International Travel Cell Phone Options

If you are a college student who has the opportunity to travel outside the United States for a semester or more on a study abroad trip, you will need to get a travel cell phone and international cell phone service.  It will allow you to make international cell phone calls from the country you are planning to visit.  A majority of overseas countries provide service through a unified system known as GSM (global services for mobiles). These services require a GSM phone and a SIM card which allows your travel cell phone to connect to a local wireless carrier from the country you are in. Odds are that your current cell phone service will not have access to service outside the United States. You may have a wireless GSM cell phone, but it could be locked or not work on international cellular frequencies. Typically a wireless phone is sold with the assumption that it works everywhere in the world; however,  a US phone may not  receive service abroad since cellular frequencies vary from country to country. Check your phone’s owner manual to see what frequencies it supports and check it against the country you are planning to visit.

Options for International Cell Phone Service

You have various options when choosing international cell phone service for your trip abroad. One option is signing up with a regular monthly account; however, they usually require a long term commitment which would not be practical for a study abroad student. The contract is usually for a year or more which doesn’t make sense when most study abroad programs are one semester.

Roaming
You also have the option of asking your current provider if they could switch your plan to a global roaming plan which provides you with service on your current phone from other providers around the world. This option does come with big drawbacks. Roaming charges can add up quickly and become costly. Many plans will run anywhere from one dollar up to six dollars a minute.  Some phones are also constantly connected to the Internet, even when they are roaming, which adds up quickly. If you are traveling on a budget, as most college students are, and intend on using your international cell phone throughout your trip, the roaming  costs could get extremely expensive.

Prepaid Mobile SIM Card
Renting a prepaid mobile SIM card will provide you with a local number and local rate for the country you are calling from. This route is fairly reasonable in price, and an added bonus is that there are usually no extra charges for someone to call you. These average between $30.00 and $60.00 and can be actively used for a year. Be aware of connection fees with these prepaid solutions. Receiving voicemail and SMS messages might take minutes off your balance.  If you want to get a prepaid mobile SIM card you will need to bring a compatible GSM phone and find a store that sells the SIM card.

Travel Cell Phone Rental
The best option for students is to contact an international cell phone rental company. The international phone service providers offer you options for the type of wireless phone plan and wireless cell service that fits your needs and budget. It is an inexpensive and beneficial route to go when your trip will only be for one or two semesters. There are many options available to suit your needs, so you are best served by contacting a representative for information on the best international cell phone plan and wireless cell service for you.  StudentCell is an excellent international cell phone rental company with affordable international travel cell phone deals for students.

Tips For International Cell Phone Calls
Tips to remember when choosing an international cell phone package:

• A prepaid SIM card doesn’t usually have a charge for incoming calls or SMS messages, and only a nominal outgoing call fee. However, always check your destination countries rates since they do vary from one country to the next.
  - If you are using this type of service, it may be advisable to call the individual you need to speak with and ask them to call you back so you don’t run out of credit/minutes during the call.
• Rental companies offer students great deals on international sim cards and international cell phone services without the need to purchase anything or sign a lengthy contract.
• If family and friends plan on calling you a lot it will be cheaper if they call a virtual US number.
  - A virtual number will ring to your phone wherever you are.
  - They don’t have to pay long distance or international rates, it’s just a regular local call for them.
  - The virtual number works alongside your regular number with no extra SIM card needed.
• Look at all the fees associated with the offer. 
  -Some offer low per minute rates, but then charge a connection fee for every incoming or outgoing call or SMS message.