Cheap data roaming: Article discussion

NFH

buglawton wrote: »

Also I wonder how one gets around the French address registration thing as a passing visitor.

You don't need a French address unless you want to order a SIM card in the post. You can always use your temporary address (e.g. hotel) in France anyway. If you need to enter a non-French address, it's conventional to enter the postcode as 99000, as department 99 is often used to mean abroad.

secretmachines

ukflippy wrote: »

Yep, that's the one. I doubt you'd be able to get the SIM in the UK - I just picked it up in a store in Seattle - took about 5 minutes.

I stuck my UK SIM in a spare phone while I was over there, so I could still receive phone calls on it if need be, but I gave my US phone number to those people who were most likely to call me!

Saved my life, as even in what I'd call business hotels, wi-fi wasn't available in the room - they wanted $15 per day. Shocking!

sorry for asking dumb questions - so all i'd need to do is go into a US phone shop, buy this simcard and stick it an unlocked/T-Mobile locked handset?

is there a one-off fee to buy it? did i read that a $30 top-up would negate any one-off fee?

might ask a pal in the States to buy me one and mail it over...

CockneyBrum

I used https://www.truphone.com whilst in the USA earlier this month and they charge 20p per MB compared to O2's outrageous £6 a meg.

Apologies if I've already posted this in this thread. I couldn't see what I'd put somewhere else on MSE.

NFH

mbanbrook wrote: »

I used www.truphone.com whilst in the USA earlier this month and they charge 20p per MB compared to O2's outrageous £6 a meg.

T-Mobile USA charges $2/day for 200MB. If you're going to use more than 6.5MB per day, T-Mobile is a better option.

mrcamp

Actually, that $2/day is unlimited talk, text, and data.

NFH wrote: »

T-Mobile USA charges $2/day for 200MB. If you're going to use more than 6.5MB per day, T-Mobile is a better option.[/QUOTE]

buglawton

Erm.. isn't the $ 2 per day one a 4G offer?

"edit - is it this one, the $2/day one?"

what phones manage 4g or is it a special dongle?

NFH

buglawton wrote: »

Erm.. isn't the $ 2 per day one a 4G offer?

"edit - is it this one, the $2/day one?"

what phones manage 4g or is it a special dongle?

No. To clarify, it's:

• $1/day for unlimited incoming and outgoing calls
• $2/day for unlimited incoming and outgoing calls + unlimited 2G data
• £3/day for unlimited incoming and outgoing calls + 200MB of 3G/4G data and unlimited 2G data thereafter

Only some very obscure phones (mainly sold in the US) support T-Mobile USA's weird implementation of 3G/4G, which splits the downstream and upstream between 1700MHz and 2100MHz. T-Mobile are working to fix this incompatibility towards the end of this year in order to attract US iPhone users; they will support 3G/4G on conventional frequencies like the rest of the world and AT&T.

mrcamp

Just to clarify the plans above also includes txt. More info here - http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/pay-by-the-day-cell-phone-plans

NFH

mrcamp wrote: »

Just to clarify the plans above also includes txt. More info here - http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/pay-by-the-day-cell-phone-plans

Good point, because the US networks normally charge to receive text messages.

Badger_Lady

redux wrote: »

The rates have decreased, not increased

I think if you look closer you'll see 60-something pence per megabyte, not pounds

Yes, I've now discovered that it is supposed to be pence... however from looking closely at the Orange SMS alerts is does categorically state pounds.

Very much Orange's mistake, and it fooled everyone I spoke to in person (frustratingly, most just said, "Yeah, doesn't surprise me, just make sure you don't use it").