Cell Phone Rental In Europe - Recommendations?
Aug 9th 2004, 6:54 am
#1
Guest
Posts: n/a
Cell Phone Rental In Europe - Recommendations?
Hi,
I'm going to be in Italy (exclusively) in late September. Can anyone
recommend a good company for renting cell phones for use there?? My
preference is to rent it while still in the US rather than getting it after
we arrive (unless there are substantial savings for getting it
in-country;-) ).
TIA,
-Tennis
--
Remove "-remove-to-reply" to respond to my email address directly.
I'm going to be in Italy (exclusively) in late September. Can anyone
recommend a good company for renting cell phones for use there?? My
preference is to rent it while still in the US rather than getting it after
we arrive (unless there are substantial savings for getting it
in-country;-) ).
TIA,
-Tennis
--
Remove "-remove-to-reply" to respond to my email address directly.
Aug 9th 2004, 8:08 am
#2
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Cell Phone Rental In Europe - Recommendations?
On Mon, 9 Aug 2004 11:54:10 -0700, "Tennis Smith"
<[email protected]> wrote:
>Hi,
>I'm going to be in Italy (exclusively) in late September. Can anyone
>recommend a good company for renting cell phones for use there?? My
>preference is to rent it while still in the US rather than getting it after
>we arrive (unless there are substantial savings for getting it
>in-country;-) ).
I recently saw an Italian cell phone for sale for around 50 euros,
including a SIM card. It didn't say how many minutes were on the card,
but I doubt a rental would be any cheaper.
-----------
Barbara Vaughan
My email address is my first initial followed by my surname at libero dot it
I answer travel questions only in the newsgroup
<[email protected]> wrote:
>Hi,
>I'm going to be in Italy (exclusively) in late September. Can anyone
>recommend a good company for renting cell phones for use there?? My
>preference is to rent it while still in the US rather than getting it after
>we arrive (unless there are substantial savings for getting it
>in-country;-) ).
I recently saw an Italian cell phone for sale for around 50 euros,
including a SIM card. It didn't say how many minutes were on the card,
but I doubt a rental would be any cheaper.
-----------
Barbara Vaughan
My email address is my first initial followed by my surname at libero dot it
I answer travel questions only in the newsgroup
Aug 9th 2004, 11:26 am
#3
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Cell Phone Rental In Europe - Recommendations?
"Tennis Smith" <[email protected]> climbed onto
an orange crate and shouted:
>I'm going to be in Italy (exclusively) in late September. Can anyone
>recommend a good company for renting cell phones for use there?? My
>preference is to rent it while still in the US rather than getting it after
>we arrive (unless there are substantial savings for getting it
>in-country;-) ).
Don't rent a phone. It's almost always cheaper to buy one. Reduce
your "rental" cost even further (to near-zero) by reselling the phone
on Ebay when you return.
--
"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we.
They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country
and our people, and neither do we." - GW Bush, 5 August 2004
an orange crate and shouted:
>I'm going to be in Italy (exclusively) in late September. Can anyone
>recommend a good company for renting cell phones for use there?? My
>preference is to rent it while still in the US rather than getting it after
>we arrive (unless there are substantial savings for getting it
>in-country;-) ).
Don't rent a phone. It's almost always cheaper to buy one. Reduce
your "rental" cost even further (to near-zero) by reselling the phone
on Ebay when you return.
--
"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we.
They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country
and our people, and neither do we." - GW Bush, 5 August 2004
Aug 9th 2004, 11:59 am
#4
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Cell Phone Rental In Europe - Recommendations?
"Tennis Smith" <[email protected]> wrote in
news:1092077787.679014@sj-nntpcache-3:
> Hi,
>
> I'm going to be in Italy (exclusively) in late September. Can anyone
> recommend a good company for renting cell phones for use there?? My
> preference is to rent it while still in the US rather than getting it
> after we arrive (unless there are substantial savings for getting it
> in-country;-) ).
>
> TIA,
> -Tennis
>
> --
> Remove "-remove-to-reply" to respond to my email address directly.
>
>
>
If you have a tri or quad band phone you may find that roaming in Europe is
cheaper and more convenient especially if most of your calls are going to
be transatlantic anyway.
news:1092077787.679014@sj-nntpcache-3:
> Hi,
>
> I'm going to be in Italy (exclusively) in late September. Can anyone
> recommend a good company for renting cell phones for use there?? My
> preference is to rent it while still in the US rather than getting it
> after we arrive (unless there are substantial savings for getting it
> in-country;-) ).
>
> TIA,
> -Tennis
>
> --
> Remove "-remove-to-reply" to respond to my email address directly.
>
>
>
If you have a tri or quad band phone you may find that roaming in Europe is
cheaper and more convenient especially if most of your calls are going to
be transatlantic anyway.
Aug 9th 2004, 2:54 pm
#5
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Cell Phone Rental In Europe - Recommendations?
"Tennis Smith" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:1092077787.679014@sj-nntpcache-3...
