Travel Technology - anything better than virginmobile for US cheapy phones and minutes?

my husband and i share a virginmobile nokia phone for use in the US. we are there a combined 8-12 weeks a year. we top-up quarterly, and all seems to be OK.

but i squashed the phone and tho it works, i can't read the screen. i am debating using as is, buying a new VM phone (which one?) or looking for another service.

one big negative is when we are out of the US, we can't get voicemail or calls, tho there usually aren't many.

does anyone have a similar situation and a better option?
thanks.

I got a triband unlocked then a t-mobile activation sim off e-bay 19 months ago and have been happy with it ever since. No fees per month or call or anything like that, just minutes.

I got a triband unlocked then a t-mobile activation sim off e-bay 19 months ago and have been happy with it ever since. No fees per month or call or anything like that, just minutes.


Seven-Eleven has a prepaid GSM card that goes one year between recharges and has good rates.

With respect to the voicemail issues. Do you have call forwarding on Virgin? If pinching every penny is not of the essence, signup for a free US phone number from someone like stanaphone.com, freedigits.com, or voicestick.com. These numbers can be call forwarded out of the US, give you VOIP access, etc., but most important for you, they have free US Voicemail which will forward your voicemail messages to your e-mail as an attachment. Call forward your Virgin phone to one of these numbers before getting on the plane. Any call that lingers will get transferred to voicemail that you do not have to periodically check.

Stu

we have a gsm phone, tho it is probably locked. if it is, is there any way to unlock it?
if there isn't, then we should get an unlocked gsm phone and buy a gsm sim card at 7-11? and stu your idea to get a forwarding service. do i have that all right?

we have a gsm phone, tho it is probably locked. if it is, is there any way to unlock it?
if there isn't, then we should get an unlocked gsm phone and buy a gsm sim card at 7-11? and stu your idea to get a forwarding service. do i have that all right?

Yes, you have it right. Make sure that your Israeli phone is the correct band to use it in the US (e.g. at least 1900mhz and preferably 850/1900mhz). If your provider won't unlock your phone, there are a number of shops that will do it for you. I don't know about Israel, but the back alleys of London are littered with the places. (Dubai as well, but I doubt this is on your travel route). If this fails, take a look at gsmliberty.com. They can unlock most phones (Nokia E series hasn't been cracked yet).

thanks. maybe dubai someday...

my husband and i share a virginmobile nokia phone for use in the US. we are there a combined 8-12 weeks a year. we top-up quarterly, and all seems to be OK.

but i squashed the phone and tho it works, i can't read the screen. i am debating using as is, buying a new VM phone (which one?) or looking for another service.

one big negative is when we are out of the US, we can't get voicemail or calls, tho there usually aren't many.

does anyone have a similar situation and a better option?
thanks.

You can access your voicemail when outside the US by dialing your mobile number and pressing * during the greeting.

Has you phone usage been less than the $20/quarter minimum VM requires for keeping the phone active? If so, you may have accumulated a decent credit balance which you would lose if you changed carriers.

A new Nokia from VM is only $15 on their web site. I've changed handsets with them in the past and have not had a problems.

Has you phone usage been less than the $20/quarter minimum VM requires for keeping the phone active?

Where does one find these terms ? I was not aware of this.

Where does one find these terms ? I was not aware of this.

Virgin Mobile USA has a different set of terms than Virgin in the UK. You can find the details at www.virginmobileusa.com

Virgin Mobile USA has a different set of terms than Virgin in the UK. You can find the details at www.virginmobileusa.com

I've had a Virgin Mobile UK SIM since 1999 which gets used for a few days a year and it has remained active. I recognize the issue is about Virgin USA, but my understanding about the US counterpart is that as long as you keep recharging it, it remains active even if you don't use it.

I've had a Virgin Mobile UK SIM since 1999 which gets used for a few days a year and it has remained active. I recognize the issue is about Virgin USA, but my understanding about the US counterpart is that as long as you keep recharging it, it remains active even if you don't use it.

You're correct. I should have said recharge for $20/quarter, not use.