Purchase or rent cell phone for Europe?

Travis, As you're interested in "affordably", I would NOT recommend renting a phone as it won't be cheap. Given the fact you'll be travelling in several countries, it would also NOT be a good idea to purchase a new SIM card in each country that you'll be in. Your phone number will change each time you inssert a new SIM card, so forwarding your current Cell phone to your "travel" number will not be an option. I'd suggest looking at the websites for the "travel phone" firms such as Roam Simple, Call In Europe, Cellular Abroad, Telestial and Mobal. You could either obtain a phone and SIM from one of those firms OR buy an inexpensive quad-band GSM unlocked Phone from E-Bay and just buy a SIM. Most of the above firms have post-paid plans, with calls charged to a credit card. If you buy a SIM in each country, you'll only be able to obtain a PAYG plan, so could "run out of minutes" during a call, and you'll also have to top-up on a regular basis (depending on how much you use the phone). More importantly, at least one of the above firms is able to provide a local number that's "mapped" to your travel number, so you'd be able to forward your home Cell to that number. That may be an extra cost option. When forwarding your normal Cell to your travel number, you'll need to consider the fact that you may receive calls at 03:00 from people at home that don't know you're out of the country or don't bother to check the time difference. Having the convenience of a cell when travelling comes with a cost, so you'll need to budget for that regardless of which option you choose. Happy travels!

These are the cheapest I can find in the UK at the moment. Stores all over the place and the assistant will advise you on the best pay as you go (PAYG) call plan. http://www.carphonewarehouse.com/pay-as-you-go/shopybyprice/10 How about that Royal Wedding phone?!!!!!!!!

I checked on renting vs purchasing a couple of years ago. As I travel frequently (somewhat anyway) I determined it was better to purchase and take it each trip. Vodaphone - check out their site. Not sure about the forwarding of calls aspect.

I've been traveling to Europe every other year and decided to buy a phone years ago. I purchased a phone from Mobal. Web site: http://www.mobal.com/international-cell-phones/ It has been very handy and reliable. I've used it in France, Italy, England, Czech Republic, Hungary, and Croatia and had never had an issue. Happy travels!

Definitely buy one. You can get a low-cost prepaid phone in London for less than renting one. Unless things have changed, the phone should be unlocked, which lets you use it with any carrier you choose. Because you are going to several different countries, the lowest cost option is to get a local SIM card in each country so that you are paying local rates for local calls. Incoming calls forwarded from your cell should be free on your European number. Be sure and check out any international calling plan from Verizon before you go to see if you can get a low rate on the calls you have forwarded to you overseas. A possibly cheaper, but more clunky, approach is to forward your cell calls to a VOIP provider, such as Skype, which will then forward it to your European number. The rates are lower. You must sign up for an incoming number from Skype (the cost is low, but I haven't priced it recently) and you might want to sign up for a Skype calling plan. I would note that I've seen international calling plans from cell companies here where the rates are almost as good as Skype, so check both out first. You may want to check out Skype regardless, though, because you may want an inexpensive way to call back to the U.S. With Skype you can get a local number overseas that can be used to call U.S. numbers from your European cell at low rates.

We used old phones and bought SIMS in the UK.

Sigh - The same old, oft-repeated, copy-and-paste recommendations for over-priced post-paid services. Cheap local service sims are dissed without a shred of back-up. It's ridiculous that this appears on RS forums time after time. Travis, Mobal is THE most expensive way to go for phones in Europe, so waste your time and check it out for yourself if you want. Then you'll probably want to listen to people like Paul who know what they're talking about. Do as Linda suggests and go to Carphone Warehouse and get a good deal on a phone and UK sim. Tell them your travel plans and see if they have a recommendation on the best way to handle roaming charges in Ireland and Germany. I guarantee it will be better than Mobal.

@ Tex, Just to clarify the reasons why I suggested the "over-priced post-paid services" as a solution to consider in this case. The OP stated that one of the most important criteria was that he wanted a product so that "I can have my current cell phone forward calls to". As he's travelling in three different countries, using local SIM's in each country is not a realistic solution! Some of the questions to consider: - Once he's in Europe, how will he change the call forwarding on his regular Cell phone? Each time he changes the SIM card, the number will change. - Since he won't know his "travel number" until he arrives in Europe, he won't be able to even call forward his regular number. - Call forwarding his regular phone to a European number will incur long distance charges for each call. How much will that cost over using "over-priced post-paid services"? What kind of a bill will be waiting in the mailbox for his regular cell service when he returns home? Using a post-paid service which provides a local number to forward his normal Cell phone to, a number which is "mapped" to his travel number, would seem to be a more reasonable and cost effective solution. While there may be an extra charge for that option, it will be considerably cheaper than paying long distance for every call. It seems reasonable to at least mention the post-paid services, so that travellers can make the best choice for their circumstances. I do agree with you that Mobal is one of the most expensive, and that's why I won't use them. However some here have used Mobal, and been very pleased with the service, so that's their choice. BTW, I didn't "cut & paste". The information was typed in just for this post. Cheers!

