3G sim card USA

[geocycle]

Hi guys, especially those in the US. 

I'm visiting New England for a few weeks with the family in July and am looking for a US 3G data sim card.  The ideal would be something prepaid with a 1Gb or so allowance that I can put into my unlocked phone or mifi to create a wireless network.  We are staying in a variety of accommodation, some with wifi some without and we do find internet helpful for planning, skype etc.  The At and T site looks promising but complicated to purchase anything from overseas.  Any thoughts on best network or deals would be welcome.

[Danneaux]

Hi Geo'!

Welcome in advance on your upcoming visit to the US; it'll be nice to have you. Any chance of using a bicycle while here?

As to your 3G sim card question, the answer is...

It can be complexicated...

Two systems that won't talk to each other, and a slightly different flavor of GSM
Boy, cellphone service here in the States is a mess compared to Europe and the rest of the world. It is structured differently, with longer-term contracted plans subsidizing the cost of the phones. Couple that with two different kinds of networks -- CDMA (Code-Division Multiple-Access) on the carrier with the greatest area coverage vs a variant of GSM (Global System for Mobile Comms, a standard that has strayed from the original Groupe Spιcial Mobile), and it can be hard for a visitor to get SIM cards that work in all circumstances and you can't cross between CDMA and US GSM networks.

Here in the remote West, I had fewer choices for coverage
For the best coverage in my remote areas, I somewhat reluctantly went with CDMA/Verizon; had to, in order to get the most usable coverage, which is still very spotty and sparse in the locations where I tour. I don't activate the 3G portion of my phone, leaving it for voice comms only; tower coverage is so sparse and remote as to make 3G comms impractical in those areas (CDMA-based EV-DO[ EVolution Data Optimized] won't generally support voice and data at once anyway, so I optimize for voice). In contrast, even US-based GSM supports simultaneous voice and data as part of the spec.

Questions to ask
When friends from Europe come to visit, I usually ask a few questions before offering suggestions:
• What brand and model phone do you currently have? it must be tri- or quad-band in order to work.
• Which will you use most...voice or data?
• Where will you be traveling? The East Coast and NE US have the greatest number of choices and the best coverage as well as the greatest population density (if balanced on the head of a pin, the nation's population mass would pivot on Memphis, TN. There's a lot West of there...).
• How long will you be staying? The value of some cards varies according to how long you'll be staying.
• Will the phone meet minimum US-GS speed requirements?
• Will you be calling home to the US/Europe much, or will you be using mostly locally in the US?

Sometimes cheaper alternative for longer-term US use (extended touring)
Because of the complexities and occasional incompatibilities, I usually recommend a prepaid phone from Wal-Mart to most longer-term bike tourists here. "Minutes" are available for purchase that are specific to Verizon or T-Mobile networks. Amazingly, even with the purchase of the phone, the costs can work out to be less than a SIM card. If you're spending less than 10 weeks here, then the SIM card is a better option if you have a US-compatible GSM phone.

Depending on the phone, it may have to be unlocked to use a US SIM card.

Somebody saved me a lot of work with this recent article
I finally developed a list of possibilities for each permutation, but I no longer have to do that, thanks to a recent, well-researched article from PC Magazine: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2414494,00.asp

A couple of additional links friends with similar questions have found useful:
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTopic-g34515-i19-k5360886-US_SIM_for_a_UK_phone-Orlando_Florida.html
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1358276


I hope this helps.

Best,

Dan.

[Peddrov]

Sorry for hijacking this thread, but this is something I wanted to look into as well. I read through the article you linked Dan, but this is talking about monthly plans, rather than top-up sim cards, which I would prefer. Do these exist in the US? Let me just answer your questions and see if you have any tips

• What brand and model phone do you currently have? it must be tri- or quad-band in order to work.

Samsung Galaxy SII, this should work

• Which will you use most...voice or data?

Voice, by far. I won't need international calls and will use very little data, if any. I will not use a lot of voice either, it's mostly to contact couchsurfing hosts, campsites etc. I imagine no more than 30 minutes a month.

• Where will you be traveling? The East Coast and NE US have the greatest number of choices and the best coverage as well as the greatest population density (if balanced on the head of a pin, the nation's population mass would pivot on Memphis, TN. There's a lot West of there...).

Western US & Canada: CA, OR, WA, MT, WY, CO, UT, AZ, British Columbia.

• How long will you be staying? The value of some cards varies according to how long you'll be staying.

6 months, about 1 of which in Canada.

• Will the phone meet minimum US-GS speed requirements?

Not sure what that means but I assume so?

• Will you be calling home to the US/Europe much, or will you be using mostly locally in the US?

Locally only, would use Wifi + Skype for anything international.

Thanks,
Philipp

[Danneaux]

I read through the article you linked Dan, but this is talking about monthly plans, rather than top-up sim cards, which I would prefer. Do these exist in the US? Let me just answer your questions and see if you have any tips

Hi Philipp!

