Cell Phones

[bbqbears]

We would like to be able to call back to California during our trip to Aus and NZ. I have AT&T cell service. I have arranged for international calling while traveling in Greece and Italy a couple of years ago, but was not impressed by the service--as in, most of the time, there was none. I don't want that to happen again. Any suggestions?

 

Thanks!

John and Kathy

[mipps]

The At&T GSM provider in NZ is Vodaphone. reception at any port should be sweet

 

http://www.wireless.att.com/travelguide/coverage/coverage_details.jsp?CIDL=554&MNC=CING

[roberts2005]

I used my Cingular (Now ATT) phone without problems throughout NZ. and in Sydney as well. Cost varied.

[Globaliser]

... was not impressed by the service--as in, most of the time, there was none. I don't want that to happen again. Any suggestions?

Make sure that you have a GSM handset. That's the standard mobile phone system worldwide, but many US service providers use a different system. If your US handset is not GSM, then you need to make sure that you have a compatible one.

 

If you didn't get much service on your last trip, and your service provider has roaming partners in the places that you went to, then this would be my first guess about what went wrong.

[Aussie Cruisers]

Take the cheap option - it will only work if you have a GSM phone to begin with though.

 

When you arrive at Kingsford Smith Airport (Syd Airport for Dummies :p ) buy a sim card from one of the phone stands there. Vodafone or Telstra are good. You will usually get free credit with it too. Then, you can call or even better - SMS your loved ones back home. With the SMS they will then get your number so they can call you if they need to.

 

While travelling DW and I decided on this option in Africa (as global roaming was not reliable there) and it saved us a fortune. You then throw away the SIM card when you leave. Just be sure that you protect the SIM card not in use as it can be damaged easily.

 

M

[roberts2005]

Getting a SIM card will only work if your phone is unlocked. Most US phones are locked and restricted to your home provider.

[bbqbears]

Thanks to everyone for your input. I guess i should start by calling my provider tomorrow. I will also investigate the SIM card option, but I think I recall hearing something similar to what roberts2005 said...may not be an option for us.

 

Kathy

[Aussie Cruisers]

Really - that is terrible. I can only go from how it works here in Oz, and I have never had that happen to me, must be different systems. I don't understand if you purchase a phone, it is yours to keep and own - how can the phone company lock it - it seems immoral to me. Oh well.... "viva le difference" I s'pose. :o

[Globaliser]

Getting a SIM card will only work if your phone is unlocked. Most US phones are locked and restricted to your home provider.

I don't understand if you purchase a phone, it is yours to keep and own - how can the phone company lock it - it seems immoral to me.

GSM phones that are initially locked to one network can be unlocked. There are many places that offer this service. In fact, if you search the Internet you can find instructions on how to do it yourself, although they're complicated.

 

There are many locked phones sold in the UK, too. When you buy a phone to start a contract, the network typically subsidises the purchase price of your phone to a significant extent. That subsidy is recouped from the subscription and call charges thereafter, usually spread over the minimum term of the contract. Locking your phone to the network is part of this necessary customer capture process. You can get around it by buying a naked phone - but be prepared for a shock at the real price of the handsets.

[mlj555]

I used my Cingular (Now ATT) phone without problems throughout NZ. and in Sydney as well. Cost varied.

 

Thanks for the info. I have had cingular, now ATT, for some years and just got a new phone this week. I was told that rates were $2.59 per min. if I remember correctly. Good to know it really works. Thanks again.

[mipps]

seeee ..... New Zealand isn't in the dark ages :p

[ShamrockFL]

Just returned and didn't have a problem. My provider here is T-Mobile but most of the time I was there the roaming provider was Telstra or Opt Us?? I did have to get a code from T-Mobile prior to departure in order to unlock the phone, but there was no problem in obtaining it. Unless you are going to do a lot of calling, just using your own phone probabaly won't cost as much as getting a new Sim card for use there. Also, you may need two as I don't know if the same card will cover both Oz and NZ. I'm sure someone on here can tell you that. Your service will absolutely depend on who the roaming provider is, but these two seemed to work well. You mention you had difficulty calling from Greece previoulsy, but amazingly I thought, I was able to call from Santorini a couple of years ago without a problem. However I have little luck whenever I go to Ireland which I do on a regular basis. T-Mobile charges $1.89 per minute to USA from Oz.

