Look for a used unlocked GSM phone on eBbay . . .
> Once you get to the UK, drop by any Carphone Warehouse and get a
> prepaid Mobile World SIM ...
> In Germany you should be able to get a prepaid SIM kit from Vodafone
> or T-Mobile at a newsstand for 20 euros ...
Thanks for this and another similar reply, but is there really no simpler "one-stop-shopping" way to purchase or rent -- maybe on line, maybe at a local cellphone store at home, maybe at a store in the shopping area of the major international terminal on departure (SFO) or on arrival (LHR) -- a throwaway (or returnable) cellphone that "works straight out of the box" to use for 3 to 4 weeks of local use in the UK or Germany?
I don't want to deal with eBay at any time; once I get to the UK, I don't want to have to "drop by a Carphone Warehouse" (I want to head straight to my hotel and crash!); and so on.
Maybe there's an idea for a new business here ... ?