I'm going to be traveling in SE Asia (Hong Kong, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Burma) for about a month. I'll need to make eceive calls within the country, and would like to also make calls to the US. I have a 3g phone that can make phone calls almost anywhere in the world, but it would be expensive overseas. Would it be best to get a calling card? I've heard it's a good idea to get a sim card, but I didn't know I could get temporary sim cards from overseas. I won't be in any city for more than a week, and won't be in any country for more than 2 weeks. Will I need to get a sim card in each country? If I DO get a sim card, I won't be able to receive phone calls from the US, I assume (Except for at a high cost). Could I bring my 3g phone to make eceive calls from the US, and bring my regular old phone to put the temporary sim card in? Would one of those sim cards work in a phone that's not 3g?
I guess I'm just trying to find out what the best option would be. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
SIM cards are cheap in Thailand and Hong Kong. Not so cheap in Cambodia. Don't know in Vietnam. Not sure if you can even get one in Burma.
I go to Thailand many times every year, and I am constantly getting new SIM cards (since the old ones expire if when forget to put more credit on them). They cost about US$10. If you are doing any significant amount of calling, this pays for itself quickly. Incoming calls are free, and outgoing calls within Thailand are dead cheap. Calling back home to the US is pretty cheap as well using dial codes (the person who sells you the SIM card can explain these to you).
For incoming calls, I maintain a single US number which I go online and re-forward to my current SIM card's number whenever I get a new one. That way people who phone me don't have to keep track of my constantly-shifting numbers, nor do they have to worry about the cost calls to strange and faraway places. Using a cheap forwarding service, it costs me about 1 or 2 cents a minute for the incoming call to a Thai cell phone. My caller just pays the cost of a call from their location to a US number, which is usually about the same.
On the other hand, if you're barely ever going to use the phone and just want it for emergencies, then roam on your current plan.
SIM cards do not require a 3G phone, just one that works on the worldwide GSM frequency bands (900 and 1800). If your phone only works on the US GSM bands (850 and 1900) then it will be worthless in Asia, except for throwing at monkeys. This means you need a tri-band or quad-band phone.
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