plans. I am not as familiar with plans out of the UK, but thanks for the information. And thank you for posting the link. I'm sure other readers appreciate the additional info!

[elbowgr]

Here's a number of facts that were missed:

1) Verizon offers GSM phones for rent when travelling abroad that let you keep your current number.
2) Japan does not use GSM, they have a variant of CDMA - not compatible with Verizon, their newest networks are 3G.
3) Each country has it's own regulations for purchasing a local SIM, it may be as easy as picking one up from the nearest corner kiosk or else you might have to be a legal resident of the country. Check your destinations regulations before you plan to buy a local SIM.
4) To call the US from abroad on a mobile it's normally +1 in front of the number: [phone]

[Eddie-c]

Japan went for UMTS instead of GSM.

For any corporate user that may be travelling that has that awful GoodLink application on their device, they will have to go into Preferences and disable the System Dialler in order to be able to use +1 feature - I have no idea why GoodLink by default prevents this from being used.

Yes, the information about dialing codes was incorrect. You might be able to dial 001 to get through to the US and Canada from Europe, but that dialing code may not work elsewhere... it's not a universal thing.

For example to access international dialing from Australia, the code is 0011. So to call the States from a phone there you'd dial 0011 then 1 then the US area code and local number.

The best thing to do is preface all international calls from your cell handset with +1 for calling the US, or +44 to the UK for example. That IS a universal way of accessing IDD... as elbowgr was getting at..

[euspos]

Thanks for noting that. I have ALL numbers in my phone entered as "+1..." for US/Canada numbers, "+44..." for UK numbers, "+46..." for Sweden numbers, etc. Then you NEVER have to reprogram your phone in order to place call.
"+" is the (cell phone) equivalent to whatever the international access number is in a country (00, 011, etc, etc).

[euspos]

Maybe to be even more clear:

Even when home and calling my neighbor, number dialed is "[phone]". Have the number programmed that way (always starting with a "+" and the country code), you NEVER have to worry about what to dial - regardless where you are calling from.

[bimmin]

I just got back from Europe. Even if my CDMA phone worked there it would cost $4.99 a minute!! Much cheaper to just buy a prepayed phone when you get there.

[MrZook]

Kudos! Going on a surf trip to Mexico in one month and was a bit worried about cell usage. I'll follow many of these pointers. Don't want the same $50 in charges I had from my first trip out of the states.

One recommendation I would add is have all your friends and relatives back home (those you talk to frequently anyway) install Skype or some other VoIP.

[JRWilliams308]

Two comments

1. "AT&T offers customers a World Traveler plan, which offers discounts on most roaming rates in more than 195 countries. The cost is $5.99 a month. And users can sign up for the service for just one month if they are going on a vacation, and they can cancel the service when they return home. But AT&T officials suggest that subscribers pay special attention to their billing cycle to make sure the plan is activated the entire time they are away."

You'll should leave the International Data plan on for at least a month after you return from your trip. Sometimes the foreign wireless company doesn't charge the roaming fees quickly or properly, and if the charges come in after you've turned off the plan, you'll be charged the stardard international roaming. Best to pay an extra $5.99 and wait until you have your next month's bill in hand and see the if any of the dates of travel are listed .

2. "And you will not be able to receive calls, voice mails, text messages, or e-mails sent to your U.S. phone number while using another carrier's SIM card"

Why not just forward your U.S. based Cell # to the number provided by the local carrier?

[Maggie Reardon]

Great suggestions and pointers! Thanks for reading the story and adding more info. I'm sure other readers appreciate it too.

[Eddie-c]

Leaving the international features on for at least 1 bill cycle is recommended (and customer service reps will normally tell you this when you add such features).

The bigger question, something I've asked account numerous account managers, is WHY they can do 15/30-second/1 minute billing etc yet charges cannot be processed & charged once you're done with the call?!! Everything is logged by computer and instantly recorded - number dialled, call originator, duration etc etc - so it is more than feasible that one should not have to wait for a bill-cycle of some foreign carrier to occur. Customers should not have to wait 1-2 months for these charges to appear, but the carriers are happy to let things continue that way while coming up with other ways to get more money from you.

[euspos]

"Why not just forward your U.S. based Cell # to the number provided by the local carrier?"

Simply because in doing so you can rack up some SERIOUS charges on your US based cell phone. Remember that in most parts of the civilized world, it is "calling party pays" that rules and calling cell phones can be pricey. It is not rare that it is 30 times (yes 30 times) more expensive to call a cell phone, compared to calling a land line in same country, from a US based number (be it a cell phone, a VoIP, POTS, Skype, etc).

[finesettimana]

The growing strength of the U.S. dollar? What planet are you on?

[sevort]

Yep. Thanks to Obama, a Euro will cost 2 bucks before the end of this year.

[itrack2]

I bought a new phone in London for £5 and put £10 on it. Call to the US were 3 pence per minute, incoming free and local calls a little more expensive. The £10 lasted all week. Whenever I go back I have a phone in hand and a number where I can be reached. Why would I mess with roaming and all that?

