International Cell Phones - SIM cards

You’re travelling overseas for the first time; you might recall something your friends mentioned about how neat it would have been on their trip to Europe to have brought an international cell phone with them.

 

Your friends ran into a few people that had a world cell phone that worked everywhere they travelled, but they were stuck with hotel phones and phonecards, which might not have been a huge hassle, but wasn’t all that convenient either. Add to that, their US phone with no signal was about as handy as a brick, switched off and left in the hotel room.

 

Why don’t most US phones function as international cell phones?

 

Most of the world uses the standard GSM phone service, or Global Service for Mobile. This includes Europe, South America, most of Asia and the Pacific and Africa. They have adopted the 900mhz and 1800mhz frequencies which are not compatible with CDMA networks used by Verizon and Sprint. Even if you have a service with GSM networks such as T-Mobile and AT&T Wireless, they operate on the 1900mhz frequency and Cingular also has the 850Mhz frequency, which explains why your handset will function better as a suitcase brick than a working international cell phone when overseas.

 

What is a SIM card?

 

All world-enabled travel phones will require a SIM card; it is essentially the brain that tells the handset what to do. If you already have an unlocked tri-band or quad-band handset, you’ll need a new SIM card to enable it to work overseas cost effectively. You’ll have to conduct some rough brain surgery, removing your current SIM and inserting the new one. It’ll let your handset know your new number, your rate plan and other important details.

 

Why are prepaid SIM cards better when travelling?

 

Rental travel phones on fixed plans can be very expensive, starting at a high $29 a week, with very high per minute calling rates. Prepaid plans offer you flexibility, always a good thing while travelling. You know what your budget is and with a pre-paid plan it’s easy to stick to it. There are no unexpected bills, no contracts to sign and often roaming SIM cards have no minimum monthly spend.

 

Prepaid SIM cards: Local or Global?

 

Local SIM cards – SIM cards designed for use in just one country (ex. Italy SIM card | France SIM card | Spain SIM card) are great if you’re spending a long time working, studying or travelling there. You’ll have a local number, good for giving out contact details to new friends, and will pay the same local rates at everyone else. Local SIMs however usually attract high roaming rates. If you’re travelling outside of the country and making calls, or even making international calls from that country, then you might consider a global SIM card made for roaming.

 

Global SIM cards – If you want to have the capability of a true international cell phone, then a Global SIM card, which are tailored to business and leisure travellers who are visiting more than one country and will be making international calls. Whether calling home or just across the next border, Global SIM cards can offer far lower international calling rates than most local SIM cards, saving extra cash for the theatre in London or the beer halls in Germany. There are a number of options for Global SIM cards depending on where you’re travelling and how many calls you’ll be making.

 

Most international SIM cards offer conveniences such as Voicemail and Auto-Recharge so you’ll never run out of credit. 24/7 Customer Support is essential when you’re on the other side of the world and web login to view your call charges and recharge receipts online is always handy to keep an eye on your spending.

 

Which Global SIM card is best?

 

Passport SIM card

 

The Passport SIM card is your first call in international roaming SIM cards for your travel phone. It’s free to calls in over 50 countries with rates from just $0.49 USD a minute to call landline phones! Europe and most of the world’s popular vacation destinations are covered. More…

Passport Plus SIM card

 

The Passport Plus SIM card is best if you travel frequently or will be calling home often. You are charged to receive your calls, but this is outweighed by offering some of the lowest international roaming rates available. From just $0.29 USD a minute to make calls, it’s great if you expect to make most of your calls yourself. More…

 

Passport Lite SIM card

 

The Passport Lite SIM card is simple and reliable, plus the buy-in price comes well below the cost of most other roaming SIM cards in the market. This option makes sense if you don’t anticipate making frequent calls while travelling, but would like the peace of mind of having a ready and convenient cell phone option available. More…

 

Explorer SIM card

 

This international SIM card offers maximum coverage in 144 countries including traditional CDMA countries Japan and South Korea through the newer 3G standard (on 3G handsets only). Combine this SIM card with your world phone and you can also send free SMS from your computer, with a flat outgoing SMS rate from all destinations of $0.40USD. More…

 

Local SIM cards

 

Individual country SIM cards are available to purchase for most countries before you travel. More…

 

What if I don’t have a GSM travel phone handset?

 

Low-cost SIM and handset packages are great to sort out all your needs. More…

 

If you’re after a better quality handset, then you’re covered there as well! More…