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London cell phone guide: Best ways to call home from anywhere in Europe

Don't waste a fortune on expensive calls from Europe! Want to know the best, easiest, and cheapest ways to call the USA while you're abroad? And which services are the best? Read my London cell phone guide for tips you can't afford to be without!

It's up to YOU to determine the best trade-off between convenience and cost. I'll set out your options so you can decide how best to keep in touch while you're in Europe.

But before you get there, I really really want to stop you making my cardinal travel sins..

PHONE MISTAKES TO AVOID

Using your hotel phone. Cost: $2-$8 per minute.

You might as well just set fire to your money. Burn note after note. Just ten minutes a day of calling home in some top European hotels for a week could cost you a staggering $650. Some even charge for free 1-800-style numbers.

Using your home cell phone: Cost: varies, but around $1.50-$2 per minute.

Even if it works in Europe - and there's a good chance it won't (more details on this below) - this is a massively expensive way of keeping in touch. Calls at $2 a minute? That's $20 for ten minutes! You even have to pay nearly that just to RECIEVE calls!

Renting a travel cell phone.

For a couple of years this wasn’t too bad an option, but now international cell phone prices have fallen so much that renting doesn’t really make economic sense. You can now buy a phone for not much more than renting, and have it available for next time or even to loan to friends. If you do still want to rent Cellular Abroad is consistently the best of the bunch of all the operators in terms of deals and what you get for your money.

Using coins in a callbox.

It's expensive anywhere in Europe. London is pretty typical. London’s iconic red phone boxes may be known throughout the world but they cost the earth to use. Ten minutes to the USA costs £18.60! (that's more than $25!). DON'T DO IT!

So if that's what I shouldn't do what SHOULD I do?

Well, you have THREE main options: the Easiest/most convenient, the SIM option (cheaper but a fair bit more hassle), or the least convenient but rock-bottom cheapest.

EASIEST OPTION: THE WORLD PHONE

Totally the most convenient - but not the absolute cheapest.

What is it?

woman-on-cell-phone It’s a travel phone, essentially a normal cell modified to use in any major country in the world. You just use it like a normal cell – just dial your normal numbers but with the international dial code beforehand (i.e. just add a 001 before the number for the US).

Where do I buy one & how much does it cost?

There are many companies out there but the one that I've used personally and the one that I recomment is the most competitive in terms of coverage, support and price: Mobal. They're an established operator with good prices and consistently strong reviews. You have to buy a handset but the cheapest is just $49 and then the whole problem is sorted - and unlike rental you get to keep this for any future trips.

Advantages/disadvantages

The main advantage is that it's really, really convenient:

It works in all European countries without you having to do anything special at all. So it's ideal if you're going to France etc and, say, Italy on one trip. Or England and then Ireland. You get to keep one phone number to give your family and friends.

It's a cell phone. Any emergencies at home, or while you're travelling, you can get straight in touch with the people you need to talk to.

You pay once for the handset and then calls only as you use them. That means no monthly fees, no buying calling credit you'll never use, and no horrendously-complicated investigations as to whether your current cell phone will work in Europe. So - you don't call anyone, you don't pay anything.

Calls are charged as you make them to your credit card so you never run out of credit, pay for credit you don't need or pay for anything you don't use.

You get to keep it forever. Wherever you go in the world next, you'll have the phone to use. It'll work in almost any country. Even if you're not using it again personally you can gift it to friends or family.

Incoming calls are FREE! Get your family back home to call you at a certain time and you don't have to pay anything to receive them!

Buying a worldphone is without a doubt the most convenient option... but it's not the cheapest. It's up to 90 cents a minute to make a call. However. . . that's almost certainly sharply cheaper than your current cellphone provider, even if your cell does work in Europe. And on Mobal at least it's free for you to recieve calls on your cell phone while you're abroad - so you could arrange for your family to call you.

So in sum, while not the cheapest, getting a world phone is by far the easiest way of saving money. Check out the Mobal site for more details.

