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Cell phone for European travel



 
 
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  #1  
Old August 20th, 2013, 06:16 PM posted to rec.travel.europe
Frank Clarke
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 90
Default Cell phone for European travel


This question is mostly for the USians on the group but anyone else is,
naturally, welcome to chime in.


I need advice on a CHEAP way to have a cell phone available for travel in
Europe. It doesn't have to be fancy (God, please let's not get into another
****ing contest over the glories of smart phones!). All it has to do is make
and receive voice calls.

Some years ago I got a bottom-of-the-line Motorola C123 from CallInEurope.com
operating out of Connecticut somewhere. $60 complete w a French SIM and all the
doo-dads; I lent it to someone and they lost it :-(

CIE seems to have gone out of business, but if they were still around, I'd pick
up another just like it.

Any alternative suggestions?



FrankC
(chg Arabic# to Roman to reply)
  #2  
Old August 20th, 2013, 08:15 PM posted to rec.travel.europe
Erick T. Barkhuis[_3_]
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Posts: 180
Default Cell phone for European travel

Tue, 20 Aug 2013 13:16:46 -0400, Frank Clarke
:
I need advice on a CHEAP way to have a cell phone available for

travel in

If you're visiting several countries on your trip, don't bother.
Firstly, initial SIM registration may take several days. Secondly,
you'd be roaming anyway.
So, bring your US phone and give it a try, first.

On top of that, many countries still show phone booths at street
corners.

--
Erick
  #3  
Old August 20th, 2013, 08:57 PM posted to rec.travel.europe
Mike O'Sullivan[_2_]
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Posts: 20
Default Cell phone for European travel

On 20/08/2013 20:15, Erick T. Barkhuis wrote:
Tue, 20 Aug 2013 13:16:46 -0400, Frank Clarke :
I need advice on a CHEAP way to have a cell phone available for

travel in

If you're visiting several countries on your trip, don't bother.
Firstly, initial SIM registration may take several days.


not in my experience
  #4  
Old August 21st, 2013, 07:26 AM posted to rec.travel.europe
Tim C.[_5_]
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Posts: 920
Default Cell phone for European travel

On Tue, 20 Aug 2013 20:57:29 +0100, Mike O'Sullivan wrote in post :
:

On 20/08/2013 20:15, Erick T. Barkhuis wrote:
Tue, 20 Aug 2013 13:16:46 -0400, Frank Clarke :
I need advice on a CHEAP way to have a cell phone available for

travel in

If you're visiting several countries on your trip, don't bother.
Firstly, initial SIM registration may take several days.


not in my experience


Mine neither. Never ever, not even years ago when mobile phones were teh
size of a shoebox. It might take 20 minutes or so - if you want a
contracted phone/SIM, but for pre-paid it takes as long as it takes to hand
over your money.

--
Tim C. Linz, Austria.
  #5  
Old August 21st, 2013, 07:32 AM posted to rec.travel.europe
Erick T. Barkhuis[_3_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 180
Default Cell phone for European travel

Tim C.:

On Tue, 20 Aug 2013 20:57:29 +0100, Mike O'Sullivan wrote in post :
:

On 20/08/2013 20:15, Erick T. Barkhuis wrote:


Firstly, initial SIM registration may take several days.


not in my experience


Mine neither.


I start wondering...have you guys ever actually tried to get across the
pond as a US citizen and buy/register a new SIM in Western Europe?

  #6  
Old August 21st, 2013, 07:45 AM posted to rec.travel.europe
Doug Anderson
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Posts: 78
Default Cell phone for European travel

"Erick T. Barkhuis" writes:

Tim C.:

On Tue, 20 Aug 2013 20:57:29 +0100, Mike O'Sullivan wrote in post :
:

On 20/08/2013 20:15, Erick T. Barkhuis wrote:


Firstly, initial SIM registration may take several days.

not in my experience


Mine neither.


I start wondering...have you guys ever actually tried to get across the
pond as a US citizen and buy/register a new SIM in Western Europe?


It took me about 15 minutes to buy two sims from an Orange shop in
France for my phone and my mothers. This was in 2011.

It took a similar length of time in 2007, also in France.

Faster to buy a tmobile sim in Bonn in 2008.

I may have needed my passport in some or all cases. I know I had it
with me just in case.
  #7  
Old August 21st, 2013, 08:07 AM posted to rec.travel.europe
Tim C.[_5_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 920
Default Cell phone for European travel

On 21 Aug 2013 06:32:30 GMT, Erick T. Barkhuis wrote in post :
:

I start wondering...have you guys ever actually tried to get across the
pond as a US citizen and buy/register a new SIM in Western Europe?


No, have you?

But I have, very recently, bought 3 "vertragsfrei" SIM cards here without
any documentation or anything. It is clear I am not local, from my accent.
Instantly. No-one would ever know you're American. You can even buy
contract-free SIM cards at (some) supermarket checkouts here - though I
have never done that.


--
Tim C. Linz, Austria.
  #8  
Old August 21st, 2013, 12:03 AM posted to rec.travel.europe
Frank Clarke
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 90
Default Cell phone for European travel

On Tue, 20 Aug 2013 21:15:42 +0200, Erick T. Barkhuis
wrote:


Tue, 20 Aug 2013 13:16:46 -0400, Frank Clarke
:
I need advice on a CHEAP way to have a cell phone available for

travel in

If you're visiting several countries on your trip, don't bother.
Firstly, initial SIM registration may take several days. Secondly,
you'd be roaming anyway.
So, bring your US phone and give it a try, first.

On top of that, many countries still show phone booths at street
corners.


My US phone is CDMA -- guaranteed not to work in Europe.

I will need a new phone. The base question is "Where to get an inexpensive
unlocked GSM phone and cheap service for Europe?" Lots of companies offer the
service -- I can look that up online -- but what do you experts opine?


FrankC
(chg Arabic# to Roman to reply)
  #9  
Old August 21st, 2013, 07:23 AM posted to rec.travel.europe
Tim C.[_5_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 920
Default Cell phone for European travel

On Tue, 20 Aug 2013 19:03:30 -0400, Frank Clarke wrote in post :
news
I will need a new phone. The base question is "Where to get an inexpensive
unlocked GSM phone and cheap service for Europe?" Lots of companies offer the
service -- I can look that up online -- but what do you experts opine?


There are thousands of second-hand cellphone shops. You can get a cheap
phone there, and get a SIM that will work with it almost immediately.
It's generally simpler to get a pre-paid SIM - for example from
3/Hutchinson, as you shouldn't need any documentation.



--
Tim C. Linz, Austria.
  #10  
Old August 21st, 2013, 08:38 PM posted to rec.travel.europe
Frank Clarke
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 90
Default Cell phone for European travel

On Wed, 21 Aug 2013 08:23:17 +0200, "Tim C." wrote:


On Tue, 20 Aug 2013 19:03:30 -0400, Frank Clarke wrote in post :
news
I will need a new phone. The base question is "Where to get an inexpensive
unlocked GSM phone and cheap service for Europe?" Lots of companies offer the
service -- I can look that up online -- but what do you experts opine?


There are thousands of second-hand cellphone shops. You can get a cheap
phone there, and get a SIM that will work with it almost immediately.
It's generally simpler to get a pre-paid SIM - for example from
3/Hutchinson, as you shouldn't need any documentation.


I'm presuming you're talking about getting a phone in Europe after I arrive?



FrankC
(chg Arabic# to Roman to reply)
 




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