Phone home from Italy--prepaid phone card or cell phone?
Jan 3rd 2004, 5:18 am
#1
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Posts: n/a
Phone home from Italy--prepaid phone card or cell phone?
The 3 of us will be going to italy in a little less than a month. We
will need to call the U.S., make phone calls within Italy to make
reservations, etc. In previous trips out of the U.S., I've relied on
prepaid phone cards, and they've worked out okay.
The last trip I took was about 3 years ago. Are there still payphones
in Europe ar are they hard to find like they are in my part of the
U.S.? Would
we be better off getting a sim card for our cell phone? (One of us
has a T-mobile phone and she claims that they can be used
internationally.)
Any advice or comments will be welcome and appreciated. Thanks in
advance.
Lil
will need to call the U.S., make phone calls within Italy to make
reservations, etc. In previous trips out of the U.S., I've relied on
prepaid phone cards, and they've worked out okay.
The last trip I took was about 3 years ago. Are there still payphones
in Europe ar are they hard to find like they are in my part of the
U.S.? Would
we be better off getting a sim card for our cell phone? (One of us
has a T-mobile phone and she claims that they can be used
internationally.)
Any advice or comments will be welcome and appreciated. Thanks in
advance.
Lil
Jan 3rd 2004, 6:11 am
#2
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Phone home from Italy--prepaid phone card or cell phone?
On 2 Jan 2004 22:18:24 -0800, [email protected] (Lil) wrote:
>The last trip I took was about 3 years ago. Are there still payphones
>in Europe ar are they hard to find like they are in my part of the
>U.S.?
The last time I was in Italy (admittedly 2 years ago now) I got by
fine using pre-paid phone cards. I had no problem finding public
phones, especially near train stations or on bus routes.
Geodyne
>The last trip I took was about 3 years ago. Are there still payphones
>in Europe ar are they hard to find like they are in my part of the
>U.S.?
The last time I was in Italy (admittedly 2 years ago now) I got by
fine using pre-paid phone cards. I had no problem finding public
phones, especially near train stations or on bus routes.
Geodyne
Jan 3rd 2004, 7:01 am
#3
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Phone home from Italy--prepaid phone card or cell phone?
Lil <[email protected]> wrote:
> The last trip I took was about 3 years ago. Are there still payphones
> in Europe ar are they hard to find like they are in my part of the
> U.S.? Would
> we be better off getting a sim card for our cell phone? (One of us
> has a T-mobile phone and she claims that they can be used
> internationally.)
Phone cards are cheaper and cell phones are more convenient. Your
choice.
--
Luca Logi - Firenze - Italy e-mail: [email protected]
> The last trip I took was about 3 years ago. Are there still payphones
> in Europe ar are they hard to find like they are in my part of the
> U.S.? Would
> we be better off getting a sim card for our cell phone? (One of us
> has a T-mobile phone and she claims that they can be used
> internationally.)
Phone cards are cheaper and cell phones are more convenient. Your
choice.
--
Luca Logi - Firenze - Italy e-mail: [email protected]
Jan 3rd 2004, 8:08 am
#4
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Phone home from Italy--prepaid phone card or cell phone?
On 2 Jan 2004 22:18:24 -0800, [email protected] (Lil) wrote:
>The 3 of us will be going to italy in a little less than a month. We
>will need to call the U.S., make phone calls within Italy to make
>reservations, etc. In previous trips out of the U.S., I've relied on
>prepaid phone cards, and they've worked out okay.
For calling back to the US, the very best thing you can use is a
prepaid Italian card that you can get wherever SuperEnaLotto tickets
are sold. (Tobacco stores are a good bet, but some sell only normal
Lotto tickets.) Any store that sells Superenalotto tickets has a
computer than can print you out a "Sisal Edicard Europe & USA". (Write
it down, so you won't have to pronounce it.)
