[consolidated] Prepaid SIM cards in USA
 

Is there any prepaid Mifi services in the US? Was looking at the 4G LTE service with Verizon but don't see a prepaid service. I visit the US once every 6 weeks or so... everytime only for 3 or 4 days. So didn't want to get the monthly service they sell. So want to see what other options I have.

Virgin has one that's not quite pre-paid, but it's $10 for 10 days, only 100MB of data. Here's the link: http://www.virginmobileusa.com/mobil...mifi-2200.html

I second the Virgin service. Easy to turn on or off as needed, service is through Sprint so coverage in most places. If you are able to get to a WalMart when you are here, it is slightly cheaper than from Virgin directly. I can also get a 1 gig "Wal Mart only plan" for 20 bucks/30 days.

Another option is Ting. The rates aren't as good, but I like the way it expands and contracts with the data used.

Can someone elaborate on this Walmart only plan?

I have a locked Canadian iPhone (with Fido). If I had access to mobile Internet (that I would pick up as a wi-fi connection on my iPhone), that would be great.

Can I just swing by a US Walmart and get this?

Both Virgin Mobile and the competing TMobile prepaid hotspot are cash and carry. Not every Walmart has them, but many do. I suggest going to Walmart's website. You can check product availability online.

TruConnect is another option: http://www.truconnect.com/plans/

Yup, check online first but just hop in and grab one. They are normally in the electronics section. Mine ran about a hundred dollars.

I've used the Walmart special plan a couple of times now. When you register one of the MiFi 2200's bought at Walmart (or online) it adds the one-month plan option to your Virgin account. These can be purchased using a top-up card or by directly adding money to your account.

I find that 1GB is enough for light use over the course of about ten days. I mostly use it to supplement the times when I can't use a nearby free wifi network.

If you keep your eyes peeled, you can find the 3G modem for cheaper than $100.

I've been thinking about buying an unlocked mobile hotspot/MiFi and the Novatel 2352/2372 were well recommended. I will initially use this for a month or two in the US (where I live), and then with local SIM's while travelling in Europe and elsewhere.

I came across the Huawei E586, and then a ZTE MF60/62 which looked really interesting so ended up ordering the MF62 through eBay ($150 shipped) - hopefully have it within a week.

I've bought both AT&T and T-Mobile prepaid SIM cards (former was $3 on eBay, latter $7 through T-Mobile direct). I'll likely activate the AT&T one on the GoPhone plan and add $25 for 500Mb data, good for a month. The T-Mobile Walmart-only $30 for 5Gb/month data plan looks great, but I don't think I can get T-Mobile's 3G frequencies on my ZTE (or Huawei, Novatel etc.).

Has anyone used an unlocked MiFi device with a US GSM prepaid data plan?

If you're going to be in a city with Clear Wimax coverage, you can get Netzero 4G Mifi service for free (200 MB/month). Just buy the mifi for $100.

http://store.netzero.net/account/viewWirelessOffers.do

There are a ton of a little gotchas in Netzero's offer and Clear doesn't even cover all the major markets. The deal is also for one year. If you ever want to exceed the 200 meg cap you can't revert back to the free plan.

[consolidated] Prepaid SIM cards in USA
 

Wow, I have been Googling for hours now, and I still can't figure out what to do on my travel to California.

I have an unlocked iPhone 4 that I would like to use and I need lots of data, around 5GB with a relatively fast connection.

I am aware of the AT&T option, but it would require me to use around $60 on a phone to get the SIM card, and on the most expensive prepaid plan, I'm not getting more than 1GB of data anyway. Not a very good option.

Then there's T-mobile. But as I don't want to be stuck with EDGE speeds, they're out of the picture.

There's a handfull of prepaid operators like H2O wireless, Straighttalk etc. but the first will not fit my needs for data, and the latter will not accept data use for streaming music etc. Also, Straight Talk doesn't have CA dealers.

So have anyone out there a good option for me? Maybe a solution that I haven't discovered yet?

I have been many places around the globe, including developing countries, which are totally hassle free on these matters compared to the US. Help me please :)

I'd love to hear the answer to your conundrum. I find the US mobile market to be under-developed, uncompetitive and massively over-priced.

Really depends on where in California you are going. Many T-Mobile markets (including San Diego, LA, and San Francisco) now have the 1900 band for HSPA+ specifically for people with iPhones. Their $70 plan would work out for you. When outside those markets, just play music stored on your phone.

Straighttalk 45 bucks ul everything.

pseudoswede: I will be primarily in LA and SD. But...! The iPhone 4 is not HSPA+ compatible. Only 4S and 5 is. That means I'll still be stuck with EDGE speeds, right?

Problem: They do only allow data usage for very limited services, and according to their website they don't have a dealer in CA.

Any iPhone will get better than EDGE speeds on T-Mobile's 1900MHz band--basically equivalent to what AT&T is offering.

http://9to5mac.com/2012/06/07/t-mobi...wdc-next-week/

Take a look at red pocket mobile i think its $50 for a month service with data.

Horrible as it is - 5GB of data is probably best done on Wi-Fi. Even on post-paid, 5GB is a pricey option, and some operators that offer "unlimited" only actully do 2GB on 3G, then throttle to EDGE speeds to the 5GB limit.

