"Stephen Fisher" <scfisherNO@SPAMgmail.com> wrote in
message news:1tvMg.16396$G72.9903@newsfe3-gui.ntli.net
> I'm off to USA with familiy in a couple of weeks. My work
> mobiles are not set for abroad (good thing to-i'm on
> holiday!!)
> What i'm wondering is where is the best place to get a
> couple of SIM cards which will allow me to use phones as
> PAYG whilst in USA.
>
> Do any of the networks in USA do a similar deal to the
> networks here where you can get payg sim cards for free
> with credit (£10) on them.
What area are you going to..? Be aware
GSM doesn't have full coverage of
the USA, particularly in rural areas. In major cities you should be ok
though. Also what phone..? You need at least a tri-band for GSM1900, or
even better quad-band with 850 as well.
T-Mobile do a PAYG
SIM card, you can find them on eBay for very good
prices, but be aware of some sellers ripping people off by selling
SIM
card with expired credit, read the small print carefully..! Or you can
pick one up in a T-Mobile shop when you get there. They come with about
150 minutes of airtime on them IIRC, not been over for a couple of years
so my memory is a little hazy. Be aware that incoming calls as well as
outgoing are charged for, but on the plus side it doesn't cost any more to
call mobiles than landlines, the numbering is the same, it's not possible
to tell a mobile from its number as it is here.
Another useful feature (of the T-Mobile system at least, not sure of the
others) is that because the number is a normal one, indistinguishable from
a landline, you can change it to one in the same area code that you're
going to be in. For example when I bought my
SIM on the last trip, it came
with a New York number, but I changed it to a San Francisco one as that
was where I was going to be for most of the time. Call the free customer
services number to do this.
Hope this helps,
Ivor
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