You can get this card in denominations from 5 euro and up. The cost
for calling the US is a little over 3 cents a minute, so 5 euro will
get you almost 2 hours. The basic instructions on the card are in both
English and Italian. Basically, you dial an 800 number. Then you press
"2" to continue in English, following the prompt. You enter your PIN,
printed on the card, and then the number in the US you want to call,
preceded by "00 1" (00 is the international prefix and 1 is the
country code for the US.)
For calls within Italy, a normal Telecom phone card might be the
easier method. You can get these in almost any tobacco store, if you
ask for a "Scheda Telefonica". Pay phones are getting harder to find,
but those that exist usually take this card. You have to break off one
corner and then insert it in the phone as shown on the instructions on
the phone box. It shows you on the display how much money you have
left. Remember that you have to include the prefix ( beginning with a
"0") for all calls, unlike most European countries.
You can also call from your hotel without worrying about outrageous
costs, because it's illegal for hotels to tack on extra costs.
However, for calling the US nothing can beat the Edicard. I use it for
all my calls to friends and relatives in the US.
-----------
Barbara Vaughan
My email address is my first initial followed by my surname at libero dot it
I answer travel questions only in the newsgroup
>The 3 of us will be going to italy in a little less than a month. We
>will need to call the U.S., make phone calls within Italy to make
>reservations, etc. In previous trips out of the U.S., I've relied on
>prepaid phone cards, and they've worked out okay.
For calling back to the US, the very best thing you can use is a
prepaid Italian card that you can get wherever SuperEnaLotto tickets
are sold. (Tobacco stores are a good bet, but some sell only normal
Lotto tickets.) Any store that sells Superenalotto tickets has a
computer than can print you out a "Sisal Edicard Europe & USA". (Write
it down, so you won't have to pronounce it.)
You can get this card in denominations from 5 euro and up. The cost
for calling the US is a little over 3 cents a minute, so 5 euro will
get you almost 2 hours. The basic instructions on the card are in both
English and Italian. Basically, you dial an 800 number. Then you press
"2" to continue in English, following the prompt. You enter your PIN,
printed on the card, and then the number in the US you want to call,
preceded by "00 1" (00 is the international prefix and 1 is the
country code for the US.)
For calls within Italy, a normal Telecom phone card might be the
easier method. You can get these in almost any tobacco store, if you
ask for a "Scheda Telefonica". Pay phones are getting harder to find,
but those that exist usually take this card. You have to break off one
corner and then insert it in the phone as shown on the instructions on
the phone box. It shows you on the display how much money you have
left. Remember that you have to include the prefix ( beginning with a
"0") for all calls, unlike most European countries.
You can also call from your hotel without worrying about outrageous
costs, because it's illegal for hotels to tack on extra costs.
However, for calling the US nothing can beat the Edicard. I use it for
all my calls to friends and relatives in the US.
-----------
Barbara Vaughan
My email address is my first initial followed by my surname at libero dot it
I answer travel questions only in the newsgroup
Jan 3rd 2004, 8:48 am
#5
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Phone home from Italy--prepaid phone card or cell phone?
In article <[email protected]>,
B Vaughan<[email protected]> wrote:
> You can get this card in denominations from 5 euro and up. The cost
> for calling the US is a little over 3 cents a minute, so 5 euro will
> get you almost 2 hours. The basic instructions on the card are in both
> English and Italian. Basically, you dial an 800 number.
Can a cell phone dial this number? Are there any special surcharges ?
jay
Sat, Jan 3, 2004
mailto:[email protected]
Then you press
> "2" to continue in English, following the prompt. You enter your PIN,
> printed on the card, and then the number in the US you want to call,
> preceded by "00 1" (00 is the international prefix and 1 is the
> country code for the US.)
--
Legend insists that as he finished his abject...
Galileo muttered under his breath: "Nevertheless, it does move."
B Vaughan<[email protected]> wrote:
> You can get this card in denominations from 5 euro and up. The cost
> for calling the US is a little over 3 cents a minute, so 5 euro will
> get you almost 2 hours. The basic instructions on the card are in both
> English and Italian. Basically, you dial an 800 number.