CELLPHONE VALUE: BUY A EUROPEAN SIM

Cheaper but you need a suitable phone & to jump through a few hoops

If you’ve got:

(a) a suitable cell phone (what does this mean?) (warning: science degree helpful!) and:

(b) can swap the SIM.

then of the most competitive ways to call the USA from a cellphone is to buy a European SIM.

What is it?

UK sim card for cheap calls A European SIM card which fits in your existing cellphone.

If you’ve got a GSM phone, it’s got a SIM card
in it – it’s a bit like the phone’s brain.

You temporarily swap your US SIM for a French, German, Italian one etc. This means you can use your existing handset, which will now have a European cellphone number - and access to cheaper international calling.

Swapping a SIM – if you’ve never done it before – can be done easily without any special equipment; it’s usually found under the phone’s battery.

How do I get a European SIM Card?

Well, the best way depends on where you're going.

For European countries - France, Italy, Spain etc, the best way to get one is to buy one once you arrive. They're widely avaliable in cornershops and cell phone shops.

For the UK, the best way is to order one online shortly before you’re due to arrive, and have it delivered (for free) to your hotel, though you can also pick one up in phone stores once you arrive. If you are in the UK, your two cheapest options are: T-mobile and Talkmobile.

T-mobile is a bigger company and but more expensive. Calls are 10p/minute (that's about $0.16/minute) but you need to activate this tariff by text message (SMS) for no extra charge (currently you need to type the three letters ‘INT’ (without the quotes) to the number 411)

But the best - because it's consistently the cheapest is Talkmobile and has the added benefit that you don’t have to send a text to get it started. Be sure to buy the Talkmobile World SIM; it's free for the SIM but you need to order £10 (about $15) worth of credit - the credit's good to call numbers in the UK as well and sort all your phone needs back to the USA (or any other country!). Calls are just 4p/minute to the US - that's around 5.5 cents a minute.

What if I'm going to more than one European country on your trip?

Realistically, you're going to have to buy a different one in each country. Trying to use a French SIM, for example, to call the USA while you're in Italy is going to cost a fortune. But the main problem is that you won't be able to top up your calling credit easily. Buying the SIMs means you'll have a different phone number in each country and you'll have to top up the credit of every new SIM in every new country.

How do I use it?

Whichever country you're in, once you’ve bought your SIM card or picked your SIM card up from your hotel you can just put it in your GSM phone. It's as easy as changing a lightbulb. If you need to refill the credit, visit a mobile phone shop, grocery chain or cornershop and buy a ‘top up card’ – a plastic card. They sell them virtually everywhere. Follow the instructions on the back of the card (you usually have to scratch off some silver 'paint' type stuff with your thumbnail or a coin) and the amount of credit that you’ve bought – usually five to ten pounds or euros – will be added to your talk balance.

What if my existing cell phone isn't GSM compatible?

Well, you could buy a European SIM and cell phone in advance - for the cheapest option click onto Call In Europe which offers some very good prices - a one off fee for the phone and then low call rates of around 39 cents a minute.

Advantages/Disadvantages:

The call costs to the USA are very competitive: a maximum of 10p/minute from those UK operators, the cheapest of which is Talkmobile. It generally costs slightly more from Europe - around 50 US cents a minute, though obviously precise costs vary by country. You don’t need to plug in a long series of numbers or codes; you just dial a normal US number along with the international code.

In the UK, it's easy to order the SIM in advance to have it delivered to your hotel - they'll just keep it behind the desk for you.

Whatever phone number you're provided with expires after 6 months without being used so you can’t keep it for future trips.

The SIM will only work in the UK, so not ideal if you’re heading off to other parts of Europe on the same trip or want one calling solution for all your foreign travel then this isn’t the best solution. For that a travel phone might be a better bet.

If you run out of credit, you'll need to top it up again but this can be done at newsagents and cornershops etc quite widely.

CHEAPEST POSSIBLE OPTION: NO CELL

If a worldphone or European SIM-swapping doesn't take your fancy, there are two further ideas: calling cards, or internet telephony. These are both cheaper, but offer less flexibility and you won't have the convenience of a cell phone.

1. The pre-paid calling card

Great for occasional use, but a bit of a chore to use. Not economically sensible to use from cell phones of any variety so one for the landlines.