[bbqbears]

Thanks to all for taking the time to post.

 

Kathy

[Yungs]

Another option is to buy prepaid calling cards, I think you can get them from newsagents and little shops. They only cost about AUS$10 and then you make a phone call to a local number (costs you 40 cents or is it 50 cents now?) from a payphone and enter your pin number. You can then dial any number in the world for a really cheap price, like 5 cents a minute to the USA, or less. I like that option because calls can be lengthy and unhurried, there's usually so much exciting news to report!

[ErinH1]

It was easy to unlock my Cingular/AT&T phone. I believe their rule is if you've had the phone a year, they'll send you the code to unlock it. They e-mail the code & simple directions. You also have to be sure you have a cell phone that will work international (besides being GSM). I thought I would buy a SIM card upon arrival, but ended up not doing so. For us, text messaging worked the best and is by far the cheapest way to go .50 cents each to send and .10 cents to receive (I believe). But that wouldn't be an option for those who need/want real phone conversations.

[gmcc]

Thanks to everyone for your input. I guess i should start by calling my provider tomorrow. I will also investigate the SIM card option, but I think I recall hearing something similar to what roberts2005 said...may not be an option for us.

 

Kathy

 

My son and I did quite a bit of research on this when he moved ot NZ earlier this year. Different providers have different rules on unlocking the phone. I believe T-Mobile is six months under contract and AT&T is one year, although I have read that they will sometimes waive that. My son commutes regularly between US and NZ. He has an unlocked phone and simply switches SIM cards when he arrives in each country. The difference in rates for using his NZ card to call to US vs paying American carrier rates from NZ are significant. Further, all his incoming calls to NZ on his NZ card are free. His card in NZ is with Vodaphone and we have never had any problem with reception problems when we speak to him. He purchased this before he left from a US distributor.

 

I travel regularly so once I educated myself on cell phones, I purchased an international SIM card for my unlocked phone which is good in 114 countries, with the rates in each much less than if I used my regular T-Mobile SIM card to call home. I purchased the card from the same distributor as my son did. It comes with a European number but it also includes an 800 number that can be dialed in US. A person dialing the 800 number is not charged and the charge to me in NZ or Australia (as examples) for receiving the call is 35 cents/minute. If they call my regular European number my incoming calls are free in over 50 countries, including NZ and Australia. The caller pays the long distance charge to the European number. I give the 800 number to family and the regular number to business callers I want to reach me!! Calls out of New Zealand and Australia to the US run 40-50 cent/minute, also significantly better than current carrier rates for T-Mobile and AT&T. The SIM cards are good for 12 months if no additional time is purchased for them but are good indefinitely if you use additional minutes in the first twelve months.

 

As well as an unlocked phone, it is best to have a so-called world phone that covers the 4 bands used world-wide, although phones with less than 4 bands may be good in the country you are visiting, depending on the band of your phone and the country you visit.

 

Hope this helps.

[Condocat]

Appreciate all the information you shared from your first hand experiences with your son!

 

I have been searching on the internet to purchase a GSM quad band phone and to also secure SIM cards in advance of our trip. May I ask what distributor you have used?

 

Many thanks.

[bluedc]

...I purchased an international SIM card for my unlocked phone which is good in 114 countries...

 

Would you mind sharing the name of the company that sold you the international SIM card? Thank you very much for any assistance you can provide :)

[clogaltocruise]

My son and I did quite a bit of research on this when he moved ot NZ earlier this year. Different providers have different rules on unlocking the phone. I believe T-Mobile is six months under contract and AT&T is one year, although I have read that they will sometimes waive that. My son commutes regularly between US and NZ. He has an unlocked phone and simply switches SIM cards when he arrives in each country. The difference in rates for using his NZ card to call to US vs paying American carrier rates from NZ are significant. Further, all his incoming calls to NZ on his NZ card are free. His card in NZ is with Vodaphone and we have never had any problem with reception problems when we speak to him. He purchased this before he left from a US distributor.

