giblet

I'm looking for a SIM card that runs on the ATT network. I've looked on the ATT page and thought my brain was going to melt, but looked like the best option was 30 days with unlimited calls and texts with 2.5GB for $60. Black Wireless sells ATT-network SIMs for $50 for unlimited texts/calls and 2 GB of data for $50. Are there any other retailers that are lower than that?

I'm looking for a one-month SIM for an unlocked iPhone 4 with data to be used in the Bay Area, LA and NYC. I am also looking for a one-month SIM with no data for someone that rarely uses his $20 Nokia phone. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

IsleOfMan

I would check Cricket Wireless for both needs. They are wholly owned by ATT and are an amalgamation of the previous Aio plans/phones/stores and the Cricket brand name (formerly a CDMA network) that ATT purchased. The same 30 days with unlimited talk/text/2.5gb data is $50, unlimited talk/text/5gb is $60, and unlimited talk/text is $25. There is also a $5/month discount for auto-pay, but that doesn't sound like it would apply. The sim cards themselves cost $10 for BYOP.

If you'll be calling back to a country outside the USA, they also have $5 and $15 packages for calls to landlines, mobile, text, and MMS to ~30-35 countries (Cambodia isn't supported), but both options require the 2.5gb or 5gb data options.

With an iPhone 4 (or any iPhone) you will need to connect to iTunes on a PC/Mac after inserting the Cricket SIM to let iTunes update the APN data.

giblet

Thanks for the info, this is really helpful. Would I not be able to just edit the APN manually as I do with other carriers?

Need

I think Straight Talk at Walmart sells both AT&T and Tmobile compatible SIMs. And ST is $45 unlimited per month.

I am at Los Angeles and I actually have an unlocked AT&T iPhone 4 with Tmobile prepaid SIM for guests. It has been to San Francisco also and got great coverage in both LA and SF. The best part is it is $3 per day (unlimited calls, text, and data (first 200mb per day in 4G speed) only when it is used. Most guests only stay for a week so $21. They also have a $30 monthly plan with unlimited text and data (up to 5Gb in 4G speed) and 100 min of talk time for guests who stay past their welcome.. LOL. ;p

IsleOfMan

I was not able to manually edit the APN and get it to stick on an unlocked ATT iPhone 4, but connecting to iTunes fixed it instantly. That said, I was getting "No Signal" even for voice prior to connecting to iTunes, so it may have been deeper than just the APN (which should only affect data and MMS). A factory unlocked iPhone 4 might be a different story. If you do edit the APN yourself, make sure you use the APN for Aio Wireless (GSM), not for Cricket (CDMA).

With Strait Talk you have to make sure you get an ATT sim if you want to be on the ATT network (they offer TMobile sims as well). Also, their terms on data usage are quite strict and bar streaming audio and video (though I doubt you'd get shutdown in the first month). Both ST and Cricket offer 2.5gb before throttling, though Cricket is transparent about it while ST still markets it as "unlimited".

Cricket has a network of stores you can walk into and get semi-trained help getting setup. With ST you're stuck ordering online... the sims are carried in some WalMart stores, but often out-of-stock and not carried at all by plenty of stores as well. If you're looking to step off of a plane, get in a rental car, and buy a SIM card on your way wherever, Cricket will be the easier proposition.

javabytes

For your friend who (seldom) uses the $20 Nokia phone... AT&T has a pay per use prepaid option. $0 daily or monthly, and 10 cents per minute for talk and 20 cents per text. That could end up being the cheapest by far. Just make sure not to use data as that's $2/MB.

Or they have a plan that charges $2 only on days used, and then you get unlimited talk or text that day. (Data is still $2/MB.)

giblet

This one would be perfect for him. He'll probably send one or two texts a day (to me). Do you happen to know what this plan/option is called?

Need

Try this link:
http://www.att.com/shop/wireless/pla...ku4950226.html

bocastephen

I've been using Straight Talk for over a year...full ATT network compatibility at half the price, including LTE (new feature) if your phone has the right frequency.

I can't recommend them enough - but just be aware, no roaming outside the USA.

IsleOfMan

In the OP's case, it may be hard to get a US sim card ahead of time as I don't think they will ship them outside the US (possibly to Mexico, being a Carlos Slim company). Not all WalMarts carry the BYOD sims and the ones that do are often sold out. Walking into a Cricket store is quite a bit easier and yields basically the same results. I'm also not a big fan of the restrictions that Strait Talk puts on streaming usage (and they over-the-top consequences... line being cut off and even losing your number), even though they have at least clarified that "Unlimited Data" really means 2.5gb.

bocastephen

They can order online and have it shipped to their hotel or residence, and ST now has phone/vending machines at many major airports.

IsleOfMan

The phones sold in the vending machines will be Verizon or Sprint network phones. That said, if they're selling BYOD sims and it's easy to ensure you're explicitly buying an ATT sim, that would indeed be convenient. Is there any listing of the vending machine locations?

bocastephen

http://www.straighttalkblog.com/2013...ail-shops.html

docbert

Just keep in mind that the minimum recharge is $15, and credit expires after 30 days. So basically it's a minimum $15/month.

There are cheaper options out there like H2O (www.h2owirelessnow.com) who do $10 for 200 minutes/texts, 100MB, and a 90 day expiry. They also have a $30 for unlimited talk/text/500MB data.

Unfortunately for AT&T there's not as many options as for T-Mobile.

javabytes

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