International cell phone plans

[trestles]

Any suggestions on how to go about getting a cell phone plan with international capability? I know sat phones are an option but the per minute costs are pretty expensive. Are there better options out there? I'm definitely a novice when it comes to this kind of stuff.

 

[Diesel]

Cingular international world traveler.

Probably the best rates and coverage out there.

 

[Thedude]

Cingular cell roaming isnt cheap. It noramlly runs around $1.99 min. Check their website for exact rates. At one point I was paying $3.99 min in Kazakstan during peak day hours. If you are going to be in the same countries routinely, its probably cheaper to buy a local sim card for international calls. Other countries seem to have much chepaer cell phone rates than we do in the states. My company also has a sat phone and the pre-paid plan we are on runs $.99 a min but you have to buy 800 mins. Personally I use skype at $.02 min

 

[Diesel]

Pay the 5.99 a month to get the cheaper rates with cingular.

 

[nfg2u]

Get the T-Mobile International, in my opinion they are better. They have better agreements with worldwide providers. Neither carrier is going to be cheap by any means. If money is an issue check the providers website for rates where your going. T-mobile has worked in areas where Cingular has not, that is my experience.

Cingular is now AT&T and that is a bad combination!

Skype is the only way to go!!!

 

[ruhroa]

i use "mobal" its a pay as you go phone you just buy a $50.00 phone and they issue a u.k. phone number i have used it all over the world average call is around $1.50 a minute .....no other fees

 

[G21Agoose]

www.mycherrymobile.com

Cheaper than the rest- service just as good.

 

[trestles]

Thanks for all the info--it was a big help.

 

[G100driver]

Cingular worldwide for business and use skype to call home and watch the kids when I am out of the country. By far the best deal out there! My boss purchased the web cam for me in exchange for using that while making casual phone calls home. Great deal!

 

[wolfpackpilot]

Ive used my T-Mobile Crackberry on every continent except Africa and Australia.

Works everywhere except Japan and Korea.

Who cares what the cost is. You call, say Im here safe, see ya next week, give the kids a bath before I get home, goodbye!

 

[AV80R]

REBTEL = REBel TELephone!!!

Any suggestions on how to go about getting a cell phone plan with international capability? I know sat phones are an option but the per minute costs are pretty expensive. Are there better options out there? I'm definitely a novice when it comes to this kind of stuff.

I’m a big proponent of Skype because it’s totally free however now there’s yet another option.

Basically it works the same way, except you call over the internet using your cell phone. Depending on which country you’re calling from, if your phone works in that country, you might be able to call back home, or to another country, using only “local” minutes. I kid you not, I’ve tried it and it works.

The service is called REBTEL (REBel TELephone) www.rebtel.com.

You program the person’s phone number into your online account. Immediately, that person is assigned a “local” phone number for your usage AND a local number is generated for your friend in the country he/she lives in.

When you call the person, you dial the "local" number - when the phone rings, your “local” number shows in the persons caller ID (local to him/her), and when he/she answers, just ask him/her to hang up and REDIAL the number that showed on the caller ID.

Now both you and your friend are talking “locally” and are only charged your regular minutes! So with SPRINT for example if it’s after 7PM you can talk all night long and not pay a dime (except the $1 per week ONLY when you use their service).

I know it sounds complicated but it’s not. I programmed my friend’s phone number in Norway by going to my account. I put in the full international number I have to dial from the US - 0114…….. Within seconds, my account assigned an Atlanta area code phone number for her (I registered my account with an Atlanta area code cell phone number). It also issued a phone number my friend should use when she's calling me – it’s an Oslo, Norway phone number!

So when I call her, I actually dial an Atlanta phone number! If I’m in Atlanta, I don’t even have to dial the first 3 digits (area code). When she answers the phone, I say, “hey it’s me, call me back,” upon which she hangs up, (I stay on the line!) and then she redials my “local” OSLO number. That’s all there’s to it. Read the info on their website, hopefully it explains it well.

Also, there are only certain REBTEL countries but they keep expanding. Right now, here are the countries:

• Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Cyprus, Czech, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States

I'm still new to this service so I don't know all the quirks with the services provided, but I think it's worth for y'all to evaluate it, I know I'm liking it so far. Good Luck!

Here’s some info from their website:

Calling people - not places

International cell phone plans.
For just $1 USD per week, Rebtel makes all your international calls local. You can make as many calls as you like, but if you don’t make any Rebtel calls, we won’t charge you anything for that week.
And during the holiday campaign, Rebtel won’t even charge you the weekly $1 USD fee!
Making a Rebtel call

Call between Rebtel countries and only pay your local rates:

1. You call your friend abroad, using your mobile
2. They hang up and call you back while you stay on the line
3. Rebtel connects your two local calls over the internet
4. You only pay for your local calls (and $1 USD a week for Rebtel’s internet connection). Rebtel will not charge you the $1 USD weekly fee during the holiday campaign!

