For many travelers, it
is more beneficial to purchase rather than rent a GSM cell phone.
Please read this brief guide so you may make an informed decision.
If you rent a cellphone from Cellular Abroad, you will receive a
GSM phone that is charged and ready to go once you insert a prepaid
SIM card for the country or countries of your choice. Renting a
cell phone is advised for those who are traveling overseas for only
one or two weeks and will most likely never need an international
cell phone again or do not use or want a domestic cellphone that
can be used worldwide.
If you are with a carrier
that currently uses GSM, such as Cingular, T-Mobile and in many
places, AT&T, you can have the convenience and savings of traveling
worldwide with one cell phone and therefore you may find it convenient
to purchase a triband GSM phone. Simply swap out your US SIM card
for domestic use from your current phone that one of the above mentioned
companies provides you and slip it into your new phone. Once overseas,
slip out your US (or Canadian) SIM card and insert one of our country
specific SIM cards depending on the country or countries of your
destination - it's that easy. You may also purchase an international
prepaid SIM card if you are planning on going to several countries.
Please note that while the above mentioned carriers may offer tri-band
phones for international use, these phones are "locked"
meaning that the phone will not accept any other SIM card than the
one they provide, thus locking you into their expensive roaming
rates.
Even if you do not currently
have a domestic cell phone or do but either it is not GSM or you
are content with utilizing one phone domestically and another phone
internationally, you may still find it convenient and cost effective
to purchase rather than rent a GSM phone. Prices have dropped significantly
and you will find that you will spend about the same buying a phone
as you would renting a phone for just 2 or 3 trips. If you decide
to purchase you will get a brand new phone that is yours to keep
and won't require you to go through the steps of sending it back
after your trip nor having to go through the steps of re-renting
a phone for your next trip. We find that approximately 80% of our
customers purchase rather than rent a cell phone.
