What would u recommend as a good travel phone for Europe and Americas?
The teenager is heading off in few months for a gap year.
Thoughts ?
Thanks
Honestly, just buy a $50 cheap phone in one of the myriad Kmart/Big W/Coles/Woolies sales, and then buy a $150 point and shoot camera. Phone is purely to make calls, with some Facebook and internet browsing on the side, no probs. And a $150 point and shoot camera will take better photos then a cheap old iPhone camera.
You can get a iPhone SE (the highest-end phone, at the smallest size).
Then use it with a [Disguise Case].(https://www.amazon.com/Thumbs-Up-UK-Retro-iPhone/dp/B00BM4WU…)
Most thieves are opportunistic, though I have been told that it goes Sth America>Europe>USA>Canada in terms of theft rates.
The pills might be eye catching/tempting for any drug users, so maybe avoid that.
Whilst the Nokia 3310 might blend in with the regular folks in South America, that might be reason enough to steal.
The hard drive and Nintendo's would look like they have some value when placed upon, so they could be targeted.
Your safest bet is the calculator, I doubt any thief wants to do some maths : )
Good idea about placing Nokia cover on. Couldn't see the calculator. Ali G did a good sketch on a maths teacher asking littleJimmy to work out his drugs on the street calculations. https://youtu.be/cJeonkuWAO8
USA, Canada and Mexico phones (and possibly South American countries) use different data frequencies to AU, NZ, Africa, Asia and EU phones. There may be some overlap but if there is you may only be able to access 3G speeds.
I understand that some iPhone and Samsung phones available in AU do have required USA 4G frequencies.
http://prepaid-data-sim-card.wikia.com/wiki/United_States
For your teenager's trip I would get a phone that works in the civilised world and have them get a throwaway el cheapo USD20 smartphone from Walmart when they arrive in USA.
https://www.walmart.com/c/kp/smart-phones-with-no-contract
You can check specs of your phone here:
or here:
You would then have to compare the frequencies offered by telcos to the ones your phone can access.
Be aware that even though some frequencies used are the same (700GHz in USA if I recall correctly) the signal on them may not be compatible.
If your phone is listed, this web site will tell you if your phone will work in the countries you wish to visit:
My phone is a Moto G4 Play dual SIM. There are different models of the same phone depending on where they are sold so be sure you are checking the correct version of your phone.
Moto G4 Play Versions
XT1601 (LATAM, Mexico)
XT1602 (Europe, India, Australia)
XT1603 (Brazil)
XT1604 (Europe)
XT1607 (USA, Canada)
XT1609 (USA)
The specs of my phone are:
XT1602
GSM MHz band Quad-Band 850/900/1800/1900
2G network GSM 850/900/1800/1900
3G network UMTS 850/900/1900/2100
4G network LTE Cat4 700/800/850/900/1800/2100/2600 (Bands 1,3,5,7,8,20,28)
TD-LTE 2300 (Band 40)
Data network GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, HSDPA, HSUPA, HSPA+, TD-LTE, LTE
Data frequencies in USA:
AT&T
3G 850MHz, 1900MHz
4G LTE Band17-700MHz, Band4-AWS, Band2-1900MHz
T Mobile
2G 1900MHz
3G AWS, 1900MHz
4G LTE Band12-700MHz, Band4-AWS, Band2-1900MHz
My phone can access two of the AT&T 3G bands and one of the T-Mobile bands and none of the 4G bands.
I did this research for a proposed USA trip that was cancelled due to my mother's health issues. It turned out well because it was 44C at the Grand Canyon on the day we would have been there and we would have been in Texas and Florida when the hurricanes hit.
My plan was to buy a USD20 smartphone from Walmart and a USD45/month AT&T prepaid plan (USD40/month if you go on a month by month plan and cancel when you leave) with 6GB of data and unlimited voice and text.
It can be used in Canada and Mexico if you activate in USA first. There is another weird condition about data usage. It can only be 50% of usage in USA. You would need to check out what this means for your itinerary.
Other things to check out:
Are there age-dependent restrictions on signing up for phone plan in countries they will be visiting?
Will they have a credit card as debit card may not be usable?
Presumably, you know about 28 Degrees or Bankwest Zero credit cards for purchases (to avoid foreign currency transaction and conversion fees) and Citibank Plus debit card for ATM withdrawals (to avoid foreign cash advance fees). Age could be an issue for 28 Degrees card and Bankwest card has hefty income requirements so you will have to get card and make teenager secondary card holder.
You have to let credit card issuers know which countries you will be visiting. You don't have to for Citibank debit card.
Thanks werdnanostaw…. that is awesome information.
Buying USA phone seems the go. So will do some research into a US phone that can be used in S. America?
I dread to think about the credit card !!
Thanks heaps.
I'm not an iPhone guy, but it will provide the best network support worldwide.
Good point, need them to feel comfortable about it to.
travel insurance will cover theft etc with a police report. just make sure value of phone is covered in policy.
get TRS as well.