Can a cell phone dial this number? Are there any special surcharges ?
jay
Sat, Jan 3, 2004
mailto:[email protected]
Then you press
> "2" to continue in English, following the prompt. You enter your PIN,
> printed on the card, and then the number in the US you want to call,
> preceded by "00 1" (00 is the international prefix and 1 is the
> country code for the US.)
--
Legend insists that as he finished his abject...
Galileo muttered under his breath: "Nevertheless, it does move."
Jan 3rd 2004, 11:46 am
#6
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Phone home from Italy--prepaid phone card or cell phone?
You also seem to have to use the Italian card. None of my US phone
cards, or credit cards would fire up the phone.
On 2 Jan 2004 22:18:24 -0800, [email protected] (Lil) wrote:
>The 3 of us will be going to italy in a little less than a month. We
>will need to call the U.S., make phone calls within Italy to make
>reservations, etc. In previous trips out of the U.S., I've relied on
>prepaid phone cards, and they've worked out okay.
>The last trip I took was about 3 years ago. Are there still payphones
>in Europe ar are they hard to find like they are in my part of the
>U.S.? Would
>we be better off getting a sim card for our cell phone? (One of us
>has a T-mobile phone and she claims that they can be used
>internationally.)
>Any advice or comments will be welcome and appreciated. Thanks in
>advance.
>Lil
cards, or credit cards would fire up the phone.
On 2 Jan 2004 22:18:24 -0800, [email protected] (Lil) wrote:
>The 3 of us will be going to italy in a little less than a month. We
>will need to call the U.S., make phone calls within Italy to make
>reservations, etc. In previous trips out of the U.S., I've relied on
>prepaid phone cards, and they've worked out okay.
>The last trip I took was about 3 years ago. Are there still payphones
>in Europe ar are they hard to find like they are in my part of the
>U.S.? Would
>we be better off getting a sim card for our cell phone? (One of us
>has a T-mobile phone and she claims that they can be used
>internationally.)
>Any advice or comments will be welcome and appreciated. Thanks in
>advance.
>Lil
Jan 3rd 2004, 12:13 pm
#7
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Phone home from Italy--prepaid phone card or cell phone?
On Sat, 03 Jan 2004 01:48:01 -0800, Go Fig <[email protected]> wrote:
>In article <[email protected]>,
> B Vaughan<[email protected]> wrote:
>> You can get this card in denominations from 5 euro and up. The cost
>> for calling the US is a little over 3 cents a minute, so 5 euro will
>> get you almost 2 hours. The basic instructions on the card are in both
>> English and Italian. Basically, you dial an 800 number.
>Can a cell phone dial this number? Are there any special surcharges ?
Yes, it can be dialed from a cell phone. There are no surcharges nor
connect charges. In fact, sometimes when I call my daughter I get her
anwering machine and leave a message. Sometimes it doesn't even deduct
a minute for this brief call.
>jay
>Sat, Jan 3, 2004
>mailto:[email protected]
>
> Then you press
>> "2" to continue in English, following the prompt. You enter your PIN,
>> printed on the card, and then the number in the US you want to call,
>> preceded by "00 1" (00 is the international prefix and 1 is the
>> country code for the US.)
-----------
Barbara Vaughan
My email address is my first initial followed by my surname at libero dot it
I answer travel questions only in the newsgroup
>In article <[email protected]>,
> B Vaughan<[email protected]> wrote:
>> You can get this card in denominations from 5 euro and up. The cost
>> for calling the US is a little over 3 cents a minute, so 5 euro will
>> get you almost 2 hours. The basic instructions on the card are in both
>> English and Italian. Basically, you dial an 800 number.
>Can a cell phone dial this number? Are there any special surcharges ?
Yes, it can be dialed from a cell phone. There are no surcharges nor
connect charges. In fact, sometimes when I call my daughter I get her
anwering machine and leave a message. Sometimes it doesn't even deduct
a minute for this brief call.