 

I travel regularly so once I educated myself on cell phones, I purchased an international SIM card for my unlocked phone which is good in 114 countries, with the rates in each much less than if I used my regular T-Mobile SIM card to call home. I purchased the card from the same distributor as my son did. It comes with a European number but it also includes an 800 number that can be dialed in US. A person dialing the 800 number is not charged and the charge to me in NZ or Australia (as examples) for receiving the call is 35 cents/minute. If they call my regular European number my incoming calls are free in over 50 countries, including NZ and Australia. The caller pays the long distance charge to the European number. I give the 800 number to family and the regular number to business callers I want to reach me!! Calls out of New Zealand and Australia to the US run 40-50 cent/minute, also significantly better than current carrier rates for T-Mobile and AT&T. The SIM cards are good for 12 months if no additional time is purchased for them but are good indefinitely if you use additional minutes in the first twelve months.

 

As well as an unlocked phone, it is best to have a so-called world phone that covers the 4 bands used world-wide, although phones with less than 4 bands may be good in the country you are visiting, depending on the band of your phone and the country you visit.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Thank you, everyone for your advice. It has been very helpful!

Kathy

[gmcc]

Would you mind sharing the name of the company that sold you the international SIM card? Thank you very much for any assistance you can provide :)

 

We purchased both cards from Telestial, although there are several other companies on the internet that sell same or similar cards. There are a number of different programs for each of the companies- single country cards, multiple country, world, etc. with different calling rates depending on the features and the companies. Some cards have voicemail, most have text messaging, etc.. We just found these cards to be best for us. Your particular circumstance and travel would determine which is right. Would suggest you check multiple companies.

 

By the way, SIM cards usually come in a cardboard cut out. Not very high tech! My son and a friend of his both had problems with inserting their cards because of the rough edges, my son with his NZ card and his friend with an AT&T card here at home. They simply got a nail file and smoothed out the edges. Just have to make sure not to file the contacts. My card was fine.

[gmcc]

Appreciate all the information you shared from your first hand experiences with your son!

 

I have been searching on the internet to purchase a GSM quad band phone and to also secure SIM cards in advance of our trip. May I ask what distributor you have used?

 

Many thanks.

 

Please see other reply for info on SIM card and companies. I used Telestial but there are others. I should have also stated earlier that switiching SIM cards may not be a good idea for all. If you only intend to make/receive minimal calls and do not travel often it probably is not cost effective. You just have to do the math.

 

If you Google "unlocked quad band phones", there are many companies on the iternet that sell new unlocked phones (I know Amazon has a large selection) and if you are adventurous EBay is another option. I actually used EBay bidding to get my phone. Many of the companies selling unlocked phones are extremely large companies with well known names. There are literally hundreds of phone options depending on your needs. Make sure the phone is unlocked - a phone is of no use overseas with another SIM card unless it is unlocked. Read the fine print on phone specs - make sure it is indeed quad band as a number of "world" unlocked phones I looked at were two or three band, which may be fine for one destination but not work in another. I insisted on quad band.

 

As for my phone, I was limited as I needed a phone with quad band, WiFI, e-mail, MS Office/Docs to Go, bluetooth, etc. I chose the HTC Excaliber (T-Mobile calls it the Dash but HTC builds it) and purchased it on EBay. It has worked really well for me. I had just left Verizon after years and didn't know if T-Mobile would work out so I did not want to commit large amounts of cash to an experiment. I got a good deal on the phone and a short-term plan from T-Mobile. Both the phone and service have worked out very well, as has the ability to switch SIM cards, which you only get with a GSM phone. I recently read that Verizon (CDMA) may release a phone wih SIM capabilites sometime next year but that may be rumor at this point.

 

Good luck with your search.

