does anyone have an idea of what it would cost to rent a cell phone from the US to take with me to spain for a week. ALso, how would you rate the service?<BR>THANKS

A one-week rental seems to be a worse deal than a multi-week. You might find one for about $50.<BR><BR>A number of "regulars" here (including myself) have found it a much better deal simply to buy a phone with a pre-paid plan once you get to Europe. Incoming calls are typically free, and you can get a decent phone for 80 &euro; which includes the first 25 &euro; of outgoing calls. You buy more time as you need it.<BR><BR>And then, "sell it forward" to someone here, planning a trip.<BR><BR>You might even ask in a separate post if someone has just such a phone to "sell forward" to you.<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR>

Hi<BR><BR>I don't know the prices, but I've noticed European airport car rental desks are now doing mobile phones too. You don't need to rent the car if you only want the phone.<BR><BR>Worth checking out ?<BR><BR>Peter<BR>http://tlp.netfirms.com<BR>

I'm actually leaving for Spain tomorrow and was wondering about the same thing. If I do as Rex recommends, would you be interested in buying my phone (and leftover minutes) when I'm done?<BR><BR>I really don't plan on using it much, but need to confirm some travel plans, tours, and other reservations. I imagine there will be plenty of time left on it.<BR><BR>I'm just in New Jersey, so it wouldn't take that long to get to you. I will be returning on 10/22/02.<BR><BR>Let me know!

Not a buyer, but no doubt you will post a separate message about this, Heidi, and again once you get back.<BR><BR>And you could always use e-bay.com<BR>

I have never done this before, but if enough people express interest (in just one day), perhaps I won't be afraid of being stuck with an intl. cell phone when I return. Still, I'm a bit reluctant. It may be too much hassle, and there's something nice about being "technology free" while on vacation. Ah...the good old days before cell phones and laptops!

You simply shouldn't count on being able to gauge interest of others who might buy your phone, from this one message, lost on a thread whose header says nothing about buying or selling cell phones.<BR>

I appreciate the advice...I will not count on this message alone when I make my final decision. Just testing the waters--never even heard of this option until today!

Hi Heidi<BR><BR>I would be interested in buying your phone. Please let me know how much you think it will cost.<BR>Thanks<BR>ps-- please email me at [email protected]

Hi, nycgal. I just posted my own question about a company that rents phones for overseas. It's $49 a month but I haven't used it yet. E-me if you want more info as I don't want to "advertise" the company here which seems to offend some.

As mentioned above, it might be that the company you found at $49 a month would end up being darn close to $49 for a one week rental (the minutes are not free, you realize).<BR>

Although Shana doesn't want to do so, I will do it. The company she refers to is Voicestream now known as T-Mobile. Voicestream is one of 2 companies that uses the GSM technology of European phone companies (Cingular being the other). The phones themselves are not compatible but if you have a GSM dual band phone (900/1800), and you have a Voicestream account, you simply call them and get approved for international roaming. You then slip the SIM card out of your phone and into the dual band phone and you're set in Western Europe. Their internatinal roaming rates are among the best in the industry, only 99 cents a minute to make and receive calls in Western Europe. You keep your US mobile number and indeed it works.<BR><BR>I think $49/month to rent a phone is a little stiff when you can buy a phone that does the same thing for about $70 and the phone is yours to keep forever and forever for future trips to Europe.<BR><BR>On that thread, I also describe why it may be more advantageous, especially if you are settling into one country for a week or more, to simply buy a local service pack. In the UK, the Virgin mobile service pack only costs &pound;10 with &pound;5 worth of call credit included. No hassles whatsoever, no need to register the phone. As soon as you walk out of the shop and insert the SIM card, you have a Virgin mobile phone. Receiving calls in the UK is free...therefore you can easily be reached 24/7 and since calls from the US to the UK have become dirt cheap, almost as cheap as a domestic call if you use one of the alternative long distance services, your friends can reach you whenever. Also with Virgin, calls to the US are only 20p a minute, far cheaper than you would pay from a hotel phone (but not as cheap as a prepaid phone card)....other countries have similar plans although usually more expensive than the UK.<BR><BR>

Hi<BR><BR>the above poster refers to GSM as a European system.<BR><BR>Its actually the global system. US is one of the few exceptions. As a global traveller for business, my GSM phone works almost everywhere except ................ USA !<BR><BR>So if you want to use a mobile in Europe, N. Africa, ME, Australia, Far East, etc; etc; etc ..... get a GSM phone<BR><BR>Peter<BR>http://tlp.netfirms.com

To mpprh,<BR>If you are a global traveler why don't you subscribe to Voicestream?<BR>You can buy a GSM tri-band phone from them that operates anywhere in Europe and the United States by merely switching to the European band and then switching back to the U.S.band when you return to the states.

Wow, lots of activity today. Thanks all for the good information - I'm assuming that within all this is a person who used T-Mobile nee Voicestream and it's not some rip-off. Yes, $49 is pricey and doesn't include calls, but in the pinch I'm in, it works. My ride in Paris wants a cell-phone number. Heidi, I guess the days of getting by without gadgets are long gone, especially if getting your travel wants and needs fulfilled by others depends on their contacting you enroute. I don't even own a microwave, so I'm reluctant to invest in an overseas phone but am beginning to think it's time. Nonetheless, I do believe our technology will soon exceed our ability to use it! And frankly, I spend too much time hooked up as it is. Travel is supposed to set me free!!! Thanks again everyone for the info.

Hmmmm...I'm a Cingular Wireless customer, but they don't seem to have a program similar to Voicestrem/T-mobile. Or do they?

Shana:<BR><BR>As I said to you on the other thread, I've used the service and it works fine. One possible difficulty is that if you are in Paris, for example, and want somebody to call you back on your cell phone they have to dial your US cell phone number which routes to the US and back to France. They have to pay for an international call and you have to pay the 99 cents/minute. It is far from an insurmountable problem.<BR><BR>As I said, I would prefer to buy the phone and get a Mobilcarte which is the French prepaid pack. You then have a French phone number, can make calls to Paris restaurants and tour operators for example at fairly high rates (but far less than 99 cents a minute) and not pay for incoming calls. But that's me.....for your purposes what you have with Voicestream/T-Mobile works fine.

Hi<BR><BR>Jim<BR><BR>I live in Europe. GSM is good enough for me.<BR><BR><BR>Peter<BR>

Such as good thread.<BR>