cell phone vs. sat phone rental
 

does anyone have any idea how much it is to rent a cell phone for about two weeks? we plan to NEVER use it -- only for emergencies (i.e., car breaking down) or have people call us.

i looked into renting a sat phone but wondered if it would just be cheaper to rent a cell at a rental car agency (or wherever you rent them!). thanks!

What country are you visiting and do you already own a cell phone? If you already own a cell phone, what's the make/model of your phone and which company is your current cellular carrier? If you only need a phone for emergencies, the most cost effective method is to activate international roaming service with your currrent carrier provided they offer this service and your phone is compatible with the network of the country/region you're visiting.

we're already looked into this and unfortunately our carrier (verizon) can't do it.

...costa rica.

We rented a satellite phone a year ago this summer and, if my memory serves, cost less than $100. We were on a mediterranean cruise (Italy, France, Greece, Spain) and were made a total of 3 calls just to check on our daughter back home. Some of the ports we were in we couldn't get service due to our being too far from a tower, but the other times it worked just fine. For our peace of mind, it was worth it.

Rosie - if you rented a satellite phone, why would you need to be near a tower to use it? Don't you just need a clear view of the sky?