Does anyone out there know if I can avoid calling cards and what not by using my cell phone to call home while on vacation. In the U.S. I have no long distance charges and no roaming fees, I pay a set amount each month and am given so many minutes whether I use them or not. Has anyone tried to get a rate for out of the country use? What was it like? I plan only to use the phone to check in at home and also that way my kids always have an emergency contact number for me. Any advice?

Is it a tri-band phone? If not then I would assume it will not work in Europe.

I'm not sure what a tri-band phone is looks like i will have to check with my company. I did use my phone however 2 months ago while in Cancun. when i got the bill the rates seemed a bit high but I'm not sure they would be any higher than a regular call especially when you call from a hotel that tacks on a huge service charge.

International cell phones are available for rent from American Express. I was in Europe last summer and I worked fine. <BR>

Here's the scoop on PCS ("cellular") phones in Europe: <BR> <BR>PART 1: PRE-REQUISITE INFO (bear with me) <BR> <BR>A) U.S. phone networks mainly use a protocol called CDMA, but a protocol called GSM 1900 is also available (though coverage is probably still less widespread than CDMA; check with your carrier for details). <BR> <BR>Europe does not use CDMA, but rather GSM 1800 and 900 (same GSM protocol as the U.S., but on different frequencies). <BR> <BR>These protocols and frequencies are not interchangeable, so if you want to use your phone in Europe you'll need a handset that "speaks" both GSM 1900 and a European frequency. "Tri-band" phones (900/1800/1900) are the most common; there are also some "dual-band" phones that just do GSM 900 and 1900. <BR> <BR>B) GSM-capable phones have a "SIM" or "smart card" (a little memory chip) that's interchangeable between handsets. All the information about who you are, who your carrier is, etc., is on the chip. This makes it easy to switch handsets, *or* to switch providers. <BR> <BR>PART 2: WARNING <BR> <BR>*** Some carriers "SIM-lock" their handsets. <BR>*** This means that a SIM from a different carrier wouldn't work in your handset. <BR>*** Sometimes this is only for a short time, sometimes it's permanent. <BR>*** This lowers the cost of your handset but it's a major drawback. <BR> <BR>PART 3: CONCLUSIONS <BR> <BR>Assuming you don't already have a multiple-band GSM phone (if you did, you'd know, because they're relatively expensive) there are two ways to deal with your situation: <BR> <BR>A) High initial cost, low recurring cost, requires a little initiative (better if you plan to go to Europe often): <BR> <BR>Buy a tri-band or dual-band phone. Make sure it is NOT SIM-locked. Make sellers show you in the documentation that the phone does GSM 1800 or GSM 900, as they sometimes promise it will work in Europe without knowing what they're talking about. When you get to Europe, buy a cheap "pay-as-you-go" SIM card from a local provider. You have paid up-front for, say, 5 hours of use. This is much cheaper than roaming charges, and you won't get any surprises with your next bill. Note that these phones don't normally do analog, so make sure you don't need it. <BR> <BR>(BTW, I know from experience that the Motorola Timeport L7089 is a tri-band phone.) <BR> <BR>B) No "initial" cost, high recurring cost, easier (better for infrequent or once-in-a-lifetime): <BR> <BR>Rent a tri-band phone from a provider stateside (someone has already suggested American Express; you can also ask your current provider). You will probably be charged for international roaming (even if domestic roaming is included in your plan) so be *sure* to get the costs in writing from your provider before you go. <BR> <BR>PART 4: FURTHER READING <BR> <BR>http://www.gsmworld.com/gsminfo/index.htm <BR>- you can check coverage maps for any country <BR> <BR>http://www.motorola.com/ <BR> - try searching for "timeport tri-band" <BR> <BR>http://www.nokia.com <BR> - check out the Nokia 8890, which is apparently dual-band <BR> <BR>Hope this helps, <BR> <BR>- Q - <BR>

Quicksilver- <BR> <BR>Thanks for all the technical advice! I never even thought about such things. It just so happens i do have aphone that that is a dual-band! It is the Sprint Touchpoint TP2100 Dual so I think it may work (possibly why I could use it in mexico?) anyway I am still confuses on one point so bear with me. when you were talking the smart Card, do I still need to switch providers and obtain one of these for use on my current phone? I don't mean to sound stupid,I just one of those people who never even figured out how to set the VCR to tape (we have DVD now so I guess I can give up!)

E.T. - you should check with your phone's service provider. I've seen Sprint's "Dual Band" phones, and the 'two bands' are mostly analog and digital. As Quicksilver correctly pointed out, you have to have a GSM phone for Europe. Then, you have to contact your service provider and have them enable international roaming on the phone. Once done, you can take the phone overseas (I have one of these phones, and take it with me every year). I use VoiceStream as my carrier, and they allow me to select the service provider when I turn on the phone in Europe - this is good, as they give me 3 carriers in Italy, with 3 different rates! I always try to connect to the cheapest one.

E.T., Sprint PCS is a CDMA-based service and the two band phone that you have works on CDMA and analog. So none of the stuff about GSM and SIMs is of any use to you and your phone is useless in Europe. You still need to look at one of Quicksilver's plans to obtain a GSM phone.

I rented a tri-band Motorola phone from Record Phone International. The phone worked on GSM in Europe and Omnipoint in USA. You can receive calls in Europe and use the phone like your own cell phone.The phone worked great. They fed-ex the phone to you before you leave and pay for you to return it. It was only $20.00 per week to rent plus air-time. I recommend it highly, give them a call 732-617-2100.

<BR>Hi E.T., <BR> <BR>Just wanted to let you know I'm still watching this thread, even though others have already answered your question. <BR> <BR>If you want a phone with you in Europe, it sounds like it would be easier to rent. You might want to try Michael's suggestion of Record Phone International (I don't know them) or even call Sprint to see if they rent GSM phones for travel. If you're the type who doesn't like to program the VCR, you may find all the phone shopping and card-buying in "Plan A" to be too much! Plan A is also prohibitively expensive if you won't be going abroad regularly. <BR> <BR>As for my experience, I wanted cell phone access in Europe to make it easier to coordinate with my travel companion; I wouldn't have bothered if it were just for phoning home. Your deciding factor will probably be the importance of having a contact number for your kids. <BR> <BR>Best of luck and have a great trip! <BR> <BR> - Quicksilver -