cell phones

Trish, You might have a look in the various sections of the HelpLine (there are currently some in the "General Europe" section) for information on that subject. It's been extensively discussed in several Threads recently. It would help to know whether you currently have a Cell phone, and if so which network you're with? Rather than re-post the same information over again, have a look at the replies so far. If you have specific questions, post another note here. Cheers!

Thanks, I am new to this so will take more time looking.
We DO have cell phones (AT&T) but were told that it would be too expensive to use abroad and that buying one(s) once we get there would be better.

My wife and I spent about 15 minutes total talking to each other on our cell phones while in London. That was just to find out where we were and where/when to meet. To buy 2 cell phones you're looking at least $50 each plus minutes. I think it was 99 cents a minute to talk in Europe for T-Mobile, so $1.98 per minute when we called each other (adding the two phones up). So all told we spent only $30 on calls while we were there. I think we will do it again this time, rather than spending a bunch of cash on phones we won't remember the number for, and won't use enough to justify paying for. If you plan to make a lot of local calls to other people or places, go right ahead and buy the prepaid phones. But if you already have phones with AT&T (the iPhone 3G, 3GS, and 4 work in Europe) why not just use them? You can sign up for a discounted rate in Europe for a few dollars on the AT&T website.

Trish, As you already have Cell phones with AT&T, the phones will work in Europe provided they are quad-band models (ie: equipped with the two European frequency bands). Who told you that the phones would be "too expensive to use abroad"? That's not entirely true, as the cost will vary depending on several factors. If you sign up for an AT&T roaming plan (I believe you can cancel that when you return home) and use the phones sparingly for voice calls, the cost should be reasonable. You might want to check with an AT&T rep. that's knowledgeable about their international travel plans. The least expensive method would be to keep in touch via text rather than voice, as the cost is typically about 75¢ per sent message and received messages are usually FREE. If you're using "Smart Phones" (ie: iPhone or Blackberry), there are some other very important details you'll need to be aware of. If you do decide to travel with your AT&T phones, be sure to check the Chargers to ensure they're designed for "world operation". You will of course need Plug Adapters.

I just took my Sprint phone into their center here and found out it will not work in Europe - they use a system different from the one used in Europe.

Neither Sprint nor most Verizon phones will work in Europe, but AT&T and T-mobile have phones that will. Yes, think about exactly how (and how much) you will use your phones, check AT&T's international plan, then decide what makes the most economic sense.