Travel Technology - Which SIM card in Europe?

Assuming that I will be making infrequent calls from several countries in Europe (possibly Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, and Denmark), which country would it make the most sense to buy a SIM card in? Which providers have the most favorable roaming rates?
Also, do SIM cards expire after X month of not using them?

If it's very infrequent calls (liek we do) then why buy one at all, see if your local provider has service in those countries and just pay the higher fees and keep your number. We do that with AT&T, slip the sim into a triband when we travel. Sure the per minute is higher, but it's usually only used for incoming calls, and they are very short and very few and far between.

My local provider is Sprint, which doesn't offer GSM at all.
I should also clarify that the phone will be used only for outgoing calls within Europe. For example to call a museum/a hotel/a friend living in the country. Normally I just use payphones, but lately it is becoming a major pain to actually find a payphone as many have been removed because of the cell phones.

If it's very infrequent calls (liek we do) then why buy one at all, see if your local provider has service in those countries and just pay the higher fees and keep your number. We do that with AT&T, slip the sim into a triband when we travel. Sure the per minute is higher, but it's usually only used for incoming calls, and they are very short and very few and far between.

My local provider is Sprint, which doesn't offer GSM at all.
I should also clarify that the phone will be used only for outgoing calls within Europe. For example to call a museum/a hotel/a friend living in the country. Normally I just use payphones, but lately it is becoming a major pain to actually find a payphone as many have been removed because of the cell phones.

I am working over in London and Amsterdam right now, and I bought an Orange Pay-as-you-go SIM card to use over here. I've used it in London, Amsterdam and Paris without any issues. Only down side is it won't work in the US since it's pre-paid, which doesn't sound like it's an issue for you.

I believe most of the providers have pre-paid deals like that available. If you're in London, there's a store called Carphone Warehouse which resells a bunch of different carriers, and they were very helpful.

Bon voyage!

Chris

I am working over in London and Amsterdam right now, and I bought an Orange Pay-as-you-go SIM card to use over here. I've used it in London, Amsterdam and Paris without any issues. Only down side is it won't work in the US since it's pre-paid, which doesn't sound like it's an issue for you.

I believe most of the providers have pre-paid deals like that available. If you're in London, there's a store called Carphone Warehouse which resells a bunch of different carriers, and they were very helpful.

Bon voyage!

Chris

UK O2 Prepaid cards WILL work in the US. As will Dutch KPN Mobile cards.

I waiting to buy a SIM card until I got over to Israel.
I bought an Orange one.

It was like $35 for the card, which included 50 or 80 NIS of minutes.

I would really recommend getting it over there vs pre-buying it since the price was half than what I saw on the web. I was very happy with the Orange service, except their website. It was like 40 cents a minute to call the us from your phone and free incoming.

One point. Make sure your phone is unlocked.
If you have had your phone for a while, T-Mobile will provide you the unclock code.

AT&T has been well know to lock up any phone forever, even if you bought the phone first and switched it over to AT&T.

J

I am working over in London and Amsterdam right now, and I bought an Orange Pay-as-you-go SIM card to use over here. I've used it in London, Amsterdam and Paris without any issues. Only down side is it won't work in the US since it's pre-paid, which doesn't sound like it's an issue for you.

I believe most of the providers have pre-paid deals like that available. If you're in London, there's a store called Carphone Warehouse which resells a bunch of different carriers, and they were very helpful.

Bon voyage!

Chris

for the paris and other europeans jaughts, what are you rates. Usually, a SIM even pay as you go, are great rates in country, but once you get to anothre coutnry they go up like 10 fold.

for the paris and other europeans jaughts, what are you rates. Usually, a SIM even pay as you go, are great rates in country, but once you get to anothre coutnry they go up like 10 fold.

I'm ashamed to say I have no idea. It's my work phone, and I spend most my time in London, so it really hadn't been a big deal. I do notice I have to top it up a lot more often when I'm in Amsterdam, though :)

UK O2 Prepaid cards WILL work in the US. As will Dutch KPN Mobile cards.

Really now... do you know if they have number portability? If that's the case, I'll move my Orange # to O2!

