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Topic: cell phone for France?
| Author | Message |
| rhino writer | Posted – 6/23/2008 11:04:36 AM | show profile Currently, I am one of the few cell-phone-free people I know, so I don't know anything about this. I'm going to be spending a month in Paris in the fall and am thinking about getting a cell phone then so I can talk to my family, but don't know if that's the best choice, or if I should just get VOIP on the Internet instead. Any suggestions? I can't imagine I'm going to want to keep the phone after the month is up, or even use it very often while I'm there. |
| Mirage | Posted – 6/23/2008 12:34:51 PM | show profile I am one of those people with a cell phone permanently attached to my hand, so I don't know if my needs will translate to yours, but... When I was in Paris last year, I used my BlackBerry with T-mobile service. I kept my NYC number (so that people calling me wouldn't incur a toll fee) and communicated primarily through e-mail (so as to save on tolls on my end). If you decide to use a US number in Paris, keep in mind that you will be paying to check your messages and to make and receive texts. If you go with something like an iPhone or a Blackberry, you can be in constant contact through e-mail for minimal cost (I think it was like $20/month to "open up" the phone for international use) and still have the phone available for emergencies. |
| rhino writer | Posted – 6/23/2008 1:12:02 PM | show profile I am so technologically in the Stone Age that I don't have a Blackberry, either. I will have my laptop with me, and won't really be working, so I'm less concerned about keeping in touch via e-mail/texting and more interested in just being able to hear my honey's voice from time to time. The more I think about it, the more VOIP seems the way to go . . . |
| pholiday | Posted – 6/23/2008 2:32:57 PM | show profile SKYPE Skype worked really well for me. I used it all the time when I lived in London. It costs next to nothing for international calls, you can call land lines, cell phones, other skype accounts or instant message. It's easy to download, use and it is free! It is a really great resource for living overseas. If you do want to use a cell phone you can do so internationally. Just make sure to have it unlocked by your provider. I would also get one of the calling cardish kind of plans that they offer--otherwise the rates to talk are astronomical. Good luck, and have a lovely time in Paris! |
| rhino writer | Posted – 6/23/2008 5:20:42 PM | show profile Awesome, thanks! I will look into Skype. |
| Stanley_Milgram | Posted – 6/23/2008 6:15:15 PM | show profile I live in Germany and I don't think I could live without Skype. I think it's $18 for 3 mos. for a U.S. # than anyone can call locally but will reach you anywhere you're connected to the Internet. For local (in France) cell phone use, I would buy a cheap used phone and then use a pre-pay SIM card. |
| chucho | Posted – 6/24/2008 8:38:34 AM | show profile Any phone accepts SIM cards as far as I can tell. You can buy an ORANGE pre-paid account for 40 euros plus the cards to buy minutes. You have to go to a telecom provider to buy the account and then you can buy the cards at any bodega or newsstand. In other words, to get started will cost you 40 euros plus at least one 10-euro card, which doesn't give you much time. So it's at least about $75. Sounds like you aren't going to be making a lot of calls, so it might just be better to roam internationally on whatever mobile phone account you have in the USA. But I do not recommend riding on your US cell phone account because it can be very expensive to roam internationally.I've read nightmare stories about people coming back from Europe and discovering mobile phone bills for hundreds of dollars. (And in some cases, such as the first iPhones -- they may have fixed it now -- the default setting was to automatically check for text messages, so the phone was logging lots of time roaming internationally trough constantly "dialing home" to check for text messages unbeknown to the owner of the phone. The downside to buying a pre-paid calling card is you have to tell people your phone number. You might be better off just using VOIP at Internet cafes, though that can be awkward and you're out of contact. |
| caitlinkelly | Posted – 6/24/2008 8:44:52 AM | show profile Then there's the really old school option....buy a telecarte, their pre-paid phone cards, and use pay phones, which do exist around the city. |
| rhino writer | Posted – 6/24/2008 9:52:39 AM | show profile Sorry, realized my first post was not clear! I want to be in touch with the US, not within France. Will have my laptop. Skype is still sounding like the best option! |
| chucho | Posted – 6/24/2008 12:14:39 PM | show profile That doesn't matter. It's still going to be more expensive to call the US using your US account (like ATT or Verizon) because it will roam internationally in France as you call back to the USA. A local pre-paid phone card will start with the local network to route an international call. But it sounds like you will indeed be better off using VOIP. There are mobile phones that have the option to use VOIP, by the way. |
| Stanley_Milgram | Posted – 6/24/2008 7:51:29 PM | show profile Skype: redux I should have mentioned, the cost to a U.S.# via Skype is around .02 a minute, which is cheap enough for me to call the U.S. without thinking too much about it. Calls to landlines in Europe are about the same price, though calling European mobile phones are tres cher, around .24 a minute (for what it's worth, that extra money goes to the European mobile telcoms for using their network, not to Skype). You simply buy credit online using Paypal or VISA/MC. Calling another Skype user, of course, is free from anywhere to anywhere. You can even video chat. Have fun in France. |
| rhino writer | Posted – 6/25/2008 11:15:59 AM | show profile Ah, cool, thanks for the price info. I know someone who calls the US from Turkey all the time using Skype, or something like it, so I figured it couldn't be too expensive. Paris will be fun. |
| chucho | Posted – 6/25/2008 11:23:14 AM | show profile Also, I haven't checked this out myself, but this is supposed to be cheaper than Skype. I think it requires you to wire transfer the fee though, which sounded weird, but it wasn't a lot of money. http://www.voipraider.com/ |
