Travelling to USA: Mobile Phones?

SomeGuyOnOzB on 24/02/2011 - 12:56

I'm travelling to the USA with my girlfriend in a few weeks time and wondered if anyone has tips about using/getting mobile phones and the carriers/plans over there.

I've got a Nokia 5800 (Virgin mobile) and my girlfriend has a Sony Xperia X10i (Optus).

We hope to use navigation a little and send a few SMS back home and/or receive calls from home. (I've preloaded maps already)

Though, one of us being able to check email and/or the weather when we are there, would be handy.

  1. Can we use roaming there?

  2. Can we put a sim card in there? (On a websearch, I read AT&T does or used to disable sim cards if an overseas address is on the credit card)

Note: I tried using roaming in Vanuatu. It didn't work right as we kept getting a message about needing to go and register somewhere in Vanuatu.

General Discussion

Comments

  • infernal_max on 24/02/2011 - 14:25

    it all depends if your phone company has locked or will unlock your phones, although, most hotels will have free wifi, and if your phone will auto connect to a network, if it you have international roaming setup. The thing to remember is that you will probably get charged $20 per mb over there

  • em on 24/02/2011 - 14:25

    Roaming can be incredibly expensive. Couldn't you buy a sim card that is preloaded? Or maybe use an internet cafe…

  • SomeGuyOnOzB on 24/02/2011 - 14:31

    Thanks guys :)

    $20 a MB? ouch … We're $20 a GB here … Oh you mean $20 per MB roaming. :)

    When I checked, Virgin said they hadn't network locked my phone and when I was in Vanuatu, I was able to use a sim card from there.

    I'd been told by someone, though from many years back, that her phone was supposed to work in the US but didn't.

    Hmm … thinking about the prepaid sim cards then :)

  • stanas on 24/02/2011 - 14:35

    I just went into an AT&T store and bought a prepaid sim card and used that in my phone. Got instructions on how to add more credit extra. Was extremely good for local stuff and having a local number. Not too sure on rates and such for calling home so can't comment on that. I also think the other big company over there is Verizon.

    Just remember they call them "cell phones" over there, I kept on saying mobile and got strange looks.

    • SomeGuyOnOzB on 24/02/2011 - 14:48

      :)

      Thanks Stanas

      I'll remember cell phones too :)

      • ESEMCE on 24/02/2011 - 14:53
        +1

        AT&T is probably the best option.
        They have a vast 2G network and I suspect that none of the US 3G networks will work with your phones anyway (being Optus/Virgin, they're likely to be 2100/900MHz 3G versions).

        Verizon is useless for your handsets as their network is CDMA only. You need a GSM network.

        T-Mobile is the other option, but it's a smaller network… Depends where you're going I guess.

  • neil on 24/02/2011 - 14:51
    +1

    I was over there in August and got a T-Mobile sim for the month which included lots of talk tim, unlimited data (which I could tether) and text. Used my phone (N97 Mini with OVI Maps) as a GPS travelling around.

    Check out http://paygsimwithdata.wikia.com/wiki/USA

    Virgin and Optus will be running on the 900MHz spectrum thus your phones will be 900/2100 compatible. 5800 according to GSMArena is 900/2100

    I'm not sure if any of the US carriers run on 900/2100MHz so you may want to do some Googling and figure out which carrier will be compatible with your phone.

  • [Deactivated] on 24/02/2011 - 15:26

    Alternatively you can just by a cheap prepaid plan with a phone . I got one for $20 with $15 worth of calls, which you can set up with different plans, it was a cheaper AT&T plan called Go. Most Kmarts/Targets/W-Marts/Frys electrical etc have these

    You pay for incoming and outgoing calls but its was only 10c a minute, and they have some plans as text only - unlimited that you pay only $2 a day for on the days its used only

    http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-phone-service/cell-phone-pl…

    See their network coverage to see if it suits you.

    http://www.wireless.att.com/coverageviewer/#?type=gophone&op…

    You can try the sim in your phone, but if it doesn't work you have the prepaid phone as a backup.

  • SomeGuyOnOzB on 24/02/2011 - 22:18

    Thanks guys :)

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