Anyone use or have any suggestions for a local sim card that I can buy? Companies, rates back to the US, where to get it (airport,city, hotel) etc.... would be appreciated.

Thanks

You want to call the US from your cell phone? That will be expensive...

If you will have internet, you might consider Skype. If you won't have internet, just go to an internet cafe somewhere. There were dozens in Petersburg, for example. The vast majority of them are willing to loan you headsets for a few extra rubles. Then you can talk with your friends back home for a VERY reasonable rate.

Phone cards from landlines are also pretty cheap. I used to use Evroset. It cost 93 kopecks/minute to the US (2 cents or so).

A few years ago I used Megafon. The drawback is that you have to top up every 3 days. You probably want one of these starter packs:
Ediny ("Same Tariff"). Int'l calls are about 3 rub/min. (all int'l rates). Incoming is free as always

Where in Russia do you want to use your phone? That is a big consideration if you get a number in one city but plan to use it there and in another city. You'll have to pay higher rates in the other city in that case. Calling the US is absurdly expensive, but for incoming calls having a phone is great -- with the exception being roaming in another city. The first thing you need to figure out is what you are going to need. Work to a plan from there.

I have found that the easiest place to buy a SIM card is at the airport. All you'll need there is a passport with a valid Russian visa and some money. If you buy it elsewhere you will likely need a Russian friend to show his passport. That may have changed, but it was my experience. There is a phone kiosk in the arrival area of SVO2.

I recall Megafon having a short top-up time but it was much longer than 3 days. They do have lots of different plans, though...

I just want to use it in Moscow. Ill try to get it at the airport. I can take my laptop and use majicjack, but the trip is only 2 days. With Verizon, its like $4/min. Ill have my data but want to switch out the sims to call home cheap, if possible.

It's $5/minute on Tmobile, so I'm in the same boat. I just need to call in for messages maybe once a day and I'm not going to waste time hunting down some internet cafe. I also like to have some privacy when I call home. Let me know how you make out.

Will do. Ill find out what the cost is for internet as well at the Hilton and if cheap, I may use the majicjack.

Just found this. Ill try to buy this sim card at the airport instead of paying $25 and ordering it now.

http://www.pandasim.com/russia_sim.html

Check out masterbell.com and find a plan that you like for price, minimum billing increments, etc.

Choose their "SMS Call" feature and set it up. You can then set up a call on your mobile phone in Russia (with the SIM you bought at the airport as suggested above) by sending a text message to a number they will provide you with the number you want to call in the States in the body of the message. In about 20 seconds your phone will ring and you'll hear the number ringing you are wanting to call.

The immediate charge to you is only an SMS charge (varies per plan) and money, amount depends on what plan you choose at masterbell.com, comes off of the prepaid card you purchased.

I use this all over Russia and it works remarkably well.

PM if you have questions...

Ill check that out, thanks!

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry9530/4.7.0.75 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/105)

Verizon now has a reduced rate international calling plan...its still expensive but worth looking into for incoming calls. It only saves you money in certain countries and maybe 30-50 cents per minute at most but it only costs $5 per month!

It's .20 and .22 c to call there, depending on mobile or landline. While you are there, its 4.99 or 3.99 w the value intl plan. (Verizon)

If you are planning on making any use of your phone at all, it is far, far cheaper to acquire a local SIM and use the callback service woody125 mentioned.

I used that too, but they wouldn't sell me the SIM at Domodedovo or at the store until my visa was registered. Once my visa was registered, and after some rather incredulous due to the fact that my passport was issued at the New Orleans Passport Agency (it was a few months after Katrina), the MegaFon store at Okhotny Ryad sold me a SIM.
The top-up time is dependent upon how much you put on it at a time, if I recall.

How much was the sim and do you remember what the local and US rates were?