Sorry OT, using cell phones abroad?

[jh_on_the_cape]

I am sorry to post this, but I have been reading and googling for over an hour and maybe someone can just answer this

We have our smartphones here in the US (virginmobile, no SIM card), and spend extended periods in Italy so we just have some 'dumbphones' there that we prepay minutes on the SIM card.

My wife and I are due for new phones and we will be spending time in Italy (a few months) and then another extended stay in New Zealand.

So do I just get an unlocked GSM phone and have a US SIM card, an Italian SIM card, and a NZ SIM card? Or is it more complicated than that? I don't care if the phone number changes. I want it for in-country calls. THere is just too much info out there on this, and lots of advertisements.

We tried just setting up our US phones for Italy, but then all local calls become expensive international calls.

I think I can just get something like Samsung GT-i8190 Galaxy S3 Mini WHITE 3G 900/1900/2100 factory Unlocked International Verison
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-GT-i8190-factory-Unlocked-International/dp/B00A29WCA0/ref=sr_1_1_m?s=mobile&ie=UTF8&qid=1397669180&sr=1-1

Again, sorry... but if I get this sorted out I can easily post awesome ride photos!

[merlinmurph]

Italy
New Zealand
Can I come?

[thegunner]

So do I just get an unlocked GSM phone and have a US SIM card, an Italian SIM card, and a NZ SIM card? Or is it more complicated than that? I don't care if the phone number changes.

you got it :) if it's quad-band (the newer galaxies and nexus androids are all quad) you just have your US sim card, pop it out when you get to italy and sign up for a pre-paid or monthly card. sometimes they won't let you get a subscription without state issued ID, but prepaid always works.

push it in, restart your phone after a couple of hours, and you're good!

[OtayBW]

Call your provider and sign up for a limited service plan for the country or countries you need, and the time frame you require. Get a minimum data plan and use Wifi almost exclusively as the plan will go through huge amounts of data in minutes of service. Voice rates for international calling are usually reasonable with a modest initial access charge. If you roam out of country, the phone will know it and send you some kind of [spam] text message trying to solicit your additional business for that country. GL.

[DRZRM]

I've done both. I have an unlocked "dumbphone" and I've bought prepaid SIM cards in Nicaragua, Brazil, South Africa, Spain and the UK. It works fine, and I just let the number go when I leave rather than trying to keep up to date with the cards. It gives me a local phone number and allows my family to reach me when I'm traveling.

On the other hand, T-Mobile smart phones work in many countries (120 or something) with free data and texting, and 20 cents per minute calls, locally or to the US. I'm off to Vienna next week and I'm just taking my T-Mobile phone with me, no need to find a SIM card as soon as I land.

I realize that this makes my life sound much more interesting that it really is.

[93legendti]

I've done both. I have an unlocked "dumbphone" and I've bought prepaid SIM cards in Nicaragua, Brazil, South Africa, Spain and the UK. It works fine, and I just let the number go when I leave rather than trying to keep up to date with the cards. It gives me a local phone number and allows my family to reach me when I'm traveling.

On the other hand, T-Mobile smart phones work in many countries (120 or something) with free data and texting, and 20 cents per minute calls, locally or to the US. I'm off to Vienna next week and I'm just taking my T-Mobile phone with me, no need to find a SIM card as soon as I land.

I realize that this makes my life sound much more interesting that it really is.
Please let me know how that works. My brother has TMobile (like we do), but his phone wouldn't work in Israel in December, even though it's one of the 120 countries on TMobile's list... I suspect because his phone is an older LG android...not sure if it's quad band...

[mccx]

you got it :) if it's quad-band (the newer galaxies and nexus androids are all quad) you just have your US sim card, pop it out when you get to italy and sign up for a pre-paid or monthly card. sometimes they won't let you get a subscription without state issued ID, but prepaid always works.

push it in, restart your phone after a couple of hours, and you're good!

Same for NZ. NZ's GSM is 900/2100 and you can buy prepaid sim cards at the airport in Auckland (maybe Christchurch too, I forget). Easy to swap back and forth so long as your phone is unlocked & compatible with those bands.

