Moving from USA to Europe. No service now. Advice?

[fire_water]

Hi,

Currently, I do not have a mobile service provider nor a mobile phone number. I do have a mobile phone though, an unlocked quad-band GSM phone. In a few months, I will be moving from the US to Europe. Occasionally I will return to the US to visit.

In the meantime, I am searching for a US mobile service plan. Whichever US plan I choose, I want to keep its phone number when I move to Europe so that I can use it when I return to the US. But I also do not want to pay a lot of money just to keep the US phone number.

So, my questions are:

1.) Which US mobile service plan fits my needs best?

My estimated monthly talk time is 150 minutes. Light data usage (directions, web browsing, etc) would be required. I would prefer to pay approximately $30 per month.

2.) How do I keep my US phone number when I move to Europe?

3.) Should I purchase a local SIM card for the European country I will be moving to?

Thank you

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[avenue]

There is a T-Mobile plan that is $30 per month with 100 minutes, unlimited text messaging, and 5 GB of data. You might be able to get an application to make calls over WiFi or over the data network if you need more than 100 minutes. I'm not sure if they will allow a smartphone on this plan, but they also have a prepaid plan that after you add $100 to the account it will last for a year. You can even add $10 worth of airtime each year just to keep the account active.