California - what options are there for traveller friendly SIM CARD options in the Los Angeles are

what options are there for traveller friendly SIM CARD options in the Los Angeles area?

I'll be in LA several weeks (maybe 2 months) and will need semi-occasional use of a cellphone.

I already have the phone (a TRI-band from Thailand). All I need now is the SIM CARD and the simple pre-pay vouchers to make it work.

I've heard of T-mobile? They sell 400minutes for $50. And text messages for 10cents. I'm not sure how much the actual SIM CARD is though? Is it free?

Aside from T-mobile, do I have another option?

T-mobile sells a SIM card for $20. However, if you go to a T-mobile store, you can get any accessory for free (up to 19.99). So, basically, the SIM card is free provided you have a phone T-mobile offers. T-mobile is cheaper, better in customer service support, and overall customer satisfation than the only other big carrier who uses SIM network, Cingular. Cingular is going to be significantly more expensive with indifferent customer support and an independent research company proves it.

US cellular companies have different rules regardling foreigners purchasing a cellular number. The rules can be strict. Call them.

T-mobile sells a SIM card for $20. However, if you go to a T-mobile store, you can get any accessory for free (up to 19.99). So, basically, the SIM card is free provided you have a phone T-mobile offers. T-mobile is cheaper, better in customer service support, and overall customer satisfation than the only other big carrier who uses SIM network, Cingular. Cingular is going to be significantly more expensive with indifferent customer support and an independent research company proves it.

US cellular companies have different rules regardling foreigners purchasing a cellular number. The rules can be strict. Call them.

You may want to consider a pre-paid cell phone

You may want to consider a pre-paid cell phone That's what we are talking about here, prepaid plans from T-Mobile. All the OP has to do is buy a SIM card and plug it into his phone and his phone will work. An actual pre-paid phone will cost significantly more than a SIM card alone and OP wouldn't be able to use the phone once he returns home and thus serves no purpose.

I'm not sure if this is an option for you.

I bought a T-mobile prepaid sim card off ebay and got it sent to a friends address in the US. It cost me $7 and it came with $20 (or was it $30) worth of credits. The credit lasted me about a month, YMMV obviously.

T-mobile is definitely your best bet. But be sure to check into the rules of getting a US phone number without a US address. You might want to contact t-mobile directly (t-mobile.com) to find out before you come.

T-mobile is cheaper, better in customer service support, and overall customer satisfation than the only other big carrier who uses SIM network, Cingular.
I think you are confusing the type of network and the type of phone. T-mobile (and I am not sure about Cingular, are you?) is the only US cell provider that uses a GPRS network like the rest of the world. Verizon and the others are CDMA, so a Verizon SIM card would do the OP no good with his phone that works on a GPRS network.

I believe I have that right. Someone please correct me if I missed something.

I think you are confusing the type of network and the type of phone. T-mobile (and I am not sure about Cingular, are you?) is the only US cell provider that uses a GPRS network like the rest of the world. Verizon and the others are CDMA, so a Verizon SIM card would do the OP no good with his phone that works on a GPRS network.

I believe I have that right. Someone please correct me if I missed something.
Verizon is NOT a SIM service. T-Mobile and Cingular are.

Another option not discussed is to buy a Tracfone for $20 with an hour of airtime and then buying refill cards if/when needed. Just recycle when done, they even provide a mailback envelope. These are sold at grocery stores, Wally Mart, Target, drugstores, etc. etc. And everyone sells the refill cards.

Well, sorry to be a stickler, but, and I just did my research on this, we should not be talking about apples and oranges. SIM stands for Subscriber Identity Module and is the little card in the back of the phone. GSM and CDMA are the competing communications standards (for lack of a better word) in use.

Interestingly even Verizon touts GSM as the way to go. See here (http://www22.verizon.com/about/community/learningcenter/articles/displayarticle1/0,1727,1155z3,00.html). Phones on the Verizon network do have SIM cards (for example the Treo 650 that I am looking at right now that my sister in law owns) and they could even be unlocked to use on T-mobile or other networks. Other phones, that are designed stricly for CDMA do not. More accurate to say would be that Verizon is not a GSM service. Their phones often do not use SIM cards.

But anyway, back to the OP's question. Why buy a phone when he already own one? Just get the Tmo SIM card and be done.

Well, sorry to be a stickler, but, and I just did my research on this, we should not be talking about apples and oranges. SIM stands for Subscriber Identity Module and is the little card in the back of the phone. GSM and CDMA are the competing communications standards (for lack of a better word) in use.

Interestingly even Verizon touts GSM as the way to go. See here (http://www22.verizon.com/about/community/learningcenter/articles/displayarticle1/0,1727,1155z3,00.html). Phones on the Verizon network do have SIM cards (for example the Treo 650 that I am looking at right now that my sister in law owns) and they could even be unlocked to use on T-mobile or other networks. Other phones, that are designed stricly for CDMA do not. More accurate to say would be that Verizon is not a GSM service. Their phones often do not use SIM cards.

But anyway, back to the OP's question. Why buy a phone when he already own one? Just get the Tmo SIM card and be done.

What in the world are you talking about? :confused: I can gurantee you 100% Verizon is not currently using the GSM network. The link you posted was simply verizon's definition of GSM and yes many companies want to shift to GSM because it is simply more advanced. However, it requires total network rebuilding, reprogramming and takes a tremendous amount of time. AT&T Wireless (bought by Cingular) was the only TDMA (not CDMA) network carrier who not converted their network to GSM, but built brand new GSM towers for a new service (note, they are not linked at all and ATT/Cinguar has been trying really hard to have their customers switch). After acquiring AT&T, Cingular sold most of its current GSM network to T-Mobile, who was leasing towers from Cingular and providing service to their customers. Even now, when using an unlocked phone in California on T-mobile's network, you will see "Cingular" being displayed on the cell phone because all California towers were once owned by Pacific Bell (before Cingular) and T-mobile had no towers in CA. Now, all old Cingular towers will be soon owned by T-mobile in CA while Cingular migrated all of their GSM network to the newer ex-AT&T network which is indeed superior. Even though Cingular owns both the new AT&T GSM network and ex-AT&T TDMA, it is IMPOSSIBLE to inter-connect between the GSM and TDMA network UNLESS you have a dual TDMA/GSM phone which ex-AT&T did provide. However, they are using two SEPARATE networks. I find it hard to believe that Verizon would have a SIM/GSM phone because simply, the SIM/GSM phone would not be able to use verizon's CDMA/TDMA network unless they are roaming onto T-mobile or Cingular, which doesn't make any sense.

When I mentioned SIM network earlier, I actually meant SIM phones, phones that require a SIM card. The only 2 wireless giants in the US that offer GSM/SIM phones are Cingular and T-mobile.

I think you should reread my posts. You are now attacking me for pointing out the mistake that you made in your earlier post.

You said SIM network when in fact SIM refers to the type of phone and GSM/CDMA refers to the type of network. If you reread my post you will see that I did not say Verizon uses a GSM network. They use a CDMA network. However, they do sell some phones with SIM cards (like the Treo).

And here (http://www.mobiletechnews.com/info/2004/10/03/195816.html) is a phone that Verizon markets that is dual GSM/CDMA.

Not sure what the argument is about. You mispoke earlier, phred continued the mistake. I pointed it out. You, in your last post, admit the mistake while acting as if I was the one who made the mistake.


When I mentioned SIM network earlier, I actually meant SIM phones, phones that require a SIM card. My point exactly.