> Hi,
> I'm going to be in Italy (exclusively) in late September. Can anyone
> recommend a good company for renting cell phones for use there?? My
> preference is to rent it while still in the US rather than getting it
after
> we arrive (unless there are substantial savings for getting it
> in-country;-) ).
> TIA,
> -Tennis
> --
> Remove "-remove-to-reply" to respond to my email address directly.
Don't know about savings if you wait and get a phone in Italy; but I did
exactly what you propose a couple of years ago -- rented a phone in the U.S.
and then used it in Italy and the Netherlands for a couple of weeks. Upon
return, I sent it back to the rental company. The phone was invaluable
since a couple of our party missed plane connections. There were ongoing
changes to travel arrangements and various calls back to the U.S. The phone
worked well in Rome and throughout Sicily. One advantage is that you know
your phone number before you leave so those at home can reach you quickly in
an emergency.
I rented the phone through the Parker Company who also handled our apartment
rental. The phone rental company seems to be separate, however, and has a
web site at: http://www.smartcoms.com One of the pages gives you an idea
of rates.
I'm also going to Austria and then Italy in late September and was thinking
about the rental phone again. Does anyone know the rates to call the U.S.
from Europe assuming you buy the phone there?
TKM
news:1092077787.679014@sj-nntpcache-3...
> Hi,
> I'm going to be in Italy (exclusively) in late September. Can anyone
> recommend a good company for renting cell phones for use there?? My
> preference is to rent it while still in the US rather than getting it
after
> we arrive (unless there are substantial savings for getting it
> in-country;-) ).
> TIA,
> -Tennis
> --
> Remove "-remove-to-reply" to respond to my email address directly.
Don't know about savings if you wait and get a phone in Italy; but I did
exactly what you propose a couple of years ago -- rented a phone in the U.S.
and then used it in Italy and the Netherlands for a couple of weeks. Upon
return, I sent it back to the rental company. The phone was invaluable
since a couple of our party missed plane connections. There were ongoing
changes to travel arrangements and various calls back to the U.S. The phone
worked well in Rome and throughout Sicily. One advantage is that you know
your phone number before you leave so those at home can reach you quickly in
an emergency.
I rented the phone through the Parker Company who also handled our apartment
rental. The phone rental company seems to be separate, however, and has a
web site at: http://www.smartcoms.com One of the pages gives you an idea
of rates.
I'm also going to Austria and then Italy in late September and was thinking
about the rental phone again. Does anyone know the rates to call the U.S.
from Europe assuming you buy the phone there?
TKM
Aug 9th 2004, 3:36 pm
#6
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Cell Phone Rental In Europe - Recommendations?
"TKM" <[email protected]> climbed onto an orange crate and
shouted:
>I'm also going to Austria and then Italy in late September and was thinking
>about the rental phone again. Does anyone know the rates to call the U.S.
>from Europe assuming you buy the phone there?
Detailed rates are available from:
http://www.prepaidgsm.net/en/italia.html
http://www.prepaidgsm.net/en/austria.html
Calls back to the US are generally in the range EUR 0.50-1.00 per
minute. If you're a T-Mobile U.S. customer, international roaming is
comparable in terms of cost ($0.99/min) and gives the convenience of
keeping your home number.
--
"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we.
They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country
and our people, and neither do we." - GW Bush, 5 August 2004
shouted:
>I'm also going to Austria and then Italy in late September and was thinking
>about the rental phone again. Does anyone know the rates to call the U.S.
>from Europe assuming you buy the phone there?
Detailed rates are available from:
http://www.prepaidgsm.net/en/italia.html
http://www.prepaidgsm.net/en/austria.html
Calls back to the US are generally in the range EUR 0.50-1.00 per
minute. If you're a T-Mobile U.S. customer, international roaming is
comparable in terms of cost ($0.99/min) and gives the convenience of
keeping your home number.
--
"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we.
They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country
and our people, and neither do we." - GW Bush, 5 August 2004
Aug 9th 2004, 6:31 pm
#7
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Cell Phone Rental In Europe - Recommendations?
"TKM" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> "Tennis Smith" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:1092077787.679014@sj-nntpcache-3...
> > Hi,
> >
> > I'm going to be in Italy (exclusively) in late September. Can anyone
> > recommend a good company for renting cell phones for use there?? My
> > preference is to rent it while still in the US rather than getting it
> after
> > we arrive (unless there are substantial savings for getting it
> > in-country;-) ).
> >
> > TIA,
> > -Tennis
> >
> > --
> > Remove "-remove-to-reply" to respond to my email address directly.
> >
>
> Don't know about savings if you wait and get a phone in Italy; but I did
> exactly what you propose a couple of years ago -- rented a phone in the U.S.
> and then used it in Italy and the Netherlands for a couple of weeks. Upon
> return, I sent it back to the rental company. The phone was invaluable
> since a couple of our party missed plane connections. There were ongoing
> changes to travel arrangements and various calls back to the U.S. The phone
> worked well in Rome and throughout Sicily. One advantage is that you know
> your phone number before you leave so those at home can reach you quickly in
> an emergency.