>jay
>Sat, Jan 3, 2004
>mailto:[email protected]
>
> Then you press
>> "2" to continue in English, following the prompt. You enter your PIN,
>> printed on the card, and then the number in the US you want to call,
>> preceded by "00 1" (00 is the international prefix and 1 is the
>> country code for the US.)
-----------
Barbara Vaughan
My email address is my first initial followed by my surname at libero dot it
I answer travel questions only in the newsgroup
Jan 3rd 2004, 12:14 pm
#8
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Phone home from Italy--prepaid phone card or cell phone?
On Sat, 03 Jan 2004 07:46:08 -0500, gerald <[email protected]> wrote:
>You also seem to have to use the Italian card. None of my US phone
>cards, or credit cards would fire up the phone.
I don't know what your problem was. In the past I've used US phone
cards in Italy, as have friends and relatives. Now I use only the
Edicard, which I mentioned in another post.
-----------
Barbara Vaughan
My email address is my first initial followed by my surname at libero dot it
I answer travel questions only in the newsgroup
>You also seem to have to use the Italian card. None of my US phone
>cards, or credit cards would fire up the phone.
I don't know what your problem was. In the past I've used US phone
cards in Italy, as have friends and relatives. Now I use only the
Edicard, which I mentioned in another post.
-----------
Barbara Vaughan
My email address is my first initial followed by my surname at libero dot it
I answer travel questions only in the newsgroup
Jan 3rd 2004, 12:27 pm
#9
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Phone home from Italy--prepaid phone card or cell phone?
In article <[email protected] >,
[email protected] (Lil) wrote:
> Would
> we be better off getting a sim card for our cell phone? (One of us
> has a T-mobile phone and she claims that they can be used
> internationally.)
a user of the t-mobile /network/ should be able to connect in italy
without a new sim -- iirc, the t-mobile partners are wind, tim and one
other local network. your friend can also, of course, get a local sim
which will be cheaper but means she won't receive calls made to her u.s.
number.
however, a u.s. handset won't work unless it is a 'triband' handset, which
most aren't.
[email protected] (Lil) wrote:
> Would
> we be better off getting a sim card for our cell phone? (One of us
> has a T-mobile phone and she claims that they can be used
> internationally.)
a user of the t-mobile /network/ should be able to connect in italy
without a new sim -- iirc, the t-mobile partners are wind, tim and one
other local network. your friend can also, of course, get a local sim
which will be cheaper but means she won't receive calls made to her u.s.
number.
however, a u.s. handset won't work unless it is a 'triband' handset, which
most aren't.
Jan 3rd 2004, 2:25 pm
#10
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Phone home from Italy--prepaid phone card or cell phone?
On Sat, 3 Jan 2004 13:27:19 +0000 (UTC), [email protected]
wrote:
>In article <[email protected] >,
>[email protected] (Lil) wrote:
>> Would
>> we be better off getting a sim card for our cell phone? (One of us
>> has a T-mobile phone and she claims that they can be used
>> internationally.)
>a user of the t-mobile /network/ should be able to connect in italy
>without a new sim -- iirc, the t-mobile partners are wind, tim and one
>other local network. your friend can also, of course, get a local sim
>which will be cheaper but means she won't receive calls made to her u.s.
>number.
I once used my Italian tri-band phone in the US on the T-Mobile
network and it cost me an arm and a leg. I don't know what it costs in
the other direcetion, but I would reserve this possibility for
receiving emergency calls from home and use a phone card to call to
the US.
>however, a u.s. handset won't work unless it is a 'triband' handset, which
>most aren't.
-----------
Barbara Vaughan
My email address is my first initial followed by my surname at libero dot it
I answer travel questions only in the newsgroup
wrote:
>In article <[email protected] >,
>[email protected] (Lil) wrote:
>> Would
>> we be better off getting a sim card for our cell phone? (One of us
>> has a T-mobile phone and she claims that they can be used
>> internationally.)
