cell phone rental?

[cbass2781]

Hey everyone... I have a question. I have relatives visiting me for about a month and a half. They need a cell phone they can use during that time. Obviously, signing up for a contract would make no sense, plus I don't think prepay is an option because buying a cell phone isn't worth it... I do have an old Sprint cell phone (Samsung 8500), so I'm thining of going month-to-month with Sprint (yes, they do that now)--only thing is, you have to pay $10 a month in addition to the monthly service fee. What I was wondering is... is there any place that rents cell phones out for a specified amount of time? (that would be cheaper than my current idea)... I know other countries provide this service for travelers, but I've never heard of it in the States... anyway, I'm in the Chicagoland area, so please let me know if you are aware of anything...

[AnthroMatt]

Actually, I don't know if rental would be cheaper or not. The big thing about phone rental is it saves you from having to purchase a phone. You mention you already have a spare phone, so that cost is not an issue. I also don't know about renting phones in the states, but abroad it isn't really all that cheap. Cheaper than buying a phone for prepay yes, but not so cheap minute-wise. At least that has been my experience.

[Langdon]

How many minutes do these people intend to use per month?

Why not just buy a used cell phone off eBay and go onto At&t's Free2Go or Verizon Freeup prepaid. A used Mitsubishi T200 can be had for about $15-20 and I am sure a comparable verizon phone is out there. It has to be cheaper than renting. They may not be a very high tech models but they work.

That should be fine if they want to wander around the city and keep in touch. If they need more minutes to call people and chat give them ten bucks, point them towards a Walgreens and tell them to get a prepaid calling card and find a payphone.

[GoodmanR]

A lot of places at airports rent phones. I know at Dulles here in DC, there is a place right outside of the international arrival terminal that rents to people visiting the US. But prepaid would make more sense...the ATT is the most reasonable of the prepaid.