Cell phone rental in Europe

Rental would probably be the worst way to go, Maria. Please use the search function at the top of the page and you will come up with loads of recent posts about the various options. It is all going to depend on how you plan to use your phone and how much hassle you want to deal with. Verizon has a free loaner program if you sign up for their international plan (you can cancel when you get back), for one thing.

Maria, Cello Mobile might in fact have better rates, but the difference may not be that great. It depends in part on how much you plan to use your phone. How long is your trip? What kind of calling do you plan to do? In some respects, using a Verizon loaner phone and signing up for their international plan may be easier because you'll keep the same phone number. Still, I've noticed that a lot of travelers who've posted to the Graffiti Wall have said good things about Cello Mobile so you probably won't do wrong going either way.

Paul: We will be gone just under a month. Cello-Mobile seemed to have better rates (.69 per minute) and .99 cents a day. Verizon charges 2.69 per minute in Poland and 1.39 per minute in Austria and Hungary. Well, thanks to all of you for your comments. We are still researching.

As I said before, Maria, there are a variety of options - unlocked quad band phone with a local SIM, buying a pay as you go phone once you arrive, loaner program, calling cards. If you plan to make long or frequent calls, Verizon's program won't be best for you. If you plan to make a lot of local calls, cellomobile won't make sense over buying a PAYG phone and paying pennies a minute for calls. There is a lot of information available here if you use the search box to find it. In looking at cellomobile's website, I see a price of $1.99/day, not $.99. That would give you a cost of about $60 before making ANY calls. I have an unlocked phone for which I bought a local SIM card on a recent trip. The SIM cost 9 euro and had 9 euro credit on it. I made three calls to the US and numerous local calls over a three week period and didn't come close to using the credit.

Maria, I'd suggest looking at a variety of "travel phone" firms and comparing the rates against using a phone from Verizon on their international plan. Some of the firms you could check are Roam Simple, Cellular Abroad, Call In Europe, EuroBuzz, Telestial, Mobile or TruPhone. Not all will offer rentals, but that will give you some idea of the rates. Be sure to verify the rates for the actual countries you'll be travelling in. Some firms may charge slightly higher rates for eastern Europe. Which option to choose will depend to some extent on the type of usage you're planning. If you're only going to be making a few in-country calls (check Hotel reservations, etc.) and sending a few texts, then the Verizon phone is a reasonably cost effective option. If you do decide to use the Verizon phone, BE SURE to tell your contacts that you'll be travelling, and DO NOT call unless it's an extreme emergency. There's nothing more annoying (for me) than getting trivial phone calls at 03:00 simply because some moron (who knew I was travelling) was too lazy to check the time. Happy travels!