.Having a XXSIM card that does not incur a monthly or yearly fee is convenient when one travels abroad only occasionally and for a very short time.

The per minute price for this convenience is excessive, however. It costs much less (on a per minute basis) even to use a satellite phone (Iridium or Globalstar); satphone calls are about $1/minute and can be placed from anywhere, including the middle of the ocean where there is no cellular coverage. By far the least expensive and most convenient option is to buy a SIM card at any one country one arrives at; most of them sell them in kiosks at their respective airports. Outgoing calls to the US would be 10-20 cents/minute, outgoing local calls would be 1-2 cents/minute, and incoming calls would be free; by contrast, all of these calls would be over more comparatively less with a with the xxsimcard.