Tex, I also have a Mobal SIM card. I use it in the second slot of my GSM phone. In the first slot, I use a local SIM card. I agree that Mobal is expensive, but I use it only as an permanent emergency number through which I can always be contacted. It will never expire, never need to be topped up, and won't cost me one red cent unless it is used (and I won't have unused minutes at the end of my trip). As Ken said, for the OP's stated purposes, Mobal makes more sense than a local SIM. The best solution, as always, depends on how the person intends to use their phone. Sometimes the option that is more expensive per-minute can meet their needs better overall.

The OP can also look at the rates of other "travel phone" firms, as they may be slightly less expensive than Mobal. Having lots of information on the various options will hopefully allow him to choose the best solution for his particular circumstances.

Travis, I second Linda's suggestion. I bought a very inexpensive unlocked cell phone with a prepaid plan at Carphone Warehouse in England 2 years ago. It was quick and easy to purchase. Last year I took it with me to Sweden and changed the SIM card to a local one and this year I am taking it with me to the Netherlands and will do the same. Much, much cheaper than renting. In 2005 we rented a cell phone to go to Finland and it was so expensive that we never did it again.

I agree that getting a local SIM in three countries isn't the easiest solution due to the difficulty of changing the forwarding number three times from overseas. Forwarding the U.S. cell to a Skype number and then forwarding that number to the foreign cell is one "work around." If Travis can access a computer, he can change the forwarding number that the Skype number uses as he changes SIMs. This isn't a great solution. The more links in the circuit, the more chances for a call not to work right. Here is a better work around: 1. Get a google voice number. They are free. 2. Forward your Verizon cell to the google voice number. 3. Set up the google voice account so that it does not forward calls to anything but google voice's voicemail. 4. When google voice gets a message, it will send either a text or an email to wherever you direct. 5. In most cases, google voice will transcribe the voicemail so you can read the message without having to hear it. (It can be a rough transcription sometimes.) 6. When Travis gets a call to his Verizon cell, he won't be able to answer it directly, but he can decide whether he needs to call back. To call back he can use a calling card. That is probably the cheapest approach.

Help me out, I"m not getting this point.... My Verizon service rents phones I can use in Europe or elsewhere for free, except for the shipping which has been ten dollars. The calls themselves are 1.29 a minute or so, but I get to keep my number and contacts. It seems environmentally better to rent instead of buy if I only need a phone 2 or 3 times a year.
I'm not getting why posters say the phones are expensive to rent: does this really mean the calls are expensive as compared to sims cards and skype, in all the many threads for many years on this topic?

Melissa, when people say that renting is expensive, they are usually referring to actually renting a phone from a travel phone company. Verizon does have a loaner phone arrangement, and the per-minute cost is high-ish (I think you might also have to get an international roaming arrangement, for which there is a monthly fee). If you are only going to use the phone in emergencies, or for brief, infrequent calls, doing the Verizon loaner might work best for you.

Thanks, I hoped that was the explanation. There is some kind of plan for Verizon Global Travel Program, my notes say "standard or value", standard adds no extra cost, value is 4.99 a month; but both service and cellphone are exchanges, and service returns to the normal package prices once the global phone is returned. I have a 21 month old nonGlobal Verizon phone/service and twice the phones received were not as modern as my everyday phone. Yep, the per minute costs are pricey- last summer Austria, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Slovenia were $1.29 or .99, Czech Republic 1.99 or 1.49 per minutes. etc. Texting was .50 sent or .05 received. If someone starts chatting away then it does get expensive.
Since Original Poster already has Verizon I would think it meets 2 stated needs.

