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#1
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Cell Phone iin Europe - help
We are going to France for a couple of weeks on October 9 and I am unsure about what to do about a cell phone. I want to carry one because I have young children at home and want them to be able to reach us, in case of emergency. Should I get one there? Does anyone know what is a good one to use (rent?)and under which plan? Is it very expensive? Appreciate any advice. Thanks. Bob |
#2
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Cell Phone iin Europe - help
(Bobbiegib) staggered to the nearest keyboard and
wrote: We are going to France for a couple of weeks on October 9 and I am unsure about what to do about a cell phone. I want to carry one because I have young children at home and want them to be able to reach us, in case of emergency. Should I get one there? Does anyone know what is a good one to use (rent?)and under which plan? Is it very expensive? Appreciate any advice. Thanks. Do not rent a cell phone. It is much more expensive than buying one, even for short periods. You're on a tight timeline. My suggestions: If you want to buy a phone before you leave: (1) Buy a tri-band GSM phone from http://www.1worldgift.com/ or better yet call them and say you have a rush order. The Ericsson R50m is a good choice. In any event be sure to choose an "unlocked" model. (1-alternate) Go to a local vendor to buy your phone. Given your tight schedule this is more certain than (1), but you'll probably pay more for a phone that isn't as good. Again MAKE SURE THE PHONE YOU BUY IS "UNLOCKED" or you won't be able to use it when you get to Europe. (2) When you get to France buy a SIM card for the phone. In most of western Europe it seems like there are two cell phone vendors on every block, so you shouldn't have any trouble finding one. If you want to do some research ahead of time, go to http://www.prepaidgsm.tk/ and click Europe on the left, then select France under the heading "European Union" and browse the available carriers. The "Music Universal Mobile" card seems like a good deal. You'll get your phone number with the SIM card, then you can call home and tell them how to reach you. Alternately, you may want to wait until you get to France and buy a phone there. An obvious advantage is that you know it will work in France and someone will set it up for you. My experience is that electronic goods generally are more expensive in Europe than in the U.S. but I don't know whether that extends to cell phones. In (all of?) Europe it's free to receive cell phone calls but your caller will pay a premium. Be sure to check your phone plan before leaving, or your kids could run up a big bill in a hurry. By the way I think the term "cell phone" may be unique to North America. In Britain it's called a "mobile", in Germany a "handy", and so on. -- |
#3
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Cell Phone iin Europe - help
hello,
you can buy a prepaid cell phone in any big supermarket in France. If you dont buy the latest color type, this will cost you less then 100 Euros including the SIM card incoming calls will be free of charge for you (in France) Information which dont matter in your case: -The SIM card will be cancelled after a few months if you dont recharge it periodically, so next time you are in France, you must buy a new one or get it reactivated. -the phone will be locked and probably not a tri-band, unlocked cost more, or you let it get unlocked in the street. -If you buy it in germany, its cheaper and better conditions, but then in France, you will pay for receiving calls ( Roaming ). I got my triband for 66 Euros, including 15 Euros on the SIM, and it was unlocked, buts this was an exceptional buy of a model which get obsolete. Bobbiegib schrieb in im Newsbeitrag: ... We are going to France for a couple of weeks on October 9 and I am unsure about what to do about a cell phone. I want to carry one because I have young children at home and want them to be able to reach us, in case of emergency. Should I get one there? Does anyone know what is a good one to use (rent?)and under which plan? Is it very expensive? Appreciate any advice. Thanks. Bob |
#4
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Cell Phone iin Europe - help
I'm heading to Italy for Feb with no fixed itinerary and wanted one
for the same reason. I needed a new cell phone for home as well (my 4 year old one was big and clunky and pretty useless) , and purchased a tri-band (an Ericsson) from telestial.com.....they ship unlocked, and it arrived one day after I purchased it (can be done via phone or the net). They set me up with T-Mobile for the states, and sent a SIM for Italy as well, so I will be able to leave the number with family before I go. When I get home I just put back in my USA SIM. They also sent the charger, a converter for Europe, an earpiece, a manual, some other accessories. Brand new still in its original packing box. Before purchasing I did a lot of research, particularly reading people's experience with renting and puchasing, and which companies they used. There is a good section on cell phones at www.ricksteves.com. From the main page choose the "Graffitti Wall," then click "cell phones" under "money/communication." Lots of people have posted personal experiences, good and bad. I'd read through those and see what fits your needs. On 02 Oct 2003 02:40:16 GMT, (Bobbiegib) wrote: We are going to France for a couple of weeks on October 9 and I am unsure about what to do about a cell phone. I want to carry one because I have young children at home and want them to be able to reach us, in case of emergency. Should I get one there? Does anyone know what is a good one to use (rent?)and under which plan? Is it very expensive? Appreciate any advice. Thanks. Bob |
