mstraveler

Pardons for the basic question, but I would like the option to have more than one cell phone, but only one account. For example, when I am home I like my Razr and my Palm just fine as separate devices. I rarely need them in the same place and have no interest or need to lug a treo or other integrated device around all the time. BUT, when I travel it would be very handy to have that option. Can I just swap a SIM card among unlocked phones? Would this work for an iPhone?

ScottC

It works fine between unlocked GSM phones, that is what makes GSM so popular.

It isn't so easy with the iPhone as you'll need to use the sim card you activated the iPhone on.

CrazyOne

iPhone should be okay as long as it's AT&T. You can't use it on any other provider, although it could eventually be hacked to be unlocked (was just reading about this ongoing effort).

So, if you want one account but multiple devices, you should activate one ATT account with the iPhone. That SIM could then be used in any other unlocked GSM devices you like, in as many different ones as you like, really. With ATT, it is fairly important to have devices that have the 850MHz band. Quad-band devices mean no worries, but some tri-bands only have 900/1800/1900 so you have to be more careful to find tri-bands that have 850.

One other thing that would come up is different data plans. If you wanted, say, an iPhone and a Treo, the data plans are different and you may run into trouble.

If you leave the iPhone out of the picture, most everything else holds true, except now you have a choice of carriers (AT&T or T-Mobile in the US, and with T-Mobile you don't need 850MHz) and if all your devices are unlocked you can also choose to use a SIM from a foreign carrier when traveling abroad.

BLI-Flyer

You can also subscribe to a family plan and have multiple phones under one account. The advantage of a family account is you share a common pool of minutes.

GadgetFreak

Yes on TMobile or ATT. Yes sort of on Verizon but it is a pain. The phones dont even have to be unlocked if they are on the same carrier that you are using. The iPhone will only work on ATT. I do this a lot. I use a TMobile DASH, Samsung X820 or HTC TyTN on TMobile, just switching SIMs. I also have a prepaid TMo account and occasionally just put that in the X820 which is the smallest, and forward to it, so that I can use the TyTN for data (leave it in my briefcase) but have the X820 in my shirt pocket.

mstraveler

Thanks to all. I have an AT&T account, though no iPhone yet . Waiting until the next generation, but nice to know this will be easier than I thought.

gj83

Won't each phone have a different number though?

GadgetFreak

No, the number is linked to the SIM card, not the phone. With the exception of the iPhone, since ScottC says it needs a special SIM, you can transfer the SIM to any compatible (right frequencies, unlocked) phone and that phone now has your number. You cannot, however, use two phones with the same number at the same time. So you cant have two SIMs linked to your number.

Darren

I think what you're describing, though is different from a Family Plan, which is when two numbers are issued to the same account, which is not what the OP needs. Sim swapping is easy and common, with the apparent exception of the iPhone. One more reason not to get one, imo. Though I haven't seen this personally, I have been told that in certain circles sims can be cloned so that you can have two with effectively the same esn, but, in the words of Desi Arnaz, you turn both on at the same time and you may have some splainin' to do.

GadgetFreak

Youre right, I didnt say anything about family plans. Im not even sure what they are and I dont think they have anything to do with the OP and their question. Im just talking about changing the phones the SIM is in, which is I think what the OP wanted to do.

CrazyOne

Yes, the OP seemed to be interested in two or more devices sharing the same phone number, which is possible by switching SIM cards on GSM devices. (That is, specifically, taking the SIM card out of one device and putting it into another.)

A family plan is a different animal, where you have two or more separate devices with separate phone numbers on the same account. This addresses a separate issue, really. The two issues are not exclusive of each other, as one may want to do both depending upon the situation.