My sister-in-law asked me for advice on what phone service her daughter and her friends should use for a three-week trip this summer to several countries in Europe. Because my usual answer sounded too complicated for her, I decided to investigate the "one-SIM does all" options to see if one might work for her situation. I looked at as many web sites as I could find for these providers and tried to come up with a comparison. These comments are not based on a comparison of actual service, so seek that elsewhere. Let me start with my conclusion: Most of these services basically give you a U.K. telephone number and then charge a mark-up over what a U.K. carrier (Vodafone, T-Mobile, etc.) would charge you for prepaid usage on a U.K. number. You can get better prices directly from the U.K. carrier, especially on data usage. So if your trip starts in the U.K., just buy a U.K. SIM and add money to the account before you leave for elsewhere in Europe. European roaming rates are not that horrible because they are regulated and you are going to be paying roaming rates anyway with these "one SIM" services, plus the seller's own mark-up. One big advantage of going directly with a U.K. company: the roaming data rates are much better than any offered by the other companies. There are two good reasons, however, why getting a SIM directly from a U.K. phone company may not be the best solution for some travelers. First, if you don't start your trip in the U.K., it may be difficult to get a U.K. SIM. Also, it is tough to add money to a U.K. SIM when you are not in the U.K. Some carriers will not let you use a foreign credit card to add money online. But a few of the "one SIM" companies will. Some set up automatic refills through your credit card when your account runs low (which can cut both ways if you run up more charges than you realized).

Continued . . . Still, a French or German SIM would likely have similar rates - remember they are all regulated by the EU - so if your trip starts elsewhere one of those SIMs might work as well. Second, some of these "one SIM" companies make it easy by selling a U.S. number that is tied to the foreign number so you have a local number that others can use easily to call you when you are overseas. There are independent services that do the same sort of thing, though, for probably a bit less. Still, trying to set this up yourself adds a layer of complexity. As for the other SIM offerings, first, I'd recommend avoiding Mobal. They basically are selling you a U.K. SIM and you are roaming everywhere else. The outgoing calling charge is high. You can do better with one of the other companies. In fact, you'd do better off just staying with AT&T or T-Mobile and paying the rates they charge, at least for outgoing calls you make. Furthermore, it looks like Mobal charges incoming and outgoing text rates that are higher than what your home carrier would charge for international roaming. Providers such as Telestial offer a bunch of different options. With most you get a U.S. number as well as a U.K. number. I presume that calling the U.S. number will ring the U.K. number. If correct, this offers you the ability to give your callers back home a way to call you without incurring extra fees. Instead you will, but it is pretty low ($0.19 a minute in addition to the standard charge, if any). Telestial gives you options for free incoming calls throughout most of Europe. This would be a plus for parents wishing to check up on traveling children. Also, the traveler could initiate the call, talk for a minute, hang up, and then wait to be called back from home.

Continued . . . . Text messages with Telestial are also fairly reasonable. Incoming can be free (or as little as $0.10 per if sent to the U.S. number). Outgoing texts are a bit more than T-Mobile in the U.S. would charge. I assume AT&T is similar. Data rates are pretty bad. I suspect this will be true for all of these carriers. Once again, data roaming with a European-based SIM might be a better deal. CallingInEurope.com offers better rates. You basically get a SIM that is tied to France, Germany, or the U.K. Incoming calls in the country tied to your SIM are free and just $0.29 or $0.39 elsewhere. Outgoing calls back to the U.S. are between $0.29 to $0.99 per minute. Incoming texts are free and outgoing ones are $0.19, $0.39, or $0.89 per text, depending upon country. RoamSimple.com offers free incoming calls in the U.K. and calls for $0.49 a minute in Europe. Outgoing calls to the U.S. are $0.35 from the U.K. and $0.89 elsewhere in Europe. Incoming texts are free; outgoing to the U.S. are $0.69. EuroBuzz.com simplifies everything by charging $0.79 for both incoming and outgoing everywhere. Although incoming text messages are free, outgoing texts cost $0.79. BrightRoam.com gives customers a U.K. SIM card and has somewhat decent rates, but you still are roaming on a U.K. carrier and paying a premium over what that U.K. carrier would charge you directly. Hope this helps. Check out the rates for yourself before making a decision. I've tried to puzzle through them, but some don't make it that easy to figure out and I may have missed something.

@ Paul, Just curious, after all the research and information you provided for them, which option did your sister-in-law's daughter choose?

