Consumer Electronics Using Your Mobile Phone Internationally

[C-Dog]

Heading off on Sunday to Europe for a couple of months and am still unsure the best way to stay in contact with people here. Priority is to send text messages.

I'm with Vodafone and went into a store about a month ago and the girl told me that it would cost me 75c a message and to just come back before I leave to turn all data roaming off (which I later realised I could do by myself).

Went back in a couple of days ago and the bloke there told me a completely different story saying that even though my data roaming was turned off it could still reconnect to local networks and I would be charged for it, he reccomended I didn't take my phone over at all.

Both of the staff seemed like hacks as well so not sure which one was right, both weren't understanding the basic question I was asking, Which is what is the best way to be able to send text messages back home without being charged for data?

I have been reading the website but I thought I just might ask here if anyone has any experiences?

 

[dales.girl38]

Whenever I go overseas one of the first things I do is buy a cheap sim card with pre-paid credit, put it in my phone and that way I know how much I am spending and won't get surprised with a nasty bill when I get home.

 

[Team Mo']

My old lady just came back from Canada had got billed $1500 on international roaming. Pwned!

 

[drd23]

Whenever I go overseas one of the first things I do is buy a cheap sim card with pre-paid credit, put it in my phone and that way I know how much I am spending and won't get surprised with a nasty bill when I get home.

This.

Buy a pre-paid sim and use that instead

 

[smashing]

This.

Buy a pre-paid sim and use that instead

just make sure your phone is unlocked before you leave.

 

[krusden]

Heading off on Sunday to Europe for a couple of months and am still unsure the best way to stay in contact with people here.

internets is the best way. easier and cheaper OS to use an internet cafe and keep the phone for emergencies.
stuff text messages - is there any reason you'd favour text over net specifically?

 

[WALL-e]

Download Viber or another wifi based text app then just send sms via wifi.

Alternatly (and more conveniently) as has been said, buy a prepaid Euro sim.

 

[C-Dog]

internets is the best way. easier and cheaper OS to use an internet cafe and keep the phone for emergencies.
stuff text messages - is there any reason you'd favour text over net specifically?

If I have my I-phone I've got easy access to Facebook and E-mail, most of the places I stay have free wi-fi.

Just rang up customer care and the guy said that what I was told last week was completely wrong and he's turned off the GPRS3 package or whatever so the only way I can use internet is through wi-fi. Guess I'll just roll this way for a week and check up on the charges and if it's not working I'll just do what people have suggested here and get a euro sim.

People who work in those stores just want to get rid of you if you're not buying a new phone.

 

[krusden]

If I have my I-phone I've got easy access to Facebook and E-mail, most of the places I stay have free wi-fi.

Just rang up customer care and the guy said that what I was told last week was completely wrong and he's turned off the GPRS3 package or whatever so the only way I can use internet is through wi-fi. Guess I'll just roll this way for a week and check up on the charges and if it's not working I'll just do what people have suggested here and get a euro sim.

People who work in those stores just want to get rid of you if you're not buying a new phone.

good point, that said a fair few of the places I stayed in had generally free or very cut-price internet as well as free wi-fi.

 

[NAUGHT5]

I have an iPhone 3GS with Three. How do I get my phone unlocked so that I can put a euro sim in when I get there?

 

[WALL-e]

Call your provider.

 

[tazaa]

Whenever I go overseas one of the first things I do is buy a cheap sim card with pre-paid credit, put it in my phone and that way I know how much I am spending and won't get surprised with a nasty bill when I get home.

This. Times a hundred.

Buy a pre-paid sim and use that instead

Will work out so much better with this option. European prepaid sims usually have good rates to make calls and text over there aswell as back over here.
Once you finish your holiday just throw the sim in the bin at the airport.

just make sure your phone is unlocked before you leave.

This is such a weird question to answer.
All handsets when they get sent to the telco store are unlocked.
Whether its Telstra, Optus or Vodafone/3.
Now the way it works in Aus the phone locks itself to the network its booked out on. So the phone you get on a contract with whichever company- say Optus for eg, A telstra or vodafone simcard wont work in it.
However with handsets locked to Optus and Telstra they are only locked within Australia. Why? Cause they are Australian based companies.
The reason this probably doesnt apply to Vodafone/3 is because it is also based overseas.

internets is the best way. easier and cheaper OS to use an internet cafe and keep the phone for emergencies.
stuff text messages - is there any reason you'd favour text over net specifically?

Just use wifi from a hotel your staying at or an internet cafe.

International roaming is the biggest money scamming bullshit telco companies have ever invented.
You turn on your phone overseas. Charged for using an Australian service in another country.
Someone calls you. You fork out the connection fee.
You call someone. Even worse.
And good god once your phone connects to the internet your stuffed.
25 bux a megabyt and even if u dont use it your phone updates and that used your data without your knowledge. End result 2,500 dollar bill and your gonna have wished youd never taken that holiday.
End result.
OPTUS TELSTRA AND 3. ****ing up your holidays for the next decade!

 

[THRILLHO]

International roaming reams so many people in the arse. It is not even worth the risk of getting the massive bill shock.

Like everyone else has said, cheap pre-paid sim. Throw it in the bin at the airport on the way back. Surely you wouldn't need to call someone back home more than once every two or three nights? If they were that important to you (partner, parents) they'd probably be with you right?