Travel Technology - Pay as you go sim card in the US

I have a UK mobile phone, which is unlocked. Looking for a pay as you go sim card in the US to use. Any ideas or help appreciated.

I have a UK mobile phone, which is unlocked. Looking for a pay as you go sim card in the US to use. Any ideas or help appreciated.

http://www.cellguru.net/prepaid_compare.htm

Note: not all of the prepaid plans listed in the above link use GSM. Only those using GSM will work with your phone, which should have the 1900 band and preferably also the 850 band in order to get coverage in the US.

T-Mobile To Go is one of the better US prepaid plans. If you buy directly from T-Mobile (on-line or in the T-Mobile store), the packages with the phone + To Go SIM card may be cheaper than just the SIM card. However, you may be able to find cheaper T-Mobile To Go SIM cards on EBay and similar places.

You should read this thread (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=713951) and this thread (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=726869). Search is your friend, but it can be hard sometimes because of the 4 character minimum word length.

Coincidentally talked with TMO CS re prepaid plans for visting overseas house guest and was advised of a hybrid program.

No minimum 1 or 2 yr contract, but you pay one month in advance and they offer variety of calling plans. Once you hit your minutes cap, except for emergency, phone won't work till next billing cycle (a little more complicated as buffer available). Can cancel at anytime and therefore get more minutes than prepaid.

Go to their website and read on for more details or call CS.
http://www.t-mobile.com/promotions/flexpayintro.aspx?WT.srch=2&Result_Inq=answer&InqSource=TMO

T-Mobile has very limited service in the US. So make sure you are going somewhere that it works. The same is true with Sprint/Nextel. The best coverages are AT&T/Cingular and Verizon. Prepaid programs are not as good as European plans. I use Orange and Virgin in the UK, O2 in Ireland, Wind in Italy and UM in Germany. All of these are very good programs but in the US you will not find a free incoming plan as people do not pay to call you. Tell me where you are going and how long you are staying and what you will use it for and I can tell you the best plan with that information.

T-Mobile has very limited service in the US. So make sure you are going somewhere that it works. The same is true with Sprint/Nextel. The best coverages are AT&T/Cingular and Verizon.

Verizon does not have a prepaid plan, only expensive monthly postpaid plans. However, resellers like Page Plus do offer prepaid plans using the Verizon network. Verizon uses CDMA, so you'll need a CDMA phone to use its network.

AT&T / Cingular Go Phone is a prepaid plan, but is more costly than the T-Mobile To Go prepaid plan, unless you do a lot of calling to AT&T / Cingular customers. There are also resellers selling prepaid plans on the AT&T / Cingular network.

T-Mobile's web site does have a coverage map that can zoom in down to the street, so you can see if they have coverage where you are going.

T-Mobile has very limited service in the US. So make sure you are going somewhere that it works. The same is true with Sprint/Nextel. The best coverages are AT&T/Cingular and Verizon. Prepaid programs are not as good as European plans.

Verizon has best coverage, but I would certainly not rank ATT/Cingular ahead of TMO, nor would I call TMO service very limited. Best to check coverage maps...I know for instance on a golf course where Verizon is dead but others works. If you're planning to use primarily in urban settings, all carriers relatively on par to each other.

And as far as customer service, TMO by far is superior to the rest. Some other provider's CS is virtually non-existent....you get routed and routed and routed without end :td:

Verizon has a prepaid plan, but it's not GSM, and it's really bad:

INpulse

.99 daily fee
Includes Verizon-to-Verizon, and free nights after 9pm (no free weekends)
.10 per minute otherwise.

If you have a Verizon phone and want prepay, I'd suggest PagePlus Cellular. They use Verizon towers and have pretty much the best rates in prepaid.

http://www.pagepluscellular.com/

$10 Card = 83 Minutes = 12c per minute
$25 Card = 300 Minutes = 8c per minute
$50 card = 700 Minutes = 7c per minute
$80 card = 1400 Minutes = 6c per minute

Incoming/Outgoing text is 8c.

