Guide for Mobile Voice & Data in the USA

[Jeffrey O'Neill]

Any updates on this topic? as I'll be in US for 3+ months later this year & wondering of the current offers, what is best choice/s? Have free wifi where I'm staying, but while out & about will need to stay in touch.

Thanks team, the advice from the group is priceless!

I've generally found the offers at Prepaid Travel SIM for USA, UK, Japan, NZ and More - to be good

Unfortunately they don't have any discounts running for the USA at present. I got a tmobile sim off them for last year and it was active the minute I landed. have found them to always be easy to deal with.

 

[chooms]

Bumping this. I spent half a day getting a SIM card through AT&T last time I was in the USA... heading to Hawaii soon and looking to arrange before we travel. Anyone have any tips/Aussie sim providers?

Don’t want to use Telstra due to expense. Will mainly be for data (Google Maps, emails etc) but maybe some local calls. Calls back to Aus will be via FaceTime/skype.

 

[zig]

Bumping this.

Don’t want to use Telstra due to expense. Will mainly be for data (Google Maps, emails etc) but maybe some local calls. Calls back to Aus will be via FaceTime/skype.

Also interested in this, mainly looking to use data whilst in the US later in the year.

 

[chooms]

Ended up getting a sim through Simsdirect. Worked great. Service was fine. Best International Travel Sim Cards | SimsDirect

Just leave enough time for it to be posted to you and follow instructions when you land. Thought it auto registered when phone was turned on, but then realised had to send text to get registered. Did the job.

 

[zig]

Ended up getting a sim through Simsdirect. Worked great. Service was fine. Best International Travel Sim Cards | SimsDirect

Just leave enough time for it to be posted to you and follow instructions when you land. Thought it auto registered when phone was turned on, but then realised had to send text to get registered. Did the job.

Thanks for the information, I'll check it out.

 

[tdimdad]

Any US local providers & plans you'd recommend, please? I'll spend there a week and would appreciate data (300-500 MB should be ample), with the odd call and text thrown in just in case.
That would be in San Francisco area so that I could pick up a SIM from a store/kiosk.

 

[tdimdad]

Any US local providers & plans you'd recommend, please?

I can now answer this: picked up a T-Mobile prepaid. USD $10 SIM fee + $3 'Pay as you go' plan + $10 Data pass (1 week / 1 GB). With the mandatory fees, it came to $23.83. Most affordable of the local options for a week that I managed to come across. However, the coverage is lacking, even in city areas. When the coverage is OK, the mobile data is usually delightfully fast but you can't guarantee that it's available behind every corner you'll visit.

I purchased this from a T-Mobile store. They were a little clueless on how to set up the plan. How it went at the end was to activate the plan (line) itself first and after that add the data pass - which you can do yourself, too, as the network will automatically redirect you to the respective page if you attempt to browse the internet.

 

[jastel]

There seems to be a new trap in the USA. I have been there for the last month.

Most countries in the world you go to the store, buy a SIM and away you go.
Both companies have similar deals, $30-$50 all the calls you want and 5-10 gig data, 30 days etc.

ATT and T Mobile both told me they will not guarantee a SIM will work in my unlocked Australian phone...the reason is the system compares the IMEI number of the phone and it will eventually figure out that the phone was not sold in USA and is not "on their list". I visited several stores and all staff said they have had tourists come back angry after a few days when the SIM stopped working or in many cases they couldn't set up the phone at all...after they crack open the SIM and charge you for it of course.

A work around is to call ATT (in my case) and get your phones IMEI number added to the system, then it will not be deactivated...this only took 35 minutes of transferred frustration...

Problem 2 was my S10 (JB Hifi Aust stock, not a grey import) was unable to get 4G anywhere due to different bands, or bands missing from the new Samsung, I don't recall this being a problem on my last visit 6 years back...so better check what bands there are.
On coverage it was very poor or none around the Grand Canyon, Bryce, Zion, and Monument Valley. Verizon (on old CDMA network) is king out there. It worked ok, only getting 2G but, in most other cities.

Would appreciate any other recent feedback...seems a generic data only SIM may be a better deal.
Also unsure if iphones have same drama re 4G?

 

[snabbu]

Interesting.
I’ve just been on the t-mobile site and when clicking through and selecting “have own device” the next step is to enter my IMEI number. I’m using an old iPhone and after entering the number it says my phone is fine to use. It’s an AU stock device.
The t-mobile offer seems to fit my needs but I’m still researching what is best for a few months pre paid (minimal call/txt/data needs, mostly for incoming calls).

 

[jastel]

I went in store...first shop was Phoenix, they claimed it happened to several international students at a nearby university. The second shop was Las Vegas, obviously more tourist traffic.

Good that it is online now...just check your bands = USA bands.

