![]() |
|
(#1)
![]() |
|
Junior Member
Newbie
Posts: 6
Join Date: 23 Feb 2009
Country:
![]() |
![]() I do some travel from US to Europe, Mexico, and Carribean.
I am looking for a phone, not sure if it should be tmo or att that I can purchase here, and do the following with: 1. get phone in US with pay as you go plan. AND 2. use this phone in europe/mexico with prepaid sims purchased in other countries. (I realize I will have different phone numbers here and there, and that is OK) If I can do this, which carrier is better? Also, which phone do I get? Also, how does one re fill the phone here in the US? Is it via the sim card, do I get a new sim card to put in the phone each time, or do I just re fill the same card? Thanks. |
|
![]() |
(#2)
![]() |
|
Senior Member
Prepaid Expert
Posts: 389
Join Date: 10 Dec 2006
Location: Regina, SK, CA
Country:
![]() |
![]() It's possible, but most GoPhones are not going to support the bands used in Europe. GoPhone service doesn't support roaming, so there is no need for GoPhones to support the frequencies.
If you get the phone unlocked, you can use it with carriers that use those frequencies (I got my GoPhone unlocked and I use it on Rogers in Canada, which does use those frequencies, and I put my T-Mobile and Red Pocket SIMs in it for US use sometimes). That would allow it to work in Mexico, and in some Caribbean areas, but not all (some use European frequencies), and not in Europe. If you don't care about fancy features, you can get a cheap unlocked quad-band phone like the Motorola RAZR V3, and use it almost anywhere on Earth that has GSM service, including with GoPhone. You refill the mobile account, not the SIM. The SIM is the piece of hardware that lets your account work in a given phone. Think of it like your cablemodem or DSL modem. It's just a tool to use the service. Hardware: Too much but notably iPhone 5, iPad Mini Retina LTE, Moto G LTE (N.A. version), iPhone 4. All unlocked. |
|
![]() |
(#3)
![]() |
|
Junior Member
Newbie
Posts: 6
Join Date: 23 Feb 2009
Country:
![]() |
![]() Jim,
thanks for the help. Where do I get an unlocked phone? Do I have to purchase full price at ATT or Tmo for a quad band gsm? (I am assuming full price purchase since I don't want to sign up for a plan). Second part. If I want a winmo phone, such as treo or htc, can I get one of those unlocked, and again, where? Thanks! |
|
![]() |
(#4)
![]() |
|
Senior Member
Prepaid Professionist
Posts: 1,465
Join Date: 27 Feb 2004
Location: Mississippi, USA
Country:
![]() |
![]() There are many places where you can buy unlocked phones: eBay, TigerDirect, HoFo's adds, etc. Unless you want a top-end quad-band phone it might be cheaper to buy two; one for Europe another for the US.
|
|
![]() |
(#5)
![]() |
|
Senior Member
Prepaid Expert
Posts: 389
Join Date: 10 Dec 2006
Location: Regina, SK, CA
Country:
![]() |
![]() You certainly can get unlocked smartphones. I got my Treo 680 unlocked from importgsm.com three years ago. It's quad-band, has EDGE data access (which is the fastest non-3G data technology), and I can use it with any provider I like that uses GSM. It's been to the US, UK, Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Liechtenstein and worked fine.
You will pay more for an unlocked phone than for a locked one. You can also get locked phones unlocked. This requires some technical expertise in some cases, so I don't necessarily recommend it for the beginner. Some shops can unlock phones for you as well, and this requires no special expertise, but if you buy a phone and expect it to be easily unlockable, and it isn't, you might be disappointed, so I recommend that you do some research before you buy a locked phone with plans for future unlocking. Hardware: Too much but notably iPhone 5, iPad Mini Retina LTE, Moto G LTE (N.A. version), iPhone 4. All unlocked. |
|
![]() |
(#6)
![]() |
|
Senior Member
Prepaid Expert
Posts: 267
Join Date: 09 Jun 2006
Location: Malkavian University
Country:
![]() |
![]() if your going to europe you can buy a cheap dual band payg phone/ sim free for like nothing.....in france check out 'phonehouse.fr shops' and in ireland check out there sister company carphonewarehouse.ie
they will sell you an unlocked phone with a payg sim plus credit....for like nothing...or very little Active phones: Blackberry Torch (02), Google Nexus one (Vodafone) Inactive Sims: Oskar Czech R, BT Genie Pay as you go UK. Spare (unused phones) NEC 616, Ericsson t68/i, Nokia 3310, Sendo m550, Mototorola v66i, Motorola a1000.lg u880, Sony Ericsson t230. Orange spv m5000, Samsung z400, Motorola SLVR (Red)!, lobster tv700, spv m700, prada phone, motorola l7e, Skype phone, siemens sl65, blackberry 8810, Nokia 6500 slide X2. |
|
![]() |
(#7)
![]() |
|
Junior Member
Newbie
Posts: 6
Join Date: 23 Feb 2009
Country:
![]() |
![]() so if for instance i got an unlocked centro, if i understand correctly, i could just get a pay as you go plan for here from att? Also, who assigns the phone number , and where do i get it? My idea was that I just go to say walmart with $50, and I can get a card to refill minutes.
My next question is, If I get a centro, how do I get data? Do I have to subscribe to a 'real' plan, or can i just either buy a data plan pay as you go, or do they transfer minutes fromt he calling plan? Finally, looked on ebay for unlocked phones. How do I know phone is ok? I am very technical on vzw, when getting a used phone you have to check with them to have them check the esn and make sure it isn't locked or stolen, and that vzw will actually activate it? With a real 'unlocked' phone, I am assuming that it means that you can put any sim into it? Sorry for all the questions, but I really appreciate the help. Thanks. |
|
![]() |
(#8)
![]() |
||
Senior Member
Prepaid Professionist
Posts: 1,465
Join Date: 27 Feb 2004
Location: Mississippi, USA
Country:
![]() |
![]() Quote:
|
|
|
![]() |
(#9)
![]() |
||
Senior Member
Prepaid Specialist
Posts: 898
Join Date: 17 Mar 2004
Location: Richmond, VA USA
Country:
![]() |
![]() Quote:
Yes, the SIM from ATT or TMO will be assigned a phone number when you call to activate it. Or it may already come out of the box with a number. You will probably have a choice of the area code and the 3 digits AFTER the area code. They will ask you where you live and assign a number based on that. I doubt your (ATT centro?) Walmart phone is going to work overseas with a standard ATT or TMO or other prepaid setup. Also, as DRN suggested, check very carefully if you buy off eBay. Some uneducated sellers have no idea what UNLOCKED means. I always recommend ASKING THE SELLER at least one question. In your case maybe how do you know the phone is unlocked. The higher the seller's feedback and the fewer the neutrals and negatives, the better your chances. Stuff does happen, however. Foreign SIMS, including the internationals, at least the ones I have bought, have the number already tied to the SIM card. Keep asking your questions. Service: US T-MO post paid (2) - US T-MO prepaid (2) - UM+ - TravelSIM DE SIMYO - DE SUNSIM T-Mobile DE Calling Cards: Onesuite Enjoyprepaid AT&T MCI Mobivox |
|
|
![]() |
(#10)
![]() |
|
Senior Member
Prepaid Expert
Posts: 389
Join Date: 10 Dec 2006
Location: Regina, SK, CA
Country:
![]() |
![]() The Centro is a Palm phone. Quad-band GSM / EDGE.
Hardware: Too much but notably iPhone 5, iPad Mini Retina LTE, Moto G LTE (N.A. version), iPhone 4. All unlocked. |
|
![]() |
![]() |
|
|