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Can travelers or tourists rent cellphones in Europe?I'm flying to Spain in a few weeks and then am going to be traveling throughout Europe and the European Community for about two months thereafter, without a specific schedule. Problem is, I don't want to be completely out of touch with everyone here in the USA. Is there a company that rents phones? Sounds like a great trip! I'm envious of your footloose travels. If your traveling abroad and your current wireless phone will not work, you're not alone. A hefty 50% of USA cellular telephones will not work overseas due to varying wireless standards used here in the USA. Many phones here in the USA, working with carriers such as Verizon, Sprint/Nextel and a few others have adopted wireless technologies such as TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access) that are unique to this country and do not have the required technology or necessary frequency to be used with overseas wireless operators. Now, if your US wireless carrier is T-Mobile or Cingular which works on the G.S.M. (Global Standard for Mobiles) technology and you have a tri-band or quad-band phone then it should work in many overseas locations. Usually, you must be a customer for more than 6 months and have an additional credit check done before the international roaming provision can be activated on your account. The reason for this policy is that call costs while overseas usually range between $1.29-$4.99/minute and most cellular customers talk 30% more while traveling on business. Also, with a GSM Blackberry or another handheld data unit you can surf the web and send and receive emails for between $20.00-$30.00 per megabyte. Do the math, these carriers can get stung for thousands if the average person chats and surfs away as if they were burning from their pool of minutes or unlimited domestic data plans which is why personal credit becomes more important to your carrier. There are also more and more WVOIP (Wireless Voice Over IP) offerings for the person travelling with a laptop or Symbian phone that has a Skype or similiar account. WVOIP is in it's developmental infancy so although you can make and receive calls for pennies from major world cities the service quality and coverage will be poor at best. Whatever option you choose it is always prudent to read the fine print for taxes, activation fees, network access fees, set up fees, etc.. A shrewd traveler should be able to save big and have great coverage with a little research and web shopping prior to their departure date.
Global Cellular Rental, for example, explains that they offer seamless wireless voice and data solutions for the international traveler, providing local wireless phone numbers across the globe. They claim that they can usually save customers 80% compared to their T-Mobile or Cingular international roaming rates (other US carriers have phones that are incompatible with the European GSM standard). Like most of the rental firms, GCR covers every country in the world with GSM phone services and if you are going to be in areas where there's not likely to be any cellular coverage, they also offer bulky Iridium hand held phones, about the size of a cordless phone (pictured on right). Iridium phones work anywhere on the globe as long as you have sky above you and rent for $99.00 week. Incoming calls are free, outgoing calls are $1.89/minute for direct dial to anywhere in the world from anywhere in the world. Local number GSM phones rent for a reasonable $5.00/day, incoming calls are usually free and outgoing calls cost between $0.89-$1.50/minute depending upon the destination. Global Cellular Rental deliver phones anywhere in the USA for $10.00 and there are no other fees whatsoever. All international charging adapters, dialing instructions and accessories are of course included with the rental kit. I presume other companies offer similar deals, but I have to say that $5/day and free incoming calls sounds like an exceptionally inexpensive solution to your dilemma. I'll close by wishing you a very safe and happy bon voyage!
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Tagged: global cellphone, international cell phone, mobile phone, phone rental Previous: How do I know if I have a DVD reader on my PC? Next: Review: Polk Audio's I-Sonic XM Radio/HD stereo system Reader Comments To Date: 9wundermac said, on February 4, 2007 3:14 PM:
I'd echo what djmilk says. I spend a lot of time in Europe and have a pay-as-you go. In the UK, you can get them with top-up cards. the top-up card allows you to purchase extra minutes at places like supermarkets. You just present your topup card and tell them how much you want to add and it is all done through the cash register in seconds. If you are going to return to Europe, keep the phone for the next trip. If not, drop it in a recycling bin as you leave. provided you do not burn huge ammounts of minutes, this will be more cost-effective as you don't have to pay the leae cost, freight charges, insurance etc. When travelling in Europe, remember that the charging system on cell phones is different. In the US, charges are "balanced" so that a caller is not penalized for calling a cell phone (this dates from when cellular technology was new and expensive - some people objected to being charged extra when they could not tell it was a cell phone). In most other parts of the world, cell phones have unique numbers so you can tell you are calling one. Therefore, all of the cost of the call is placed on the calling party. Asmat said, on February 22, 2007 1:11 AM:
Most of new cell phons are so called "dual" so they are able to work at Europe and USA. So there is not so much reason to rent one. Miguel Reznicek said, on February 22, 2007 5:57 AM:
I would add that in most countries you can buy a GSM prepaid chip and use it on your own GSM phone. It doesn't matter where the phone came from or if it was "locked". Just change the chip and you're done. Most countries sell additional time for these chips. I have several, one for each country I travel to. As long as you add time or use them every now and then you dont loose your account. Works all over South America too, where GSM is king. -Migs Jay said, on August 12, 2008 6:29 PM:
can you use a nextel prepaid chip for a blackberry jhon said, on January 14, 2009 11:17 AM:
If you want to save money for local calls just buy local simcard (with local phone number) - it can cost just few bucks - and start to use it. Erick said, on January 14, 2009 11:20 AM:
You just present your topup card and tell them how much you want to add and it is all done through the cash register in seconds. Kevin said, on July 5, 2010 1:22 PM:
Hi All, I've worked in this industry for over 7 years for some of the largest international mobile comms providers so I know a thing or two about cell phone rental and roaming SIMs. IMHO - I would definately recommend buying a local SIM for the country you've traveling to and buy a cheap unlocked GSM phone, dual-band would suffice as Europe operate on 900/1800 Mhz GSM frequency, but for the same money you could get your self a tri-band :-) I've actually built a comparison website to help international travelers find the cheapest phone rental and SIM providers. It's unique, the only website of it's kind I believe? If you're interested - http://www.compare-call-rates.com/ I hope you found my comment helpful... Great website Dave, Best regards, Steve said, on July 15, 2010 6:42 AM:
You should check out www.fonmigo.com if you are visiting the UK, they provide smartphones and wireless internet.
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you can also buy a pay as you go phone for $50 or so. incoming calls are free, and you can "top up" credit at any phone shop for outgoing calls (and buy a phone card for dialling home). i kept an old PAYG mobile when i moved from UK to US and it's come in very handy on return trips. the UK number works across europe, and roaming fees aren't bad at all now (on vodaphone, but i assume the other carriers are similar).