 

[empressjo]

March ‘20 trip coming up, 1 week in Florida, 14 days Caribbean (if Corona doesn’t stop it) Cruise, 1 week New Orleans & another 2 weeks between Arizona & California. Bought ATT sim on landing for my last trip, but it has expired now.
Data & option to upgrade data should we end up on ship for extra 14 days
Also have a Google voice number, which requires data but helps keep in contact with friends without needing a new US number each trip.
Could get a sim delivered before we leave but not able to activate until we land, so have found easier to research this now & not waste any of my trip figuring it out.
Any suggestions or what to avoid?

 

[serfty]

@empressjo It is somewhat different these days with many service providers having data top ups at far more reasonable pricing than 10 years ago.

There is still generally scope to optimise further but that comes at the lesser convenience of swapping SIMS.

 

[Brissy1]

@empressjo It is somewhat different these days with many service providers having data top ups at far more reasonable pricing than 10 years ago.

There is still generally scope to optimise further but that comes at the lesser convenience of swapping SIMS.

Agree, optus recently enhanced their os data add-on. I used that for my teenager's phone (teenagers don't make phone calls), and I bought a usa sim here in Aus, to have a us number, (which I had activated in time to order an uber on arrival at LAX).

 

[empressjo]

New experience this week - landed in LA with iPhone 12 Pro Max & a Samsung S20+. AT&T prepaid plan works for my 2 month stay on my iPhone for $15 +$65pm (converted to about $126) but found out the Samsung & Android phones will no longer work if the phone was purchased in Australia.
Someone more tech savvy may be able to explain why? Checked other US carriers & they don’t work either.
So if you were intending to use your android phone in US I suggest finding out your options prior to flying. The $10 a day deal from Optus is too expensive for extended stays IMO.

 

[Brissy1]

New experience this week - landed in LA with iPhone 12 Pro Max & a Samsung S20+. AT&T prepaid plan works for my 2 month stay on my iPhone for $15 +$65pm (converted to about $126) but found out the Samsung & Android phones will no longer work if the phone was purchased in Australia.
Someone more tech savvy may be able to explain why? Checked other US carriers & they don’t work either.
So if you were intending to use your android phone in US I suggest finding out your options prior to flying. The $10 a day deal from Optus is too expensive for extended stays IMO.

I presume that's the unlimited data plan; discount to $50 with autopay according to their web site.
Would be ideal except, for me, I want a plan with included calls to Aust. Not 'til 2023 so just casually looking.

 

[jastel]

New experience this week - landed in LA with iPhone 12 Pro Max & a Samsung S20+. AT&T prepaid plan works for my 2 month stay on my iPhone for $15 +$65pm (converted to about $126) but found out the Samsung & Android phones will no longer work if the phone was purchased in Australia.
Someone more tech savvy may be able to explain why? Checked other US carriers & they don’t work either.
So if you were intending to use your android phone in US I suggest finding out your options prior to flying. The $10 a day deal from Optus is too expensive for extended stays IMO.

See my Post 68 above from 3 years back...seems to be the same thing.
I would be more interested to know why ANY apple phone works, dont they have a list of what apple phones are sold in the USA?

 

[empressjo]

Update - visited AT&T yet again. Appears there was an update or change to the service here in US in March of this year. Was told internationals could still use the 3G network but not now that it is turned off.
My iPhone shows 5G & can receive & make calls, data & text but my friends Samsung 20S & androids will no longer work if purchased os. Was also told they may work for a day or too before their systems pick it up, then stop working.
Work around for this trip was to keep the prepaid plan & use a Google Voice number (which requires data or Wi-Fi)

 

[SYD]

Update - visited AT&T yet again. Appears there was an update or change to the service here in US in March of this year. Was told internationals could still use the 3G network but not now that it is turned off.
My iPhone shows 5G & can receive & make calls, data & text but my friends Samsung 20S & androids will no longer work if purchased os. Was also told they may work for a day or too before their systems pick it up, then stop working.
Work around for this trip was to keep the prepaid plan & use a Google Voice number (which requires data or Wi-Fi)

Do any of the Samsung phones connect / roam with their Oz carrier?

Connecting to the network to see if you can make/receive calls/txt should not cost if “roaming data“ is turned off first.

 

[jastel]

I could connect to Oz telstra roaming 3 years back...but didnt want to due to cost.

Empressjo could you call the telco and "add" your IMEI to the approved list?

I ended up buying a cheap USA phone for 4G phone calls...it was very slow as a smartphone but tethered my Oz phone to it to use the data. PITA carrying 2 phones around but.

And why are fruit phones not affected?

 

[mrsterryn]

I went to Hawaii in July. I still had a Sim from 2019 that hadn't been used , a UK one that had a billion countries lol. It worked fine in my Oppo phone. Planning to use again next month .