What cell phone for usa and europe?

June 23, 2009 8:37 AM

Please recommend a cell phone for use in the USA and Europe. Will be in London and Italy for at least six months. Would like a phone that I can use in the USA and Europe. Pay-as-you-go plan preferred. Just starting to think about a smart phone for email and wi-fi internet access. Cost is a consideration. Suggestions please.
posted by NorthCoastCafe to shopping (7 comments total)

You need a tri-or quad-band phone in order for it to work in both the USA and Europe. The iPhone is not an option as you cannot replace its SIM card. I've used a Blackberry Curve that I originally purchased with a plan from ATT and it's worked out well.

Is it possible to wait until you are in the EU to buy the phone? I'm not exactly sure about policies and regulations in London and Italy, but here in Germany you can buy a tri- or quad-band phone without a plan for about $100 at a local electronics store, and I found that the selection and value was greater here than the US (possibly because EU customers are more likely to travel to the US).

You can also easily get a pay-as-you go SIM card with a local number once you have arrived at an electronics store or even at the airport -- a place like Heathrow would surely sell them. You could actually even get two SIM cards: one for Italy and one for England, depending on how much money it would save you in making local calls in the respective countries. You can get a pay-as-you go plan from ATT or another company once you return.

Hope this helps!
posted by foxy_hedgehog at 8:49 AM on June 23

N82 is one of the best travel phones on the market. It takes care of your spur of the moment photo needs. It captures video at vga 30fps (good enough to burn on a dvd and watch on tv), it has wifi and can make internet voip phone calls so you don't have to buy expensive contracts in each country you go to (you won't be able to buy a EURO plan or something like that through Orange or Vodaphone, trust me). You can use it as an ipod and web browser as well. If you do get a data plan (expensiveeee), you can run JoikuSpot on it and use your phone as a high speed wifi source for laptops and such.

Available online via newegg/dell/other vendors unlocked <300.
posted by stratastar at 9:04 AM on June 23

Just remember that if you get a Vodafone sim you can get roaming for a flat fee which means you can potentially use the same number in UK and Italy.
posted by london302 at 9:47 AM on June 23

As regards Vodafone UK and roaming, for this summer theyve abolished roaming charges....
posted by stumpyolegmcnoleg at 12:06 PM on June 23

I've just done this. Buying an unlocked phone in the US is very expensive. If you have 3-6 months before your trip (I think it's 3 but I'm not sure) you can buy a locked phone and plan from T-Mobile (I know a lot of people hate them, but this is an option) and when you have so many months (again, I think it's 3 months) of on-time bill paying you can get the phone unlocked. Then you can pay as you go through T-Mobile in Europe.

Or, you can buy an unlocked phone in the US. If you buy a new one, it's really expensive. If you can find a reputable place to buy a refurbished one, you can just get a pay as you go SIM card in Europe and top it up as you need. We're using TalkMobile and have found customer service to be stellar.
posted by cooker girl at 2:24 PM on June 23

Oh, forgot: we're using TalkMobile because we aren't traveling out of the UK. So. But yeah, Vodafone has abolished roaming charges.
posted by cooker girl at 2:25 PM on June 23

cooker girl, unlocked phones are no more expensive in the US than in any country, and you can always buy a locked phone and then pay the $15 or however much the going rate is to get the unlock code. Just stick in a SIM card other than your original one and the phone will request the unlock code; type it in and Bob's your uncle. Unlocked phone.

foxy_hedgehog, you CAN replace the SIM card on an iPhone: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kir19QRGzv8 shows very clearly how to remove the SIM card, and you can swap another in and unlock with many options out there- google "unlock iPhone" and again, Bob's yojr uncle.
posted by ethnomethodologist at 7:20 PM on June 23