Using a mobile in the States

lolly5648

I am going to the USA in May and would like to know the cheapest way of using a mobile. I am on O2 and need to keep phone on for urgent calls from the UK.

agsnu

If you're on Pay Monthly, sign up to the International Traveller Service (45p a minute to receive calls)

If you're going to be using it a lot, it might be worth getting a US SIM before you leave and setting up a call forward from the UK (using Discount Country you'd be charged 9p per minute for calling yourself).

Sid_Harper

Practical tips:

1. turn off voicemail before leaving the UK - if you answer it, you answer it. If you don't, you don't get any old person leaving you a message (costing you once for a call to the US, and a call back to the UK, and then the latter again to listen to the message).

2. tell people to text you instead of calling you for non-urgent things, then call them back from a landline in the US.

redux

Using a local US SIM card will be much cheaper, with call rates from 10 cents a minute for both outgoing and incoming calls. You need a tri- or quadband phone, by the way, as they use different frequencies there.

You can use a voice-over-internet provider to forward calls from a UK landline to your US number for typically 0.5 to 2 pence a minute. Then forward your O2 number to this landline. And tell some people your new forwarded landline number

For outgoing calls with the US SIM, use a calling card account, or one or two have cheap int'l calls at only a couple of cents above their main rates. Compare networks and tariffs at http://www.prepaidgsm.net/en/usa.html

milliesmate

my daughter is working and travelling in america this summer. she has been told to buy an american sim. should she buy one for me to and send it to me. will this make texting and calling cheaper for us?

hammy_the_hammer

if you are in the UK no ....you need to look on the home phones board where you will find info on the cheapest way to ring the US ....your calls from the UK to a US mobile are the same rate as calling a US landline as the mobile phones are given geographic numbers....your daughter will be charged while receiving a call on the mobile.
i use a US Virgin mobile while in the States and your daughter could get a pay as you go for free(by putting $20 top up on it) subject to her having a US credit card ( i think this is why i had to get friends in the States to purchase this for me)....at worst she'd have to get a colleague to buy it for her and give her the cash.
check the other operators in the States and of course check the coverage .....the networks out of the city and away from main routes can be really patchy

M4RKM

no US PAYG sims support roaming, so if she sent one to you, it wouldn't work in this country anyway...

for calling, maybe using vonage (VOIP) at home, it costs £8 a month, and that includes free calls to the USA..

as for texting.. hmm... i think carphonewarehouse do a UK sim that gives you something like 5p texts to the USA....

also, how big do you need your text!

cundall

Last time my dad went to the states he bought a $20 phone with $20 of credit pre-loaded from wallmart... Most Anytime packages have free calls to the states such as TalkTalk / PlusNet.... so you can call her for free plus you can buy American sim's off ebay but be careful as if you change states you get charged roaming!

M4RKM

t-mobile to-go has nationwide roaming, so no issues with changing states!
AT&T GO Phone, also has nationwide roaming...

cundall

markymoo wrote: »

t-mobile to-go has nationwide roaming, so no issues with changing states!
AT&T GO Phone, also has nationwide roaming...

Don't know which network we used though you did get charged to roam...

Anyway if t-mobile to-go and AT&T Go don't charge roaming use them...

dunk

If you are a Sky customer - get sky talk unlimited for £5 a month - this call package includes calls to america and also any calls to an american mobile, you could call whenever you want and it will only cost £5 each month on top of your sky package