Mobile in USA -Help please

redux

Other VoIP providers besides Skype are available to use via wifi, charging from about quarter of a penny a minute to UK landlines and a couple of pence UK mobiles (due to drop soon), which would take a long time to spend £15

NFH

macman wrote: »

Does she really need web access via 3G while she 's there? She can just hook up to local wi-fi when required.

Why not also take this approach in the UK then?

spannerzone

NFH wrote: »

Why not also take this approach in the UK then?

Well that's certainly a moneysaving approach but as calls and data is considerably cheaper here than when roaming in the US it's not quite the same comparison. Also there seems to be less free wifi in the UK compared to the US.

gjchester

mrcamp wrote: »

Calling a USA mobile from the UK is dirt cheap.

That may be because in the US mobile pay for the incoming as well as out going calls.

They also tend to still work on the fact you need airtime and Minutes as discrete packages, run out of airtime credit and you can't call regardless of how many minutes you have and vice versa.

NFH

spannerzone wrote: »

Well that's certainly a moneysaving approach but as calls and data is considerably cheaper here than when roaming in the US

I'm not suggesting to use roaming in the US. Forget roaming; just use a SIM card for the country you're in. My point is that there's no more reason to inconvenience oneself by being without mobile data in the US than there is in the UK.

stevie11

I would go via the VOIP route, save the hassle of searching round and registering a sim. Assuming the Ops Daughter has a modern smartphone that is. I signed up for the Skype offer of international calls, £6.99 a month for a recent trip to the North America. Worked a treat, I was able to call back to the UK, family in Canada and various US calls to arrange trips etc. Ok not every call was great reception but 90% of the time worked fine. For internet access used the wifi when available.

I echo the advice to definately turn off the roaming on the phone to avoid unessesary costs.

Richard_T_

My eldest daughter is going to America with the guides for two weeks and we'd like her to have as much availability from her phone that our money will allow. Hopefully we can send/receive texts/calls and she can web if possible.

Have you discussed, or mentioned this to the guide leader? quite a few leaders with the guides ( and Scouts etc etc) ask that young people dont bring mobile phones to camp, or on trips ( especialy when going abroad)