[Motel75]

Yep, the plus is better, because you can use it on all the numbers in your SIM and it will always dial the number correctly. 011 is not used outside North America as an international code, so any number you program with that at the front won't work if the phone is used, say, in Europe. You can add the plus (and the country code 1) to all your US numbers as well; for example +12125551212.

Having said that, you'd probably be better off getting a calling card to use from your TMO number. CheapPhoneCards.com has a couple of them (usually described as pinless or clean) that can be set to recognize one or more numbers you are calling from, so you only have to enter the PIN once; after that you get a prompt for the number you'd like to call. It's a LOT cheaper; typically around 18-22 cents per minute to a mobile number in Europe (and 4-5 cents to a landline, so if you can get her to find one she can be called at it would be to your benefit). Of course you still have to pay for TMO airtime, though you can use these cards from a landline as well (generally to an 800 number). I've had one of them since 2005 and it hasn't expired yet (despite claiming 365 day validity).