Amsterdam

Posted: 2006-09-20, 10:41 pm

Here in sunny California we have retail stores like The Virgin Megastore and even other places like Target etc. that sell cellular phones that work right out of the box, I have never bought one so I don;t know the exact details but I was thinking this would be VERY useful in Amsterdam

so my question...

A)
Do they have phones like this in Holland and where can you buy them?

B)
If they DON'T have them in Amsterdam, then maybe I can buy one here and get it setup for working there?

I am open to some other ideas, I know the guy in that DVD "Inside Amsterdam" had a phone that he had set up for the dam, but I forget /don't understand how he did all that

suggestions?

Posted: 2006-09-21, 3:21 am

JBIG,

There were everal threads earlier in the year on this very topic. Check the search function because I can't explain all of them. (I'm not being snippy)

You can take a US cell phone if it is tri-band and unlocked (whatever that means) and purchase a Sim card in Ams. You can also purchase the pay-as-you-go phones from a Vodafone store in AMS. If you purchase the Sim card you can recharge it with more minutes at the store. My impression is that they are more pricey than in the US but availablilty doesn't seem to be a problem. There is also info on the Vodafone website.

As I mentioned, check the search function because I bet there are four or five threads there.

Let us know how it works if you actually try it.

Ciao,

Skip

Posted: 2006-09-21, 7:39 pm

when I searched for cellular phones all I got was 5 threads of nothing anywhere near what I was looking for

can you link them?

Posted: 2006-09-22, 1:03 am

Posted: 2006-09-22, 1:37 am

ok smarty pants I get it
well after reading all of your links I still have questions

I did find a good amount of info tho, so thanks

1 - I am from USA not UK... I do not understand SIM cards and all of this stuff. I have had a verison phone and now I have a amp'd mobile phone. They don't work that way... so I am somewhat unclear as to what all this SIM stuff is about

2 - All I want is A) to call the person who booked our apartment so as to find the best way to get the keys etc. this person lives in Amsterdam. B) to call my friends while IN Amsterdam... and they will be with me, but possibly at other locations in the city.

now I was thinking of just buying a phone like some of the people in those posts, but I realized I will need to have something when getting off the plane, so what can I do now? Should I use a payphone and then just buy a phone like I had planned or is there some way to get a phone in the USA... like I said I am not with T Mobile and my phone I think does not use a SIM card...

ideas?

Posted: 2006-09-22, 4:21 am

jbig,i have a company right close to you if you are in Hollywood.The name is Cellular Abroad.It,s in Playa Del Rey address is 425 Culver Blvd near LAX.Phone # is 310-862-7100..I got mine for around $60 with 5 Euro time you need to set up once in Holland.You can also do it in LA but procedure is different. PM me if you need help

Posted: 2006-09-22, 4:42 am

You can get a phone or a SIM card in the US. The phones are really expensive but if you google GSM phones there is a lot of information. It seems to me that it is better to buy the phone in the NL from a cost perspective. Maybe Vodafone will ship one to you, as long as you can read the Dutch instructions.

I have heard that Verizon also has some sort of program to take your phone to Europe but I don't know any details.

AMF

Posted: 2006-09-22, 5:41 pm

On eBay if you search for - unlocked GSM phone - a bunch come up. Looks like you can get them as low as about $30, including shipping. Add you own SIM card in AMS and you'll be good to go.

You can also get a free SIM card sent to you in the US from http://www.mobalrental.com/ and pay for what you use, although the rates are a bit higher and you'll have a U.K. number. They'll also sell you a GSM phone and SIM for $49. I've used them and highly recommend their service.

Posted: 2006-09-25, 3:51 am

jbig, since it sounds like you want to be able to use your phone immediately after clearing customs you could buy a US tri-band or quad-band cell phone at Virgin Megastore, Target, or wherever and turn on international roaming service with the US carrier you sign up with (ie, Cingular or Verizon or...). I bought a GSM Motorola quad-band phone in June from Cingular for about US$70 so the phone itself won't be your biggest expense. That will be making calls since you'll be paying US long distance rates as well as some sort of access fee to a Dutch phone company for every call you make BUT this will allow you to hit the ground running. Or, er, phoning.

Personally I've unlocked my cell phone and plan to buy a Dutch SIM card on my next visit. I see Orange, a Dutch carrier, sells SIM cards for €9.95 http://shop.orange.nl/prepaid/Orange-prepaid-pakket.htm

Confused yet? :)

Posted: 2006-09-25, 5:23 am

Since I depend on my cell phone (and number) I simply have Cingular include long distance and european roaming service which is only charged when actually used, that way anybody can call me on the number they already know and it rings in europe, I can also call the US from europe and get my messages while in AMS, and make calls within europe. The cost is reasonable and you get to keep your number. Talk to your phone provider.

Posted: 2006-09-25, 9:05 am

The easy thing to do is to buy a phone unlocked (which means it can accept sim cards from any company).

You can get to holland with your phone with a charged battery.

Then in holland (probably already at the airport) you can buy a sim card with some credit (and add more) from any of the companies like kpn vodafone orange

the people at the shop will help you set up the phone

maybe ask this detail in advance, I have seen it done at vodafone in amsterdam for several foreigners

they will charge the credit of your phone also anytime you need it in case you are not able

if you buy the phone with the card at the shop the problem is that the phone will not be charged and then you will have to wait

among companies there is a new one which has very good rates for international calls

www.ortel.nl

maybe you can order the cards and the credit via internet

check it out

Raul