Quad-Band GSM V195 $40 from T-Mobile with $25 airtime card

T-Mobile is having a promotion (on-line only, not in stores) of their
prepaid phones with $25 airtime cards included.

The Motorola V195, ($39.99) is a good basic quad-band phone to take
overseas to use with prepaid SIM cards. I bought one (unfortunately
prior to the $25 promotion) and I had it unlocked by an unlocking
service ($15).

Previously I was using a very old Motorola Timeport GSM phone which was
problematic because prepaid providers in some countries send out text
messages with passwords, and that phone could not receive text messages.

How does this relate to Verizon? Many Verizon subscribers who travel to
Europe and Asia want to use prepaid SIM cards, either country-specific
or something like MaxRoam, even when the country has a CDMA network that
Verizon can roam on. Usually quad-band, non-subsidized, GSM phones are
at least $150 when purchased new. This is a good deal for a quad band
GSM phone.