Current options for prepaid mobile access in the US?

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jonathan18

4211 posts

Uber Geek

Subscriber

# 180747 20-Sep-2015 19:52

Hey there

I know this is a commonly asked question on GZ, but I haven't found a newish thread so please point me in its direction if I missed it...

My sister and her partner are off to the US soon for a few weeks, and wanted to know the best options for prepaid mobile usage while they're there - mainly just to use GPS via their phone (as this would be an alternative to forking out for the US map on a GPS device), a bit of email and web usage.

I've noticed there are lots of users on here that travel frequently to the US, so hopefully some of you could offer them some advice?

The phones they could take include an iPhone, a Samsung S?(4?) and a more basic Samsung device (could get specific models if this is necessary to confirm band support).

Thanks in advance for any advice.

roobarb

483 posts

Ultimate Geek

Trusted

# 1390758 20-Sep-2015 20:56

The main two US SIM options are AT&T and T-Mobile. Last trip I bought a prepaid T-Mobile after I had landed, no ID required. Only issue was the plan I got did not allow setting up a hotspot.

jonathan18

4211 posts

Uber Geek

Subscriber

# 1391511 21-Sep-2015 19:43

Thanks for that information. Some useful stuff on T-Mobile's website does make it seem feasible and the cost's fine ($3 a month for a few minutes and texts, plus $10 a week for 1GB). Were you able to pick up the SIM at the airport, and was it straight-forward to set up? (My sister and her partner aren't the most technically-confident people!).

Has anyone else got suggestions for the best options for getting cheap and easy prepaid mobile for a few weeks in the US?

kandjc

102 posts

Master Geek

# 1391529 21-Sep-2015 20:39

We took our 2degrees prepaid android mobile through 4 states earlier this year.
Turned it on when we arrived and it immediately logged on to at&t, followed by a text from 2degrees saying they noticed we were in america and our charges would be such and such, and they hoped we enjoyed our stay.Can't remember the charges but they were acceptable. Didn't buy any other sim than what we use here.
We didn't need any internet or mobile connection for the gps on our phone......just downloaded the relevant maps here before we went.....we use Here Maps.