International Study and Cell Phones

[DVCLiz]

Anyone have a son or daughter who studied abroad for a semester? What did you do about a cell phone? She is required to have one and will be gone for about 5 months.

She'll be in Ecuador and we have Verizon and AT&T phones. I would be glad to spend some money on the best option but don't want to get an international plan that costs $2.89/minute (the quote we got today from Verizon) if there is a better option.

Anyone with any experience??

 

[GatorGal]

Verizon technology doesn't work in Europe, not sure about Ecuador. My employer was based in UK and we all had verizon wireless over here so we had to make arrangements for when we traveled over there. We got an international phone through Vodafone that cost $10 per month, not sure what the rate per minutes was. When I went over there, I forwarded calls on my Verizon cell phone to the internation phone while I was in the airport in the US and then shut off my phone. When I got off the plane across the pond, I turned on the UK phone. Anyone that called my US number was transferred to the International phone easily and I found that those calls didn't hit the vodafone bill. So, essentially, anyone with Verizon that called me while I was over there, that call was free. Anyone with another carrier, it went to my cell phone minutes, not to the company phone bill. I would call DH and tell him to call me back, and we could chat as long as we wanted.

Check with Verizon again and see what carrier is used in Ecuador and maybe you can make the same arrangement.

HTH

 

[Briarmom]

I've not lived in Ecuador, but here in Belgium (as well as when we lived in Egypt) we bought unlocked cell phones. We just went to the store and bought a SIM card. Inside the SIM package is the phone number you have. Then we just go to a local store and buy minutes. It's pretty simple, really, and I like it so much better than having a set bill every month.

My Mom bought a calling card from some store in the States that gives her like 2 cent per minute calls to Europe, so that's how she calls us.

We also use the computer. We set up an account through Yahoo (I think?) and it is about a penny a minute home. It has an 'American' phone number attached to it, so we can also have people call and leave a message there, if necessary.

Good luck! She'll learn so much and have a blast!

 

[DisneyMomOK]

My daughter just got back from a semester at Hong Kong University. She got a cell phone in Hong Kong that used a sim card. She would go to the 7-11 and get more minutes, when needed. Although we were told Sprint would not work, she could receive calls on her Sprint line (she discovered it worked when a friend who did not know she had left called to ask her about meeting to do something lol). One thing that was really nice was using Skype.

 

[DVCLiz]

Thanks, everyone. I am thinking about getting her a phone here in the US that is a global phone (from Verizon) since I am not sure of the choices or quality she will have ( I would feel better about Hong Kong - when she went to Japan she got a phone over there and it was great, but Ecuador isn't noted for its technology, is it? On the other hand, she will be in a major city, so maybe she could find one over there that would work well enough.) She is looking at ordering a SIM card and then using a plan she found online (Pixel or Pic phone, maybe? I think it is what they used on her Japan trip last year.)

She will have a Skype account, too, but she is required to have a cell phone on her fully charged at all times so we need to get this last detail worked out!!

 

[Briarmom]

Thanks, everyone. I am thinking about getting her a phone here in the US that is a global phone (from Verizon) since I am not sure of the choices or quality she will have ( I would feel better about Hong Kong - when she went to Japan she got a phone over there and it was great, but Ecuador isn't noted for its technology, is it? On the other hand, she will be in a major city, so maybe she could find one over there that would work well enough.) She is looking at ordering a SIM card and then using a plan she found online (Pixel or Pic phone, maybe? I think it is what they used on her Japan trip last year.)

She will have a Skype account, too, but she is required to have a cell phone on her fully charged at all times so we need to get this last detail worked out!!

Egypt isn't known for it's technology either, but EVERYONE had a cell. Man riding a donkey cart full of carrots? On a cell phone. Man on a camel? On a black Razr phone. Every day. No idea how they afforded them. My phone there cost about as much as 3 months' pay for them.

 

[jsmith]

no experience with Ecuador-but TONS with countries with really bad infrastructure (southwest and central asia). We have found it works best with the networks there to have a local phone number-i.e purchase a local phone or SIM CARD-and a good international calling plan as some of the carriers-esq iraqana-dont work so well with international phones. I have a good international plan for calling those places and incoming international calls are free for the phone on that end. Calling the states is very expensive that way tho.

 

[minniebeth]

My DNeice was in Italy last year and she used Skype through her computer also. They loved it, it was great, and they used cameras so family and she could see each other while they were talking.

 

[Soarin08]

I agree with the Skype idea. That's a great way to stay in contact if you don't want to call each other quite a bit.

 

[Green Tea]

Make sure if you go with your regular provider than she doesn't keep her regular number. Friends calling to chit chat can lead to BIG bills when the phone is ringing in a foreign country.

 

[DVCLiz]

Make sure if you go with your regular provider than she doesn't keep her regular number. Friends calling to chit chat can lead to BIG bills when the phone is ringing in a foreign country.

That's a good thing to remember!!! I don't want her to be completely out of touch but I do think a "remember that Facebook is free" reminder wouldn't hurt!!

 

[gladstoneganderfan]

Hi, My Father's family is from Ecuador. I can email them if you like & see what they use (several family members live part time in the States, part time in Ecuador). What city is she going to be in? Don't worry about the technology. I call there all the time with no problems.

 

[bekkiz]

We were in Ecuador and the Galapagos last year. My cousin has ATT, and a new boyfriend at the time, and I promise she was on the phone a lot, esp. texting. I have no idea what the cost was after everything was said and done, but her phone did work there.

 

[pr surfer]

Telefonica Ecuador (one of the main cellphone companies) has TDMA/CDMA, AMPS, and GSM phones in its lineup.

This means that almost any US phone will work there.

If you want to be safe, purchase a worldphone, but I doubt you'd need it.