Cell Phones and Studying Abroad

[Xaniski]

My sister is going to spend her Senior Year of High School Abroad in Beijing. My Dad is convinced that we're going to pay for her to take her current American Cell Phone to China and use it to make calls both within China and back to the States.

Based on my own experience with going abroad in Europe that is simply cost prohibitive. Europe and China aren't the same though. Is it cheaper and easier to use a Chinese Cell Phone to make the calls from China to America and within China or does my Dad have the right idea about sending my sister with her phone on her hip?

Thanks for your help!

[taylor04]

Have her get a cell phone in China. With China mobile you can get an international call thingy (the number is 12593 you just dial before the international number) and its fairly cheap. Have your dad get an international calling card, super cheap. You could also go the Skype way and buy her a webcam assuming her internet is good enough.

I have never heard of anyone using an American cell phone company in China, it might work, but will probably be unbelievably expensive...

[Xiwang]

If her phone model can work overseas and is unlocked, she may want to bring the phone and just stick a Chinese SIM card in it. She can always buy an inexpensive Chinese phone later to write text messages in Chinese if her American phone software is not configured to do that.

Almost everyone I know uses Skype since it is free. Your father can also pay a little more to get a local U.S. Skype number that will ring your sister's cell phone in China.

The only person I know who calls the United States regularly from her cell phone only does it because her parents are paying her bills. I remember dailing someone I knew in France by accident by sitting on my phone. It wiped out the balance on my SIM card pretty quickly without my knowing it at the time.

[Bob in Mars]

Oh man, looks like u don't have any ideas about ChinaMobile and other service providers in China ... Even a local call is expensive comparing to most places in the world. No kidding.

So, first thing first, using a foreign number in China is incredibly expensive and unnecessary, if u ready to burn cash for that, then it is not a problem I guest : )

2. ChinaMobile uses the GSM network , like Euro, US is mostly CDMA I think? -- maybe u should get a ChinaUnion sim card , they use CDMA network.

Wish her a nice time there.

[roddy]

Best solution is usually a mobile (her own, if it'll work here and is unlocked) and a Chinese SIM card for within-China use, and Skype or similar for keeping in touch with home. If she's not going to have computer / Internet access reliably enough, get Skype set up at home and use that to call her mobile. If she needs a new one, mobiles here run from 160Y up to . . . well, as much as you want.

If you're concerned about her being able to phone home in an emergency, check the SIM card she gets allows calls overseas and keep a couple of hundred yuan on the card.

Use of the US card should at most be for a quick 'got here ok' phone call, and if necessary a 'Dad, I ran out of money' call.

[imron]

I agree with the Skype comment.