Hi, I'm planning on traveling to the US and Europe in the near future
> so I'd appreciate some recommendations on which providers I should use
> for cell service and phone/calling cards.
For US and European travel you'll need a GSM carrier. In the US that would be either cingular or T-Mobile.
Pre-paid, since I assume I'm ineligible for credit, but I would
> consider allowing a provider to directly bill a credit card number (if
> they can be trusted). I don't have a SSN, or permanent US/European
> address if that matters.
It's likely that you'll be relegated to prepaid if you cannot qualify for US credit or you may be asked to plunk down a hefty deposit.
Services that require a minimum of pre-paid credit or offer wider
> coverage would be better. My calls would be a mix of local and
> long-distance including international.
For the US calling with cingular or T-Mobile prepaid long distance is included.
International calling while available is likely not an economical way to call using your mobile phone.
Having the option of toll-free access for the calling card would
> probably be useful, if that is not a given for US calling cards (it
> is not in Australia but we have larger local call areas). I would
> expect that my cell usage would be fairly low, limited mostly to > receiving calls.
Toll-free is generally not free with mobile in the US and will use minutes just like regular calls.
For the US, I'd like to have service in Hawaii, California, New York,
> and the New England states. I'll pretty much be sticking to major
> cities and the more touristed parts of these states.
Cingular and T-Mobile would both work in major cities in the places you've named.
I don't have a phone suitable for the US, so your recommendations for
> a specific technology (CDMA, GSM etc) and a low cost handset (or
> rental) would be welcome. WAP support would be plus if compatible with
> the cheapest plans. A phone suitable for an elderly person with poor
> eye-sight and dexterity, would be another plus, but not essential.
You don't indicate what (if anything) you use for service in your home country.
Offers for loaners or purchase of this phone would also be welcome.
Keep in mind that if you are using Cingular or T-Mobile T-Mobile only uses GSM 1900 while cingular uses both GSM 850 and GSM 1900 (depending on where you are in the US.)
For Europe, I'm planning on visiting the continent mainly to EU
> states.
You can also get prepaid for 5 to 20 Euros including a small amount of calling time.