Cell Phone (from Florence)
PRICE: €8 per day
(€7 per day for rentals longer tha
Renting a cell phone in Italy makes good sense if (a) you want to be available to friends, family, or business colleagues while you're traveling or if (b) you want to do a lot of travel arranging while you're here in Italy. For example, having a cell phone makes it a lot easier to call the Context office when you're wandering around trying to find the meeting point for an itinerary or need a last-minute reservation at a museum.
Context rents Motorola cell phones for €8 per day (€7 per day if you rent for longer than fifteen days.) There is a minimum three day rental period.
What a recent Context client had to say about this service:
My wife and I had a great time in Rome and Venice. It was very comforting to know that our family in the U.S. could contact us immediately and at any time (in case of an emergency) because we had your cell phone. All travel agencies should recommend something like this to their clients.
How It Works: Our phones come with a pre-paid/rechargeable SIM chip, which means that you buy credit for your calls in advance. You can monitor how much credit you're using as you use it, so there's no mysterious bill waiting for you when you get home.
How The Phone Is Delivered:Phones are delivered to you by Priority Mail in the United States one week before you depart. As a result, the minimum lead time for ordering this service is 15 days. You will be provided with a self-addressed stamped envelope to return the phone to our offices in the United States after you return from your trip. We ask that it be postmarked within 5 business days of your return, otherwise a 5 € per day penalty will be assessed. Please note that you will only be charged for the days you use the phone in Italy, not for the entire time the phone is in your possession. Also, clients residing outside the continental United States may have their cell phones delivered to their hotel in Italy, pending availability.
Calls in Italy cost .15/minute, those to the USA .40/minute, and all incoming calls are free. The instruction booklet explains how to purchase more credit from corner stores in Italy. However, we strongly urge you to consider purchasing some credit in advance using the menu below. We can supply you with credit in increments of either €10, €15, €25 or €50. (Note, there is a handling fee assessed on these credits. You will be charged €15, €20, €30, and €55 for these credits respectively.)
You will receive the phone number in advance when we confirm your order, which means you can disseminate it to friends and family. The phone comes with instructions (in English) for how to use it. All of this will be completely explained in the confirmation posted to your online itinerary and sent to you by email after you place your order.