Thanks for all the input and advice. The options and their meanings are much clearer to me now.

My plan is to get either a Travelsim or 09 card for use on-the-go (presuming Travelsim respond positively to my inquiry about phone compatibility). My guess is that most outgoing calls will be less than 2 minutes, and that mitigates against the services with a connection fee like UM. My phone is not on the compatible list for any of the IoM services, so that eliminated them from consideration for me. Travelsim is free for incoming in most places I will be, and I'll just have to be careful in Italy and Poland. I still need to find more details about 09. Not sure I've found their website yet.

I'll get a local card in the Czech Republic once I arrive there.

My parents and I will also sign up for a callback service that doesn't have monthly fixed fees. Probably Callbackworld. To cover their calls to me, and for me to use in the event that I have a need to make a long, long distance call. VOIP is a little more involved than we'd like to get right now.

Will let the forum know of my experiences. Thanks again.

The 09 site is here :) :
http://www.09.is/here.php

but the dealer is here:
http://www.orate.co.uk/Roaming/09tariff.html

09 has the best coverage among international SIMs as to the number of countries with free incoming calls (not only Europe, of course!) but the "tariff principles" are like those of UM - i.e. first minute 25 eurocent surcharge.

Hi bkspero,

And here's a US distributor for 09:

http://www.simphonee.com/

Have fun.

Marc

I use UM's card extensively with Callbackworld and am pleased. In the last week, I've used it in England for a four days, the Netherlands for two days, and the UAE. I've also used it in numerous other countries. It is a great rate and works reliably, but you need to be packing two phones. While you can technically trigger the callback with one phone, it is expensive (you have a setup fee with UM) and it involvesmore hassle.

UM has voicemail and there is a substantial fee for the pickup of the UM calls. I'm not sure whether this is a deal breaker for you or not.

There are several VOIP services that have connection rates to UM phones at US$0.10 a minute. If you have good broadand access in CZ, install one of those services and answer the phone directly in your apartment. When you are out on the run, you can divert to your mobile.

The problem with triggering the callback with CBW and UM with 1 phone is not the cost, the triggering call is never completed and there is no cost to you.

The problem, in some countries, is that when you hang up the triggering call, the system does not clear quickly enough for you to receive the callback and it goes into voicemail and you can end up with 9 or 10 calls in voicemail before you know it...

I never use naitive um to call voicemail..I try to do it through callbackworld itself to clear out these bogus so to speak vm calls.

But I agree CBW works better with 2 phones.

Just one more thing regarding local offers. Vodafone is currently offering to give you for free any of its postpaid tariffs. At the end of the month you decide to keep it or not. Here is the link: http://www.vodafone.cz/en/price_plan.../index.htm#dva

Did you get an answer on your V60 compatibility question?

I would hazard a guess and say your V60 should work OK. We (http://www.globalsimcard.co.uk/compatibility.htm) find the Motorolas to be the "most comaptible".

We also offer a handset testing "deal". Contact us via the website for details if need be.

Ed