[Condocat]

Thanks for geting back to me and all your information. I have been doing some research on the internet which has been quite helpful, but nothing is better than communicating with someone with firsthand experience!

 

Since I'm new to using a SIM card, perhaps you can clarify something for me. I have noticed some of the SIM card providers state "free incoming" calls from the US to Australia. Does this mean the caller in the US is not charged, however you, being the person in Australia with the SIM card is charged for that call? I have a hard tiome believing the call is completely "free"! I searched through the literature and could not find clarification on this.

 

Also, when these companies boast .50 per minute, is that truly the complete fee or are there more hidden fees on top of that? Hate to sound so suspicious, but just don't what to be too terribly surprised after the fact!

 

Appreciate any insights.

[gmcc]

Thanks for geting back to me and all your information. I have been doing some research on the internet which has been quite helpful, but nothing is better than communicating with someone with firsthand experience!

 

Since I'm new to using a SIM card, perhaps you can clarify something for me. I have noticed some of the SIM card providers state "free incoming" calls from the US to Australia. Does this mean the caller in the US is not charged, however you, being the person in Australia with the SIM card is charged for that call? I have a hard tiome believing the call is completely "free"! I searched through the literature and could not find clarification on this.

 

Also, when these companies boast .50 per minute, is that truly the complete fee or are there more hidden fees on top of that? Hate to sound so suspicious, but just don't what to be too terribly surprised after the fact!

 

Appreciate any insights.

 

Condocat:

I can only speak for my son's experience in NZ and Australia since we will be making out first trip/cruise to Australia and NZ in December. His card is only good for those two places. Everything on our cards is done on a pre-paid basis. We usually buy 100 dollar increments but you can purchase as little as 10.

 

His SIM card provides him with a NZ phone number. Incoming calls he receives are free. The person calling him pays long distance charges to NZ/Aus for the total talk time since they dialed a long distance number.

 

If he calls us he is charged his long distance rate (I believe his is 40 cents per minute). He doesn't actually get a bill but just burns his minutes at that rate. It really is that simple. We now have over six months use to confirm it. He also is charged for local domestic NZ calls. As I remember it the domestic rate was close to that of his long distance rate.

 

My card is a little more complicated. The printed matter says my card is good in over 100 countries. I can speak for several European countries. The phone number for the SIM card is a European phone number. Callers have two ways to reach me.

 

1. They can dial the number directly. Since they dial a long distance number they pay the applicable long distance charges. I believe both Australia, NZ and approximately 50 other countries are free to me for incoming calls. In the remaining countries I pay at the designated rate, which I seem to remember runs anywhere from 35 cents to around 2.50 per minute. Most of the countries I visit or would have reason to visit with my SIM card are free for incoming calls. When I go to Canada (quite a bit) I do not change SIM cards because the rates for Canada are so expensive, at least compared to my T-Mobile rates when I am in Canada.

 

2. They can also dial a toll free number that was provided when I purchased the card and then are prompted to dial my number to access me - they pay no long distance charges since they dialed a toll-free number. In this case I think I pay approximately 35 cents per minute extra for incoming calls in addition to any applicable incoming call charges. In countries where I don't pay incoming charges, I simply pay the 35 cents per minute for the toll-free feature.

 

When I dial a call in a foreign country I am charged at the applicable rate rate for the country I call from. In the case of NZ my rate is around 45 cents/minute. The rates for both incoming and outgoing calls vary by country.

 

You can purchase additional minutes on the web, you can use the cell phone to purchase them or you can have time purchased automatically if you fall below a certain balance.

 

Nothing is 'free' because the SIM cards themselves cost anywhere from 40+ dollars. I use it enough so it should be cost effective and also not expire and therefore it is a one time cost. SIM cards such as ours expire if you do not purchase additional minutes within a certain amount of time. It would not have made sense to purchase a foreign SIM if I was going to use it so little it expired after six months.

[Condocat]

gmcc:

 

Many thanks for your detailed descriptions. This helps tremendously! Have a wonderful trip in December!

 

condocat