cheapest way to use mobile in NYC?

redux

yes, Orange is slightly cheaper than Virgin - only 70 pence a minute for incoming calls in USA

perhaps the proponents of stubbornly taking a UK SIM anyway will observe the OP's priorities and explain how to be unselfish and make things cheaper for the US people calling it, such as setting up a New York number forwarded to it, or explaining to one's prospective callers some other ways to make cheap calls to it

wallofbeans

i might just suggest that people text me unless they really need to call!
i know text will be more expensive out there (and not come out of my free texts?) but will they get charged for sending the text as well as me recieving it?

veruccasalt

I'm trying to work out a similar dilemma.

We are going to the USA for three weeks, along with two other families, with whom we are going to need to keep in touch.

Definitely don't want to be taking out our regular (UK-based) phones, as this will be expensive all round.

Can someone recommend a way that we can stay in contact regularly, as cheaply as possible.

We wont be making any UK calls, and no-one will be ringing us, other than each other! We may possibly make other local calls, ie within the same state.

I wondered about a USA based SIM. If we get the same company (eg AT and T), might we be able to make free calls to one another?

I have stumbled across the following:

http://www.usasims.com/ATT_SIM.html

Any help/recommendations gratefully accepted!