<p>So my s is studying abroad this summer and he told me he needs a sim card for his phone so it can work overseas. Well, our provider has phones that don’t work with sim Cards. So is it better to wait and buy a phone when he gets there - or should he rent or buy a phone in advance?
I would be more comfortable if he had a workable cell phone when he’s away. But I don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars! Thanks for any help!</p>
<p>what I’ve typically heard from kids going abroad is that they buy a phone when they get over there. That being said, if your son knows anyone who has studied in the particular geographic region he’s going to, maybe they have a phone they will sell to him. When my D studied in London, she bought a used phone from a friend who had been there the previous semester. When D finished her semester, she sold it to a girl who was going in the fall. If they’re just going to use it a few months, see if he can find one someone has already used.</p>
<p>CDMA; e.g. Verizon doesn’t use SIMM cards. GSM; e.g. ATT/Cinglular uses SIMM cards. GSM is very common in Europe. However; if you have verizon; they have a lease program on a phone that you can lease and take to europe and work on their system. You pay decent per week plus minutes. Call and check it out. If you don’t have Verizon, check with them and see. Or, just do a google search for “Cell phone rental europe” or some variation of.</p>
<p>We bought a T-mobile because it uses Sim-cards. When I am abroad, I buy a local sim-card, take out my regular one and put it away until I return home. .I can put money on the sim-card and replenish it if necessary. Local sim-cards, if not used over a period of time, can become obsolete but should not be expensive to purchase.</p>
<p>Thanks for the help.
Yeah, we’re with Verizon, so no sim cards.
I looked at the Verizon cell phone prental deal and it was pretty pricey - would end up costing us over $250.
So I’ll check out the web but I’m wondering if it just makes sense to buy it or rent it over there.
Good idea to check with prior students…most of them probably did the sim card thing though.</p>
<p>AT&T has what they call the GoPhone for sale at Target or Walmart or their stores. I uses a sim card and can be used in Mexico. You might look into whether it could be used where he’s going. The are like $19 at WalMart. Real basic features (no camera) but text capability which is all a college student wants anyway…</p>
<p>Buying a cell phone abroad is usually the best option. They seem to be more reasonably priced overseas and there is no contract. When we went to China two weeks ago our daughter bought a second phone for us and some upcoming visitors for $30 and that included a sim card. It came with enough visits for our two week visit but she will have to buy more minutes for the next people. She will be back from China in Sept or Aug. and she said her brother could use one of her phones for his upcoming (we hope) study abroad in England. Some study abroads actually include a cell phone so make sure that’s not the case before you buy one.</p>
<p>If you plan on bringing a cell phone overseas, be sure to take one that’s unlocked & has the right band. I’ve been checking on line for a quad band phone to use in Russia, found one that’s about 80, & that’s the cheapest. If you’re taking your T-Mobile tri/quad band phone, you might need to call T-Mobile to unlock your phone.</p>