Cell phone purchase/rental

[zman31]

My wife, sister and I are going for the entire Cup, sans final, and would like to have a cell phone. The first half of our trip is planned because we know where we need to be and when, but with the TST-6 tickets, the 2nd two weeks is fly by the seat of our pants time. The wife is a planner and needs to be able to make calls and track things down or she'll go crazy. She's looked into cell rental, and found some things that are like $100 for the month and $1-$3 per minute depending on where you're calling. Is there a cheaper way to get a cell phone?

[fidlerre]

Buy a phone and get pre-paid minutes on it.

We did this during a trip to London a year ago. Worked out perfect.

We'll chat this weekend if you want...

[GOOOOAL!!]

If you already have a phone that is compatable in Europe, all you need to do is get it unlocked by your current service (Sprint, Cingular, etc) and get a SIM card with prepaid minutes. Do a Google search on cell phone SIM in Germany and there are 100's (well maybe less than that) of companies that sell the cards and minutes. Incoming calls are free and outgoing is something like $0.16/minute.

I have a T-Mobile Motorola triband phone that they say will work there. Most of the new phones are compatable with the European system.

[rksehga]

If you already have a phone that is compatable in Europe, all you need to do is get it unlocked by your current service (Sprint, Cingular, etc) and get a SIM card with prepaid minutes. Do a Google search on cell phone SIM in Germany and there are 100's (well maybe less than that) of companies that sell the cards and minutes. Incoming calls are free and outgoing is something like $0.16/minute.

I have a T-Mobile Motorola triband phone that they say will work there. Most of the new phones are compatable with the European system.

FWIW, Sprint and Verizon phones are not capable of being used in this fashion. Cingular and T-Mobile Phones will . . . not sure about the other service providers.

If you are a Sprint or Verizon customer or your carrier won't unlock your phone (some won't and I believe they are not obligated to - they want you to sign up for their expensive international roaming options), check ebay for an "unlocked" and "tri-band" phone. Also, you may not want to travel with an expensive phone . . .

Here is one for $25: http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-SONY-ERICSSON-T68-GSM-TRI-BAND-UNLOCKED-COLOR-T68i_W0QQitemZ9706125220QQcategoryZ64355QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[joehill]

verizon has a international phone rental thing that is super expensive - when i get there i'm just going to get a cheap phone and prepaid minutes.

[zman31]

Thanks for the info. That looks to be much cheaper than what the wife found.

Fiddy, fill me in this weekend.

[Nicodemus0]

Coincidentally, I just started taking care of this last night. I have Verizon here, so I just bought a used $30 cell phone on eBay just for the purpose (which I will then turn around and re-sell once I get back). As stated previously, you want to be sure the GSM phone is unlocked and covers at least the 900/1800 bands. You then get a SIM card for Germany from one of the companies that sell them over the net, or perhaps a global roaming SIM card if you are going to be in multiple countries. Be sure to compare prices carefully, as SIM cards that are less expensive tend to have high per minute charges, and more expensive cards are likewise cheaper per minute. I'm going to a few different countries, so I'll get the Explorer roaming card from Telestial and one recharge before I leave. That SIM has no fee for incoming calls in Germany and $0.60/min for outgoing. So that's $30 for the phone (but roughly nothing once I sell it again), $58 for the SIM card + shipping, $25 in credit = $113 for $35 in phone credit. Not bad, in my mind.

Some links for information and providers:

http://www.slowtrav.com/europe/cell_phones.htm

http://www.telestial.com/
http://www.cellularabroad.com/

[DaniD]

Coincidentally, I just started taking care of this last night. I have Verizon here, so I just bought a used $30 cell phone on eBay just for the purpose (which I will then turn around and re-sell once I get back). As stated previously, you want to be sure the GSM phone is unlocked and covers at least the 900/1800 bands. You then get a SIM card for Germany from one of the companies that sell them over the net, or perhaps a global roaming SIM card if you are going to be in multiple countries. Be sure to compare prices carefully, as SIM cards that are less expensive tend to have high per minute charges, and more expensive cards are likewise cheaper per minute. I'm going to a few different countries, so I'll get the Explorer roaming card from Telestial and one recharge before I leave. That SIM has no fee for incoming calls in Germany and $0.60/min for outgoing. So that's $30 for the phone (but roughly nothing once I sell it again), $58 for the SIM card + shipping, $25 in credit = $113 for $35 in phone credit. Not bad, in my mind.

Some links for information and providers:

http://www.slowtrav.com/europe/cell_phones.htm

http://www.telestial.com/
http://www.cellularabroad.com/

Just FYI, I looked at the Explorer card too, but passed when I realized it does not have voice mail. I asked one of the Telestial reps and he said if you miss a call, there's no way for the caller to leave a message. Not sure why it's not standard, but apparently it isn't.

