Mobile Roaming: Cheapest Calls When You're Abroad

All,

I have been hovering on the MSE website for ages and thought it is time to give something back!

Just would like to share the experience I had with a UK2Abroad SIM card when I visited the West USA in May 2011. I have an IPhone4 and required use of data when I was in the USA, so I hope this article will help those who are in a similar position.

Overall, I thought it was a satisfactory experience. Further details below:

Purchase
I purchased the SIM card through the MSE link. UK2Abroad allow the SIM card to be cut to MicroSIM size. To do this, the website instructs you to reply to your purchase order email, requesting for the SIM to be pre-cut to microSIM size. They do warn they this will make the product non-refundable.

I did this by email, and they confirmed cutting the SIM card within 24 hours.

Receipt of product/What is included
The product was shipped from Reading, and I received this the next business day upon the receiving the microSIM pre-cutting email. In the first class envelope, was the pre-cut microSIM, and a sheet containing instructions.

The SIM provided is actually a USA T-Mobile SIM that has been pre-registered. Fellow readers will have noted that it is usually quite difficult to legally get hold of a USA T-Mobile SIM in the UK.

The order came with $10 US credit (for US calls), and £15 UK credit (for calls back to the UK).

The microSIM fitted fine with the IPhone4. Note that you will have had to unlock your IPhone4 first before you will be able to use this SIM.

The instructions do pre-warn you that the SIM will not work in the UK (as it is on a different frequency band compared to that in the UK. Therefore, do not be alarmed if inserting the SIM card into your phone in the UK results in no networks being found.

Activation (Edinburgh Airport)
Prior to leaving the UK, the instructions advise you to enable divert on your phone, so that all your inbound UK calls to your number are diverted to your US number. Your UK credit is used for this purpose.

Activation (US end - Newark Airport)
Upon arriving in the USA, I switched on the phone, and the IPhone logged on to the T-Mobile network without a problem.

Making calls in the USA
I immediately made a phone call to a US phone number in Las Vegas to confirm the reservation for one of my excursions. No issues whatsoever. Clear reception - just make a phone call as you would do normally (i.e. enter uS phone number including area call, then press call). Your US credit will be used for this purpose.

Reception was at least three bars or more in Utah, Arizona and Nevada. I did not find any memorable signal black spots.

Using data
US T-Mobile uses EDGE data (which is fine for most purposes e.g. emails, Facebook etc) though it is not 3G.

You have to set your APN (as instructed in the purchase note provided by UK2Abroad)

I enabled the EDGE data through a link provided in the note. The charge for data is $1.50 daily for unlimited usage over a 24-hour period. This is deducted from your T-Mobile US credit balance. The website claims that you do not necessarily get access immediately, though I found that I was immediately able to access the Internet upon activating the functionality.

Topping up
I found the easiest way to top up was by purchasing T-Mobile top-up cards in Walmart/Walgreen/Seven-Eleven and other sundry shops.

You can top-up through the T-Mobile customer service number too, though the automated answering machine failed to recognise my UK-registered credit card and i had to go through a human being. This took much longer.

Points not tested
- I did not use the discounted call-to-UK functionality as I used the phone primarily to make US phone calls.
- I am uncertain if SMSes sent to your UK number are diverted to your US T-Mobile number. (I was not sent any UK SMSes during my holidays so was unable to test this)

Summary
Overall the SIM card was certaily easy-to-use and was useful for making US calls and for accessing the Internet from my Iphone.

I still have the SIM card - if anyone is interested in having a go, PM me.

I think there is not much balance left on the uS credit ($1 at most) but there is £9 left in the UK credit so you will need to top-up the phone once you arrive in the USA.

I am going to be busy for the next few weeks (another busy season at work starts) so I might not respond immediately to forum messages so please bear with me.