#5
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Cell Phone iin Europe - help
"trallala" wrote in message ... hello, you can buy a prepaid cell phone in any big supermarket in France. If you dont buy the latest color type, this will cost you less then 100 Euros including the SIM card incoming calls will be free of charge for you (in France) Information which dont matter in your case: -The SIM card will be cancelled after a few months if you dont recharge it periodically, so next time you are in France, you must buy a new one or get it reactivated. -the phone will be locked and probably not a tri-band, unlocked cost more, or you let it get unlocked in the street. -If you buy it in germany, its cheaper and better conditions, But in Germany (offically at least) you cannot buy a cell phone unless you have a residence permit. I'm sure someone said that it was the same for France but I have no personal experience there. Tim but then in France, you will pay for receiving calls ( Roaming ). I got my triband for 66 Euros, including 15 Euros on the SIM, and it was unlocked, buts this was an exceptional buy of a model which get obsolete. Bobbiegib schrieb in im Newsbeitrag: ... We are going to France for a couple of weeks on October 9 and I am unsure about what to do about a cell phone. I want to carry one because I have young children at home and want them to be able to reach us, in case of emergency. Should I get one there? Does anyone know what is a good one to use (rent?)and under which plan? Is it very expensive? Appreciate any advice. Thanks. Bob |
#6
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Cell Phone iin Europe - help
On 2/10/03 11:34 pm, in article , "tim"
wrote: "trallala" wrote in message ... hello, you can buy a prepaid cell phone in any big supermarket in France. If you dont buy the latest color type, this will cost you less then 100 Euros including the SIM card incoming calls will be free of charge for you (in France) Information which dont matter in your case: -The SIM card will be cancelled after a few months if you dont recharge it periodically, so next time you are in France, you must buy a new one or get it reactivated. -the phone will be locked and probably not a tri-band, unlocked cost more, or you let it get unlocked in the street. -If you buy it in germany, its cheaper and better conditions, But in Germany (offically at least) you cannot buy a cell phone unless you have a residence permit. I'm sure someone said that it was the same for France but I have no personal experience there. Tim I've recently bought 2 SIMs in France (Orange Mobicarte) - one in Phone House and one in Darty. I told them my address, but they didn't check it, so it could have been made up. They asked to see my passport (in fact I had to show it three times in Darty), but not a residence permit. J. |
#8
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Cell Phone iin Europe - help
But in Germany (offically at least) you cannot buy a cell phone unless
you have a residence permit. I'm sure someone said that it was the same for France but I have no personal experience there. Never heared of that. You just need an address of a person who is "responsible" because they dont like anonymous phones. I should suffice to show your US Passport. but then in France, you will pay for receiving calls ( Roaming ). I got my triband for 66 Euros, including Buy a cheap UNLOCKED triband of dualband Europe (900 and 1800) at ebay. Should be available for say 50 bucks. Wolfgang |
#9
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Cell Phone iin Europe - help
le Fri, 10 Oct 2003 21:45:29 +0200, dans l'article , Wolfgang Barth a dit ...
But in Germany (offically at least) you cannot buy a cell phone unless you have a residence permit. I'm sure someone said that it was the same for France but I have no personal experience there. Never heared of that. You just need an address of a person who is "responsible" because they dont like anonymous phones. I should suffice to show your US Passport. ID is required when buying a 'pay-as-you-go' phone, since a decree of 1997. -- Desmond Coughlan |desmond [at] zeouane [dot] org http://www.zeouane.org/ |
#10
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Cell Phone iin Europe - help
On Fri, 10 Oct 2003 21:57:08 +0200, Desmond Coughlan
wrote: But in Germany (offically at least) you cannot buy a cell phone unless you have a residence permit. I'm sure someone said that it was the same for France but I have no personal experience there. Never heared of that. You just need an address of a person who is "responsible" because they dont like anonymous phones. I should suffice to show your US Passport. ID is required when buying a 'pay-as-you-go' phone, since a decree of 1997. As far as I know a US Passport is also an ID. Or do you refer to an ID being a local ID card? Wolfgang |
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