Cell phone

[wallm]

Need recommendations about how to get cellphone access. I will be there for 3 weeks. I have Verizon here with Galaxy S7. I think it is unlocked but not sure. Should I buy a SIM card to replace what is in my phone? If yes, which service and vendor are reliable? Do these cards already have some call, text and data package or do I need to buy extra?

I will also be in Paris for a few days. Do I need to get another SIM card there?

And when I leave, I can pop my existing SIM card back in and start using my US number, right?

Thanks.

[Faux Pas]

You should be okay to just check with your provider and get an international plan for a month. Probably cost you 40-50 bucks and you won't have to deal with any sim cards.

[HoundDaddyLee]

On my first trip I picked up an inexpensive phone there. Then on later trips just either recharged my existing SIM card or purchased a new SIM card. Cellular rates are inexpensive there. For any calls I needed to make back to the US I just used Skype.


Hope this helps,
HDL

[LAman]

If you are unsure if your Verizon phone is unlocked or not, it probably isn't. You definitely need UNLOCKED phone if you want to get a Ukrainian sim card. What service you want can depend on area you are staying and/or service your 'friends' have (free calls to same service). I ended having all 3 popular ones( Kievstar, Life and MTC). As a general rule, Kievstar is used mostly in northern part of country, Life in southern part and MTC in eastern Ukraine.

If I need to phone home and use skype. Never tried to find out about sim cards in other countries in Europe.

I bought I5's unlocked which i use in Ukraine and Russia.

[Anotherkiwi]

Need recommendations about how to get cellphone access. I will be there for 3 weeks.

Where is "there?"

I have Verizon here with Galaxy S7. I think it is unlocked but not sure.

Find out.  However, be warned - many airlines now ban the new Galaxy S7 phones due to the problems with batteries catching fire.  If your phone is one of these, you'll need another one anyway.

On my first trip I picked up an inexpensive phone there. Then on later trips just either recharged my existing SIM card or purchased a new SIM card. Cellular rates are inexpensive there. For any calls I needed to make back to the US I just used Skype.

This would be even easier.  Buy a dual-SIM phone and you can put your US SIM card in one slot and your FSU SIM in the other.  That way people ringing your US number will still reach you - even if it costs you $5 a minute!

Should I buy a SIM card to replace what is in my phone? If yes, which service and vendor are reliable?

Depends where you are going, what you are doing, and how often you are going to use the phone (either for calls or for data).  I'm not sure if this still applies, because my last trip was in 2010, but Russia is divided into regions as far as cellphone networks are concerned, so that (for example) a Moscow SIM card will be treated as roaming if you use it in St Petersburg, and calls will be charged at a MUCH higher rate.  You can get SIM cards to cover the whole country, or multiple regions.  These are more expensive than (say) a Moscow-only card, but are much cheaper than using a localized card to roam.   Ukraine is much more civilized - the whole country is treated as one country for cellular purposes.  I used Beeline in Russia and MTS in Ukraine, but you won't have any problems with any of the other big companies.

Do these cards already have some call, text and data package or do I need to buy extra?

All the information you could possibly need is on the websites of these companies.  Just work out which package will suit you best.  It's far easier to recharge/top up SIM cards in Ukraine or Russia than it is anywhere else I've been.

I will also be in Paris for a few days. Do I need to get another SIM card there?

Again, it depends how much you will use your phone.

And when I leave, I can pop my existing SIM card back in and start using my US number, right?

I can't believe you actually wrote that!

You should be okay to just check with your provider and get an international plan for a month. Probably cost you 40-50 bucks and you won't have to deal with any sim cards.

A Russian or Ukrainian SIM card will cost maybe one dollar, and a package covering whatever he might need will cost way less than $40 or $50.  He'll also have the card available to reuse the next time he goes there (even if he can't keep that same number).  I still have my Ukrainian MTS card - just in case! 

