World Phone Options?

[tplyons]

Hi all,

I live in the US and have a few international trips coming up. Right now, I have a trip booked to Egypt and likely a trip to Brazil is in my future.

Since I started scuba diving, I intend to travel internationally at least once a year to new destinations.

That being said, my cell phone service is with Verizon Wireless (CDMA -- so my phone won't work outside the US).

I'm looking for a prepaid cell phone so my number is constant regardless of what country I'm in and have been recommended a cell phone from Mobal.com.

It's prepaid, I can keep the phone and I'll have one phone number wherever I am, but it's in the range of $2-3 per minute. For me, it's only in case of emergency back home or vice versa. Being a member of the millennial generation, I don't feel comfortable abroad (or even domestically) without a cell phone.

Does anyone have experience with Mobal? Any other recommendations? I'm not looking to purchase a prepaid card in each country and I'm not looking to purchase an unlocked GSM phone. And I'm also not looking to rent. This will be used at least once a year so I feel an outright purchase of a pay-as-you-go setup might be to my advantage.

 

[DandyDon]

I don't want to derail your original idea, but will offer a couple of my approaches...

Verizon works well in some tourist areas of Mexico, and they offer a cheap plan that I change to before a trip there, then change back.

For other countries, I have used Skype. Before a trip, I buy the (virtually) Unlimited USA plan for $3 month, then while abroad I can call to any phone in the US from other countries for free.

As far an annual dive trips go, technology and possibilities change so rapidly that I would not want to invest very much in next years plans. I'll watch for feedback you may get on Mobal.com tho.

 

[Beth_D]

Hi Tplyons

I have used mobal many times for my travels, mainly for emergencies and to call back home the odd time - it is very convenient as I can just switch the phone off when I return, pay the bill and leave it in the case until my next trip. If you're looking to travel at least once a year then i can definitely recommend this company/phone to you. Just make sure you check the phone will work in the countries you plan to visit the first phone I purchased was cheap but didn't work in as many countries as the one I purchased a few months back. I'm sure you will find all this out on their webpage - International Cell Phones and World Phones for Travel from $29 Like you i don't feel comfortable traveling without a cell phone so for me this isthe most cost effective option.

Enjoy your trip!
B

 

[Bryan Cunningham]

Hi Tplyons
Just so happens I have been doing a lot of research into the best sim cards and international phones for my new project www.childwatch.co . I needed a card that would work well in Canada, Antigua and Uk. I have just received my new Go-sim. Have a look art their website www.gosim.com . They are great, ordered and got my card the next day. They also have international phone options.
As to where your phone will work. If you unlock it and use these sim cards, pretty much everywhere except Cuba which is 900Mhz and not common.

Shout if you have any questions. Have spent the past week looking into options for our travelling customers, happy to pass on what I have found.

Cheers

 

[tridacna]

Bryan,

I've been working in Telcom for 30 years. I co-wrote the OS that still resides on SIM cards. I know a 'little' about this.

The simplest way to do this is to purchase an unlocked GSM quad-band phone. They're available from J and R or many other e-tailers.

Then: Cheapest way: Buy a SIM card in the country of your travel. Toss when done. Easy to find and always cheapest option. You can get super cheap data too. I was in the UK last week and a SIM including 4 gig of data cost me $12 for the week. Contrast that with the others.
Then get a Google Voice number and forward calls to whatever number you are using at the time and you won't have a problem. Your friends can call you on a US number and you have a local number wherever you are. No internet required and GV is pretty much free.

Complex and inefficient: Mobal, Travelcell etc. Very expensive and data will cost an arm and a leg. Your problem is that you will not be able to retain that number if you don't use it regularly. It will expire after a few months of non-use.



PM me if you need help setting this up.

 

[diversteve]

Telestial is another option. You'll need a quad-band GSM phone for it to work effectively though. They have several different options, the one I bought (and no longer use) had an 800 # for people who wanted to contact you and a somewhat reliable call-back system that I used throughout the Caribbean/Central America. I kept the same phone # for several years by using it annually or more often. They'll contact you when it's about to expire. Also you can link it to a credit card to auto-recharge if you run out of minutes while on a trip. International SIM Cards from $5 | International Cell Phones from $19

You can also get a phone cheap on eBay.

 

[danilocesar]

Buy a quad-band phone and keep using skype for calls.

When you arrive in a new contry, buy a prepaid simcard with 3G access, throw it away when you leave.

 

[decidedlyodd]

I'd also recommend what was said above about Google Voice. Running Skype over Wifi is pretty effective too when you need to call home (as opposed to home calling you in an emergency).

Many of Verizon's smartphones also have a quadband GSM radio and a SIM in them solely for international roaming purposes. I think they advertise them as "world phones".
Sent from my Nokia 920 using Foroplex