Cellphones and US to Europe travel

[Willy_Voet]

I thought I would pick the collective minds of the CN forum readers given the breadth of international representation here. I am planning a trip to Austria and Germany (via Heathrow) and would like to use my phone.

My current carrier (ATT) wants what I think is an unreasonable amount of money for me to use my phone. I currently pay about $100/month for unlimited minutes/data/text. For the privilege of using my phone in Europe, I can pay either $1.40 a minute or $5 + $1.00/minute. This will get expensive very quickly over a 2 week trip especially if I want to start looking at a map on my phone (text and data plans are even more).

What companies can you all recommend that may provide a rental phone or a prepaid sim card to use in my existing phone? I need to be able to call my wife (on another rental phone/sim card) as well as our contacts/hosts in Austria and Germany.

If there is a solid website you could point me to, I'd appreciate that, too.

 

[Bala Verde]

I think ATT phones are initially sim-loked, but they can be unlocked (store policy, after 6 mths of ownership I believe; they can unlock it in the store). Then your phone is not dependent on any sim card anymore.

Once you arrive in Europe, swap out sim card for a "local" one. You can often find 'pre-paid' sim cards in grocery stores, ranging from sim cards offered by actual carriers (ie like T-Mobile) but also ones from other companies, sometimes even grocery stores themselves (in the U.K. I think there is a TESCO prepaid sim). Pre-paid is still more expensive than having a subscription, but much less expensive than what ATT is offering.

Make sure to buy a new sim card in Austria, because international rates are more expensive. Sim cards can be topped up as well, so when you run low on credit on one sim card no need to buy a 'new' one.

 

[Straßenrennen]

The whole of europe has eu set maxium charge rates for calls, just buy a simcard in the country your planning on staying in the longest.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regulation_on_roaming_charges_in_the_European_Union#Common_limits