Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Once in Europe, buy a
SIM card
—the little chip that inserts into your phone (either
under the battery, or in a slot on the side)—to equip the phone with a European number.
(Note that smaller “micro-SIM” or “nano-SIM” cards—used in some iPhones—are less
widely available.) SIM cards are sold at mobile-phone shops, department-store electronics
counters, and some newsstand kiosks for $5-10, and usually include about that much pre-
paidcallingcredit(makingthecarditselfvirtuallyfree).Inmostplaces,buyingaSIMcard
is as easy as buying a pack of gum—and almost as cheap. (In some countries—including
Italy, Germany, and Hungary—it can take a bit longer, because you have to show your
passport and be registered.) Because SIM cards are prepaid, there's no contract and no
commitment (in fact, they expire after just a few months of disuse); I buy one even if I'm
in a country for only a few days.
When using a SIM card in its home country, it's free to receive calls and texts, and
it's cheap to make calls—domestic calls average 20-30 cents per minute (though toll lines
can be substantially more). Rates are higher if you're roaming in another country, but as
long as you stay within the European Union, these fees are capped (about 30 cents per
minute for making calls or 10 cents per minute for receiving calls). Texting is cheap even
if roaming in another country. Particularly inexpensive SIM card brands (such as Lebara)
let you call either within Europe or to the US for less than 10 cents per minute.
When purchasing a SIM card, always ask about fees for domestic and international
calls, roaming charges, and how to check your credit balance and buy more time. If text
or voice prompts are in another language, ask the clerk whether they can be switched to
English.
It'salsopossibletobuyan
inexpensive mobile phone in Europe
thatalreadycomes
with a SIM card. While these phones are generally locked to work with just one provider
(and therefore can't be reused on future trips), they may be less hassle than buying an un-
locked phone and a SIM card separately.
Mobile-Phone Calling Apps:
If you have a smartphone, you can use it to make free
or cheap calls in Europe by using a calling app such as Skype or FaceTime when you're
on Wi-Fi; for details, see the next section.
Some things that seem too good to be true...actually are true. If you're traveling with a
smartphone, tablet, or laptop, you can make calls over the Internet to another wireless
device, anywhere in the world, for free. (Or you can pay a few cents to call from your
computerorsmartphonetoatelephone.)ThemajorprovidersareSkype,GoogleTalk,and
(on Apple devices) FaceTime. You can get online at a Wi-Fi hotspot and use these apps
to make calls without ringing up expensive roaming charges (though call quality can be