>a user of the t-mobile /network/ should be able to connect in italy
>without a new sim -- iirc, the t-mobile partners are wind, tim and one
>other local network. your friend can also, of course, get a local sim
>which will be cheaper but means she won't receive calls made to her u.s.
>number.
I once used my Italian tri-band phone in the US on the T-Mobile
network and it cost me an arm and a leg. I don't know what it costs in
the other direcetion, but I would reserve this possibility for
receiving emergency calls from home and use a phone card to call to
the US.
>however, a u.s. handset won't work unless it is a 'triband' handset, which
>most aren't.
-----------
Barbara Vaughan
My email address is my first initial followed by my surname at libero dot it
I answer travel questions only in the newsgroup
Jan 3rd 2004, 3:12 pm
#11
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Phone home from Italy--prepaid phone card or cell phone?
In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] (B
Vaughan) wrote:
> I once used my Italian tri-band phone in the US on the T-Mobile
> network and it cost me an arm and a leg.
it is certainly expensive - i use a uk t-mobile phone all over europe and
have the bills to prove it! the advantages are transparency and
simplicity.
sms is also a relatively cost-effective way of staying in touch with home.
Vaughan) wrote:
> I once used my Italian tri-band phone in the US on the T-Mobile
> network and it cost me an arm and a leg.
it is certainly expensive - i use a uk t-mobile phone all over europe and
have the bills to prove it! the advantages are transparency and
simplicity.
sms is also a relatively cost-effective way of staying in touch with home.
Jan 3rd 2004, 4:11 pm
#12
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Phone home from Italy--prepaid phone card or cell phone?
In article <[email protected]>,
B Vaughan<[email protected]> wrote:
> On Sat, 03 Jan 2004 01:48:01 -0800, Go Fig <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >In article <[email protected]>,
> > B Vaughan<[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> >> You can get this card in denominations from 5 euro and up. The cost
> >> for calling the US is a little over 3 cents a minute, so 5 euro will
> >> get you almost 2 hours. The basic instructions on the card are in both
> >> English and Italian. Basically, you dial an 800 number.
> >
> >Can a cell phone dial this number? Are there any special surcharges ?
>
> Yes, it can be dialed from a cell phone. There are no surcharges nor
> connect charges. In fact, sometimes when I call my daughter I get her
> anwering machine and leave a message. Sometimes it doesn't even deduct
> a minute for this brief call.
Thanx, while I do use pay phones, the convenience of pre-programing the
access and PIN into the cell and then be able to talk for less than
about $0.25/min versus the cell phone rate at as much as $1.29/min is a
considerable savings.
jay
Sat, Jan 3, 2004
mailto:[email protected]
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Then you press
> >> "2" to continue in English, following the prompt. You enter your PIN,
> >> printed on the card, and then the number in the US you want to call,
> >> preceded by "00 1" (00 is the international prefix and 1 is the
> >> country code for the US.)
>
> -----------
> Barbara Vaughan
> My email address is my first initial followed by my surname at libero dot it
> I answer travel questions only in the newsgroup
--
Legend insists that as he finished his abject...
Galileo muttered under his breath: "Nevertheless, it does move."
B Vaughan<[email protected]> wrote:
> On Sat, 03 Jan 2004 01:48:01 -0800, Go Fig <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >In article <[email protected]>,
> > B Vaughan<[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> >> You can get this card in denominations from 5 euro and up. The cost
> >> for calling the US is a little over 3 cents a minute, so 5 euro will
> >> get you almost 2 hours. The basic instructions on the card are in both
> >> English and Italian. Basically, you dial an 800 number.
> >
> >Can a cell phone dial this number? Are there any special surcharges ?
>
> Yes, it can be dialed from a cell phone. There are no surcharges nor
> connect charges. In fact, sometimes when I call my daughter I get her
> anwering machine and leave a message. Sometimes it doesn't even deduct
> a minute for this brief call.
