cell phones in Europe

[faith]

I'd like some advice regarding SIM cards for phones in Europe. I'm in Canada and will be travelling extensively throughout there for about three months this summer. I'll also be spending a great deal of time working in the UK.

Would it be best for me to buy SIM cards for each country I'm in, even though I may only be visiting for a day or so? Or should I buy an international SIM card while in the UK and use that while I'm traveling? Also, could someone recommend a UK phone company that offers the best rates and service? I have a cell phone that can be used in Europe.

[***Beady***]

I don't think you should get a sim card for each country, unless your going to be there for a long time in each place.
The best phone company (in my eyes) is O2.clicky You can also send free texts a month from their website if you use their phones.

In the other counries though, I personally would use a phone card. They are just a hell of a lot eaiser, especially if your not going to be very long in each country. Also, if your starting off in the UK, and you register with O2 online, then you could still send free texts from their online service from computers abroad elsewhere in europe to back home in Canada!!! Sneaky, but it would work.

[Fedfe]

faith, I am kinda in the same situation as you. I'm gonna be in europe for 3 months this summer, also spending the majority of my time in the UK, and I was wondering about phone cards too. Whats a SIM card? Should I just be buying phone cards from newspaper stands or something?

[***Beady***]

In a mobile(cell) phone, you have a chip, which acts as the 'brains' of your phone. It stores most of your numbers on it, and it also is the baseline for your number. Without it, you cannot usae your phone. I'm crap at explaining techo stuff like this. But, you can buy them from ALL phone shops. They are absolutely everywhere in the main towns in the UK. So you won't have any probs with finding a phone shop. The main shops are Orange, O2Uk, Phones4U, there are tons more, but I just can't seem to remember them, even though they are everywhere. You won't have any trouble finding them. You can get top up deals or contract deals. If your only here for a bit, get a top up deal. You can get top up cards from any newsagent or superstore. So, it's easy peasy.