Call direct with Rebtel

You can also use Rebtel to call direct, anywhere in the world. Don’t ask your friend to call back, just call and talk. You pay your local call plus a very small per-minute fee to Rebtel.
Double dialing

If you don’t want to create a local number for your friend, you can call Rebtel and follow the instructions. You pay your local call plus a very small per-minute fee to Rebtel.
Next time you want to call a friend abroad, use Rebtel – it’s easy, it’s quick and it could save you a lot of money.


For just $1 USD per week, Rebtel makes all your international calls local. You can make as many calls as you like, but if you don’t make any Rebtel calls, we won’t charge you anything for that week.
Rebtel will not charge you the $1 USD weekly fee during the holiday campaign.
With Rebtel you can:
Make Rebtel calls at no extra charge.
Or Call direct with Rebtel, there’s a small per minute fee for this.
You always pay your mobile operator for your local calls.

 

[nfg2u]

Depending on which country you’re calling from, if your phone works in that country, you might be able to call back home, or to another country, using only “local” minutes. I kid you not, I’ve tried it and it works.

Sounds great but be extremely careful as your local international roaming charges on a cell phone can be up to $5.00 a minute! Make sure before you call.

Who cares what the cost is. You call, say Im here safe, see ya next week, give the kids a bath before I get home, goodbye!

Exactly!! Our phones work everywhere and we use them, not abuse them!!

 

[laurensfaber]

Any GSM Carrier (T-Mobile, Cingular, ATT...) will work, when you get abroad go to phone store and by prepaid SIM-card, go to cigaret store and by prepaid phone card.
For outgoing calls : use prepaid phone card with prepaid SIM card in your phone for calls back home for best rates.(From most European countries 1 to 5 ct/min)
for incoming calls: give people back home your new local phone number from prepaid SIM card.(They will have to pay a higher rate because your on a cellphone but for you incoming calls are free)
I commuted to Europe for 6 years and this is what I used.
Hope it helps

 

[SheGaveMeClap]

If you use skype domestically and call people's phones, how do they charge you? I didn't give them any credit card info, and they don't have my home address. I don't know much about skype, I'm a new user.

 

[Jurasic jets]

I use skype anywhere I have internet access its cheap internationally and domestically after the intro period its only 29.99 a year for unlimited calls in the US. WWW.skype.com

We have a cell phone for the boss to call us in an emergency but that is an expensive bill when he uses it. Skype works well for handlers and the like. The sat phone and Sat AFIS on the aircraft work well for last minute changes.

 

[azpilot]

Sorry to revive an old thread. I used a company called Celtrek which gives you a US number and a global sim card. If you want to learn more go to their web site. Worked well on my last trip to Europe.

I am also working on a site that discusses the options in length. It's called flightcrewgadgets. I would be interested to hear what others might be using. I think Rebtel can work pretty well.

If you have internet access Skype is great. However, if you want to have your telephone ring vs dragging a laptop or wifi phone around the Celtrek card could be a good option. I have been talking to the COO there and trying to work on a deal for pilots. I.E. cheaper buy in. So please tell me what you use today so I can compare and work on the best deal for everyone.

Also check out voicestick.com and the next2nothing plan. You can get a US phone number that you can forward to ANY number. Meaning have a local number and forward it to your hotel in country X if need be. Rates are really cheap. If you swap out your sim cards all the time this is a great service. Your friends and family only need one number.

Thanks,
Chris

 

[navigatro]

How do you know if your phone is "unlocked"?

What do you do if it is "locked"

I am new to T-Mobile w/a blackberry.

Thanks!

 

[icefr8dawg]

I'm sitting in the fbo right now with a t-mobile curve hooked up to the wireless network making free wi-fi calls. Works all over the world that way so long as you have a wireless network to hook up to.

 

[WhyFlare]

I'm sitting in the fbo right now with a t-mobile curve hooked up to the wireless network making free wi-fi calls. Works all over the world that way so long as you have a wireless network to hook up to.

What program is that?

Check out www.Iskoot.com for the blackberry. It puts your skype account on your wifi BB. Then you can call via the wifi and Skype. sms and chat too. pennies per call. Awesome program.

 

[skyward80]

I really like Range Roamer http://www.rangeroamer.com.

Basically, I just pop a their sim chip into my unlocked phone (if your phone is not "unlocked" it will give you an error when powering up with the new sim chip) whenever I am overseas. It saves me a lot of money.

My calling priority:
1) Use a work phone for work calls and let them pick up the charges.
2) Use something like Skype for personal calls if able.
3) Use a good calling card.
4) Use my cellphone with the Range Roamer chip.

Making my phone calls with this priority list in mind helps save me a lot of money.

Skyward80