>
> I rented the phone through the Parker Company who also handled our apartment
> rental. The phone rental company seems to be separate, however, and has a
> web site at: http://www.smartcoms.com One of the pages gives you an idea
> of rates.
> I'm also going to Austria and then Italy in late September and was thinking
> about the rental phone again. Does anyone know the rates to call the U.S.
> from Europe assuming you buy the phone there?
>
> TKM
Sorry, I'm not sure how much it costs to call from an Austrian cell
phone, but I did research the cost of calling from an Italian cell
phone before my trip and the cost of calling internationally from an
Italian phone was not that much lower.
We have recently returned from travelling in Italy, France and the UK
with a large party of people. We needed to keep track of everyone and
keep a phone for any emergencies back home. I did quite a lot of
shopping around, but the option of renting a cell phone ended up being
too expensive. In the end we bought an international cell phone for
$49 from Mobal in the U.S. (www.mobalrental.com) We purchased it
online and it was shipped free to us in NJ within 2 days. It was
convenient and came with everything we needed. Costs were about $1.50
per minute to call back to the U.S. We received a statement by mail
and were pleasantly surprised that our total call charges for the
whole holiday had only come to around $80.
EE
> "Tennis Smith" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:1092077787.679014@sj-nntpcache-3...
> > Hi,
> >
> > I'm going to be in Italy (exclusively) in late September. Can anyone
> > recommend a good company for renting cell phones for use there?? My
> > preference is to rent it while still in the US rather than getting it
> after
> > we arrive (unless there are substantial savings for getting it
> > in-country;-) ).
> >
> > TIA,
> > -Tennis
> >
> > --
> > Remove "-remove-to-reply" to respond to my email address directly.
> >
>
> Don't know about savings if you wait and get a phone in Italy; but I did
> exactly what you propose a couple of years ago -- rented a phone in the U.S.
> and then used it in Italy and the Netherlands for a couple of weeks. Upon
> return, I sent it back to the rental company. The phone was invaluable
> since a couple of our party missed plane connections. There were ongoing
> changes to travel arrangements and various calls back to the U.S. The phone
> worked well in Rome and throughout Sicily. One advantage is that you know
> your phone number before you leave so those at home can reach you quickly in
> an emergency.
>
> I rented the phone through the Parker Company who also handled our apartment
> rental. The phone rental company seems to be separate, however, and has a
> web site at: http://www.smartcoms.com One of the pages gives you an idea
> of rates.
> I'm also going to Austria and then Italy in late September and was thinking
> about the rental phone again. Does anyone know the rates to call the U.S.
> from Europe assuming you buy the phone there?
>
> TKM
Sorry, I'm not sure how much it costs to call from an Austrian cell
phone, but I did research the cost of calling from an Italian cell
phone before my trip and the cost of calling internationally from an
Italian phone was not that much lower.
We have recently returned from travelling in Italy, France and the UK
with a large party of people. We needed to keep track of everyone and
keep a phone for any emergencies back home. I did quite a lot of
shopping around, but the option of renting a cell phone ended up being
too expensive. In the end we bought an international cell phone for
$49 from Mobal in the U.S. (www.mobalrental.com) We purchased it
online and it was shipped free to us in NJ within 2 days. It was
convenient and came with everything we needed. Costs were about $1.50
per minute to call back to the U.S. We received a statement by mail
and were pleasantly surprised that our total call charges for the
whole holiday had only come to around $80.
EE
Aug 9th 2004, 10:58 pm
#8
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Cell Phone Rental In Europe - Recommendations?
"Tennis Smith" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:1092077787.679014@sj-nntpcache-3...
> Hi,
> I'm going to be in Italy (exclusively) in late September. Can anyone
> recommend a good company for renting cell phones for use there?? My
> preference is to rent it while still in the US rather than getting it
after
> we arrive (unless there are substantial savings for getting it
> in-country;-) ).
> TIA,
> -Tennis
> --
> Remove "-remove-to-reply" to respond to my email address directly.
I rented a phone from piccellwireless.com which cost a total of $68.00
for three weeks use in Italy this past July. This included cost of calls
within Italy and about eight calls back to the US. I'd check it out.
Neil
news:1092077787.679014@sj-nntpcache-3...
> Hi,
> I'm going to be in Italy (exclusively) in late September. Can anyone
> recommend a good company for renting cell phones for use there?? My
> preference is to rent it while still in the US rather than getting it
after
> we arrive (unless there are substantial savings for getting it
> in-country;-) ).
> TIA,
> -Tennis
> --
> Remove "-remove-to-reply" to respond to my email address directly.
I rented a phone from piccellwireless.com which cost a total of $68.00
for three weeks use in Italy this past July. This included cost of calls
within Italy and about eight calls back to the US. I'd check it out.
Neil
