renting a cell phone in Europe?

[Anonymous]

Have any of you done this? Is there a way to make one's US cell phone Europe-compatible? Any suggestions (direction to a helpful website, book or other resource) much appreciated!

[Anonymous]

pretty mcuh any big cell phone service such as Vodaphone or Wind in Europe will sell you a prepaid phone that you may add minutes as you need. They are not that expensive. I do know that Verizon will not work where I went, Greece or Paris.

[Anonymous]

If you have an unlocked cell phone all you need to do is buy a SIM card when you arrive and pre-load it with some minutes. There are places to do this in most international airports. Another reasonably-priced option is to just buy a pre-paid cell phone and reload it as needed. Usually that is going to be cheaper than renting a phone from a company that caters to tourists. And you can keep the phone and use it again in the future.

[Anonymous]

9:48 here again. If you don't plan on using the phone much (or can rely mostly on texting) and have T-Mobile, it works pretty much everywhere in Europe and the roaming charges are not out of control. I did that my last trip to Switzerland and I think my bill was only an extra $30.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the suggestions. PP, sorry if this is a stupid question---did you use a US T-mobile phone for your texting?

[Anonymous]

there is a company called Mobal. They provide a universal cell and a pay as you go account. I used this service when I went to Italy and discovered beofre the trip that my phone would not work in Europe. I have had a good experience with them so far.