Using Cell Phones Internationally

International Calling

One thing I learned on a recent trip to South Africa is that I really, really like having a local cell phone that I can use to make phone calls with.

It is hard to predict in advance if you will need to use a phone while traveling.  In the end, I had to

  • call my hotel to ask for directions
  • call my friend who I was meeting for dinner but was not receiving my text messages
  • call my travel agent when there was a problem with my flight

It may be worth getting the international calling and/or data plan.  Check with your cell phone provider for details.

iPhone

I use an iPhone 4s at home, and I took it with on my trip.  I primarily used my iPhone for directions/maps and downloading boarding passes via email.

I did not pay for an international calling plan for my trip because I didn’t think it was worth the money.  In Europe, it only saves about $.20/minute.  In Africa, it saves $1.00/minute, but I am not likely to make calls even at the bargain $3.99/minute!

However, I did purchase an international data place for $25 for 100MB of data.  I did use this on the my trip – although as sparingly as possible.

I was able to send and receive text messages to and from U.S. phone numbers.  However, I was only able to receive text messages for international phones — my text messages never got through to a non-U.S. phone number.

Contact your provider before you leave as I was able to get a signal outside the U.S., but other people were not.

Skype

Skype is a great option for calling home if you have a smart phone or laptop.  With Skype, you can instant message, call, and even video call.  You have to

  • Have an account with Skype
  • Your friends/family have to have an account (or you call land/cell phones for a small fee, which is much, much cheaper that calling direct)
  • Download the free app
  • Be on WiFi to use

Blackberry / Sim Cards

I had an old Blackberry that I was able to “unlock” from AT&T.  Then I got a local sim card, which costs a small fee for calls.  I got a Toggle, which is good in Europe, and I have used a World Sim in the U.K.  I also just purchased a sim card at the Vodaphone store in the Johannesburg Airport.  You can also get a cheap phone in your local country.

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