Seriously, there are all sorts of ways of doing this.  Try to figure out how many calls you're likely to make, and how much total time you think you might spend on the phone (potential girlfriends, apartment managers, hotels, interpreters, etc), then double it.  Sit down with an EXPERIENCED sales rep from Verizon and work through your options well before you're due to go.

[2tallbill]

You should be okay to just check with your provider and get an international plan for a month. Probably cost you 40-50 bucks and you won't have to deal with any sim cards.

He would be fine with it, but any girl that he wanted to call him would have to make
a long distance call (which they wouldn't want to do) just to talk to him. The international
plan would probably be ok for Paris though.

In my opinion getting a local sim card would make it easier for the ladies so that's
what I would do.

Regarding the OP's question about his Verizon phone it's probably not unlocked.
He can replace the sim card and use it for calling and use wifi for the internet
but probably won't be able to use the 4g to get on the internet. At least that
was my experience with my Verizon smart phone

[BillyB]

However, be warned - many airlines now ban the new Galaxy S7 phones due to the problems with batteries catching fire.  If your phone is one of these, you'll need another one anyway.

All flights in America ban Galaxy Note S7.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-samsung-elec-smartphones-idUSKBN12E2BC

[wallm]

I left out some useful info. I am going to Kiev and Nikolaev and probably zaporozhye.
I don't have the Galaxy Note. I don't need a small laptop to make phone calls. 
I do have international plan on my Verizon phone I currently use to talk with the ladies in Ukraine from here.
I can buy a phone local to Ukraine. It would be nice if it is smart phone so I can use google maps. But can live without it if I have to. Are these phone sold at Kiev airport? Which service phone should I get and is there a website I can check these out now? What do they cost?
Thanks.

[Larry1]

I left out some useful info. I am going to Kiev and Nikolaev and probably zaporozhye.
I don't have the Galaxy Note. I don't need a small laptop to make phone calls. 
I do have international plan on my Verizon phone I currently use to talk with the ladies in Ukraine from here.
I can buy a phone local to Ukraine. It would be nice if it is smart phone so I can use google maps. But can live without it if I have to. Are these phone sold at Kiev airport? Which service phone should I get and is there a website I can check these out now? What do they cost?
Thanks.

If you would like to buy a local phone you can go to mtc or Life. I've used mtc and have been pleased with it. I have only a vague understanding about smartphone prices in Ukraine, but you can buy a regular phone for only around $30 and a sim card for only a few dollars.

[BillyB]

I can buy a phone local to Ukraine.

I've rented phones from the apartment companies I've used.

[Anotherkiwi]

There are all sorts of options, depending on how pro-active (adventurous?) you wish to be - or not.

[wallm]

Thanks for the feedback.

Now one additional question. Travel Medical insurance.

I haven't asked CIGNA yet if they would cover any medical expenses incurred while I am in Ukraine. I will ask tomorrow. Should I buy travel medical insurance? My Chase Sapphire card provides good coverage for the travel part of it but no medical coverage. Things like evacuation if needed is not covered. Please recommend any insurance I should buy. Thanks.

[Faux Pas]

Thanks for the feedback.

Now one additional question. Travel Medical insurance.

I haven't asked CIGNA yet if they would cover any medical expenses incurred while I am in Ukraine. I will ask tomorrow. Should I buy travel medical insurance? My Chase Sapphire card provides good coverage for the travel part of it but no medical coverage. Things like evacuation if needed is not covered. Please recommend any insurance I should buy. Thanks.

If you have medical insurance in the U.S. you have it in Ukraine. It's another country not another planet. Should you get hurt and require hospitalization you might still be required to pay for it up front and you get reimbursed from your provider. The billing and exchange of money can get complicated. The trick is, don't get hurt

[onlyFSU4me]

I'm not sure if AAA down there is the same, but CAA up here in Canada has excellent travel medicaL insurance, no up front payment. Pretty cheap too, 

[HoundDaddyLee]

I am going this this now with my Belarus visa. I have to have separate insurance that covered up to $10K in medical costs. I purchased a policy that covers up to $100K of medical as well as $500K of medical evaculation that cost me under $50 from Allianz. It also covers my personal belongings and my travel costs should something happen. I have used them in the past and they did cover my costs when my luggage was delayed in 2011 on my second trip to Ukraine. They reimbursed me for what I had to pay for clothing and other items until my luggage arrived 4 days late.


