Simple,-to-use cell phone wanted
 

I've used Mobal service for past cell phones and calling when abroad. They've discontinued their service. Any suggestions for a simple cell phone to buy to use when in Europe? I ONLY want to call and receive calls, nothing more. Thanks!

They still sell flip phones They're getting hard to find. They won't be much if any cheaper than a low end smartphone.

Why not get a low end smartphone and ignore the features you don't want? I know people that have done this for years. You can even turn off the mobile data.

Make sure the frequencies supported match what's needed in Europe.

Who is your carrier in the States?

Depending on what kind of phone you have, and your US carrier, simplest thing might actually be installing an E-SIM on your regular phone. With some E-SIMs, you can do this before you leave home, then simply hit a switch on settings when you arrive in Europe to activate the E-SIM.

There are new flip phones on the market. I have a Nokia. I use it with a Tello account (https://tello.com/buy/custom_plans) with 100 minutes of calls, no data, free texting at $5 per month plus tax. However, there are limitations. When traveling abroad if you are in a place where you can log into their Wi-Fi pass-worded account (friend's house, a hotel, possibly a rental such as AirBnB) you can call almost anywhere in the world just using up your minutes. But it will not connect to Wi-Fi which has no password requirement such as in an airport, a train station or an establishment such as Starbucks unless your account is tied to the internet via an smart phone. To be clear, you do not need to have your smartphone with you, but when you sign up with Tello, you are given a telephone number for you flip phone and asked to provide another phone number where you can be reached. I originally gave my home phone which is a line phone with no computer access. That meant that my account was not recognized and service would not be provided. I was not aware of this restriction because in the home country the phone is automatically piggy-backed to one of the major phone service providers (in this instance T-Mobile). My wife acquired a smart phone and has an active but unused Tello account, but by having entered her phone number as the secondary number, I can now use available free WiFi.

The limitation of this system is that while traveling in Europe you can use the phone only when connected to Wi-Fi.