Unlocked flip phone for parents, also best global roaming SIM deal

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  scrimshaw on 02/04/2013 - 21:40

  850mhz or 900mhz?

  Budget?

  Preferred brand?

  For the oldies I recommend the Telstra Easy Touch discovery phone. Nice big fonts, easy to use keypad, Bluetooth and NextG support. Also uses MicroSD card storage.
  http://www.telstra.com.au/mobile-phones/mobile-phones/telstr…

  You could also try the SAMSUNG S5511T but I don't see any reviews on this particular device.

  Re: Roaming sims in Europe, just read through this thread
  http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=871977&p=…

  Or consider the Woolies Roaming SIM
  http://www.woolworthsglobalroaming.com.au/

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  giles on 02/04/2013 - 22:08

  Re the handset - the requirement that it needs to be a flip phone really narrows your options. And you'll be struggling to find a store that will stock a flip phone that also supports 3G.

  You can get pretty much any handset on eBay, though. For outright buys in a store, have a look here to get an idea of what's generally on offer:

  http://www.allphones.com.au/shop/mobile-phones-outright.asp
  http://dicksmith.com.au/mobiles-wireless/unlocked-mobile-pho…
  http://www.jbhifi.com.au/phones/outright/
  http://www.officeworks.com.au/retail/products/Technology/Pho…

  For a roaming SIM, I'd recommend Jetstar Global SIM. It's a re-badged GO-SIM/ekit service, but cheaper to buy, at about $20 (with the same value included in credit), plus $7 delivery. You don't need to be flying Jetstar (thank God).
  http://www.jetstar.com/au/en/what-we-offer/jetstar-global-si…

  Calls from western Europe within the region, or back to Australia, are in the neighbourhood of 57c-67c a minute. Text messages are 39c each. Incoming calls and texts are generally free in Europe (but worth checking the specific countries). I wouldn't recommend using data though - better to spend €20-30 on a local SIM for that, as they could easily spend that much in a month by using roaming data (~$1.50/MB).

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  Geewhizz on 03/04/2013 - 08:14

  We found Samsung c5220 to be very reliable, and I'm guessing being the same brand they already had would be very similar to what they already had, so simple for them to learn to use.

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  JediJan on 03/04/2013 - 09:46

  Don't know if it helps or not but we all use Vodafone mobiles as we get free (or unlimited for pre-paid International recharge) calls between all phones. Vodafone and 3 have some international reciprocal agreement that all international calls are charged for at local rates. We had to notify them before leaving about the mobile that was travelling overseas, and advised. Although sceptical and we made few calls, none of the calls were charged for between UK, Dubai, Singapore to/from Australia. Worthwhile checking out the deal on international roaming.

  Also, I would insist that any mobile phone purchased was unlocked, so one can switch sim cards if you find better deals in the future.

  I would suggest you buy a new or near new replacement of the same mobile phone your parents had; flip phones appear to be cheaper than most. I have found, through experience, that many older people do not like the hassle of adjusting to newer phones.

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  Joan1245 on 04/04/2013 - 02:04

  I went interailing around Europe last November and i used the Woolies Roaming SIM. It worked perfectly and from my intial research of other global roaming SIMs, Woolies seem to have the best value rates. Personally, I use data the most so i bought a 'euro data bundle' from Woolworths Global Roaming which provided me with 200 MB for $65 which is good. Calls to Australia only cost $0.34 per min. They also have this cool feature where you can add a local number from your home country so firends & family can call this number at a local rate which i found very useful! Here is the link if you'd like to find out more, www.woolworthsglobalroaming.com.au