international cell phones or calling cards

[Tarheelbelle]

Will be in Scotland for a few weeks next month. Any current suggestions about international cell phones and/or calling cards? Thanks.

[Globaliser]

You'll find plenty of places selling pre-paid calling cards - particularly newsagents. These can give very good rates for international calls, although you may have to try a few before you find a supplier that gives you good call quality as well.

[whogo]

I can not imagine a bigger hassle than getting a cell phone for two weeks in Europe. Newsagents have been good at recommending a card for calls back to the US. I spend £5 and have more minutes than I need.

[bankofdad]

Just a few questions (and I hope I don't sound too stupid:eek: ), but what is a newsagent, and where are they found?

 

Also, in some countries I've visited, you actually need to have coins of local currency to even connect (from a payphone) to the network offered by the international calling card. Is this the case in the UK?

 

Thanks in advance for the info!

[whogo]

A newsagent is a small newspaper shop which probably also sells tobacco and a few other products. I am drawing a blank on British pay phones, but I believe you can place toll free calls without coins. In the US a pay phone call uses up extra minutes on a calling card. My London hotel let me make toll free calls from my room without a surcharge.

[bankofdad]

A newsagent is a small newspaper shop which probably also sells tobacco and a few other products. I am drawing a blank on British pay phones, but I believe you can place toll free calls without coins. In the US a pay phone call uses up extra minutes on a calling card. My London hotel let me make toll free calls from my room without a surcharge.

 

Thanks whogo! I really appreciate the information. We'd be using pay phones mostly, as we will be cruising all except the last day of our vacation (staying post-cruise at the Hilton Metrople).

[legalsea]

A friend just returned for Europe. He told me about the international cell phone his group had rented. He said it was cool to be standing out in middle of France, hit the 'international' button on said cell phone, wait a moment for the signal to lock, then dial his mother's number her in Texas and within seconds be talking to her. No problem whatsoever. He was not sure of the price paid, but said it was certainly worth it to him for his aged mother to be able to call him whenever she needed to.

[legalsea]

After posting yesterday I decided to do some more investigation. I ended up going to Mobalrental.com where I purchased an international mobile telephone for $99.00. They also have one for $49.00 (but it does not work in the USA, Canada, Carribean and South America). Even the $49 phone works in 140+ countries (the $99, in 160+).

 

For the purchase price (whether $49 or $99) you receive an international cell phone, to keep. You also are assigned a United Kingdom telephone number, which is yours 'forever'. There are no monthly or annual charges, maintenance fees, etc. All you do is give them a credit card number, and whenever you make or receive a call on said phone, they charge to your credit card. One article said that if you go 18 months without making a call they may suspend your account, but that they will reinstate you if you call and request it. The author stated that one should simply make a call every 12 months or so to keep the account active.

 

On August 10, 2006, we will be on the Golden Princess for a ten night cruise around the United Kingdom. What is rather neat about this phone, for this cruise, is that since my number is a UK number, while I am in the UK incoming calls are FREE (to me). Of course, for those calling me from the USA, they do have to pay the international charge (like if my parents call me from their home here in Fort Worth using AT&T, etc).

 

If not in the UK (next year we are taking a Black Sea cruise) the rates seem fair: starting around $1.50 per minute (to a high of almost $13.00 for calls from Serbia). I think the Ukraine is $2.50 per minute.

 

The website has a blurb from Rick Steves recommending the phones. I had also googled 'international telephone rentals' and found a very helpful website (which I forgot to bookmark) that discussed the pros and cons of different international telephone services, including Mobal. For my usage (which is not much), Mobal seemed the way to go. If you plan on making a lot of phone calls, then you would probably want to go with another service (if I can find that website again I will post it; there was also a good article about Mobal at cruises.about.com).

 

I shall report on my experience with Mobal when I return from the cruise August 21st.