Thanks,
Chris

Really now... do you know if they have number portability? If that's the case, I'll move my Orange # to O2!

Thanks,
Chris

Number portability is required by law in the UK.

I'm ashamed to say I have no idea. It's my work phone, and I spend most my time in London, so it really hadn't been a big deal. I do notice I have to top it up a lot more often when I'm in Amsterdam, though :)

You might want to check the rates per operator in roaming countries, sometimes roaming on one network can be 4 times more than the other network in the same country, OTOH, if it's the work phone you might not want to be bothered ;)

You might want to check the rates per operator in roaming countries, sometimes roaming on one network can be 4 times more than the other network in the same country, OTOH, if it's the work phone you might not want to be bothered ;)

Well, I'll probably be the good employee and at least check for Amsterdam where I spend a decent amount of time. For quick weekend trips and whatnot, sounds like a lot of bother ;)

If it's very infrequent calls (liek we do) then why buy one at all, see if your local provider has service in those countries and just pay the higher fees and keep your number. We do that with AT&T, slip the sim into a triband when we travel. Sure the per minute is higher, but it's usually only used for incoming calls, and they are very short and very few and far between.


And I use my ATT phone over there sometimes, although I have sims for most of the countries I visit, it makes it much easier, cheaper and FREE for incoming calls and incoming call back calls which then cost about .10$ per minute compared to 10 times that.

But, if you are going to use an ATT phone, or NEXTEL or other domestic NA carrier be sure you know what they will charge you for and when. I found that ATT will charge if I don't even RECEIVE the call, if it HITS my Voice Mail box, and I don't even pickup the call. Cost to me, 4.00$ per never actually received call.

They say, the in country providor charges them for tracking me down, and for the VM signal to track me down as well. I can believe that, but not for 4.00$

Anyway, Shut it off if you don't want to see fees, don't even leave your VM on either.

AT&T can't do this. If you buy the phone elsewhere and switch to AT&T, it should be unlocked in the first place.

I waiting to buy a SIM card until I got over to Israel.
AT&T has been well know to lock up any phone forever, even if you bought the phone first and switched it over to AT&T.

They say, the in country providor charges them for tracking me down, and for the VM signal to track me down as well. I can believe that, but not for 4.00$

Anyway, Shut it off if you don't want to see fees, don't even leave your VM on either.

But it's true. That's the way GSM works.

The clearinghouse WILL charge them for the call attempt as the call gets routed to the guest network, granted, $4 is a little steep, but it's fairly clearly explained in most manuals and websites that it's not wise to have *61 and *67 (conditional diverts) activated when roaming.

ScottC, is it correct that the charge only happens with conditional forwarding? In other words if your number is set to go straight to voicemail you dont get charged?

ScottC, is it correct that the charge only happens with conditional forwarding? In other words if your number is set to go straight to voicemail you dont get charged?

Indeed, a direct divert (i.e. *21) won't cost you any roaming charges as the divert is setup on your own Telco, in your own country. Many people have their phone off, use conditional diverts and come home to 100's in charges... Very sneaky and downright criminal of the telcos if you ask me.

is it correct that the charge only happens with conditional forwarding? In other words if your number is set to go straight to voicemail you dont get charged?

In my experience, there are two problems with unconditional forwarding while overseas. 1) When you arrive in (for example) the UK and switch on your T-Mobile phone, you'll get an SMS message from the local carrier (for which you'll be charged) telling you that your unconditional forward has been removed. I think it's a function of the local carrier whether this happens. I haven't seen it in France or Germany, but it happens every time in the UK. You can reset the unconditional forward and it seems to stick. 2) When you unconditionally forward to voicemail, all voicemail diverts come out of your regular minutes, not the separate bucket for voicemail (this might be a T-Mobile quirk).

I haven't confirmed this, but I believe you are not charged when a call is forwarded to a busy number. So, if you don't need to receive calls, one possibility is to condiitonally (or unconditionally) forward to a permanently busy number such as 212-628-9970.

I learned a lot from this thread, but if someone has an answer to my original question, please post it ;) .
I was wondering in which of the European countries (out of Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, and Denmark) is it usually most economic to purchase a sim card which would be used throughout Europe.