[karenjilla]

I'm new to cellphonesforums.net and wasn't sure where to post my question- hope this is the right place.
My daughter's graduating Valedictorian from high school, and her Aunt & Uncle are giving her a well earned trip to Europe for a month as their gift!
They said for me to get her an unlocked cell phone, which I did through eBay, and I made sure it was also a quad band phone as well. It's an LG CU500.
My question is this: Do I buy her a SIM card and minutes now, while still in the US, or is it better (cheaper) to wait 'till she's in Europe? She'll be in London for a couple weeks, then Paris, then Amsterdam, and most likely surrounding areas. If so, where does she go to get the SIM card & minutes? I know nothing about the companies in Europe or what's the best way to do this. Thanks to all who respond with answers.

---

› See More: Going to Europe

[tavenger5]

Once she gets to Europe she can purchase a SIM from a local provider. All she has to do is put it in the phone and it should work, assuming it's not locked to a specific network.

[karenjilla]

Once she gets to Europe she can purchase a SIM from a local provider. All she has to do is put it in the phone and it should work, assuming it's not locked to a specific network.

You didn't mention minutes. Do minutes come with the SIM card, do you purchase them seperately, or do you go somewhere else to purchase minutes? Also, do you know where or how she finds these providers once shes there? Will the SIM work in all the countries (and surrounding areas) she's going to or does she need to purchase a different SIM card for ea. country? Also, when I bought the phone on eBay, I noticed people selling SIM cards for very cheap. Would it be cheaper to get one before she leaves? Why or why not? Thank-You.

[tavenger5]

The minutes would be attached to the plan that the sim in purchased for. Assuming the plan is pre-paid, which is probably what she'd want, she would be able to add more minutes onto the plan as needed.

You would have to check with the provider to see what countries the sim could be used in. If you go outside of specified countries that could be considered roaming, which would cost more. So if you get a sim/plan that works in multiple countries, you'll have to see if that is cheaper than getting multiple sims.

You'll have to check for cell phone provider shops around where she is staying. I would suggest doing a search ahead of time and cross referencing addresses with google maps.

You could purchase a sim ahead of time, but I wouldn't get it on ebay. If you do it would probably cost more then getting a sim/plan when she gets there.