-a

Thanks for all the replies.

Danger Man - going to New Orleans and only need it for about a week.

T-Mobile has very limited service in the US.

Sorry, but I really have to disagree with this. Their coverage may not be as wide as Verizon or ATT, but it's hardly "very limited".

It covers all major metropolitan areas, and is one of the only ones to offer a street level coverage map:

http://www.t-mobile.com/coverage/

Thanks for all the replies.

Danger Man - going to New Orleans and only need it for about a week.
AT&T and T-Mobile will both work for you.

As to the other comments about how great T-Mobile is. That is subjective at best. I have three different phones that I carry and my wife carries two. For major metro areas most all work the same or close. When you get out away from the majors then they disappear in this order: Sprint/Nextel - T-Mobile - Verizon - AT&T/Cingular. The last two switch places in some areas of the country.

Now that is my experience YMMV

AT&T and T-Mobile will both work for you.

As to the other comments about how great T-Mobile is. That is subjective at best. I have three different phones that I carry and my wife carries two. For major metro areas most all work the same or close. When you get out away from the majors then they disappear in this order: Sprint/Nextel - T-Mobile - Verizon - AT&T/Cingular. The last two switch places in some areas of the country.

Now that is my experience YMMV

I live in what many people consider the boonies and my TMo works great. I don't always have TMo on my screen but the roaming works fantastic. So, yes YMMV. I think Verizon sucks and so do most people that I know that use it - lots of dropped calls. I can use my GSM phone in my basement but my verizon RAZR has to be stuck to a window in my basement to work. Tell me how Verizon is better???

For prepaid's TMo is the best and unless you are going to Glacier National Park you will be fine. BTW, there is no cell phone coverage in Glacier National Park, but my GSM phone works in Yellowstone National Park.

Sorry, but I really have to disagree with this. Their coverage may not be as wide as Verizon or ATT, but it's hardly "very limited".

It covers all major metropolitan areas, and is one of the only ones to offer a street level coverage map:

http://www.t-mobile.com/coverage/

I have to agree with ScottC on this point. In major metropolitan areas all of the services are extremely similar. Major change comes in the country where T-Mobile won't have the coverage that Verizon or AT&T provide. I currently use a Verizon and Cingular phone and never run into any issues. When I had a T-Mobile and Sprint combo, I had good coverage but nothing like the Verizon and Cingular combo.

I prefer AT&T / Cingular, has worked everywhere in the country that I have needed it. My traveling companion uses T-Mobile because that is what his wife has on her job. His does not work when mine does and his never has worked where mine does not.

T-Mobile has very limited service in the US. So make sure you are going somewhere that it works. The same is true with Sprint/Nextel. The best coverages are AT&T/Cingular and Verizon. Prepaid programs are not as good as European plans. I use Orange and Virgin in the UK, O2 in Ireland, Wind in Italy and UM in Germany. All of these are very good programs but in the US you will not find a free incoming plan as people do not pay to call you. Tell me where you are going and how long you are staying and what you will use it for and I can tell you the best plan with that information.

I was just about to respond to this, but then figured there were enough responses, but then figured it had turned in to a conga. :-) couple of extra points below

Verizon is still the leader, no question especially in the middle of nowhere, but as for ATT and Sprint, they have pretty much nubbed the lack of connectivity problems from uh, well over three years ago. Of course, major cities are not a problem, but all routes I travel between majors, minors and also in places that I don't expect coverage at all. For example, a few months ago in CO, I travelled from Denver to Durango, through the mountains and had data service on sprint / EVDO about 60% of the time and 1xrt the rest of the time.

Someone using a t-mo sim in the us won't have a problem. However, I do have to point out that the paygo SIM does NOT roam on the same network as the contract SIM, it is INDEED more limited but it still is quite good coverage and should be no problem.

I use one of the paygo SIMs as well, haven't had a problem, but I do not use DATA on it.

Come over to the Southeast and I will show you that Verizon is horrible outside the Metros. However, I know when I am out West Verizon is very good. It all depends on where you are.