cell phones in europe

Rob,

No, you can't use Verizon cell phones in Europe, as they use CDMA technology which is incompatible with GSM that's used by the rest of the world. If you were with T-Mobile or AT&T, the situation would be different (although it would still be necessary to have a quad-band phone for use in Europe).

One point to consider - I understand that Verizon is now offering two "dual-technology" phone models. These have both CDMA bands for North America as well as the 2 Euro GSM bands. AFAIK the only models which are capable of this are the Motorola A840 and the Blackberry 8830. You might be able to do a hardware upgrade from your existing phones?

Keep in mind that the rates you'll pay in Europe will be those negotiated between Verizon and the GSM networks. Your normal terms of service may not apply. Check with Verizon for further info.

I always use a GSM phone when travelling and it works well (a bit expensive for voice calls so I mostly use text which is cheap)!

Cheers!

I always take my regular cell phone with me. I have T-Mobile who offer a quad-band phone. Then I just activate the international calling - no charge until used. I just got back from 2 weeks vacation and the first time travelling without my daughter who had to call me or text me daily, sometimes more than once!!

I also used it to call friends in Ireland while I was in France and to call the shuttle from the airport while in Ireland. Really cool to be able to do that while my fellow travelers were wondering if their shuttles were going to show up. I even loaned it to some folks who would have otherwise been stranded.

My bill was only about $100 more than usual and totally convenient. Of course, the phone with the quad band is not a bells-and-whistles type phone, but since I don't need those, it works for me.

I can't imagine that only T-Mobile offers this type of service, so check with your company and find out. It's so easy and, except for my daughter (smile), cheap.

We too have Verizon and are leaving for UK/France/Italy on March 18th. Checking Verizon's GSM deal, it is costly! Calls are charged (in and out) at a whopping $2.48 per minute. I am checking the CellularAbroad options they have free incoming calls, free texting, and calls are only $.90 per minute. Has anyone used them or have other ideas on renting a phone for a month'suse

I wound up purchasing a phone from www.mobal.com to use in Europe.

Yes, I know it might be cheaper to buy it there, but the cost was low and I use it so rarely. Plus I originally bought it for use when I was escorting a Girl Scout group and I needed to give the parents the number before we left!

Carol, I carry the Mobal phone, too. The thing I really like about it is not having to mess with SIM cards and such when you are going to more than one country. You don't have prepaid minutes that go unused, or monthly charges. You just pay for what you use. And my Mobal phone was $49, so I'm not sure you'd find it cheaper there. And the Mobal comes with an international SIM card, so you have a permanent phone number.

As I can tell, the Verizon GSM rates in most of western Europe are $1.29 (http://b2b.vzw.com/international/Global_Phone/plans_coverage.html). I too have a SIM card from Cellular Abroad and it works nicely, but remember the initial cost of the SIM card and unlocked GSM phone (unless you already have one). I will only use the phone when necessary, so the per minute rate isn't all that important to me.

It will be my 1st trip to Europe this spring so I'm not very knowledgeable but I just ordered a phone from Keep Talking Europe.com for $19. The SIM card cost $29. There was no contract or other fees upfront. I will just pay for minutes used which range from zero cost for incoming calls in France to a high of 69cents/min for calls outgoing to the USA.

I have been researching Verizon for a few months about international calls. Get a black berry, with a sim card and then email each other. It costs your regular minutes with an international plan. Go to your local verizon store and ask a knowlegable employee about it.
If you must call each other it's $1.29 a minute. Just only use that for an emergency

I wonder if you use a the verizon international plan, and then just use a calling card, if you still incur fees?

My sister and I recently researched various cell phone options for our trip to Italy this fall. (We both have Verizon here in the US.) Believe it or not, the best deal we found for our purposes was through National Geographic. We just stumbled upon this. I do not know the specifics because my sister took care of the arrantements. But that might be one possibility to check out.