Boucharda and I have posted on this a few times previously and couldn't have spelled it out any clearer. The whole point is use your own home phone using WiFi and for those "everyday emergencies like getting stranded on the road", that's when you use your own carriers international pay-as-you-go plan. It all works, "everyone" does it, and is far simpler than worrying about old cell phones, sim cards, etc.

You can lead a horse to water........