Traveling to Europe

[pseudoware]

I plan to get a carrier unlock code from AT&T for my Focus. Beyond that, I'm open to any advice for cost-effective connectivity while abroad.

FYI, I'll be going to Spain, France, Italy and England. Thanks!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Sogeman]

ATT is gsm, right?

Do you plan on using it much? If you don't need data just get prepaid Sims and swap them out.

If you don't plan on using it much getting a new card for every country is way too expensive but I think there are sims that work in all of Europe. Don't know any brand names though, there are just always ads for them around the turkish shops here.

 

[palandri]

I can tell you about France. My wife and I go over there. Are you going to Paris?

The three major wireless carriers are Orange, SFR and Bouygues. They have shops all over France. You can get refill cards at any Tabac shop. We always pickup a local SIM card while we are there. Most hotels will have WiFi (Most WiFi restricts VOIP like Skype). If you want data on your phone, call it "internet", not data.

I have my AT&T account setup so I get email notification for voicemail, so I know when I have voicemail on my U.S. number. It's like 0.45 cents a minute to call the U.S. from France on an Orange SIM card. It might have been cheaper of SFR, like 0.38 cents a minute.

The only concern I can think of is, I don't think I have ever been in a wireless retail store that had someone who spoke English. That might make it a little difficult unless you know some French.

Any other question, feel free to ask.

 

[baseballbert]

If you're going to France, buy a Lumia 800 for goodness sake!!

 

[p.jgordon]

if you're going to france, buy a lumia 800 for goodness sake!!

this!

 

[pseudoware]

Thanks for the replies. Yes, AT&T is GSM. I can likely get by w/wifi for "internet". A multi-country sim would be good as we'll be in London for much of the time. I'll also be in Paris as well as in the South of France for a bit.

I'll also set up email notifications for voicemail. palandri, good tip on the French. I actually have a Rosetta Stone French disk I should put to use. At the very least, I'll learn how to ask for a sim.

A Nokia handset definitely crossed my mind, although I won't actually be going until after the U.S. phones have launched, so we'll see.

 

[Pronk]

In the UK, you can pick up a PAYG sim from most supermarkets for 99p. Or, if you can get one sent somewhere, free.

If the latter, GiffGaff are well worth a look (Free SIM Cards | Unlimited Mobile Internet and Texts | giffgaff.com). London is fairly well set for wi-fi now, so you should be OK even without a SIM.