I have read through the sticky and I truly wish I understood some of the terminology better. It probably would make a lot more sense.

I need a cell phone that I can use in Europe. Countries vary from season to season. My immediate needs are Ireland, England, Greece, Italy, and Croatia. I'm considering purchasing one from www.mobal.com. It's $49 or $99 depending on the phone that you choose. The $99 has more coverage. Per minute rates are $1.25 - $1.95 approx. In Great Britain, incoming calls (which I assume include incoming calls from the US) appear to be free. That seems too good to be true. The price also includes the charger and the adaptors. It's a one-time only purchase with no additional fees other than per minute useage.

I currently have a Verizon piece-of-crap phone that meets my needs (minimally) here in the US. It is not unlocked and I do not want to try to figure out how to unlock it as it's on its last legs. It has suddenly decided that the charger that I've had for 3 years "is not our charger" so half the time it's a battle to get it to charge. I need a new one but I just haven't been in the mood to go through the comparison-shopping battle.

While I travel to Europe with some frequency, I never bring a cell phone. I rely on email at internet cafes. However, recently some things have changed and due to some family health situations, I need to be reachable. I would very much appreciate any input. Thanks!