[MikeLastort2]

Good info here for those who already own dual band (or tri band or quad band) GSM phones.

http://www.thetravelinsider.info/roadwarriorcontent/unlockingfaq.htm

http://www.thetravelinsider.info/roadwarriorcontent/quadbandphones.htm

[Nicodemus0]

Just FYI, I looked at the Explorer card too, but passed when I realized it does not have voice mail. I asked one of the Telestial reps and he said if you miss a call, there's no way for the caller to leave a message. Not sure why it's not standard, but apparently it isn't.

Thanks for the info. I had noticed that it wasn't listed on the website, but it's nice to know for sure from someone at the company. I don't mind having no voice mail that much, but I'm curious about what product you chose to go with instead?

[NBlue]

I am completely naive here -- I intend to travel only in Germany and figured I could just get some kind of throwaway type phone during the two weeks I'm there -- I don't mind paying a bit more for the convenience. Is this not possible and do i need to get a phone off Ebay (my service is Verizon) or what is it I should do? Thanks, in advance.

[DaniD]

Thanks for the info. I had noticed that it wasn't listed on the website, but it's nice to know for sure from someone at the company. I don't mind having no voice mail that much, but I'm curious about what product you chose to go with instead?
We went with the Global Riing SIM instead. It's pretty much the same as the one you bought, but has the VM included.

[SUNDROP]

Cingular charges $1.29/minute for calls from Germany back to the US. No other fees, as long as your phone has the right bands. Figured it would be easier with our regular number, and basically emergency usage anyway. I think T-Mobile is the only cheaper one, of course since their roaming agreement in Germany would be with themselves.
Certainly simpler than rentals, unlocked phones, sim cards, etc.

[BuffloSoldier]

Cingular charges $1.29/minute for calls from Germany back to the US. No other fees, as long as your phone has the right bands. Figured it would be easier with our regular number, and basically emergency usage anyway. I think T-Mobile is the only cheaper one, of course since their roaming agreement in Germany would be with themselves.
Certainly simpler than rentals, unlocked phones, sim cards, etc.
Probably what I'm going to do as well.

You can also go through Cingular to get a lower per minute rate by getting their international package. It's $6 per month, which lowers the per minute amount to .99. So if you just get it for a month, the $6 price tag gets absorbed if you use your phone 20 times. Cingular counts 1 second as a minute, so even if you have a quick call--it's costing you .99/$1.29.

[dsaiki]

Please correct me if I'm wrong...

Tri-band phones in the USA are usually 850/1800/1900 while tri-band phones in Germany are 900/1800/1900. (Note the difference at the low-end, 850 vs 900). The older GSM networks in Germany are at 900MHz while the newer ones are 1800. Thus a 850/1800/1900 tri-band phone will work in Germany but may have less coverage than a 900/1800/1900 phone.

[Mark Coker]

I tried the travelinsider.com site. For $5 via Paypal, I got the unlock codes. No cords, no software required, just a series of keystrokes.

Swapped out my T-Mobile SIM card with a Cingular card and it worked just fine. Tried it a later with this Swedish guy's SIM card and it wouldn't read it. I think I'll be taking my phone with me and hoping for the best.

[Mark Coker]

Has anybody ordered a SIM card through cellularbroad.com?

I got one yesterday and was reading (and babelfish-ing) the instructions and found that I have to "register" my card within two weeks. Is that two weeks from when I get in Germany or what?

I've got a e-mail into cellularabroad.com to get some clarification, but I figure there's plenty of experience on this board.

[MikeLastort2]

I'm just going to buy a SIM when we get to Germany.

If you want, post the e-mail you got and I'll have a go at translating it into English.

[TheWakeUpBomb]

Please correct me if I'm wrong...

Tri-band phones in the USA are usually 850/1800/1900 while tri-band phones in Germany are 900/1800/1900. (Note the difference at the low-end, 850 vs 900). The older GSM networks in Germany are at 900MHz while the newer ones are 1800. Thus a 850/1800/1900 tri-band phone will work in Germany but may have less coverage than a 900/1800/1900 phone.You should be fine with a phone that has 1800 band. While your coverage won't be quite as good in rural areas, my guess is that you won't notice a bit of difference in cities.

Germany coverage maps and frequencies can be found here:

http://www.gsmworld.com/roaming/gsminfo/cou_de.shtml

[Mark Coker]

Cellular Abroad informed me that the SIM cards are pre-registered.

Crisis averted.