Mobile phones in the USA

mills_steven

We're going to be in the USA for the month of April- 4 weeks in total.
Going for business, but will also spend some holiday time.
I'm looking at the best way for my wife and I to stay in touch with each other while we're there. We have iPhones on O2, but it will be expensive if we call each other on those.
Does anyone know of a good way of us having basic phones out there we could use? Perhaps buy 2 used tri- or quad-band models on ebay?
What about US SIM cards/networks?

Alternatively I guess we could just use our iPhones for texting each other. Apparently each text abroad counts as 4 from our allowance. But would be good to be able to call each other at an affordable cost too.

neilbond007

if you're going to have access to a laptop use Skype.
Free to talk pc to pc. about 2p a minute to call a landline. the quality of the calls is alot better than it used to be.

JimArnold

Couple of years ago I bought a couple of USA SIM card from ebay cost £10 and gave 100 minutes local calls and 10 minutes international.

Piad foir themselves many tmes over during the three weeks

Not sure how you stand with an iphone - if all else fails go buy a couple of cheap PAYGs in Walmart

WolfSong2000

You're best off just buying pay as you go tracfones, to be honest...just be aware that in the States you pay to receive, as well as make calls

amf

The last two summer hols in USA we've gone with US Sims from e-bay. The cost was cheaper than buying a phone over there and the included minutes on each deal was at least 200.

That is the way we will be going again this year.

Stageshoot

You can get a Cheap LG phone on NET10 from any walmart for $29.99 including 300 US Minutes preloaded (Also works as 200 mins to the UK). 10c US calls and 15c international calls 24 hours a day.

That will give you a local US number, when you return to the UK you can return it to walmart under the 90 day return policy and you will get your $29.99 back no quibble. SO free calls. (If you use over 300 mins you can just top it up using a $10 $20 or $30 topup card. always at 10c a min in the US or 15c a min international. By far the cheapest method in the US, but you cannot use the sim in your iphone you need to use the suplied LG handset as the sim is locked to the handset.

This is the product.

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10714716

chris_spackman

Skype is the way forward.

Won't cost you a thing and you can have the added benefit of seeing your good lady too if you have a webcam at home...wink wink....

If your phone has wifi you could download skype to your phone and use it like that, i have Skype on my HTC.

The mobile networks in the US are backward to say the least.

You pay for incoming calls and texts and reception is not great out there. Some places have the masts on one side of town unlike us with phone masts in the middle of town etc.

My brother lives in the States and we use Skype but when he was over here last he took and Orange Pay as you talk sim with him as for me to text him costs me and him nothing and he gets 30 free texts from the website eachmonth.

mills_steven

VickyHurn wrote: »

when you return to the UK you can return it to walmart under the 90 day return policy and you will get your $29.99 back no quibble.

You sure a UK Walmart will take a US product back? Any experience of doing this yourself?

mills_steven

amf wrote: »

The last two summer hols in USA we've gone with US Sims from e-bay.

Do you know which make (or ebay seller?)
Thanks

mills_steven

chris_spackman wrote: »

Skype is the way forward.

Thanks, already on Skype but this isn't going to be a solution as we'll both be out and about away from a PC or wireless network most of the time.

mills_steven

WolfSong2000 wrote: »

just be aware that in the States you pay to receive, as well as make calls

How does this work?
Is it the same cost to receive a call as it is to make one?
If I have say 300 minutes, do I lose a minute of my allowance for each minute I'm receiving calls?
Or does it all vary network to network?