What is it?

You pre-pay say, $10, and get a certain number of minutes for your money. At the moment you can dial the US from as cheap as 1¢ or 2¢ a minute. They’re available before you leave the US.

AT&T cards are probably the best known but their rates are around 20¢ a minute – there are far, far cheaper alternatives that are just as good, if not better. The best place to look is the recommended callingcards.com- be sure to check the 'per minute' rate to find the best deal, but all comfortably beat the AT&T deals. This is a really easy option too as you order online before you leave the USA and they'll mail one to you.

If you'd prefer to leave things till you're on vacation already then you can buy them once you arrive in Europe in cornershops etc. They’re very widely available; indeed there’s a bafflingly large variety, many with pictures of tigers or elephants on them for some reason. I have no idea why. Again, just check the ‘per-minute’ costs carefully.

How do you use them?

The exact method varies depending on the brand but in general you pay the local-currency equivalent of $5 or $10 and then dial a freephone number – the call itself won’t cost you, as long as its from a fixed line phone (WARNING: some nasty hotels even charge you for freephone numbers, which should be totally free – check with reception before you dial!).

You then need to plug in a tediously long number on the back of the card, press the pound key and finally the phone number you want to call. You’re charged depending on how much credit you use. When that credit's gone, you need to buy a new card, even if you’re in the middle of a call.

Advantages/disadvantages:

Incredibly cheap. And I mean stupendously cheap.

You need to use in a call box – not ideal for long calls – or your hotel phone if it’s free.

You can’t receive calls.

Call quality is sometimes poor.

Freephone numbers (ones which start 0800) cost a lot to call on UK mobiles/SIMs. They're only free to call using a normal fixed-line phone or call box, so calling cards in general are sensibly a fixed-line only option.

2. Skype/internet phone services.

What is it?

A brilliant service called Skype allows you to talk to friends via a computer (free), or directly to their normal phone number (for a small fee). You need:

A laptop/portable computer;

headset/microphone; and

(once you’re in London) Access to an internet connection (probably wireless, or wifi) to get going

How does it work?

You install some free software on your computer - follow the instructions on the Skype website. It’s a good idea to do all this before you go as you don’t want to have to drag a computer across the world to find out it doesn’t have a suitable microphone or something.

Assuming everything’s ok with your set up and your hotel has free wifi, you can talk to your family, friends and neighbors either totally free (if they're using their computer to talk) or a small amount (if you want to call from a computer to a normal telephone).

Can I dial a regular number from Skype?

Yes - and this is where the real savings lie. If you want to ring a regular number rather than have your contact be on their computer at a certain time you can buy Skype credit - each minute costs literally a fraction of a cent so you can talk for weeks for a minuscule amount of money.

In fact I'd recommed buying one of their unlimited calling options for a month or so. This has the potential for huge savings:

Their cheapest options will give unlimted European calling for around $2 a month (yes, a month. Normal carriers would charge you that per minute!)
You can then ring attractions/hotels/car hire/taxis/friends direct rather than wondering about call costs. This would help you with getting the latest information/reservations etc etc. There's nothing like talking to someone to make sure, especially if it's a slightly unusual activity or place to stay.
Then when you're in the UK you can use the Skype to call home for nothing or next-to-nothing every evening if you want to!
If you're carrying your computer with you anyway for Skype you can also use the interent to check for last minute show deals, opening hours, restaurants etc etc. while you're in Europe.
The only drag is having to being a laptop/portable computer with you on your trip, which can be heavy. Even so, Skype still very much worth considering seriously, and much easier if you're calling a 'normal number' instead of a computer. It's definitely worth checking them out for more info.

Final top tip:

If you need to dial directory enquiries/assistance while you're in England you can do so for free on 0800 100 100 - there is a slight charge from a mobile network though. You need to sit through a 15 second advert, but the call is free. If you need to search online for contact details you can look for businesses or individuals.

So however you choose to stay in touch - travel phone, UK cellphone/SIM or rock-bottom cards or Skype, be sure saving money without spoiling your vacation!