Hope this helps,
HDL

[Hammer2722]

I am going this this now with my Belarus visa. I have to have separate insurance that covered up to $10K in medical costs. I purchased a policy that covers up to $100K of medical as well as $500K of medical evaculation that cost me under $50 from Allianz. It also covers my personal belongings and my travel costs should something happen. I have used them in the past and they did cover my costs when my luggage was delayed in 2011 on my second trip to Ukraine. They reimbursed me for what I had to pay for clothing and other items until my luggage arrived 4 days late.


Hope this helps,
HDL

When you get to Belarus, you will be required to buy their medical insurance for 15.00 its at the window right before you have to go through the border control booths. don't waste any money on other forms of insurance.

[HoundDaddyLee]

When you get to Belarus, you will be required to buy their medical insurance for 15.00 its at the window right before you have to go through the border control booths. don't waste any money on other forms of insurance.

This is interesting as I have to list the policy number on the Belarus Visa application from the Belarus Embassy web site. Possibly this is a new requirement?


HDL

[Hammer2722]

This is interesting as I have to list the policy number on the Belarus Visa application from the Belarus Embassy web site. Possibly this is a new requirement?


HDL

Possibly, I did list my navy Tricare insurance on my visa app but they still required me to buy their insurance once we arrived in Minsk at the airport. Its all about the money with them. This 2 years ago. Don't be surprised when you arrive in Minsk and will still be required to pay for their insurance.

[Anotherkiwi]

...Now one additional question. Travel Medical insurance.

I haven't asked CIGNA yet if they would cover any medical expenses incurred while I am in Ukraine. I will ask tomorrow. Should I buy travel medical insurance? My Chase Sapphire card provides good coverage for the travel part of it but no medical coverage. Things like evacuation if needed is not covered. Please recommend any insurance I should buy. Thanks.

This is a perennial question, and the answers seem to differ wildly, depending on where you live.  Anyone from my part of the world (either New Zealand or Australia) will be adamant - you MUST purchase travel insurance, because it doesn't matter what medical insurance you have (if any - many people don't, because the public health system in the two countries is excellent), it WON'T generally cover you overseas.  In any case, medical policies in our part of the world never have clauses covering things like medical evacuation.  Contents insurance policies issued here will not usually cover items lost or stolen overseas.  Specialist travel insurance policies here are quite cheap, and it's pretty easy to find one that fits exactly what you want.

However, policies in the USA are obviously quite different, based on what has been posted in the past.  The obvious answer, therefore, is to talk to CIGNA and find out EXACTLY what your existing policy covers.  If it doesn't cover medical evacuation, for example, you might just as well spend a hundred bucks and get a specialist travel policy that covers every possible contingency.

If you have medical insurance in the U.S. you have it in Ukraine. It's another country not another planet.

True, but medical insurance doesn't cover things like loss of deposits, or buying stuff needed because of luggage delays such as that experienced by HoundDaddyLee.

Should you get hurt and require hospitalization you might still be required to pay for it up front and you get reimbursed from your provider.

And what if you don't have enough money to do so?  The advantage of a good travel insurance policy is that, in cases like this, an arrangement can be made between the hospital and the insurance company for the latter to be billed directly, thus removing another source of worry and stress for the traveller (and their family).  This saves the very real possibility (if a visitor to the USA, rather than to Ukraine) of being bankrupted by the costs of treatment after a serious accident or major medical problem.

The billing and exchange of money can get complicated. The trick is, don't get hurt.

