common concern is that new technology

International Cell Phone Rental Information

While Cellular Abroad does offer international cell phone rentals, most people, rather than renting a cell phone, can actually benefit from actually owning their own international cell phone. Many people are unaware of the options and are unnecessarily and repeatedly wasting money to rent an international cell phone while they would be much better off purchasing one. There are, however, some circumstances in which it does make perfect sense to rent an international cell phone. Please read this brief guide so you may make an informed decision.

If you are interested in an international cell phone rental from Cellular Abroad, you will receive a GSM cellular phone (and the appropriate SIM card of course) that is conveniently charged and ready to go. Renting an international 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 at least in the foreseeable future, or do not use or want a domestic cellphone that can be used worldwide. On occasion, companies, mostly large companies, only allow employees to rent cell phones, even though they would be much better off owning their own international cell phone.

If your domestic cell phone carrier currently uses the GSM system, as does Cingular, T-Mobile and in many places, AT&T, you can have the convenience and savings of traveling worldwide with an international cell phone that works in the US as well as in the vast majority of countries (200 countries as of 2005, including all of Europe, Africa and Asia except for Japan, and most of South America as well as other destinations) by purchasing one of Cellular Abroad's unlocked triband GSM phones and SIM cards. You may use our unlocked GSM phones with your local carrier by simply inserting your US SIM card for domestic use. If you currently do not have a GSM provider in the US, you may also purchase our prepaid SIM card for the US which is the perfect solution for those who do not want the obligation of a contract or who would just like an emergency phone or even perhaps a "starter" cell phone for a youngster. 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 currently you do not have a domestic cell phone or do but either it is not GSM or you do not mind the inconvenience of utilizing one cell phone domestically and a different cell phone for international use, you may still find it convenient and cost effective to purchase rather than to rent an international GSM cell phone. Prices have dropped significantly and you will find that you will spend about the same or less purchasing a cell phone as you would renting an international cell 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 process of a cell phone rental once again for your next trip. We find that approximately 80% of our customers prefer to purchase rather than to rent an international cell phone.

Lastly, a common concern is that new technology may render today's cell phone obsolete in the near future. While it is true that there are always new cell phone models available in the market place, the actual technology is the same. In fact, while most of the rest of the world only uses GSM, many cellular carriers in the USA (and Canada) which currently use a few different standards, are quickly abandoning the older standards and embracing GSM, the universal standard.

Cellular Abroad offers both solutions and we are more than happy to accommodate you whatever your needs may be.