[flag fan]

Has anyone rented a satellite phone (Iridium)? I was thinking of getting one for my Transatlantic cruise to England because I don't think cell phones work in the middle of the Atlantic. Would a satellite phone work?

[legalsea]

I just returned from my 10 day British Isles cruise on the Golden Princess. The international cell phone I purchased from Mobal worked great. I could sit on my balcony at port, dail home (simply dialing +1 plus the area code and number) and would have great reception. No problem whatsoever. The charges are charged to my credit card.

 

My next cruise is not until October 2007. Hence I have simply stowed away the phone till then. No monthly charges, fees, etc. Yet when I go on next cruise I will still have the same phone number, etc.

 

As noted in a previous note, I purchased the $99.00 phone, which allows you to use it while in the USA or Canada (and a few other countries). However, the $49.00 Mobal phone works all over Europe (just not in USA).

 

Anyway, for my travel needs (going to Europe once or twice a year), this seems like a good option.

[virgenia]

If you have Cingular, you can have your account programmed to allow service in Europe. It costs nothing for the account to be programmed and you will pay $1.29 per minute in most countries in western Europe. On our recent Baltic cruise I had service in England, Germany, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Estonia and Russia. Estonia and Russia was pricier at $3.59 per minute, but it sure solves the problem of finding phone cards that work in every country and having the coins that might be necessary. Text messages also worked and were much cheaper than the call.

[bankofdad]

Just back from our 10-day British Isles cruise on Golden Princess. Before we left we set up th internationsal service with Cingular as well. It worked flawlessly! In fact, on both of our sea days when we were in view of the cost of Scotland (first sea day) and France (second sea day), the phone worked great! Definitely a real convenience since Cingular is MY US carrier anyway.

[virgenia]

Bank of Dad,

 

How did you like that British Isles cruise? We are considering it for next year. By the way, have always loved your screen name.

[bankofdad]

Bank of Dad,

 

How did you like that British Isles cruise? We are considering it for next year. By the way, have always loved your screen name.

 

We absolutely loved it! Not only was it my most favorite cruise to date, it was my best vacation (and besides cruising, we've traveled quite a bit).

 

Ours was a 10-day itinerary. Princes is going to be doing 12 and 14 day B.I. cruises next year, which I'd love to da, but can't get away from work that long. You'll have a great time if you go! If you're interested, my review is here http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=401255.

 

Happy cruising!

[jimc_usa]

You can use your own US phone as long as it is a GSM phone (such as Razr)and the SIM is unlocked by your phone service

 

In UK:

Virgin = same coverage as T-Mobile but the best rates. (best deal)

T-Mobile = good coverage, fair rates.

Orange = better coverage, ok rates, good roaming.

O2 = Not the best coverage or rates in UK, but excellent roaming agreements.

Vodafone = Expensive

When thinking of T-Mobile do not compare it to US counterpart. T-Mobile Europe is good. T-Mobile USA is NOT GOOD!

The best thing to do is buy a SIM card in the country that you are in. They will all run about $10.00USD more or less. They will includes some minutes and incoming calls are free. They will last 12 months from activation with the exception of Vodafone.

I found a fairly decent service in the UK—Mobile World. You can get their SIMs at the Carphone Warehouse and other places, but if you go to the Carphone Warehouse they activate it within 5 minutes which is nice, since you can just go back if it's broken. (The SIM is free, minimum £10 value to start (you can recharge in £5 increments thereafter.)

 

Calls within the UK are 15p/min to all landline/mobile numbers, which seems on-par or cheaper than the major carriers.

 

Calls to the US are 5p/min; far cheaper than any other direct-dial service I've found.

Also try here Look here http://www.telestial.com/

[jimc_usa]

International Cell Phones

 

An international cell phone is classified as a GSM mobile phone that operates on the GSM 900 and GSM 1800 frequency. An international cell phone with the appropriate sim card, will provide coverage in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Pacific Rim including Australia. A world cell phone with the GSM 1900 frequency will expand coverage to include the United States, Canada and a growing part of South America.