Thanx, while I do use pay phones, the convenience of pre-programing the
access and PIN into the cell and then be able to talk for less than
about $0.25/min versus the cell phone rate at as much as $1.29/min is a
considerable savings.
jay
Sat, Jan 3, 2004
mailto:[email protected]
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Then you press
> >> "2" to continue in English, following the prompt. You enter your PIN,
> >> printed on the card, and then the number in the US you want to call,
> >> preceded by "00 1" (00 is the international prefix and 1 is the
> >> country code for the US.)
>
> -----------
> Barbara Vaughan
> My email address is my first initial followed by my surname at libero dot it
> I answer travel questions only in the newsgroup
--
Legend insists that as he finished his abject...
Galileo muttered under his breath: "Nevertheless, it does move."
Jan 3rd 2004, 5:06 pm
#13
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Phone home from Italy--prepaid phone card or cell phone?
B Vaughan <[email protected]> wrote:
> On Sat, 03 Jan 2004 01:48:01 -0800, Go Fig <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >In article <[email protected]>,
> > B Vaughan<[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> >> You can get this card in denominations from 5 euro and up. The cost
> >> for calling the US is a little over 3 cents a minute, so 5 euro will
> >> get you almost 2 hours. The basic instructions on the card are in both
> >> English and Italian. Basically, you dial an 800 number.
> >
> >Can a cell phone dial this number? Are there any special surcharges ?
>
> Yes, it can be dialed from a cell phone. There are no surcharges nor
> connect charges.
Is an 800 number a freephone number? If it is, won't some/all italian
networks charge for those calls? The website I usually check for this
(http://www.gsmroaming.co.uk) indicates some do, some don't, but it's
not always accurate or up-to-date. (FWIW, most mobile networks worldwide
usually charge for calls to freephone numbers, and the charges can vary-
from the cost of a 'standard' call upwards!) in addition alas, some
countries' networks "block" calls to known access numbers, or surcharge
them. I don't know if Italy's networks do this or not.
David
--
David Horne- (website under reconstruction)
davidhorne (at) davidhorne (dot) co (dot) uk
> On Sat, 03 Jan 2004 01:48:01 -0800, Go Fig <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >In article <[email protected]>,
> > B Vaughan<[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> >> You can get this card in denominations from 5 euro and up. The cost
> >> for calling the US is a little over 3 cents a minute, so 5 euro will
> >> get you almost 2 hours. The basic instructions on the card are in both
> >> English and Italian. Basically, you dial an 800 number.
> >
> >Can a cell phone dial this number? Are there any special surcharges ?
>
> Yes, it can be dialed from a cell phone. There are no surcharges nor
> connect charges.
Is an 800 number a freephone number? If it is, won't some/all italian
networks charge for those calls? The website I usually check for this
(http://www.gsmroaming.co.uk) indicates some do, some don't, but it's
not always accurate or up-to-date. (FWIW, most mobile networks worldwide
usually charge for calls to freephone numbers, and the charges can vary-
from the cost of a 'standard' call upwards!) in addition alas, some
countries' networks "block" calls to known access numbers, or surcharge
them. I don't know if Italy's networks do this or not.
David
--
David Horne- (website under reconstruction)
davidhorne (at) davidhorne (dot) co (dot) uk
Jan 3rd 2004, 5:22 pm
#14
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Phone home from Italy--prepaid phone card or cell phone?
<[email protected]> wrote:
> sms is also a relatively cost-effective way of staying in touch with home.
I've been very impressed with the costs of using GPRS (General Packet
Radio Service) while roaming. It works out quite a bit cheaper than
sending texts, especially when you consider that some European networks
add up to about 60 euro cents above your home network's cost. With gprs,
you pay by the MB. Now, the roaming cost may _seem_ very expensive-
Orange UK charge £10 per MB, but average small emails are only about 5k.
I'm found it very useful recently, and have used it in several
countries- even the US. But, yes, SMS is useful too. GPRS can be used
for general WAP as well- I got the news from the BBC that Liverpool won
the nomination for city of culture after just having arrived off the
plane in Malaga!
