>> 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 ... ?
The new business exists:
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will sell or rent you a phone and sell you SIM cards for the countries you want. You will pay more than using eBay, etc., but it's a simple one-stop shopping deal. I once bought an Italian SIM from them to use in a phone purchased on eBay and it worked fine (so did the phone, which was much cheaper on eBay).
Michael D. Sullivan Bethesda, MD (USA) (To reply, change example.invalid to com in the address.)