That said - a good option could be a Verizon prepaid MiFi on their LTE network. The device is $129, and data is 3GB/$60 10GB/$90.

http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/p...type=ppjetpack

There are some rental shops that will rent a hotspot, but I doubt their total pricing would be as low as the prepaid MiFi.

Verizon LTE is actually very, very good.

I use Virgin PAYG Mifi data connections for our family's collection of iPhone and BB in US.

Since the OP needs a LOT of data and doesn't want EDGE speeds, Virgin Mobile won't be a good fit - quite slow in most areas.

Come to Canada sometime.... the US is telecom nirvana by comparison.

I use Tmobile with 2 dollars per day for unlimited 2G data, free US call, texts and incoming.

2g works fine for sending receiving emails and for FB etc.

By far the cheapest option. If there is anything data hungry I need to do I just wait until I'm hooked up to free wifi somewhere.

Here's all the MVNOs in the US. Find one on AT&T that has the price/features you're looking for. Little bit of homework on your part, but you might find something that works well for you.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_US_MVNO

We are using T-Mo PAYG sims in the iphone and BB. You are only charged per day when the phone is connected to the network on that day. The PAYG data on major carrier does not directly support some iPhones and BB registrations. That was why we choose Mifi solution.

We have been with Virgin for a while due to the original USB stick and then the Mifi offer. There are faster solutions but this is more than sufficient for my business needs. Using Mifi works across all phone platforms. The Mifi is also unlocked for other countries as well.

I know, I had to deal with Robb(g)ers and it was H(B)ell!

I'd have to agree. Assuming a Huawei unit, they're very simple to set up. I'm testing out dual channel HSPA+ unit on the Three network right now and liking it a lot (not as fast as LTE but a lot faster than my wired broadband).

Interesting insights. Whats the update for now?

Mobile data in USA
 

Mods, please allow a brief percolation here :)

So... It's 2013 and I feel like it should be a breeze to get mobile data everywhere. Some progress has been made roaming to the EU but the USA is still prohibitively expensive.

For my forthcoming trips I'd buy another SIM and dual sim adapter but my phone (Samsung s3) is locked to 3.

Does anyone have any bright ideas for a cost-effective solution for getting data the US?

I personally just use wifi when it's available - coffee shops, shopping malls, etc. You'll be surprised how many places offer free wifi.

Some hotels offer free wifi, also worth having a look

Free Wifi when available but of course it depends if you're going to be spending the majority of your time within range of an available hotspot.

If you're making several trips it may be cost effective to buy a cheapo Android handset and put a local SIM in that. You won't get the latest shiny handset, nice display or fancy bells and whistles but it you'll be able to tether it to your laptop using USB with no issues.

I do also have 3g connectivity from my laptop, so I could get a 3g sim for that and set up an ad hoc mobile network. Can anyone recommend a reliable, cheap UK supplier of US sims that allow tethering?

There are various US prepay data SIMs available for travellers:

http://prepaidwithdata.wikia.com/wiki/USA

However, they generally tend to be a bit of a pain to get - you need to go to a store in the US, do a bit of paperwork, get it up & running on your phone.

It's not like Singapore, where there's 3 kiosks after arrivals at Changi & they'll set it all up for you. AFAIK there are no airport-arrivals SIM sellers in the US.

Also not aware of anyone in the UK that's selling US SIMs

Although one option is to get a multi-country SIM from Truphone which does data roaming in the US at £0.20/MB , which is about 10-20x lower than most normal UK plans
http://www.truphone.com/en-GB/Produc.../Rate-Checker/

There was an article in Business Traveller this month about exactly this. Maybe it's helpful?

http://www.businesstraveller.com/arc...oaming-rip-off

Covered almost daily in the Travel Technology forum.

There are more options than a few years ago when PAYG data was almost non-existent in the US, but high speed access is still not as simple as much of the rest of the world.

Roamline(.com)?

It's not flat-rate, but certainly not "prohibitively expensive" (unless you were planing to watch YouTube

I'm using this little device here:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Huawei-E586-...bs_computers_3

You put in a local SIM and it creates a wifi that your phone (and other devices) can use. Also great for sharing if you're travelling with someone. Fits in any pocket, so great for taking it with you.

OK - safely home I'll let you know what I did.

Unfortunately, I did not find a solution for prepaid heavy data. I ended up buying T-mobile 3$/day unlimited talk, text, EDGE and 200mb of daily 3G data. One should be prepared that the T-mobile 3G coverage is still quite limited, but is being spread out constantly. Staying most of my time in San Diego, CA, there was a few places not covered, but still usable and acceptable. In LA I got the impression that coverage was better, but I didn't spend enough time there to really tell for sure.
Fortunately there is very widespread access to free WiFi in the US (or at least the places I visited). Literally all bigger stores, cafés, restaurants and malls do offer free WiFi access. So while having a small daily 3G allowance, I didn't use it up, because i set up my iPhone and computer to recognize the free WiFi available.

Though I didn't have the freedom I'm used to from Denmark where 3G is very cheap and with good coverage, I didn't find myself so much offline that I would have feared initially.

I like the idea of this... what SIM do you use in the USA?