Have you ever been abroad and had a crisis?
You’ve got lost. You’ve had something stolen. You’ve missed a connection. You’ve fallen ill. No matter how big or small, avoiding the unexpected at home is impossible, so the idea you can do it while you’re abroad is obviously crazy.
When you’ve had a crisis abroad, do you remember the feeling?
Suddenly your heart rate skyrockets and panic quickly starts to take over. What do you do? Back home the chances are that you’ll call someone who’ll help solve your problem. But that’s not easy to do when you’re in a strange country.
So how do the travel experts handle the unexpected?
They always take a reliable, quality international cell phone service with them. And it makes sense for you to do the same.
Below are the 5 most popular ways to use international cell phones abroad:
This sounds like the perfect option doesn’t it — you don’t have to change your number and you already know how to use your cell phone. But there’s a problem — approximately 80% of US cell phones cannot work internationally (due to pesky technological incompatibilities).
First, check with your carrier, but be ready for extra charges — you may need to pay to upgrade your account and handset. You’ll also have to pay more for your calls. Plus, because you’ll pay for incoming calls, you might get people who don’t know you’re abroad calling you just to say hello. This will be expensive unless you’re rude and don’t answer!
Don’t do this. Sorry to be so blunt, but renting a cell phone is outdated. You wouldn’t think about renting a suitcase every time you traveled, and this is no different.
For the cost to rent a cell phone for about 2 weeks, you could easily have bought your own second international cell phone, and it’s yours for life, ready for every future trip you take.
As you’ve discovered in #2, buying your own cell phone is better value for money, but there are 3 methods you can use. The first uses “local SIM cards”. You’ll need a different local SIM card for each country you visit.
With local SIM cards you pay in advance for talk time, and then you keep buying extra talk time to keep your service active.
The problem with local SIM cards is they can be expensive to buy (e.g. the local SIM for Germany will cost you $60, and that’s without a cell phone, and before you’ve made calls). You run the risk of getting cut off if you run out of talk time (and can’t find anywhere to buy more immediately). And your cell phone can only use one carrier’s network in each country, so you may not have great reception everywhere.
Additionally, in some countries (such as Japan) you have to prove that you are going to legally take up residence in the country before you can buy a SIM card.
You can use this SIM card in lots of countries, but like local SIM cards, you still have the hassle of pre-paying for your talk time (with the threat of running out and getting cut off). But this is not the main headache, Global Call Back services use a complicated dialing system…
…Just check this out: First, you call an access number and enter your Pin number. Then you’re prompted to enter the number you want to dial. Then you hang up. Then you’re called back and connected to the number you originally wanted to call. Just to place a quick call!
But here’s the real killer. Because it uses an extra connection in the middle, it can really damage the quality of your calls, so you can’t always be sure you’ll even be able to make your call.
This is the method the travel experts love! You get global coverage on 1 phone number. It’s easy to use because it uses standard direct dialing like your home phone (unlike the complicated call back system above). And your service is continually active whenever you need it so you’ll never get cut off.
And most importantly, you get the best call quality — it automatically chooses the strongest cell phone signal of all the carriers supported by your phone in the area. It’s the equivalent of your US cell phone being able to choose between Cingular/AT&T and T-Mobile or between Verizon and Sprint depending on your phone for the strongest signal every time you make a call, so the quality is always the best.
And quality is obviously the most important feature of international cell phones!
About The Author
Michael Furniss is a copywriter and marketing consultant for the Mobal World Phone, America’s #1 selling international cell phone service — as seen in TIME Magazine, The WSJ, The Washington Post and the New York Times.
To learn more about international cell phones, visit www.mobal.com
You’ve got lost. You’ve had something stolen. You’ve missed a connection. You’ve fallen ill. No matter how big or small, avoiding the unexpected at home is impossible, so the idea you can do it while you’re abroad is obviously crazy.
When you’ve had a crisis abroad, do you remember the feeling?
Suddenly your heart rate skyrockets and panic quickly starts to take over. What do you do? Back home the chances are that you’ll call someone who’ll help solve your problem. But that’s not easy to do when you’re in a strange country.
So how do the travel experts handle the unexpected?
They always take a reliable, quality international cell phone service with them. And it makes sense for you to do the same.
Below are the 5 most popular ways to use international cell phones abroad:
1. Use Your Own International Cell Phone Abroad — Tricky!
This sounds like the perfect option doesn’t it — you don’t have to change your number and you already know how to use your cell phone. But there’s a problem — approximately 80% of US cell phones cannot work internationally (due to pesky technological incompatibilities).
First, check with your carrier, but be ready for extra charges — you may need to pay to upgrade your account and handset. You’ll also have to pay more for your calls. Plus, because you’ll pay for incoming calls, you might get people who don’t know you’re abroad calling you just to say hello. This will be expensive unless you’re rude and don’t answer!
2. Rent An International Cell Phone — Old News!
Don’t do this. Sorry to be so blunt, but renting a cell phone is outdated. You wouldn’t think about renting a suitcase every time you traveled, and this is no different.
For the cost to rent a cell phone for about 2 weeks, you could easily have bought your own second international cell phone, and it’s yours for life, ready for every future trip you take.
3. Buy Local SIM Cards — Hidden Expenses!
As you’ve discovered in #2, buying your own cell phone is better value for money, but there are 3 methods you can use. The first uses “local SIM cards”. You’ll need a different local SIM card for each country you visit.
With local SIM cards you pay in advance for talk time, and then you keep buying extra talk time to keep your service active.
The problem with local SIM cards is they can be expensive to buy (e.g. the local SIM for Germany will cost you $60, and that’s without a cell phone, and before you’ve made calls). You run the risk of getting cut off if you run out of talk time (and can’t find anywhere to buy more immediately). And your cell phone can only use one carrier’s network in each country, so you may not have great reception everywhere.
Additionally, in some countries (such as Japan) you have to prove that you are going to legally take up residence in the country before you can buy a SIM card.
4. Buy A Global Call Back SIM Card — Questionable Quality!
You can use this SIM card in lots of countries, but like local SIM cards, you still have the hassle of pre-paying for your talk time (with the threat of running out and getting cut off). But this is not the main headache, Global Call Back services use a complicated dialing system…
…Just check this out: First, you call an access number and enter your Pin number. Then you’re prompted to enter the number you want to dial. Then you hang up. Then you’re called back and connected to the number you originally wanted to call. Just to place a quick call!
But here’s the real killer. Because it uses an extra connection in the middle, it can really damage the quality of your calls, so you can’t always be sure you’ll even be able to make your call.
5. Buy A Global Direct-Dial SIM Card — Best Quality!
This is the method the travel experts love! You get global coverage on 1 phone number. It’s easy to use because it uses standard direct dialing like your home phone (unlike the complicated call back system above). And your service is continually active whenever you need it so you’ll never get cut off.
And most importantly, you get the best call quality — it automatically chooses the strongest cell phone signal of all the carriers supported by your phone in the area. It’s the equivalent of your US cell phone being able to choose between Cingular/AT&T and T-Mobile or between Verizon and Sprint depending on your phone for the strongest signal every time you make a call, so the quality is always the best.
And quality is obviously the most important feature of international cell phones!
About The Author
Michael Furniss is a copywriter and marketing consultant for the Mobal World Phone, America’s #1 selling international cell phone service — as seen in TIME Magazine, The WSJ, The Washington Post and the New York Times.
To learn more about international cell phones, visit www.mobal.com
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