Greg C

We only use our cell for emergencies. Only a few people know our number, and they know if we're away in Europe or not. Therefore I don't know the answers to your questions.

Stu Dudley

GregC- With tmobile I can see who's calling. Also I have never been charged for a call I didn't pick up, but I don't think anyone left a voicemail. You could change your voicemail message to instruct people not to leave a message unless it is important, and you'll be back home on XX date.
Liz

I used my cell phone in France last month..Cingular. The calls were .99 per minute. I don't use my cell phone that much so I never had any problems. I just checked my bill and I was charged for incoming calls. So, yes, if you get a lot of calls from friends that don't know you're in Europe, you will be charged for them. I really liked the convenience of having my phone.

Here is what I did in London. I rented a cell phone before I went to London from one of the US companies that do this. Then I put a voice message on my home land line phone saying I will be away from such such dates and to leave a message as I will be checking my voice mail while away. I also put my home cell phone on call forwarding to my home land line phone. I then checked my phone messages once a day from my rented cell phone that I brought with me and followed up any important messages. My total cost was around $ 100US for the 10 day period I used the phone and I was able to communicate with my business clients as needed. It worked out very well for me.

..I carry a quad band all the time as I travel a lot and end up having at times less than an hour to get to the airport so I never know where I am going (..maybe a metaphor for my life). The only people who have my phone numbe are my kids, secretary and partner. They have strict instructions not to call except for emergencies. They are always given my hotel number. I do all my personal calling from the hotel and I use a calling card. If I am in an area where I have friends they are given the cell as a back up but they know they will have a long distance charge if it is used. This system is foolproof but as you can see it is "just for emergencies". I use this phone regularly at home but it is a very basic plan. I am a ludite so it again is really just an "emergency' phone for when I am in the car or when I cant remember what I should buy at the grocery store. I think the "best" system for travellers will depend on individual needs which will be very different for different people.

Thank you all for your feedback.

I had a similar experience with Rentacell Germany. I rented a SIM chip for one week and they debited my card the 800 Euros (which they never told me they were doing). I kept track of my minutes with my phone timer, and had 102 minutes total time. The contract minute rate was 1.07 Eu for international calls and .46 Eu for National Calls. Renta-Cell then charged me 867 Euro w/o refunding me my deposit. The total charge from Renta-Cell was 1667 Euro!!!!! After several emails and calls to the company, they finally sent me a one page invoice with a total of 800 minutescharged and they refused to provide a detailed invoice of the calls. This company is a scam, and I am protesting through my credit card company AMEX. DO NOT USE RENTA-CELL!!!

I was in Germany for the World Cup and was planning only to be there for 10 days. I went to purchase a SIM card right after landing and the cheapest I found was 50 euro. I was planning to buy one outside the airport on my way to Koln for the first game. I also had to meet up with about six friends and pick up my buddy somewhere downtown Frankfurt... so I did need a phone right a way. I was in line at the Budget rental car and was filling out my contract when I saw a little flyer for renting a SIM chip. There was no charge for the SIM chip for 14 days and the per minute charge was cheaper than the cost of buying minutes... I did not stop to contemplate how this venture could be financially viable, I was in a hurry to get my buddy and get to the game in Koln, so I bought the SIM chip. Looking back on it now, the flyer was at the budget counter and the lady that came to sign me up was being rather discreet (i.e. she had no rentacell shirt or clothing, she looked normal). I have later found out that Frankfurt and Munich Airport Authorities do not allow Rentacell to do business inside the airport. Signing people up without the proper airport licenses is illegal. Now I know.

I HAVE the solution to all your problems when traveling to France. I have been using CALL-IN-EUROPE who offers competitive rates.

Please check www.callineurope.com

CALL-IN-EUROPE offers cellular services to North-American residents (you need a US or Canadian credit card and billing address) who travel to Europe.
1/ two main plans Call-in-France (dedicated to travelers to France or people spending most of their time there) and Call-in-Europe (more pan-European interest) you can choose one of two levels, Access (moderate phone user) or AccessPro (frequent phone user).
2/ they offer 3 Nokia GSM models for sale matching 3 different budgets and “tech”expectations.
3/ packages “phones+lines”: French Connection and European Connection: each offer is a 1-year plan, and for a monthly fee includes a phone (Nokia 1600, yours for an initial $9.99) and your line. Both give 20 free national rollover minutes month to month.
4/ a market of renters who won’t be interested in committing to anything, there is a Call-in-Europe Rental offer: $2.99/day (including insurance, invoice, no credit card hold) with higher per minute charge.

You headaches while traveling in Europe and France particularly will disappear thanks to www.callineurope.com .

You should not post fake answers to your own questions under other names to dusguise your ads. If you do, you should at least take a little more effort...