Phone card for overseas

[dotty52]

Just wanted to ask what do you do when travelling overseas ,we are doing the Regal 29 day in October Barcelona to Fort lauderdale ,would like to use the phone mainly for emergences ,eg.if you shuttle doesnt turn up , will need coverage in europe and US there does seem to be a lot of different products out there thought it was better to get advice from people that had actualy used them,mainly use Wifi to communicate back home but would b handy to be able to check maps etc when needed, used phone last cruise cost $10.00 for 1 call to shuttle operator ,my phone is unlocked ,any suggestions?

[MicCanberra]

We just take our phone with us, we make sure that the international roaming is on but we disable the mobile data function, so we do not rack up any bills. We then only the phone for texts and checking emails etc where there is Wifi (most cafe' s etc). :D

[goodycruising]

Australia Post has a travel sim that some people have recommended. I personally tried it a few years back and had issues (trouble connecting and getting help on a weekend), but I believe it is greatly improved, and people tell me many travel agents recommend it. What ever you do, I would recommend prepaid so that there is no bill shock.

[OzKiwiJJ]

The main problem is data usage. You do not want to do any data roaming internationally (or even within Australia), it will cost you a fortune.

 

There are travel sims that you can get but they have limitations. I used HolidayPhone last year for a seven week Ireland and UK trip, it was good for data but useless if you use SMS a lot, it just didn't work and they didn't make that clear on their website. The monthly fee just covered data and you had to pay extra for phone calls, which weren't cheap. My phone was stolen three weeks into our trip so it was a complete waste of money. I bought a new phone in the UK and got a Vodaphone prepaid SIM which gave me unlimited data and local calls for the rest of our trip but, again, I had to pay extra for international calls however they were incredibly cheap.

[madelk]

How often do you travel?

The travel SIM that Aus Post sell was quite a good option when I looked at it last year but there is a bit of fiddling with numbers when dialling and every country is a different rate. There is internet available but it's still not particularly cheap. There's also an upfront cost to purchase the SIM.

I'm with Optus and since then they've changed their roaming rates to make it much simpler (and in many cases cheaper) to call overseas - only 2 zones and therefore only 2 rates although there are a few countries with no coverage - check the map. And internet can be bought as a package. So I just roam with them (with data off unless I'm desperate for something at which point I'll still hunt for free wifi :D)

 

Previous to that I spent a number of months in the US and Canada and purchased local SIMs over there, although they have networks which operate on different bandwidths so if doing this make sure the provider you sign up with is compatible with your handset - I nearly made this mistake.

 

I deliberately purchased a cheap phone to take travelling with me that had dual SIM capability so that I could have both SIMs plugged in and receive messages from home but make all calls and data through the SIM local to the country. A friend of mine has been to NZ numerous times and owns a prepaid Kiwi USB internet dongle that she takes back everytime and reuses.

 

The only other thing to be aware of if you travel widely is that some security concious (:confused:) countries don't allow foreign phones to roam on their network so even if roaming is enabled you won't get a connection. This happened to me in Kuwait and non residents aren't able to purchase a local SIM - thankfully I was there for work purposes and the local staff were able to hook me up while I was there :D

[dotty52]

Thanks everbody for your input,seems there is no real easy way out of it ,and thanks for the tip about bandwidth most of the travel sims over here are probably of more use for phoning back home ,like the idea of buying a cheap phone and a local sim ,have an iphone and would not like to loose it or have it stolen

[KarateMan]

Just take your mobile and keep the phone switched off the entire time unless you are in an emergency and need to use it. Just save yourself the hassle of shopping around for cards and ways to communicate. You are on holidays so your family and friends wont begrudge you the valuable time you have on your trip.

 

I take my mobile and it is left switched off the entire time of my holiday. If I need to make a call for an emergency then all I have to do is switch it on. I grew up in the 80's so fortunately my childhood was one without the internet, emails and mobile phones so I can easily do without them on holidays.

[hematocrit]

I've always just bought a local SIM in whichever country I am. I then SMS my new number to family and selected friends back home, so they can contact me in an emergency. That way I can easily make phone calls to make bookings or phone friends in the country I am in without being pestered by too many calls from Australia - after all I am on holiday :)

[OzKiwiJJ]

Thanks everbody for your input,seems there is no real easy way out of it ,and thanks for the tip about bandwidth most of the travel sims over here are probably of more use for phoning back home ,like the idea of buying a cheap phone and a local sim ,have an iphone and would not like to loose it or have it stolen

 

There really isn't a simple solution when you are travelling to several different countries, especially if you want to use anything that requires data when you are not able to use WiFi (eg checking maps while on the move).

 

We tend to use SMS to communicate back home when we need to, otherwise email when we have access to WiFi.

[dotty52]

Just take your mobile and keep the phone switched off the entire time unless you are in an emergency and need to use it. Just save yourself the hassle of shopping around for cards and ways to communicate. You are on holidays so your family and friends wont begrudge you the valuable time you have on your trip.

 

I take my mobile and it is left switched off the entire time of my holiday. If I need to make a call for an emergency then all I have to do is switch it on. I grew up in the 80's so fortunately my childhood was one without the internet, emails and mobile phones so I can easily do without them on holidays.

I am not worried about keeping in touch back home as I use the our internet minutes on the ship or free wifi where possible ,I have found that several times overseas we have had to ring hotel shuttles ,tours etc that were late ,but I suppose when you look at it if it cost me $29.00 for a sim and then have to buy credit maybe it is cheaper in the end to pay $10.00 call ,because hopefully we will not have to make many

[MicCanberra]

I am not worried about keeping in touch back home as I use the our internet minutes on the ship or free wifi where possible ,I have found that several times overseas we have had to ring hotel shuttles ,tours etc that were late ,but I suppose when you look at it if it cost me $29.00 for a sim and then have to buy credit maybe it is cheaper in the end to pay $10.00 call ,because hopefully we will not have to make many

As I mentioned, if you use your own phone and take off the data usage function, you should be ok and unles it is a long phone call, shouldn't cost much at all. We rang from the UK to Australia and spoke for nearly 5 mins for a cost of just over $8.00 (now cost would really depend on your plan at home, and the country where you are, international rate).:D

[aronde]

We have used local SIM cards when travelling overseas but have purchased them before leaving Australia from here http://www.mobipassport.com.au We like having the cards and all the relevant codes and instructions beforehand so my wife and I can just turn the phones on and be in touch when out and about in the new country. Having data available at a reasonable price is also very handy - heaps cheaper then roaming or the various travel SIM cards that are available.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Edited June 10, 2014 by aronde

[Buccaneer_1]

The Post Office sold TravelSIM works everywhere I've been in Europe, Asia, North America and mostly in Africa for the past 5 years. It's not difficult to use. You dial the number you want. Wait a bit and it phones you back and makes the connection. Very rare that you can't get through.

 

It has its own 372 country code and number (Estonia apparently - who knew) so you can be called back and you can check rates on their website and load the phone according to what you might spend.

 

I travel with my iPhone connected to Vodafone if I need it and use the TravelSIm with a cheap Samsung I picked up somewhere in Asia to check into home or with colleagues when I need to. For data I use my iPad or iPhone on board or wait until I can get free or cheap WiFi ashore. Simples !

[aussie cruzer]

We are cruising from US in Oct/Nov and have been looking into sims with good Data.

 

The two which seem good for land use in USA.

 

Simcorner.com

Readysim.com

 

Simcorner have a shop in Sydney airport.

 

Need a unlocked phone for either company.

[OzKiwiJJ]

That's useful to know. Thank you. :)