Mobile phone/Internet Spain & USA

pemalu

Hi

My son is going to USA for 3 months. I will be going to Spain for a week. During my time in Spain, I would need to be contactible for him. Both our phones are unlocked.

We are mainly going to communicate via email but who knows, I might have to phone or text.

I've browsed mobile phone providers website and now wonder if I take a UK sim and use it in Spain to call USA, would it mean I get UK roaming and he gets US roaming, which will be costly for both of us?

He will change to US sim but the time I'm in US he would just be settling in so he might not have the US sim yet.

Thank you for your help.

Frozen_up_north

You don't say if you are using "smart phones" with WiFi capabilities. If you have them, download and use Skype. It's free to call other Skype users via WiFi. Roaming charges for using data are horrendous, so it's not good value to use 3G data for Skype overseas. Text messages while roaming in the EU are about 7 or 8 pence per text sent from a UK mobile to another UK mobile, text messages are free to receive while roaming.

Texting a non UK mobile is quite expensive (25 - 35 pence per text of 160 characters or less, on Three while in the UK). You would have to check your network(s) for texting costs to/from USA, but it won't be cheap.

Arrange a suitable time for you both to be near a WiFi spot and enjoy free Skype to Skype calls.

In Spain (at least in the tourist areas) there are many small coffee shops and bars with free WiFi, often not needing the annoying registration of UK shops.

From the UK, calls to USA mobiles are 1.6p per minute on Skype. Calls from Three (my current network) are 3p per minute to USA mobiles using PAYG (prefix call with 424) or rather strangely 56p per minute on a contract phone!

As always, read the small print for your network(s)

pemalu

Hi,

Unfortunately I won't have wifi at the place I'm staying. Due to time difference, I will be contacting my son at night, when I'm usually not out and about.

Frozen_up_north, thank you, I'll check out Three.

Regards
Pemalu