We wish!  However, with the maniacs who masquerade as licensed drivers in the FSU, you've got to be very, VERY careful!    Oh, and try not to get mugged! 

[alex330]

I have to have separate insurance that covered up to $10K in medical costs. I purchased a policy that covers up to $100K of medical as well as $500K of medical evaculation that cost me under $50 from Allianz.

I believe this is the company my wife also uses for her Schengen VISA for work. Under $50 and covers emergency evacuations. Once stateside her normal insurance would kick in.


Kiwi lays it out nicely in his post above.

[msmob]

All flights in America ban Galaxy Note S7.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-samsung-elec-smartphones-idUSKBN12E2BC

You mean the Galaxy Note 7

The S7 is a different model and NOT affected by the battery issues ..

I have a Note 5 and airport security staff have made me boot it up -n the UK and Turkey - to prove it wasn't the Note 7

To the OP

1/ buy an upgrade to your existing package for International roaming - will cover you for France - but make sure it covers for calls and data

2/ get a second phone to swap sim cards - so you can send receive calls when in the former USSR nation..As beel points out - ladies won't be keen to call an intl number

You'll be able to create a whatsapp / viber account for the duration of your stat - they are sim card specific - unless you link the accounts to a computer desktop version - can be confusing.

The main thing to check - Will your 'cell' ( mobile ) phone allow sims from other suppliers / countries to work - is it unlocked ? ...and .... will it work on the DATA systems available in the former USSR nation ? Some models of US mobile phones do not

[wallm]

I called Cigna and they said they will cover any emergency care as In Network but I have to pay and then file claim. No. I am not rich in case the bill is large and I can't fork over for care up front. So, I bought a policy yesterday for $52 from Tin Leg. $500K for emergency & primary medical and $500K for evacuation. No deductible. This is for a month. www.squaremouth.com is where I found the policy.

Oh great, now I have to worry about getting mugged? I am already going to Paris with terrorism possibilities.

Haven't figured out what to do with phone yet. I think I will just get a phone in Kiev when I land over there, for use in Ukraine.

Thanks for all the advice.

[msmob]

About medical care..

Years ago - when on holiday in Florida - DisneyWorld - then wifey complained about acute headaches and the Hospital insisted I had to pay the bill and reclaim when back in UK ...

Better to be 'mugged' in Paris or another EU state with freeish healthcare - than the US or former USSR ?



 

[oso]

As an expat living in Kyiv, let me throw in my two cents. After my wife retired we travel quite a bit in Europe.
My medical is from PZU.com ....I use it for my residency in Ukraine. It is $55 a year. We also use the same company for travel insurance.

For your phone....In Europe you will see Orange and MTC. Your phone must be a GSM. You can unlock it yourself by using youtube, or wait until you get here and have a local shop unlock it. MTC sells a sim in western Europe for 10 Euros....It gives you 20 minutes talk and 2 gigs data.

 Here in Kyiv to call the US, I use KyivStar. 80 UAH gives me plenty talk time to talk to my long winded family. The charges are 2UAH for the connection and .30 UAH a minute it is pre-paid....today the exchange rate is 26.05....You can find the best exchange rates here  finance.ua and the addresses of the kiosk.

A couple apps that will help you are maps.me (needs WiFi to download) but runs with out a connection. And foursquare will help you with finding things to do, eat, events and ect. Also there are open WiFi everywhere in Kyiv....even metro

It is snowing here now and the winter winds are starting to visit us....Bring warm clothes ...Hope you enjoy your stay in Kyiv

[ML]

I called Cigna and they said they will cover any emergency care as In Network but I have to pay and then file claim. No. I am not rich in case the bill is large and I can't fork over for care up front. So, I bought a policy yesterday for $52 from Tin Leg. $500K for emergency & primary medical and $500K for evacuation. No deductible. This is for a month. www.squaremouth.com is where I found the policy.

No matter the policy from whomever.  The medical people are going to require that you pay up front and you then try to get reimbursed later.