Cellular Abroad Rental Cell Phone – SIM Insertion Guide
For travelers on a budget, slipping in a new SIM card may be the best way to ensure they won’t break the bank while using their cell phones on a trip abroad.
U.S. carriers, such as AT&T and Verizon Wireless, have been trying to make it easier and less expensive for mobile subscribers to use their cell phones when traveling in another country . And indeed they have. All the major carriers offer phones that can be used for international roaming. And some have even added special international packages with reduced calling and data rates to encourage travelers to keep their cell phones on while they’re on the go in a foreign country.
But for U.S. cell phone subscribers, who are used to free local and long-distance calling, as well as, free domestic roaming and big buckets of voice minutes and text messages, these “reduced” rates don’t look so cheap.
But there are alternatives, especially for people who have unlocked GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) phones. By simply replacing the existing SIM (subscriber identity module) card in the back of their phones with SIM cards from local operators or ones designed specifically for international roaming, cell phone users can save up to 80 percent when making calls instead of using a U.S. carrier’s international roaming plan.
Let’s start with the basics. What is a SIM card?
A SIM card is a postage-stamp-sized chip, which is essentially the brains of the phone, that slides into the back of your phone, usually underneath the battery. Changing SIM cards is very easy.
If I replace my SIM with a different SIM from another country, will I be able to use my U.S. phone number or check my U.S. voice mail from my phone?
With most prepaid SIM cards, the answer is no. You will get a new phone number that is local to the country where you bought the SIM. Depending on the country and the service you have, you may have access to voice mail. But some wireless operators in some countries don’t offer it for prepaid users.
One company I found during my research, Brightroam, offers customers the ability to forward their North American cell phone calls to their international cell phone numbers. Brightroam charges users about 69 cents a minute to accept these calls.
Where can I get a prepaid SIM card?
There are a few options. You can buy a prepaid SIM card for the specific country where you are traveling either online before you leave for your trip, or you can buy one from a local wireless carrier when you get to your destination. Buying a prepaid SIM in the U.S. will likely cost you a little bit more because companies often tack on a surcharge.
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