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Hi
I was looking into this online a while ago and can't remember finding anything concrete. We'll be arriving in LA on June 3 and want to get a prepaid sim for our cellphone to use in the US. Where can one buy one? And if it's one with reasonable calling rates that would be a real bonus.
Thanks!
yaya
Yes, one can. A quick search shows that sites such as Amazon.com and NewEgg.com have these cards.
Thanks, MassTim. What I meant was physically buying them from a store. Ordering through Amazon etc. would mean having an address for them to send it to, and since I'm arriving from overseas and not booking hotels ahead that would be a problem.
Are there are any specific shops that stock sim cards? I was told that prepaid sims are a rarity in the US.
I found there is an AT&T/Cingular sim card, but again I can only find online sites that sell it.
yaya
You are quite correct. They are even more scarce than hens teeth!Quote:
Originally Posted by yaya
From my experience over my last trips, if you want a mobile phone, you will have to purchase a phone. They somehow - I don't understand all that - have the sim built in.
I found travelling with my small computer, and Skype both cheaper, and more convenient. Remember, in North America they make you pay, even when you receive a call. If you can get mobile reception, you are usually not far from free wifi.
The only carriers here that use SIM cards are AT&T and T-Mobile. All the other carriers do not use GSM and everything is built into the phone.
The best way to handle this is go to Walmart or other big box store and buy a whole prepaid phone. They can be had for as cheap as $10 and refills are available everywhere - just buy a minutes card and enter its code into the phone. One example is the "AT&T Go-Phone".
Thanks Lifey and glc! I guess I'll go to a Walmart then. I will be carrying my laptop for skyping with relatives/friends etc. so that should keep my costs down, but one does tend to need a phone on the road sometimes.
Speaking of free wifi, I somehow wasn't able to find much when I was in the US last. Where would one generally find free wifi, esp. in remoter areas?
yaya
Free Wi-Fi is very common here. McDonalds and many other fast food chains have it, as do many sit-down restaurants. Of course, there are also libraries, most hotels, and many many other places.
Depends on when your last trip was. In 2009 it was available in many States at most rest areas and along the interstates, at most accommodation, even at campgrounds, at many stores such as Starbuck and Panera Bread, some truck stops/ travel plazas and virtually all libraries. Where it was not free, it was quite inexpensive, but still available.
Having said that, and seeing where you are travelling, you are not likely to find wifi, let alone free wifi, in much of central Idaho, neither was there much mobile phone coverage. I do know that wifi is available at the library in Stanley. This tiny library is only open for a few hours, but the wifi can be picked up 24hrs from outside the building (which is the case at most libraries). [My friend lives about 6 miles out of 'town', and does not have access to anything other than his landline phone and dial up internet].
And in some places you can sit in your car, just anywhere, and find 'unsecured' wifi. Basically, it is a case of 'seek and ye shall find'.
Edit: I just put free wifi hotspots into google and came up with a long list of sites. You might like to check out some of these sites. And you will probably be able to find more.
It generally would not be wise to use a prepaid cellular phone for international calls. That can get very expensive very quickly. Skype is much better for that.
Thanks again Lifey and glc for your inputs. I think that probably using the prepaid sim together with cheap calling cards would be a sensible thing to do.
yaya
Net 10 offer international calls for 15 cents per minute.
Tracfone - which is run by the same company as Net 10 - also offers international calling to 60 countries at the same rates as a US call on their prepaid cell phones.
As long as you buy a phone with "double minutes" (which are easy to find and should cost $10-20), Tracfone can cost 10 cents or less per minute.
I've been using them for a couple years now and as long as you are just looking for a basic phone for calling and texting, they are a very good and cheap option. The downside is that if you want a more advanced/smart phone you're out of luck (although even that's getting better.)
Michael, from what I recall, when I contemplated getting a Tracfone (I still have the brochure somewhere), the cheap calls were only if you recharged with a large amount of money (I think it was $100), which could last for 12 months, or something like that. Since at that time I only wanted it for a couple of months, and for low usage, the per minute cost for local, not to mention international, calls was several times that.
Maybe things have changed in the intervening years.... but I doubt it. It strikes me that the cheaper rates are only for high usage and long term.
It is a puzzle to me why one cannot simply rent a sim card, like one is able to do in almost all of the rest of the world. When I arrived at Schiphol, I rented a sim for use all over Europe, never used it to make a call, just had it to receive calls. And all it cost me was a small rental charge per day. Same when you arrive at any airport here. Same in Hong Kong and other countries I have been.
Lifey
Things must have changed from when you looked, Lifey, because you certainly don't need to spend anywhere near that much money now.
You will save a bit more by buying in larger increments, but you can get 120 minutes for 20 bucks (with a double minute phone, which most are) which is 17 cents a minute. If you spend $40, its 10 cents a minute and if you use a promo code (again easy to get, and typically included in the materials that come with the phone) the cost is even less.
The reason I use them is because I make so few phone calls, and I can't find a company that offers nearly as cheap of options for low-usage.
As GLC mentioned earlier, the reason the sim card option doesn't really work in the US is ATT is the only company that uses GSM/sim cards. The other companies simply use a different system.
Well - T-Mobile uses GSM/sims too, but their coverage is very poor compared to Verizon and AT&T. AT&T is trying to buy out T-Mobile USA, but that's going to be a very rocky road trying to get that through the regulators - that would effectively become a monopoly among GSM carriers.
For pay-as-you-go, a sim option really doesn't matter with the prices of throwaway pay-per-use phones so cheap. Also, AT&T and T-Mobile really don't want unlocked phones being used on their networks.
On my last two visits I have had a T Mobile sim on my son's account. I do not recall at any time not having coverage... all through the lower 48, all the way through Canada, and in Alaska.Quote:
Originally Posted by glc
That is the very issue... that objectionable system and mindset. It creates wastage of precious world resources and untold pollution. Far too few bother to recycle. Surely a concern for the planet and it's future inhabitants should outway 'cheap' and 'easy'.Quote:
Originally Posted by glc
Lifey
While doing some research for AAA-memberships I found the following offer (it was advertised in the German ADAC-Website, so it has to be a good thing) for mobiles in the US. Maybe it will help someone ;)
http://www.planetfone.com/
That looks quite expensive when you can BUY a Go-Phone for $20 or less!
We have a similar service here. And whereas this may suit some who travel for business purposes, for me it would be exessively expensive. Just did a quote for my six month trip next year, and before calls, it would cost me almost $400. On top of that, local calls would be 99c/min.
Good find which may suit some, but way out of the average holiday traveller's budget.
Lifey