Looking for cheap GSM phone and international SIM card

For the onesimcard, does the 1-800 number you are assigned change each time you travel throughout the year(s)?

Also, what is the minimum one must put into the SIM card so that the card does not expire?

GSM 900 / GSM 1800 / GSM 1900

There are some tri-band deals for getting a phone. My question is what might I be missing by not having the fourth GSM band?

The 1800 number is the same, you type in the phone number after the 1800 number when it asks. they said they're working on getting US based numbers that would connect automatically without having to dial the 1800 number.

The minimum is $25 once a year and the card won't expire.

Oh yeah, and just to be clear, you keep your number no matter where you are all year as long as you put at least $25 on once a year. That's a big reason why I got it, because I want to keep the same number and not keep getting a new one every time I get a new SIM card.

For whatever reason, the onesimcard does not work in all countries, even ones where quad band phones will work. Does anyone know any more about that?

There are a couple of countries where standard GSM isn't used; since there's no network to connect to, it's not going to work.

It's also possible that there's no agreement in place between them and the local carrier.

Have a look at the onesimcard FAQ on their site.

As to what you're missing without the fourth band; if you're in a "US based" country (i.e. usually 110V/60Hz/NTSC) then you'll only be able to use 1900 band. Most places where 850 is used it's to add extra coverage where additional 1900 based coverage isn't possible for technical reasons. So, you might not miss it; conversely it might mean that you can't make/receive a call at a vital time, it's impossible to guess exactly how badly it'll affect you. Since unlocked quad-band handsets are pretty cheap (<30quid delivered) and widely available it makes sense to use one IMO.