I travel to the US every few months, and I'm tired of paying Orange's extortionate Ł1.10/min, roundeded to the minute, roaming call charges when I'm over there. My bill goes up by at least Ł30 after spending a few days over there.

My P800 is about to go out of contract, so I'll be able to get it SIM-unlocked. Will I be able to purchase a pre-pay SIM card in the US with a UK billing address? If not, does anyone know of any UK phone dealers that can supply US pre-paid SIM cards?

Failing any of that, can anyone recommend another UK network that's cheaper to roam in the US?

Thanks in advance.

It's unusual to buy just a prepaid SIM in the US. There's not anough saturation in the GSM market. Perhaps you should consider a prepaid phone instead. You can get a Nokia 5100 (ancient, I realize) from Tracfone for about $50 at most WalMarts, and either pay ~$95 for a year of service and a couple hundred minutes, or $20-50 for some 40-200 minutes that expire in 60 days. Going the second route will mean that you're issued an new phone number every time you reactivate after expiration.

For overseas calls buy a prepaid long distance card where you buy the phone. Rates vary, and would be in addition to the cost of the airtime if you use your cellphone.

There are other prepaid carriers, obviously. My wife has a Tracfone because it uses the Verizon network where I live and she uses very few minutes per month.

Unusual, yet not impossible: http://www.telestial.com/products/us...aidsim_sim.htm

The brainiacs at the US networks haven't really seen the light when it comes to prepaid GSM, the only options they have come with a cellphone (an old Nokia) and unless you know someone at a T-mo or ATT store they won't/can't give you a sim only prepaid package...

Why not look at Virgin Mobile? They've got a wider footprint (since they use Sprint's network). You can probably get a phone off of Ebay and have it shipped.

One word: eBay

That's not true anymore. Sure, prepaid SIMs are not as easily available in the US as they are in Europe, but T-Mobile easySpeak prepaid can be purchased either as a SIM card/phone combo, or as a SIM card only. They do not advertise it (not even mention on T-Mobile web site), but ask a dealer, and they'll sell it to you. There are also numerous dealers selling it online (the link in my post above points to one of them, but a simple google search on "easySpeak SIM" will yield dozens of options).