Overseas telephones

Let'sgoflying!

Let'sgoflying!

Touchdown! Greaser!
Joined
Feb 23, 2005
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west Texas
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Display name:
Dave Taylor
I have to go to Scotland in September (airline), and was wondering what options there are to phone home.

If the Canada trip was any indication, using my Motorola/ATT phone is not a reasonable option.

Can I buy a disposable phone for 2 weeks' use while there, to call internationally?
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
I have to go to Scotland in September (airline), and was wondering what options there are to phone home.

If the Canada trip was any indication, using my Motorola/ATT phone is not a reasonable option.

Can I buy a disposable phone for 2 weeks' use while there, to call internationally?
Click to expand...

You have a few options:
1) Go T-Mo, we have great service in Scotland.
2) Get the subsidy unlock code for your AT&T phone, and use a foreign SIM card (cheaper than AT&T's international rates)
3) Get a prepaid sim and phone while there.

To use service in Scotland, you'll need a phone that supports 900/1800Mhz frequencies. o2 UK and Vodafone UK use 900, Orange UK and T-Mobile UK use 1800. Good luck.
 
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Laptop? Hi speed internet connection? Use Skype. If you are calling another Skype user anywhere in the world, the call is free. If you are calling a telephone, you will be using what they call Skype Out. You need to deposit a few Euros with Skype and then call away. September '07 the Skype Out charges from Europe to the States was 0.7 Euro cent per minute. That's not a typo.... 10 minutes cost 7 Euro cent.

-Skip
 
Skip Miller said:
Laptop? Hi speed internet connection? Use Skype. If you are calling another Skype user anywhere in the world, the call is free. If you are calling a telephone, you will be using what they call Skype Out. You need to deposit a few Euros with Skype and then call away. September '07 the Skype Out charges from Europe to the States was 0.7 Euro cent per minute. That's not a typo.... 10 minutes cost 7 Euro cent.

-Skip
Click to expand...

Hmmm...

... 7 Euro cent. That works out to, what, about $23.91.
 
Not taking laptop, although that would solve everything.

We are tramping around sodding mountains in the rain and fog, tripping on the bog n rocks :(
 
I just use my T-mo account over here, but then my phone is paid for by my company. What a lot of tourists do is put a pre-paid SIM in to make calls from here. To do that you need the subsidy lock of your phone unlocked. A call to AT&T may get that done for you or you can pay just about anyone in Europe to do it for you once you get here. It is about $10 to get done in the street or via any online web site.

Conversely you can buy an unlocked phone before or after you get here. But the dollar is so weak right now that buying anything in Europe is very painful. I bought 55 Euros this week for $100 USD YIKES!

Dinner the other night was well over $200 USD!
 
Just back from Scotland and used the company Sprint Blackberry 8830. Through Sprint, all I needed to do is get the correct sim from them and enable the world option ($30 for a month I think) Company phone so I don't see the bills (yet!).
 
How do I get a sim card? Buy it online before I leave? Pick it up at the airport? It sounds easy but actually getting it done will be a chore I bet.
 
Ghery said:
That's scary. I've got a budget of $75 a day for food next week in Milan.
Click to expand...

Is that your per diem for Europe? That's painfully low right now... I was spending 100 EUR a day, on vacation, where I could have an inexpensive lunch (which I did, some days :) )

Cheers,

-Andrew
 
astanley said:
Is that your per diem for Europe? That's painfully low right now... I was spending 100 EUR a day, on vacation, where I could have an inexpensive lunch (which I did, some days :) )

Cheers,

-Andrew
Click to expand...

That's what our guidelines are for meals per day in Milan. Makes it tough. I managed that in Paris in February by skipping breakfast (OK, I stopped at a bakery and got a croussant), and on the weekend simply had a large meal in the middle of the afternoon. Who knows, maybe I can lose some weight next week. That wouldn't be a bad thing.
 
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