Ken, I finished looking late last night (Sunday) and haven't communicated with my S-I-L yet. When we last talked, she was thinking of having her daughter and her friends buy a new SIM in each country they visit. After looking at these "one SIM" plans, I don't think that will be necessary. I'd advise her to have them just get a SIM in the first country they visit and roam on it. If they run out of money and can't "top up," just get a new SIM wherever they are. I am also looking at this for my own family. We're making two trips in June and my wife wants something for my daughter's phone to have so she is sure she can be reached. I'm fairly certain I'm going to go with the Google Voice approach I described in a post above. Between us, we have three Google Voice numbers, so we can use them to capture all incoming calls and alert us by text message, which won't cost us anything. Among ourselves, we'll just communicate by text at T-Mobile U.S.'s roaming rates. Because we all have unlimited messaging plans, we'll only pay for outgoing messages. It's not cheap - 35 cents a message - but it won't break the bank either if we use them judiciously. My wife and daughter don't use their phones much as it is. For me, however, and based on experiences from past trips, I know I'll need to be able to be easily contacted for work. Although I may use Google Voice for my cell and work numbers - I can forward both - I need an inexpensive way to call to the U.S. I have an active U.K. SIM, which offers the best rates, but we're not going to the U.K. on this trip so I won't be able to add money to it easily. For that reason, I am seriously considering giving one of the lower cost services a try.

Continued . . . . At the moment I'm thinking of going with one of Telestial's plans or with one of the Call In Europe plans. I've used a Skype combination on past trips, and it worked okay, but it wasn't totally seamless. I know phone cards are cheaper, but being able to make the call with a cell phone is so convenient. (I'm violating the pack light gospel by carrying two cell phones.) By-the-way, my summary above does not factor in the one-time costs of these services. That can possibly change the value of each plan and it should be considered. For example, some of the Telestial plans cost $59. Most plans from the others are around $20-30. Mobal has one of the lowest up-front costs at $9. Telestial does have a $5 plan but it has some higher rates and free incoming calls are limited to a few countries. Getting a European SIM probably doesn't cost anything other than the airtime you initially purchase. Calling and sending texts is not that big an issue for me, though. The real issue I'll have is getting data access on my phone so I can get email and use the Internet. If I could top-up my U.K. SIM, I'd use the data roaming plan it offers. Great rates in comparison to my other alternatives. I likely will have to get a SIM in whatever country we're in just for the data. I have a boingo account, too, so I'm going to be looking for wifi access wherever possible. (It helps that I think European McDonalds taste way better than the McDonalds in the U.S. - My wife, fortunately, isn't easily embarrassed by my plebian palate.)

Let me post one more comment and then I will have exhausted everything that I could say about cell use in Europe. If you have T-Mobile as your U.S. carrier, T-Mobile offers a wifi calling feature that lets you make and receive wifi calls with your phone from anywhere you can get a wifi connection. Calls are treated just the same as calls you make from home. A call by you back to the U.S. is just a local call. A call to your number from someone in the U.S. is a local call to you so long as you take it over a wifi connection. This is a great feature that I hope won't disappear if the AT&T merger goes through. All you need is a phone that is capable of making wifi calls. Most Blackberries can over UMA, but the real focus now is on Android phones. With an Android phone, it has to be one sold by T-Mobile and one that comes with the feature. My wife's phone and one of the phones I'm taking both have this feature. Skype offers an app to permit similar wifi calling at Skype's low rates if you don't have T-Mobile or a T-Mobile wifi equipped phone.

@ Paul, Thanks for the very comprehensive feedback! I suppose the "bottom line" is that everyone's needs are slightly different, so it's important to find the best Cell phone option for the circumstances. I just use a "basic" flip phone at the moment, so only need voice and text capability. I may look at the iPhone 5 when it's introduced, and will consider data travel plans when that happens. In the past I've used roaming with my home network (Rogers), however their roaming rates increased substantially in the last few years so I've had to look at other options. They do offer roaming plans which reduce costs somewhat (similar to AT&T), but the maximum time on these is 30-days, which doesn't work for me (my trip last year was about two months and this year will be about five weeks). I spent a considerable amount of time looking at the "travel phone" firms as you did, and the results were very close so it was a difficult choice. I finally settled on Roam Simple for my trip last year, and my impressions so far have been favourable. Atlhough the costs may be slightly higher than buying a SIM locally, I like having consistent rates regardless of which country I'm in. I also like the fact that they use a post-paid billing, as I'd find topping-up or "running out of minutes" to be a huge annoyance. I'll most likely renew the plan and try it again this year. One factor that's very important for me, is that my family is able to reach me as easily as possible. Therefore, changing SIM's in every country is NOT an option! I like to have minimal "fuss & bother", so changing the SIM once at the beginning of the trip and back to my regular SIM at the end is much preferred. Cheers!

If you're traveling less than 30 days and just want a phone for emergencies, I recommend just renting a phone from Verizon. It's actually free, you pay for postage and the 4.99 international calling plan. The phone is a basic flip phone and texting is much cheaper than calling. Plus you get to keep your own number. Just warn everyone in advance not to call you as you will be in Europe. I did this last October and was very happy with it.