[merlinmurph]

Also, Skype is your friend. Specifically, using Skype to call any phone - the rates are really cheap, like pennies per minute. Put some money in a Skype account, find a place with wifi, and you're golden.

I had to go thru what you're going thru when we went to Turkey last year and got some good info on arstechnica.com. For our short trip, I enabled Verizon for use in Turkey. The usage rates are obscene and I never used it, but signed up just for emergencies. Wifi was so prevalent, I used Skype for the few phone calls I made. For your long trip, I don't think this is a viable option.

[Bruce K]

Article in Sunday's Boston Globe explains a lot

BK

[jh_on_the_cape]

Thank you for all of the helpful replies! I will look for an unlocked international multiband GSM phone. there are tons on amazon.
My next question: which provider to get a SIM card with month-to-month in the USA? We use virgin mobile and they will not do this. We want to keep our US phone numbers. Just googling gives me Tmobile at 80 a month for 2 lines. also free text and data abroad (for shorter trips when we will not get a local SIM)

[DRZRM]

Please let me know how that works. My brother has TMobile (like we do), but his phone wouldn't work in Israel in December, even though it's one of the 120 countries on TMobile's list... I suspect because his phone is an older LG android...not sure if it's quad band...

I think if you go to the T-Mobile site, you can pop up the specs for your phone (search under devices) and then go to the specific country to which you are going to travel and see what band they use. Most of the new android phones are quad band, as is my Sony. Still a problem on older Iphones, not sure about the newest ones.

I also have been told that after a certain amount of time T-Mobile will unlock your phone so you can use your regular phone with another SIM card. I've not done this, but I may ask before I leave next week just in case. It certainly increases the resale value on your used phones.

Thank you for all of the helpful replies! I will look for an unlocked international multiband GSM phone. there are tons on amazon.
My next question: which provider to get a SIM card with month-to-month in the USA? We use virgin mobile and they will not do this. We want to keep our US phone numbers. Just googling gives me Tmobile at 80 a month for 2 lines. also free text and data abroad (for shorter trips when we will not get a local SIM)

Try Metro PCS if they are offer coverage on the Cape. They also offer no contract month to month IIRC, and I think they are cheaper that T-Mobile but use the same network (T-Mobile owns Metro PCS).

[93legendti]

Once I had used my phone for 40 days with Tmobile they unlocked it for me. I emailed TM and the next day they emailed me a code. With another TM Samsung Galaxy S3 phone I had, they refused until it had been used on TM's network for 40 days.

[gavingould]

As long as the phone is unlocked and supports the frequency bands for all the countries (most smartphones now do) you're good with a SIM card for each locale.

Just as a note, I was pretty ok in Belgium and Paris for 8 days with no phone service. My phone's locked, so I couldn't just grab a local sim. However, I can recommend the CityMaps2Go app for iPhone - offline maps. I could leave my phone in airplane mode with wifi on, once at a hotel or other wifi the gps would locate me and then I could navigate/see where I was on a map. No cell data usage, no "roaming" or any of that crap. Once the gps has pinpointed where you are with the help of wifi, you're good to go. It'll continue tracking position once you're off wifi very well. If I'd have gone underground or in a long tunnel it might have dropped.

[jh_on_the_cape]

Thanks. Just to be clear, we are moving to these other countries for 3-8 months. I want a local number to give to friends, etc. We have children so I have to give a local number to their school, coach, etc.

In the past I have used my 'dumbphone' with a local SIM, and had my US smartphone in Airplane mode with Wifi on, and just carried both. Now that we need new phones, we will get unlocked SIM phones.

[bthomas515]

I spent some time in India and was able to just swap out sim cards in my unlocked blackberry. On a short trip, I was also able to just use my wifi for iMessaging with the iphone and could make direct calls with Skype and Facetime to actual phone numbers...

[93legendti]

Google Voice and Viber are other options for VoIP calling

[saf-t]

Google Voice and Viber are other options for VoIP calling

2nd the Viber recommendation

[93legendti]

2nd the Viber recommendation

Viber to Viber calls and texts used to be free, not sure if they still are... I use Google Voice first then Skype.

[jojobos]

Also look into galaxy note 2&3. I think they have cdma and gsm radios(quadband).

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