Help. I usually hang out on the Italian boards but have a cell phone in Greece question on behalf of a friend who is headed there in a couple of weeks and wants a pay-as-you-go cell for the trip.
First, is there a cell phone carrier in Greece that is more highly recommended than others? In that regard, is buying a phone in Greece a difficult bureaucratic process -- documents required, etc, as in Italy?
Second, does anyone know whether or not I could simply loan him my Italian cell (TIM is the carrier)? Would there be any technicalor cost issues using it in Greece? Cheaper to buy his own or a SIM card only that he could insert?
Any advice that could be offered would be welcome. Since we have a little appartamento in Casperia, north of Rome, he thinks we know everything about travel in Europe and I hate to burst his bubble.
I have no personal experience but I did a little googling to see if I could answer the question. There are three main carriers, Wind, Vodaphone and Cosmote. Here is a link to Prepaidgsm where you can compare them and find English links to their services. It sounds like it is very easy to purchase SIMs and no special documents beyond a passport. You can purchase them directly from stores which are common. Cosmote can be purchased from the electronic store Germanos which is a subsidy of Cosmote. Top off from scratch cards in small markets and kiosks. Vodaphone has the option to change customer service SMSs to English from the phone. Cellular Abroad sells prepaid Greek Sims from Wind. They also have instructions on website which is useful.
They will need an unlocked GSM (tri-band) phone same as you would need for Italy. If not, there are probably inexpensive cellphones that can be purchased for a pre-paid plan.
If you let them borrow your cell, there wouldn't be any technical issues but there would be roaming charges. Greece would be covered by the EU roaming charge rules which would be good. I would check what the charges are for using your phone in Greece both for calls to Greece numbers and US numbers just so you don't have any surprises.
does anyone know whether or not I could simply loan him my Italian cell
That might be the easiest route, depending on how much he expects to use it, especially with the EU regulations on roaming rates. I believe the current rate is capped at 55 euro cents, to go down further on July 1. (You would also pay for incoming calls when roaming.)
The only issue might be adding time, which would be harder to do from Greece.
Of course, if you want to lend him your phone, I'm sure he could get a Greek SIM.
