Mobal phones

Sondra, I haven't used Mobal products, as they seem to be more expensive than some of the other travel phone firms. I've been using one of the other firms, and as I recall they charge 69¢ per minute for calls and for sent texts (received texts are free). For comparison, you could have a look at the websites for Roam Simple, Cellular Abroad, Telestial, EuroBuzz (which I believe is also operated by Mobal), Max Roam or One SIM. Good luck with your decision!

I used Mobal for several trips, and was pleased with the call quality and ease of use. Now, though, I keep a SIM card from their "little brother" company, Eurobuzz. Eurobuzz is owned by Mobal, but is a bit cheaper. Only paying for the calls you make is great, though, because your number is permanent (unlike local SIMs that will expire after a certain time), so you can just store the phone when you get home, and use it again next trip without changing phone numbers. And you don't have to worry about running out of minutes.

We've used a Mobal phone for several European trips over the years. We've always been pleased--as we don't need to make that many calls. Then we just re-charge the battery every 6 months or so--keeping it ready for the next trip.

I have used Mobal for several years. In the early days they offered a free SIM card and I put it in an unlocked GSM phone I bought for about $15 on e-bay. I have gotten coverage just about everywhere, even in the high mountains and it has the advantage of working in North America if you need it. I keep mine in the car for emergency use. The cost is high when you use it but certainly less than something that has a contract or minutes that expire.

Ditto to what Rich said. Our Mobal, purchased a couple of years ago, if I remember correctly, cost $30. We use it only in emergencies; e.g., when we're supposed to check into a B&B by a certain time and are unavoidably detained. The high per minute cost is irrelevant to us because there is no contract. We usually wind up spending less than $5 per trip on calls.