Years ago, when I was first traveling in southern Europe, a telephone call home meant waiting at the telephone office for hours. Today, calling home from Europe can be as easy as calling your next-door neighbor. In many cases, the telephone systems offer far more capabilities and simplicity than in the United States. This is especially true for mobile phones.
Here are four suggestions for calling home when traveling in Europe. Most of these tips apply to South America and Asia as well, but Canada is a special case. Most mobile-phone companies allow a temporary extension for travelers in Canada or offer special calling plans that can be rescinded upon return to the United States.
Use prepaid PIN phone cards for international calls. These simple cards are sold in Europe for amounts as little as 5 euros. Travelers can call a toll-free number from any pay phone or land line, then dial in the PIN number on the back of the card, then dial the phone number in the United States. Connections are excellent, but the best news is the value: My last phone card purchased in France allowed me 400 minutes of calls to the United States for just 7.50 euros.
Phone cards are easy to find, and are available almost everywhere in the world. In Europe, they are on sale at most tobacco stores and magazine stands. Before purchasing a card, ask the vendor which card is best for the countries you plan to call. Some cards offer better rates between Europe and the United States, while others have better rates to South America, Australia or Asia.
All cards are not created equal. The cards associated with the national phone companies tend to give fewer minutes per euro, but they have lower minimums, which might level the cost if you are likely to make many short calls. Still, whether you’re getting 250 or 400 minutes for your 5 euros, you are definitely getting a bargain.
Using a local mobile phone? Most of these cards provide a toll-free number or a local number for you to access the international network. You place your call just as you would from a pay phone, and the international charges are deducted from the phone card. The only difference is that you will also be charged for a local connection call.
There are a few downsides to these prepaid phone cards. For one thing, they expire within two to six months, so purchase them in low denominations and be sure to use them up. Also, they require you to punch a lot of numbers into the phone. First there are the seven to 10 digits to enter the system, then the 10-digit PIN number, then the phone number preceded by the international code — another 10 numbers at least.
Prepaid phone cards for local pay phones. These cards, also sold at magazine stands and tobacco stores, are designed to slide into a slot on the front of pay phones. These cards eliminate the need to punch in 20 or more numbers. Once the card is inserted, simply dial the local number. These cards may be used for international calls as well, but the rates are nowhere near the bargain you get from the prepaid PIN phone card discussed above.
Most European countries have this kind of pay-phone card system. In Italy, cards have a magnetic strip that “remembers” the remaining balance. In most other countries, these cards are embedded with a smart chip that keeps track of the money remaining on the card. Each time you insert the card, the phone displays the amount of credit remaining. Cards can be purchased with 5 to 10 euros of stored value. They do not ordinarily expire, so they can be used again upon returning to the country.
Buy a local SIM card for your mobile phone. If you are staying in a European country for an extended period or will be making many calls, having your own cell phone is a real convenience. If your usual mobile phone operates on a GSM system in the United States, it will often work in Europe. Two prerequisites: The phone needs to be compatible with the European GSM systems and it needs to be unlocked. Ask your provider if your phone can be used in Europe and, if so, have the company unlock the phone. Another solution is to purchase a cheap prepaid phone (these usually cost around 50 euros) or a tri-band model (about 150 euros) when you arrive in Europe. Buying a special unlocked mobile European phone is recommended only for travelers who return to Europe regularly.
Once you have an operating mobile phone, buy a SIM card that can be slipped into it. It will provide a local mobile phone number and a mailbox for voice mail. These SIM cards cost approximately 25 to 30 euros and include anywhere from 6 to 10 euros of calling time. Incoming calls are free to you (the caller pays), and the cards can be recharged with scratch cards available at magazine stands, or at bank cash machines, or electronically at many stores.
Different SIM cards have different rules. Vodaphone SIM cards are among the most versatile; they allow you to keep the same cell phone number for a year after the most recent use. This means travelers who travel frequently to particular countries can maintain the same cell phone number indefinitely as long as they return once a year. I have mobile numbers in both France and Spain. When I return to the United States, I can even call back to Europe to pick up my voice mail from these mobile numbers.
When purchasing a SIM card, ask the sales associate at the mobile telephone store to set up your voice mail and to key in the option to have instructions displayed in English on the phone screen. Some systems such as Vodaphone offer the option to receive instructions in English when calling for voice mail or recharging the phone account. Fifteen minutes spent with a knowledgeable sales representative learning the basics about the phone and the SIM card system will make using the phone far easier.
Call mobile to mobile or land line to land line. When traveling outside of the United States, it pays to compare the costs of dialing to land lines and mobile phones. In the United States, costs for calls are shared between the receiver and the caller; hence, there is no difference in price between calling a land line or a cell phone.
In Europe and elsewhere, the caller bears all the costs. It is far more expensive to call a land line from a mobile phone than to call another cell phone (and vice versa). If you know you are calling a cell phone, it is almost always less expensive to call from your cell. But be aware of this: The cost of calling a mobile phone from a land line can be 10 times more than calling land line to land line. So if you want people to call you from abroad, have them call a land line, not your cell. They will save a lot of money.