The cell plans in the UK/Europe are so different in concept from what we have here, even the terminology is different. "Top-up" is closest to "pay as you go" here, so give that phrase a try when searching plans online.

That said, AT&T stores here offer something called the GoPhone data SIM, available in both SIM and microSIM physical sizes. I "know" about it and have done some basic research, but have not used it personally, nor have my visiting friends. Keep this in mind.

Reading closely, it appears for a USD$15 minimum, you will receive a receipt with a phone number good for talk time and data usage for 30 days (USD$25 for 500Mb of data). Top-offs ("pay as you go") are available at https://www.myprepaidrefill.com/MobilityUSWeb/enter.do You do have to use the phone number printed on the receipt (the one you got for the USD$15 minimum purchase) and they will text you the PIN you'll need with the number to get logged in. Voice runs USD$0.10/minute, SMS texts are USD$5/200, USD$10/1000, USD$20 for unlimited SMS texts to be used within 30 days. Reports are that voice works okay, data can be iffy, depending on where you are EDGE is the fallback, with 3G being available at best.

Given the length of your planned stay, you could buy 1,000 minutes (usable for 1 year) for USD$100. If you added texting and 100-500Mb of data (both expire in 30 days, so you might not wish to buy more than that to begin), then you could "create" a plan of your own for USD$30-$40/month, about half the price of available carrier plans with similar coverage.

Your phone does have to be unlocked, and the APN data settings must be correct; online forums or your phone's support site/line will help here. Typical data settings might be:

APN: wap.cingular
username: (blank)
password: (blank)
proxy server/URL: wireless.cingular.com
proxy port: 80

I did recently find a pay-as-you-go data wiki that should prove helpful to worldwide travelers, and it includes entries for the US:
http://prepaidwithdata.wikia.com/wiki/Prepaid_SIM_with_data The US section is very detailed and well worth a read: http://prepaidwithdata.wikia.com/wiki/USA It includes AT&T, T-Mobile, VirginMobile, SIMple Mobile, Red Pocket Mobile, StraightTalk, H₂0 Wireless, and ReadySIM. Since you're planning to include Canada in your travels, it might be worth taking a look at Roam Mobility on the list as well. As with many such sites, it is *extremely* useful to read the visitor comments section to find out what works and does not in practice; results and satisfaction vary in practical use and by location.

Hope this helps; happy travels!

Best,

Dan.

[geocycle]

Dan, that's absolutely fantastic. I now need to do some more research.  My untutored trawls were going nowhere so your comments are really helpful.  Great that peddrov also found the thread useful.

[Peddrov]

Thanks Dan, this is very helpful. I'm a little shocked at how expensive it is. The price per minute is fine, but I don't like the 30 day limitation. The optimal solution would be a top up system with credit available until it is used. I guess the $100 option would work, except that I doubt I would get even close to using that many minutes. The trip is still about a year away from now, so I guess I'll just wait and see how these things develop.

[Peddrov]

Looking a bit more closely at what Dan provided, I found an option that might suit me quite well: http://www.airvoicewireless.com/plans-2/pay-as-you-go/

Just in case anyone else is looking for an inexpensive for infrequent use voice/text option. They charge $1 per month and the rates for minutes and texts aren't cheap, but 90 days expiry for a $10 top up sounds good. I think I'll easily get 2 months out of $10 this way.

[Danneaux]

Excellent, Philipp!

Glad you found something that looks good for your needs, and very thoughtful of you to post about it. Please, after your trip, can you let us know how it worked for you? Practical feedback on these options is invaluable to those who follow.

Best,

Dan.

[Danneaux]

Hi All!

Though I haven't used it (my Verizon-network Kyocera 3G CDMA phone won't accept a SIM card), I recently learned of a new data-only SIM card that promises international access to data on-the-cheap -- even in the US. You can still talk, but only via a VOIP app like Skype or GoogleVoice.

The Doodad SIM card requires an unlocked smartphone or tablet -- problematic here in the States following a recent interpretation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act: http://www.techhive.com/article/2026236/phone-unlocking-ban-could-could-hit-you-in-the-wallet.html Otherwise, the Doodad SIM card looks pretty straightforward.

Doodad's site is here: https://www.getadoodad.com/

Article: http://www.pcworld.com/article/2033062/doodad-sim-cards-deliver-international-data-on-the-cheap.html#tk.nl_pcwbus states...

Once you've unlocked your device, order your Doodad SIM and add money to your account. Rates vary from 30 cents per megabyte in countries like the U.S. and Australia to as much as $1.20/MB in Bermuda, India and Jamaica. You've got 365 days to use your credit before it expires, and Doodad lets you set daily caps on your usage so you don't inadvertently blow through it.

Best,

Dan.