quote:
Originally posted by John Anderton
quote:
Originally posted by wacky
I can't use Sim Cards.. that's what I meant by having a crappy mobile company 
Are we on CDMA?
ya I'm pretty sure
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Originally posted by Adeptus
So, what you need is an unlocked GSM phone. If you want to keep your current non-GSM carrier in Canada and just have a phone for your trip, you could buy a very cheap basic phone. If you are not opposed to switching your Canadian carrier, you could buy a nice phone of your choice and use it both at home and abroad. I believe Rogers does GSM in Canada.
I know Rogers would work but I checked to see how much they charge and it's way over what I pay every month so I don't think they're a possibility for me
quote:
Originally posted by Adeptus
Once you get to Europe and have your unlocked GSM phone in hand, buy a prepaid SIM card. These are typically sold at any news stand and similar places. Your card will come with a local number for that country, which you may want to communicate to your friends and family so they can call you. Incoming calls are free. Calls initiated by you will be very reasonably priced, even calls to other countries and back home to Canada. Just remember you have to dial your numbers with international country codes (e.g. +1 prefix if calling US or Canada). Generally, the prepaid cards will still work at the same or slightly higher rates if you go to another country. It's very easy and you really can't go wrong.
thanks, this is great information
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Originally posted by toddy
don't know about the rest of europe, but in the uk you can get pay as you go phones with £10 credit for as little as £20. so mite work out cheapest just to buy a phone in each country, use what you need, then sell the phones on ebay on your return.
from what I seem to have understood, the UK does have some great deals but the rest of Europe not so much.. and I won't be visiting the UK so the great deals don't apply
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Originally posted by Adeptus
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Originally posted by CookieRevised
Note that the phone must be at least dual-band. Most network operators in Europe don't support single band anymore.
Good point I forgot to mention. If she purchases a phone in Canada, that means a tri- or quad-band phone (the two North American GSM bands are different from the European ones).
I think I'll be purchasing my phone once in Europe
quote:
Originally posted by CookieRevised
As for sim cards. You can get prepaid sim cards almost everywhere in Europe, in most convenient stores, small supermarkets, etc. Of course, roaming will cost a bit more, but if you indeed stick to text messaging mostly, it wont be that much more. The number would of course be a number from the country where you buy the sim card though.
roaming will cost me if my phone is bought in Europe? or did you mean if I bring a phone from Canada? cuz I'll be getting it in Europe, most likely
btw, thanks everyone for the help. I greatly appreciate it
it'll be a great first time in Europe
