[MrsJCobb]

Hi,

I am due to visit my fiancé in California over Christmas and will be there for 5 weeks and will be taking my iPhone with me.

My service provider does not offer rates for roaming that I am happy with so have been looking I to these travellers SIM cards and have found many that offer reasonable packages.

I will be using my phone to use Message Me, Whatsapp and Facebook messages mainly, with very little text messages and calls would only be made to numbers in California. I will have access to wifi at my fiancés house so it's mainly for when I am out and about with no or limited access to wifi.

Can anyone recommend a service provider that they or a friend has maybe used. I would rather take advise of the members here, as always had such good and informed advice.

Thank you.

 

[Kevlegs]

I know AT&T will offer you a Sim card and you add credit to it when needed. I had to do that when I moved here as I suffered from the dreaded "no credit" problem.

 

[Davis1]

dont think my last phone had a sim

 

[Whatshisname]

Check out the Straight Talk SIM only plans from Walmart. I used this $45 dollar plan before relocating to the UK. Unlimited calls, unlimited texts, and unlimited Internet. It is piggybacked off the AT&T network. As long as you have an unlocked phone.

Sent from one of my magical mystery machines ~

 

[MrsJCobb]

I know AT&T will offer you a Sim card and you add credit to it when needed. I had to do that when I moved here as I suffered from the dreaded "no credit" problem.

Thank you I shall look into it. I think I had AT&T when I was there last.

 

[MrsJCobb]

dont think my last phone had a sim

No. Probably not Davis1 lol

 

[MrsJCobb]

Check out the Straight Talk SIM only plans from Walmart. I used this $45 dollar plan before relocating to the UK. Unlimited calls, unlimited texts, and unlimited Internet. It is piggybacked off the AT&T network. As long as you have an unlocked phone. Sent from one of my magical mystery machines ~

Awesome. Another option to look at. Thank you

 

[Nadir111]

sim card confusion

I want to unlock my phone so I can get a new SIM card from a different cell phone service provider. I haven't used my AT&T phone for several months now... I think my number has been erased because I can't log in to my AT&T account anymore, and can't get the unlock code for my phone by calling 1-800-331-0500.

 

[BBCWatcher]

Take a look at the mobile operators listed at Wikipedia. Any operator using either the AT&T or T-Mobile network is a suitable choice (GSM standard). Operators using other networks (e.g. Verizon or Sprint) are not suitable choices since they use a different network standard (CDMA) without SIM cards.

Your GSM phone must be unlocked and must support the U.S. frequencies. If you're phone supports 1900 MHz then it'll work at least adequately with T-Mobile, though perhaps not at 3G speeds. For AT&T coverage your phone should support both the 850 and 1900 MHz GSM bands since AT&T uses both frequencies depending on region. 3G coverage uses additional frequencies.

There are much better deals than the ones other posters have listed above. Shop around at the Web sites for the MVNOs that use AT&T or T-Mobile, and you'll find lots of great options.

Please note that unless you are on an "unlimited" plan incoming calls count the same as outgoing domestic calls in the U.S. For example, if your plan includes 1000 voice minutes per month, that's 1000 voice minutes of any combination of income and outgoing (domestic U.S.) calls, added together. Also, the fact you would only call California is interesting but not particularly relevant. All the mobile providers now include national calling at the same rate. Calling New York is the same as calling California on these plans. (This is called "free long distance," and it's barely worth mentioning any more since it's so common.)

 

[pericolo]

Be aware that here they will charge you for incoming calls too
I had a T-mobile and won't recommend it, my prepaid credit run out so quick just for receiving few calls...
Now I have a work phone, and I couldn't find any company that doesn't charge you for incoming calls on prepaid plans
BTW prepaid here means you have to pay every month, it's not prepaid as in put some credit and you can live with it for months until you've used it all

 

[Jaslu]

Checkout good2gomobile for their sim cards which work on an iPhone. Rates are very low and they use the AT&T network with good coverage areas.