Travel Technology - I need help renting cell phone for trip to Europe

Hi. I use to rent phones in South Korea's ICN airport and would return them when I left. Great phone and great deal. I eventually purchased a phone because my travels were so frequent. I am going to be going to Europe - specifically UK, Netherlands, and France. I will be flying into Manchester Airport (MAN) and then leaving from (CDG). Is there a cell phone I can rent at Manchester and use it in the different places and then return at CDG when I leave?

If you were in my itinerary - what would you do? I have sprint phone but it is not a world phone (no gsm). I leave in about a week.

Thanks.

I bought a GSM phone on ebay for $45. You can then purchase a sim card in the countries you intend to visit.

If you have a multi-band phone, usually cingular will unlock it. I believe Tmobile will do the same. Then, just buy a sim card.

I appreciate the replies. Does anybody have anything on renting a phone.

Try Worldcell. Before I owned a GSM phone, I used them with great success.

May be cheaper to buy and get a SIM card over there, but if you want hassle-free service Worldcell is an option.

Disclosure: I know the CEO.

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Try Worldcell. Before I owned a GSM phone, I used them with great success.



May be cheaper to buy and get a SIM card over there, but if you want hassle-free service Worldcell is an option.



Disclosure: I know the CEO.

Thanks. I had looked at some of the outfits on the internet and they looked unprofessional. I appreciate you know the CEO. Thanks

Just got a phone from the ;)

I appreciate the replies. Does anybody have anything on renting a phone.

If you are into the Renting scene, look at mobal.com. They will give you a UK 02 simcard tied to your US credit card and sell you a cheap phone. The printed invoice will be suitable for reimbursement, but like most rentals, you will be robbed blind.

People rent in Japan and Korea because of the non-GSM technology, the previous lack of roaming capacity, the language issues, and the restrictions on foreigners buying prepaids. In all honesty, renting a mobile should be he exception, not the rule.

I'd second the just buy a sim card suggestion. Assuming you'll be traveling anywhere GSM-friendly with any regularity, you can get cheap multi-band phones off ebay (unless you really care about looks or fancy bits and bobs) and just buy a local SIM--you can usually get them in the UK for £5 with £5 of airtime included.

I'd second the just buy a sim card suggestion. Assuming you'll be traveling anywhere GSM-friendly with any regularity, you can get cheap multi-band phones off ebay (unless you really care about looks or fancy bits and bobs) and just buy a local SIM--you can usually get them in the UK for £5 with £5 of airtime included.

What phone would you recommend of ebay? Any special sellers you would recommend would be great. Thanks

I recommend a cheap Motorola quadband. Avoid the v600. The phone has had problems. There is a thread going on Ipods, European Power Adapters, etc. where people discuss a number of options.

I actually prefer Nokia phones, but for reasons that escape me, only Motorola does quad bands in the inexpensive lineup. I think Motorola must hold a critical patent here that others are forced to license. Motorolas also work well with the callback routines built into many of the international roaming SIMs.

Update.

I was going to use worldcell but FT and my other friend convinced me to get the quad phone on ebay. Thank you all for your input.

I have another question. I would like to use united-mobile.com to get my sim but I cannot tell when I would get my sim if I order it from them. I have tried to email them but I cannot seem to get them to reply to my inquiry.

Is it possible to get a phone & SIM card in the US that will work in each of England, Germany, Poland and Italy? This is for 2 trips, over a 2 month span.

If so, what do I ask for -- and where?

thx.

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Is it possible to get a phone & SIM card in the US that will work in each of England, Germany, Poland and Italy? This is for 2 trips, over a 2 month span.

If so, what do I ask for -- and where?

thx.

Based on my research and the FTers who replied it will be best if you bought the quad band phone on ebay. It cost me $60 with shipping and I ordered the united mobile sim. They are going to deliver to me at my hotel in europe. The sim chip cost and set up is $49 with $25 for talktime. That is good considering they have free incoming calls. If you have more than a couple of weeks before you leave I would suggest that they just send the sim chip to you in the states.

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Based on my research and the FTers who replied it will be best if you bought the quad band phone on ebay. It cost me $60 with shipping and I ordered the united mobile sim. They are going to deliver to me at my hotel in europe. The sim chip cost and set up is $49 with $25 for talktime. That is good considering they have free incoming calls. If you have more than a couple of weeks before you leave I would suggest that they just send the sim chip to you in the states.

And, dont forget, you can reload it easily online.

Verizon is offering a deal (for a UK rental) that is:

- $3.99/day
- $1.49/minute for all outbound calls
- Free incoming calls regardless of origin
- $20 shipping from Vodaphone (their distributor)

Are there other hidden charges I'm not aware of? This seems cheaper than buying a phone and SIM card for my Verizon phone

Am I missing something?

Regular mail from United Mobile took about a week. They did have an express ship option. I would chose express and make sure you have a week.

First of all, you don't need a quad-band phone. There are only two bands in Europe, and a phone that works on more than that costs money that doesn't do you any good.

Second, you can buy a perfectly serviceable guaranteed unlocked* Europe phone from http://telestial.com for $50, including $20 worth of airtime that might be all you need for this trip. Next time you go, you just reload the SIM and you're good to go.

* Unlocking can be an expensive undertaking. Although some are free, others can only be done with specialized equipment and knowledge.

Is it possible to get a phone & SIM card in the US that will work in each of England, Germany, Poland and Italy? This is for 2 trips, over a 2 month span.
Vodafone has significant presence in all of those countries. They're the #2 mobile carrier in each of your four destinations (according to Wikipedia.) Perhaps some brilliant FT'er has a better solution, but if you're doing much talking, you generally get socked (in the wallet) for using a SIM from country#1 in country#2. That's why people often stop by the handy Vodafone shop (or the news stand) in the airport and pick up a local SIM. The transaction is quick. The savings are significant.

First of all, you don't need a quad-band phone. There are only two bands in Europe, and having more than that costs money that doesn't do you any good.

Second, you can buy a perfectly serviceable Europe phone from http://telestial.com for $50, including $20 worth of airtime that might be all you need for this trip. Next time you go, you just reload the SIM and you're good to go.

Unless you only want the phone for this one trip, I'd suggest buying a phone with four bands of GSM and 2100mhz WCDMA. The OP already said that he went to Korea fairly regularly and such a phone would cover the Koreas.

Second, it is clear that this person travels internationally. A quadband phone opens up numerous possiblities. For example, roaming SIMs are usually cheaper int he Bahamas, Mexico, and other places where a CDMA phone works, but works expensively.

I use to rent phones in South Korea's ICN airport and would return them when I left. I eventually purchased a phone because my travels were so frequent.

If I read this correctly, OP doesn't need Asian bands - only European. But I totally agree with buying local SIMs rather than a multi-country. The one that comes with the Telestial deal is expensive (although inexpensive compared to using a Country A SIM in Country B), but not a bad backup in case you're not going to be in one country long enough to justify buying a local.

It's an exercise in Linear Programming - with the constraint lines in more or less continuous motion.

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