costs of local sim
 

Hi,

I am traveling to US and interested in buying a local sim for my cell.
I would like to pay as minimum as possible on the card itself, and for the calling minutes, I would like to have "what you talk is what you pay".
In addition, I would like to have the card permanentaly with the same number for future use, so that it won't be cancelled after several months (or year) without usage.

Simple google gave me hundreds of ads, with prices around 140$... for a card which holds for 6 months.
does this sound reasonable ? where is the best place to buy this card ?
I feel that this price is very expensive for what I am asking for.
(for example, in my country, you can buy a permanent sim for ~20$).

please advise.

thanks.

You should be able to get a prepaid SIM card from T-Mobile or Virgin Mobile for approx. $20, which will include around that amount of credit.

Definitely avoid any of the sites offering those packages specifically focused on "travellers" who are often just selling the same products at vastly marked up rates. Go directly to a store selling the SIM cards from the phone company instead.

thank you very much for your advice !

I was in the US for a couple of weeks and I bought an AT&T SIM on eBay for $1.29 (free US shipping), paid online for some credit and it worked fine for basic communication.

I'm not sure if the number won't be cancelled though. If you need a more permanent number maybe you could get a Google Voice number and forward calls as needed? I know that you are only supposed to have one in the US but maybe you can get an account while you are there (I did that, got a number and it still works now that I'm not there).

There's also a similar thread here.

You will not find anything in the US that will offer all you are asking for.

You will find cheap sims like from T-mobile.

You will find options where you only pay for the minutes you use, without having to pay a daily or monthly charge.

However, you will not find one that meets either or both of those and does not expire, most will have an expiration date ranging from a month for a smaller refill to a year for a $100 refill. If you are going to use $100 or more per year it's just like it's forever.

On Tmobile, once you reach gold ($100 in refills), any refills, not just the $100 ones, will extend your expiration for another year. I can't say if the other carriers are the same or not.

You can go into a T-Mobile corporate store and get a prepaid SIM with activation card for $10. It includes 10 minutes of included calling. You'd then have to add a $10 (33¢/minute), $25, $50 or $100 (10¢/minute) voucher. The higher the dollar voucher amount the cheaper the per minute rate. Minutes expire after 90 days unless you buy the $100 voucher which will last 365 days.

It can be ordered from T-Mobile on line for $7 but they'll not ship to a non-US address.

ok. I got a bit confused....

Suppose I buy a T-Mobile prepaid sim card (either on store on ebay). what is the next step ? if I just plug it into my phone will it work ?
what does it mean activation ?

I have Nokia N76. You mentioned that it should be unlocked (what does this mean?). How do I make sure it is indeed unlocked?

sorry for all the beginner questions.

thanks.

Not sure about the rest of the world, but in the US most GSM cell phones are "locked" to the carrier that sells them. They do that so if I have an ATT phone and plan, I can only use ATT SIMS in it.

For me to take that phone and use it with a SIM other than ATT, I need to get it unlocked (which ATT will do if asked and certain conditions are met in this case). But if I don't get it unlocked, I can't use it with a different SIM.

The easiest way to tell if your phone is locked or not is to put in another sim and see if it works.

Activation may or may not be necessary depending on the seller of the SIM, some will do it for you, so all you need to do is put the card in the phone and have it work.

If it's not activated it's usually a pretty easy thing to do, with Tmobile for example you can do it online

http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/plans/activateprepaid.aspx

Activation lets them associate a phone number with the card, etc. But many of the cards sold on e-bay are preactivated.

I activated my AT&T sim by completing the forms on the website here.

Do I have to use T-mobile phone in order to use a prepaid sim of t-mobile ?

I can arrange an unlocked iPhone for my trip. It does not have a serial number of the type they request in the activation procedure. How can I activate a prepaid sim to be used in this iPhone ?

No, you can also use an unlocked phone.

...just google "iPhone IMEI" and you'll find several ways of locating the serial number.

thanks. the IMEI number was easy to find as you mentioned :)

everyone -- I am returning to my original question.

Is there a way to get a US number without being cancelled ?
I am willing to sign a contract with a US carrier (e.g. T-mobile, AT&T, etc.) as long as: 1) my number is not cancelled no matter how much time it is not in use, and 2) I pay only for what I talk, no fixed monthly payment.

Do you think I can find this deal ?

thanks.

I bought an AT&T sim last time I was in the USA. The only way to keep it from being cancelled in a month is to buy 100 USD worth of credit, then it it good for a year. As long as you put another 100 USD on it within the year, it will not expire. This works for me, as I visit the USA about once a year and use about 100 USD when I do. May not work for everyone.

I a not aware of any prepaid anywhere in the world that will not cancel a number due to inactivity. For your needs, you can get a googlevoice number and then forward it to your prepaid. Both Tmobile and AT&T prepaid will give you 1 years expiration after topping up with $100. Tmobile will even extend by another year as long as you topup with any amount. Even the $10 card will get you another year.

You can use any unlocked phone that uses T-Mobile's freqency (1900 in their native area and 850 in roaming partner areas.)

To get the "serial" (IMEI) just key *#06# on any GSM phone and it will reveal the IMEI.