Which PAYG Sims in USA for cheap internet access and calls?

researcher

I'll be in california for a few weeks and this is my first trip to the USA. Can a buy sim card there with internet access for my unlocked smart phone? I know that roaming costs for data are very high on my UK contract, but find internet access on the phone really useful so would like to find a cheap way of doing so?

Spursman180

Pay as you go sims/ cheap phones are available, there can be an issue with activating them as they require a U.S. address, myself and friends have found that the retailer won't activate them for you, but pretending to be a technophobe along with a $10 tip works wonders, we've bought phones for as little as $23 including a starter $5/ $10 credit.

We have a phone that we pass around when one of our group goes out there.

Virgin do a pay as you go wifi dongle that also works out cheaper than using hotel charged wifi's, again we share. If you plan to visit regularly then they work out on price, a one week, one off trip would probably not breakeven on cost. www.virginmobileusa.com/mobile-broadband/, dongle is about $80

Starbucks wifi is free to customers who have their payment card, you know the sort of thing, you pre-load it with cash and use it to buy your coffee, speeds up the buying process.

Roaming on a UK phone the cost is not very high.....it is astronomical for data. I made the mistake of not turning my data off on one visit and my boss flipped (work phone) we agreed to split the difference on personal use, it still cost me £146 for 10 days, £2 a time to get Lastminutes latest super dooper offer etc.

benjus

Have a look here: http://blog.wapreview.com/4872/

Looks like T-mobile would be a viable option (assuming you can get around activating it) at $1.49 per day for data. However, note that you'll only get 3G if your phone works on the 1700MHz and 2100MHz bands - otherwise you'll be restricted to EDGE speeds.

paulinespens

Your better off going to Walmart and paying a cheap $10 phone or try www.iwirelesshome.com and getting a phone from The Kroger family of stores. Not all US networks use a simcard as they are not GSM like in England such as Sprint and Verizon. AT&T does use simcards.

As for a simcard is your smart phone tri band or quad band?

http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-phone-service/get-started/index.jsp?q_returnUrl=/cell-phone-service/cell-phone-plans/pyg-cell-phone-plans.jsp%3FwtSlotClick%3D1-004EHW-0-1

will show the plans for at&t.

ferf1223

Spursman180 wrote: »

Virgin do a pay as you go wifi dongle that also works out cheaper than using hotel charged wifi's, again we share. If you plan to visit regularly then they work out on price, a one week, one off trip would probably not breakeven on cost. www.virginmobileusa.com/mobile-broadband/, dongle is about $80

How do you put credit on it? Do you buy the top-up cards? Someone on the Vegas thread found you could not top up the credit online as they required a US billing address...shame as that's the best value option.

researcher

I'm fortunate that I'm staying with family so have a billing address and my phone is quad and says this in the specs under Network:

HSDPA/WCDMA:

• 900/2100 MHz
• Up to 2 Mbps up-link and 7.2 Mbps down-link speeds

Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE:

• 850/900/1800/1900 MHz

(Band frequency and data speed are operator dependent.)


Which I think means is compatible with any network?


I'll have a look at all the links and will post what I discover is the best so that potentially it'll help others too.


Thanks everyone for your help. :beer:

benjus

researcher wrote: »

I'm fortunate that I'm staying with family so have a billing address and my phone is quad and says this in the specs under Network:

HSDPA/WCDMA:

• 900/2100 MHz
• Up to 2 Mbps up-link and 7.2 Mbps down-link speeds

Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE:

• 850/900/1800/1900 MHz

(Band frequency and data speed are operator dependent.)


Which I think means is compatible with any network?


I'll have a look at all the links and will post what I discover is the best so that potentially it'll help others too.


Thanks everyone for your help. :beer:

Not 100% sure, but I think any device would have to support both 1700MHz and 2100MHz in order to get HSDPA/WCDMA data speeds with a network using these bands (e.g. T-mobile USA).

You should be fine with lower speeds (up to EDGE speed) and calls as your phone is quad-band for these services.