US pre-paid SIM 2012
 

OK, so I know this has been extensively covered before but a search turned up little current info.

I have an iPhone, Blackberry (and MiFi if that helps) and I may pick up an iPad 3 4G on arrival SFO early May.

So, I know about ATT Go Phone and could activate one of these for calls etc but what about data? ATT seems to limit phone data to 500MB and data SIMS don't do calls - is that right?

If I did buy iPad 3 4G can I get a pre-paid 1 month data plan for it and I assume the ATT version would be best for later use in UK/EU etc?

For the iPhone/BB options what do you suggest? I only want one data connection so it's either iPhone or BB (or iPad 3 if I go down that route).

Or is Mr SIM Card the best option and if so which of their SIM's is recommended?

Intended locations are SFO, SAN, LA, SEA and YVR (I expect this is a separate issue and can manage with wifi for the 4 days here).

Thanks!

Depends on the amount of Data you need.

I bought a 365 Day Pre Paid Sim for $100 from T-Mobile, works in the iPhone but only at Edge speeds, which is not too bad, considering in AU, Edge means you get nothing but an IP address. $3 a day for data, topup of another $100 extends it for another year.

Has worked for me fine for Maps/Twitter/FourSquare/Email etc in LAX/SFO/LAS/NYC/SAT

Best thing with this sim, don't use it, no charge, no changing of plans on arrival/departure.

The bad thing, no Tether under the iPhone, removes the option, but when you switch back to your normal sim, it comes back.

If you have an iPhone 4/s, you might need to cut the sim if they give you a full sim, rather easy process, I even did it with a pair of nail clippers and a nail file.

The 4G New iPad, will not work at 4G speeds in Europe. You will get 3G and maybe enhanced 3G speeds. It does come with an AT&T sim, but I haven't powered the unit up to see whats on offer.

Not sure on which Freq the BB supports.

It depends on what you need, Edge while slow it does the job for me with the iPhone 3GS, now 4s, and uploading lots of FourSquare photos etc, but I wouldn't want to use it for remote access/downloads.

Forgot to add: The T-Mobile does Voice Calls as well

Last two trips to the US I have gone to an ATT store and picked up a free SIM, data plan and calls are added (about $35 IIRC) but you just need one SIM.

Given how many devices OP is carrying, I would just get a data SIM for the MiFi and let all other devices tether to it. Verizon allows iPad3 LTE to be used as a wifi hot spot, so you may consider use that instead of MiFi. Their plans are also on that page.

If you need voice service, then get a voice SIM from anywhere. You might even consider a MVNO. The air time are around 10 cents per minute, but some MVNOs give perks like free international calls (no additional per minute charge over the air time). The drawback of MVNO is the sales outlets are limited, and places like Target or Walmart don't sell just the SIM. You may need to go to a ethnic store or phone dealers to find SIM at retail.

Took a glance at Mr SIM card's site. They sure charge a hefty premium for the SIM cards.

I don't need all the devices to be connected - just one for data and calls ideally altho I would use a separate Go-phone if necessary for calls.

Appreciate that we won't get 4G data in Europe at least for now but will both the ATT and Verizon 4G iPads work (albeit on 3G) in Europe?

H20 wireless. Sells ATT signal. 60 bucks a month gets you unlimited talk text and 1 gb of data. my locked ATT iphone 3GS recognizes the sim and operates just fine.

I use the http://straighttalksim.com/ works with any unlocked phone and is $45 unlimited talk, text and data. Works with locked att and tmobile phones in the US as well.

telestial.com have a good range of PAYG options. You get a US and UK number, calls are free to receive in the US and data rates are pretty good too. Don't forget to unlock your phone first!

The trick with StraightTalk is finding a way to get the SIM card before you get to the US. Most of the other providers (especially AT&T) you can get the SIM off eBay for a few bucks, so it's set up and ready to go when you step off the plane. But I've had no luck finding a way to get my hands on a StraightTalk SIM before I leave. So far the best solution is to order it online and get it delivered to your hotel, but that's not a great option.

My understanding is that once you hit gold status with TMobile ($100), every $10 recharge pushes your renewal back 1 year.

Yes. Once you hit "gold rewards" status, any additional topup, regardless of denomination $10, $20, etc., extends the expiration for another year. I have been keeping my very low usage tmobile payg, that I have as a backup, going like this for at least 6 years.

I'll second the H2O Wireless. SIM card costs about $1 on Ebay, and you can have it shipped where you are going.

MrSIM has some good packages but he really upcharges them! If you need to hit the ground running, ATT is probably easiest. ATT has terrible prepaid plans though. T-Mobile has great prepaid plans but their data network is different so (as someone else said) you only get EDGE.

Good luck.

Thanks for all the help and advice on this.
As it happens, my trip has been put back to later this year but, anyway, I now have the info required.