Mobile Phones

[Kris]

I was just wondering roughly how expensive a mobile phone or "cell phone" would be in the US.. and also do you have a pay as you go cell phone where you purchase cards and type in numbers to get credit?

Im on the road for 3 months. I have nobody really to call but I thought it may be good if I broke down or needed to get in touch with campgrounds/hostels etc.

I have a contracted phone in the UK and I would imagine it would work in America but as Im over for three months it would probably be a bit expensive. Ill check with my line provider anyway.

[Mark Sedenquist]

There are a number of firms that provide both pay as you go and short term rentals of cell equipment. The usual way the rates are established is a flat per minute charge. One such company charges USD $1.00 per minute and no equipment rental (but there is damage/replacement fee for the gear). A Google search will yield several firms -- but one is http://www.cellphonerentals.net/rates.html

Your UK phone is probably a GSM network phone, and although US carriers are moving towards some version of the GSM technology, the coverage is still very sparse.

If you elect to purchase your own service, You should be able to get a good quality digital multi-band phone for about USD $50 and monthly service of about $20.00. Phones with the better services and bells & Whistles cost $120 to $400, but I doubt you will need, or want, those spiffy handsets.