[T_Tran]

Thanks for the great article. I'll be traveling to Guadalajara, Mexico tomorrow for work. Other than the swine flu, kidnappings, robberies, government corruption, and drug cartel violence, atleast I'll know that my cell phone works when I need it.

[Hernys]

I don't get it. THe article says it is not necessarily expensive, but then goes on to say that carriers charge between 50c and $4 PER MINUTE for calls, which could land you in a thousand dollars bill for moderate use???
And given that calling cards plus local cell phone rates cost abnout 1% of that, it IS outrageously expensive. Those might have been reasonable rates twenty or thirty years ago, but in 2009 they are a scam.

[lydliem]

Everytime I went abroad, i always bring 2 mobile phones, The first one for my usual number, just to receive sms. For the other one i buy local SIM card, insert it in my phone and dang...i live again. i can call everyone with cheap cost, but still, other can reach me in my usual number.

[Maggie Reardon]

Moderate cell phone use and some of the plans offered by AT&T and Verizon make it affordable. Of course, there could be cheaper ways to stay in touch. I'm working on a follow up story that details some of these options.

[twitter_1963]

This article lacked so much content whilst at the same time, gave us so much. I am for instance on the AT&T plan and still have to pay 99c a minute when I travel to Europe, even to call a local number there.

I travel to Europe a lot and have done for years, it's all a SCAM. If you travel a lot, better to get a $20 a month plan and local phone over there, and calls to the USA are about 10c a minute on that phone. Then just use call forwarding (I pay AT&T, 7c a minute from the USA to the UK, and 10c over there to recieve the call but 17c is a ton less.

Also, 50MB plans are also a rip-off. 200MB a year and again, you might as well get a local 3G card that costs in the UK about $15 a month UNLIMITED.

When the US carriers realize, we have MUCH cheaper choices, perhaps they will make their charges clearer. The fact, this is such a long BLOG shows how complex it is... Shame on the US carriers. By the way, VodaFONE owns 49% of VZW but you pay a fortune when you are in the UK onthe world-phone.

[Bill_A]

Thank you for the interesting article and thanks also the the commenters who added additional information.

I live in Canada, where Rogers, the GSM carrier, appears to charge about 10 times the amount that AT&T charges for data roaming. This makes using a device in Europe a far more serious proposition. Windows Smartphone (Sorry Microsoft) : $100/day using email only. Blackberry (on another carrier): $35 for ten days. Rogers courteously adjusted the bill, but that was still a lot of money.

What I'd like to have is some information about getting a local prepaid data stick and using it in Europe. With hotels charging £15 per day for internet, the stick is not such a bad option!

[KingDavid711]

I am planning on an International trip myself. I have a T-Mobile Curve. I came across this article: http://www.assassin711.com/?p=92 and it seems like a good fit for me. As long as my T-Mobile Blackberry only connects via WiFi I won't be charged roaming fees.

[JerryRiggg]

Well I will say this has been a very interesting forum and I come away from it knowing one thing. We must continue to communicate and relay our experiences to others because then and only then will we really see the many ways in which we're being ripped off.

I've traveled to England twice in the past year and I have learned a pre-paid local SIMM card bought in that country is the best way to go. I don't understand how if you're paying $4 or $5 a month for the privilege of getting "a deal" on phone calls is a deal. Afterall, that $4 or $5 a month should be factored in to the 50 cents to $5 a minute you're paying for calls to get the true cost and I assure you you'll find the per minute charge is fairly expensive with or without the monthly fee.

When I traveled to England I discovered Libara, bought a pay as you go phone, got it unlocked put in my Libara simm card and I was off and running. For 20 pounds I got 30 pounds worth of credit and when I left one month later I still had 20 pounds credit left. Incoming calls were free, even from the US, out going calls were 2p per minute which is about 3 cents, texts were 25p, and actually local calls were the most expensive at 10p. Don't buy the Libara card in the US, when I searched on line for one they wanted $40 but in England they were 99p to 2 pounds depending on where you bought it. In any event what I recommend is to talk to someone who lives in the country you're traveling to and see if they either know or can get any information on the cheapest way to make phone calls while traveling. And lets keep communicating folks.

[MongooseProXC]

Nextel is where it's at for traveling to South America. $10 extra a month and chirp here or there until your heart's content no additional fee.

[Eddie-c]

If you have Verizon/Sprint you have to be careful with some South American countries and the 'world-phone' you have - or at least the GSM chip that is in it ...
example the Samsung Ace has a GSM chip that uses the 900MHz & 1800MHz frequencies - this is great for Europe and most of Asia (exceptions being Japan & N. Korea). Argentina uses the same frequencies that domestic USA does - 850MHz & 1900MHz and has no cdma. Check out the tech. specs on anything before you get it to make sure it will work where you want/need it.