I will use the mobile phone when I have to, and don't mind receiving
calls on it, which isn't a terrible cost (45 euro cents a minute in
Europe) but basically, I think roaming is a rip-off, and refuse to give
the companies more money than necessary. I mostly use calling cards
which are typically excellent value, as has been pointed out.
David
--
David Horne- (website under reconstruction)
davidhorne (at) davidhorne (dot) co (dot) uk
> sms is also a relatively cost-effective way of staying in touch with home.
I've been very impressed with the costs of using GPRS (General Packet
Radio Service) while roaming. It works out quite a bit cheaper than
sending texts, especially when you consider that some European networks
add up to about 60 euro cents above your home network's cost. With gprs,
you pay by the MB. Now, the roaming cost may _seem_ very expensive-
Orange UK charge £10 per MB, but average small emails are only about 5k.
I'm found it very useful recently, and have used it in several
countries- even the US. But, yes, SMS is useful too. GPRS can be used
for general WAP as well- I got the news from the BBC that Liverpool won
the nomination for city of culture after just having arrived off the
plane in Malaga!
I will use the mobile phone when I have to, and don't mind receiving
calls on it, which isn't a terrible cost (45 euro cents a minute in
Europe) but basically, I think roaming is a rip-off, and refuse to give
the companies more money than necessary. I mostly use calling cards
which are typically excellent value, as has been pointed out.
David
--
David Horne- (website under reconstruction)
davidhorne (at) davidhorne (dot) co (dot) uk
Jan 3rd 2004, 5:42 pm
#15
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Re: Phone home from Italy--prepaid phone card or cell phone?
In article <[email protected]>,
gerald <[email protected]> wrote:
> You also seem to have to use the Italian card. None of my US phone
> cards, or credit cards would fire up the phone.
>
> On 2 Jan 2004 22:18:24 -0800, [email protected] (Lil) wrote:
>
> >The 3 of us will be going to italy in a little less than a month. We
> >will need to call the U.S., make phone calls within Italy to make
> >reservations, etc. In previous trips out of the U.S., I've relied on
> >prepaid phone cards, and they've worked out okay.
> >
> >The last trip I took was about 3 years ago. Are there still payphones
> >in Europe ar are they hard to find like they are in my part of the
> >U.S.? Would
> >we be better off getting a sim card for our cell phone? (One of us
> >has a T-mobile phone and she claims that they can be used
> >internationally.)
> >
> >Any advice or comments will be welcome and appreciated. Thanks in
> >advance.
> >
> >Lil
>
we got a phone card that was something like 200 minutes to the US for
about 5 Euro -- it was really cheap to phone the US on locally available
phone cards [the same phonecards had many fewer minutes if used
internally e.g. to Paris or to other Italian cities]
gerald <[email protected]> wrote:
> You also seem to have to use the Italian card. None of my US phone
> cards, or credit cards would fire up the phone.
>
> On 2 Jan 2004 22:18:24 -0800, [email protected] (Lil) wrote:
>
> >The 3 of us will be going to italy in a little less than a month. We
> >will need to call the U.S., make phone calls within Italy to make
> >reservations, etc. In previous trips out of the U.S., I've relied on
> >prepaid phone cards, and they've worked out okay.
> >
> >The last trip I took was about 3 years ago. Are there still payphones
> >in Europe ar are they hard to find like they are in my part of the
> >U.S.? Would
> >we be better off getting a sim card for our cell phone? (One of us
> >has a T-mobile phone and she claims that they can be used
> >internationally.)
> >
> >Any advice or comments will be welcome and appreciated. Thanks in
> >advance.
> >
> >Lil
>
we got a phone card that was something like 200 minutes to the US for
about 5 Euro -- it was really cheap to phone the US on locally available
phone cards [the same phonecards had many fewer minutes if used
internally e.g. to Paris or to other Italian cities]