If it works in Germany...that's one way to tell. :D
Seriously: you could look in your user's manual if you still have it or you could go to the manufacturer's website to check it out. US bands are 850 MHz and 1900 MHz; European bands are 900 MHz and 1800 MHz (900 being the most common).

What's the make/model?

Exactly!

It's an LG CU515. I've got the manual. Where do I find the band info?

Oh good!

Just did a search and Cnet's review says that the bands are: Band / mode: WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM 850/900/1800/1900.

http://reviews.cnet.com/cell-phones/...-32730358.html

Ok, I went to cnet's website for a review of my phone. Here's what they said about band:
What does this mean for me regarding use of my phone in Germany?

We went to the same place at the same time! So I'm good to go with this phone?

It means that you will be on 2G (EDGE) and not 3G b/c you need the 2100 band for that. The link below shows you the carriers in Germany. You're good to go.

http://www.wireless.att.com/travelgu...L=276&MNC=CING

Of the carriers, who has the best deals for calling to States
 

For example, O2 in the UK has better deals for buying a SIM card with intl minutes, and free incoming calls; T-Mobile was not nearly as good, even though it, too, had free incoming calls.

Also, anyone have recs for where to buy in Munich?

Excellent, thank you!

Went to the ATT store this afternoon and they unlocked the phone. Very nice professionals working there.

So now I need to do the research to find an inexpensive SIM card not only in rate/minute in Germany and to the US but also a cheap one-time purchase price. I assume they'll charge for the card itself. I'll still put some money into my onesuite account just in case I can't find a good deal on a SIM.

When I purchased my T-Mobile SIM about four or five years ago at Tegel Airport in Berlin, it cost about €15,00, of which €10 was airtime credit. The clerk at the T-Mobile store inserted the SIM into my unlocked U.S. phone and processed the activation - the phone was active and working before I left the airport.

Analise, if you read through some of the threads I linked to you'll find some discussion of prepaid voice.

How long are you going to be in Germany and how much use of the phone do you want to do?

I'd recommend one of the discount cards, such as those sold at Aldi, Tchibo, or Lidl.

I wouldn't pay any attention to rates to the US. It will be cheaper to use a voip/calling card provider with a local German access number and call that from the cell.

I am going for one week and I plan to use my cell phone VERY SPARINGLY. I have a discount calling card with onesuite and plan to use that for my calls to the US unless I cannot find a payphone anywhere. The cell phone was to call my friends and let them know what time to meet and things like that. It is also for them to call me if they need to reach me. Again, I plan to be with them most of the time but I do plan to be on my own in the mornings at least. My husband may want to reach me from New York on my cell during the day.

So in theory, I really don't want to use the cell phone very much but it may depend on how plentiful payphones are.

That sounds quite good. I'll check that out and hopefully the rate won't be something like €1/minute!

Verizon unlocks my Blackberry Tour for free..... i'll be using it next summer!

Blauworld is the cheapest Provider for making international calls from your cellphone. You can either buy the SIM-Card at cetrain stores or order it online. Don't know if they ship to addresses outside Germany.

You can buy blauworld SIM cards in real, Saturn, and some other stores.
While blauworld does offer the best international calling rates, I prefer to use a German local access number to make international calls from other SIMs. It adds a step, but it is cheaper that way (depending of course on overall usage).