I%26#39;m sorry - I am SURE this has been covered, but I couldn%26#39;t find exactly what I needed when I searched. (feel free to yell at me with appropriate links...) I also apologize in advance for my lack of grasping technical stuff.
Hubby %26amp; I will be in France for 10 days (5 in Toulouse/Carcassonne for a wedding, followed by 5 in Paris). I have a Blackberry/cell phone for work that works internationally, but I don%26#39;t want to make personal calls on this, since I%26#39;d have to reimburse work for them. I%26#39;d like to continue receiving email on it.
So what%26#39;s the best option in terms of ease %26amp; cost?
* buy a new SIM card in France, switch it in and out of my Blackberry depending on whether I want to use it for work or personal?
* rent a cell phone (what kind is best? where to rent? specific company?)
* other that I haven%26#39;t thought of
We will be checking in with home on a regular basis, since we are leaving our two young children behind with my in-laws.
Thanks in advance.
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I used the cheapest way possible to be in contact with my family.
We pre-arranged a time including time difference and they would call us on 10-10-987 an hour phone call only cost $2.80 including the 50. cent connect fee.
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-You blackberry will in all likelihood not accept a French SIM because it%26#39;s locked to your US service provider.
-renting a cell phone for 2 weeks costs as much as purchasing one, plus you may get billing surprises months later(as reported on here, extra billing of $500+)
So,
-Use public pay phone and regular phone card to call home
-buy a prepaid phone that works worldwide( but pricey airtime) for $50 from mobal.com
-buy a prepaid phone in France for ultra cheap airtime, but locked to a French network
-buy a cheap unlocked world phone on auction sites(quality varies) and buy a French SIM card
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Hello; (he said softly)
A SIM card can be had for 15 euros. There are a number of offers. Orange through France telecom is one Then you buy time, in increments of 10-100 euros. The more you buy the more they give you.
There are Fance telecom offices many places in Paris or go to the FNAC on the Champs. They%26#39;ll set you up. You can also research online at www.orange.fr
Another option is to rent a phone. This can be arranged through your concierge, the phone will be there when you arrive and you leave it with them when you leave.
The Company is George V Telecom
46 rue Charron
75008
0033 147 20 30 40
But they are pricey for calls to the states...
If it is simple a matter of making calls inexpensively then a phone card can be had that has rates around .10 per minute.
If you want to receive calls then a SIM card will most likely be the most cost effective.
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You can purchase a phone with SIM cad and a 15 euro credit on it for under 100 euro also.
I was under the impression blueberry%26#39;s were n%26#39;t locked. I guess if you get one as part of your phone service it is... so strange, that.
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Thank you... you%26#39;d think with how much I travel internationally, I would be an expert in these matters, but I find it confusing! (and honestly, when I%26#39;m traveling for work, I just tend to use the Blackberry!)...
%26lt;%26lt;If it is simple a matter of making calls inexpensively then a phone card can be had that has rates around .10 per minute.%26gt;%26gt;
This sounds like the best option from my perspective, since we%26#39;ll be renting an apartment (as opposed to staying at a hotel). Where do I buy this type of phone card? I can use this on the phone that will be in our flat?
I know what an idiot I sound like!!!! Sorry and thanks again for your help!
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A cheaper way : Go to the nearest FNAC-shop, ask them to open your phone for French SIM-card ( its easy). Try the SIM-card first.
Then you buy a phonecard, and you call US for almost nothing.
Go to www.megakort.no
There you find advise to get the best card. Around USD 12 and you can all maybe 20 hours from Europe to US.
All this take 20 minutes
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We just returned from two weeks in France. Before leaving the US, we purchased (online) a $20 phone card from callingcards.com, which had recently been mentioned in the Washington Post. The website provides worldwide access numbers (local and 800 numbers are provided for many locations, including Paris). At the end of two weeks, we had more than $14 left on the card, which can also be used within the US. It was a great bargain.
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Hi
I am in the same glitch, trying to find a cheap way to call back home while we are away and my kid is at grandma%26#39;s. Cingular has a plan where you pay 6 bucks a month and 99 cents a minute from france to the US. 99 cents are for incoming and outcoming calls so there is no winning unless you change the sim card or just buy an old fashion calling card. we are signing for emergency reasons and buying a card to check in with mom. we will be away only for 2 weeks so I am not too sure its worth it for us to change the sim card.
Thanks to all for your great information!!
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Try www.onesuite.com
Set up an account, pay in $10.00 increments. Can be used via toll free access in France back to US at about .11 cents per minute, or from US to France at about .04 cents per minute.
Leftovers are still good for US longdistance at around .03 cents per minute.
Brian
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Thanks for the suggestions! So... %26quot;AskingForHelp%26quot;... did you use World Calls? That seems like the best option from that website... it makes me nervous to pull the trigger, but it worked for you?
Thanks!
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