cell phones in Germany

Look for an inexpensive UNLOCKED tri-band or quad-band GSM phone on E-bay or similar, then he can get a local SIM card when he gets there. I use one that gives me relatively low rates in many countries. But since he's in Germany mostly, he can get lower rates with a German SIM. Do a search on some recent forum pages for Andreas or Jo, who both live in Frankfurt, and send them a personal message. I'm sure they wouldn't mind giving you a rundown on what SIM cards are available in Germany.

That SIM card stuff is a bit too technical for me. Have him buy a cheap phone when he gets here that uses prepaid cards. You can pick them up starting at 30 euros. Cause he will want to be reachable to his friends here. If he doesn't call too much and uses the SMS function instead, it wont be too expensive. Otherwise, stick with the SKYPE and if he wants to call you, have him get a calling card for the states and go to an internet cafe where they have phones or a friends house. Can you tell I let my husband do the hard stuff?

Jo..,"have him buy a cheap phone when he gets here with a prepaid card." Isn't the prepaid card you refer to, the SIM card....the little one you stick inside your phone?

No, here, when they say pre-paid, it means you can load your phone up with however much credit you like, it does not have a contract. So, I go down to the bank or the phone store and put 15 euros on my phone and it lasts me about a month. I don't call much, usually just an sms or 2 every day. They only cost .19 cents each. The SIM card is what has your info on it. So when I buy a new phone, I just take my old SIM card out and put it in the new phone. All my phone numbers are on it!

Ah...OK...so if he purchases a cheap cell phone in Germany, he'll get the SIM card with it? Would it cost him more than , say, 30 Euro ($50 US)?

Thank you all for taking the time to respond. We are checking out all the options.