"The purpose of the free rental offer is simple," according to Chad Weisen (director of business development for the firm). "Generally, global telecommunications are a foreign concept to many people, and travelers are leery of paying up front fees for a service they are unfamiliar with. This program encourages first time customers to try out our services with virtually no obligation."
Though you can still phone home from overseas without spending too much (if you are alert to possible surcharges from your hotel and use a pay phone downstairs instead), this free offer is a good time for experimentation. Perhaps using it will help you to decide to buy a cellular phone for yourself, in which case TravelCell has phones to sell you, of course. Since renting a phone can be expensive, you might want to see how this free offer works first.
For the rest of the year, TravelCell says its rates are "guaranteed to be the lowest," and they offer corporate and student discounts, too.
The firm has a new product, moreover, satellite phone service, which they can also rent or sell to you. They like to say there is "virtually no place on the globe without service, (including) cruise ships, adventure travel, tropical islands, even oil rigs and scientific expeditions." Ira Rosenthal, the manager of network development for the firm, says that the "rates rival standard global cellular prices."
If you are traveling internationally, you can learn more or reserve a phone for an upcoming trip by phoning 877/CELL PHONE or going to their Web site, www.travelcell.com.
To have the rental fees waived, you must mention the Frommers.com Newsletter when ordering over the phone, or simply enter "Frommers.com Newsletter" in the online order when answering how you heard about the company.