mitdoac

This time when I rented my car from Avis for my trip to Germany, they asked me if I was interested in renting a cell phone too. They then passed me to an outfit called Hire Fone (www.hirefone.com).

Has anyone ever used them? The way it works is they will UPS me the phone to my house the day before we leave. I then ship it back when I return in their postage supplied box.

All incomming calls are free (which is what I really needed because I need to be available this trip).

The outgoing calls are expensive. About $5/min back to the US and $1/min within the same country.

Then there is the fee for renting the phone, but they were offering 1 week free so I am only paying for 6 days at 4.95/day, or about $30 for the ability to receive calls during my trip.

Anyone ever heard of them?

Thanks
Tim

xyz123

I suggest you read the horror stories up and down the web site of what has happened to people who have rented mobile phones...apparentlhy you will be in Europe for 13 days....one country? several countries? Read up on the advantages of buying an inexpensive dual band mobile phone and prepaids in the country you're visiting or an international service such as riiing and no worries about overcharges for calls you never made or claims you never returned the phone which has cost people as much as $800...a small $50 investment and the phone is yours to kieep forever and forever.

Robert2533

I have to agree with xyz123 on the issue of renting cell phones under most circumstances. He appears to know more then the average traveler when it comes to basic communications. I just wish that I could avoid such disturbances, but business is what makes it possible for us to able to travel as we do.

The first question is "Who is your service provider?" If it's T-Mobile, then the charge for incoming calls to Europe is $0.99/min. The same rate applies for outgoing calls to the U.S. If you really need to use the cell phone in Germany, or some other EU country, then buy one on-line from eBay. You can purchase an unlocked Samsung GSM (dual-band) phone for as little as $50 and pick up a sim chip in which ever country you happen to be in.

If you need a phone number in advance, then there are a few services on-line that you can purchase the sim cards and receive your phone number before you leave for Europe

mitdoac

Wow, thanks for the heads up.
I can cacel my hirefone reservation up to 7 days in advance of trip.

I do not know much about cell phones, as I do not even use one here in the U.S.

OK so if I buy a cell phone for the trip (Germany and Austria), would any
Samsung GSM (dual-band) phone work. I see a lot on ebay ranging $50 to $300...

Also do I need a plan of some sort or do I buy a chip over there. I rather buy a prepaid chip of some sort than to worry about bills when I return.

Thanks for the info so far.

Tim

YoConn004

We rented a cell phone last May when we went to Italy for 2 weeks and it was great! We left a teenaged daughter back in the states who would call us constantly and that cell phone saved us a bundle. It was fairly easy to acquire and return and the savings were fanastic. We gave it a try and it worked out fine for us.

Robert2533

An unlocked Samsung X105 GSM World phone ($50 on ebay) should suit your needs. The E105 is nicer, a flip phone, but it's also more expensive.

logos999

If you want something even less expensive, maybe look for a Motorola T191 (my favorite), or a standard Nokia 3310.

Both phones are around for a few years and can be purcheased used for about 25 USD. I just love the Motorola, its small and has got everything you need for temporary use in Europe.