Hi guys, I am travelling to the States later this year and want to know your opinions on prepaid SIM cards.
12 replies
Hi Guest, join in the discussion on Hi guys, I am travelling to the States later this year and want to know your opinions on prepaid SIM cards.
tjjen2
tjjen2
Member since 19 Apr 2013
Total posts 26
Hi guys,
I am travelling to the States later this year and want to know your opinions on prepaid SIM cards. From what I gather my options are AT&T or T-Mobile, is that correct? Who is the best carrier to go with? I will be in major cities and have an Australian iPhone 5S (model A1530).
Thanks in advance!
Tom
Stuart Jackson
Stuart Jackson
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
Member since 15 Mar 2015
Total posts 84
Look into the 3mobile sim some were talking about on here earlier. Ime sure they cover the U.S. with the "feel at home" feature. This allows for around 20gig data p/month
mberzins
mberzins
Qantas - Platinum (Lifetime Gold)
Member since 25 Apr 2013
Total posts 51
Tom I have been using a pre-paid T-Mobile SIM for my US visits for about 3 years now and have no problems with coverage. Instead of taking a GPS with my hire cars, I use it for Google Maps and still have more than enough data for mail and lookups. Originally I was putting it into an iPhone 4 but now also an iPhone 5S, the most recent time was in May.
trevorrose
trevorrose
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
Member since 28 Jan 2014
Total posts 21
Simcorner.com is the go! Have used their T Mobile sims with great success! And it is all prepaid, so no plans!
Globalgig.com.au have excellent plans, but a credit card is required and you have to remember to cancel the plan once you've finished!
vfm
vfm
Member since 26 Jul 2015
Total posts 28
I've used both AT&T and T-Mobile for short US trips (anywhere from 5 to 10 days); much the same to me in major cities. My choice usually boils down to who has a shopfront near the hotel where I'm staying. I've found more often than not there's a queue to be served, so can take 30mins or more from entry to exit to complete the purchase process, ie dont expect to just walk in, get a sim and walk out in 5 minutes! If you want to avoid the hassle then maybe follow Trevor's advice.
Wombus
Wombus
Member since 30 Mar 2015
Total posts 17
I just returned from 3 weeks in the U.S. Got a T-mobile SIM on day 1. It worked fine, never an issue with coverage (plenty of 4G and LTE), it was $50 for unlimited calls/texts and 3GB of data. It was the closest to my hotel which is why I took it.
readosunnycoast
readosunnycoast
Member since 05 Oct 2011
Total posts 117
Who is your current aussie telco?
colin5353
colin5353
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
Member since 03 Jul 2011
Total posts 85
I used T-Mobile on my last trip to Hawaii and mainland USA without any issues, my partner used AT&T buying his sim in Hawaii on the way into the USA, again no problems. Also, there is way more free wifi in the USA than here in OZ.
tjjen2
tjjen2
Member since 19 Apr 2013
Total posts 26
Hi guys,
Thanks for the responses. I have heard that T-Mobile's LTE band isnt compatiable with the Aussie iPhone 5S, or is that incorrect?
@readosunnycoast I'm with Vodafone and will be away for 23 days.
Thanks.
badlesmere
badlesmere
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
Member since 31 May 2011
Total posts 11
simcorner for me too. Popped it in in my iphone5 at DFW and all good to go!!
akronflyer
akronflyer
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
Member since 29 Jul 2014
Total posts 145
I was in the States in June and bought a sim card from an AT&T company store.
It was on their Go Phone plan , just paid cash and got 1000 minutes of international landline calls for $10
It took about five minutes to arrange everything and their coverage in the USA was excellent.
I had 4G coverage and the speeds varied a fair bit but i would use them again
The total cost was $80 with loads of data, put Line app on your mobile for mobile to mobile calls, iits a Japanese app and its brilliant
akronflyer
akronflyer
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
Member since 29 Jul 2014
Total posts 145
AT&T have fantastic coverage , check the coverage where you are going and decide on the carrier that way
They have a go phone plan which i used and i just wandered into a AT&T and paid cash with no rollover .
No hassle , it took five minutes all up . It cost me about $80 for the month with unlimited landline calls within the USA and 4 gig of 4G data and 1000 minutes of calls back home
akronflyer
akronflyer
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
Member since 29 Jul 2014
Total posts 145
I travelled extensively in the States mid this year and was very pleased with AT&T in terms of their coverage.
It took about 10 minutes to sign up and part of the deal was 1000 minutes of calls to Australia landlines for $10
4G was reasonable most of the time and i went through some remote areas on Amtrak and had very little drop out.
I went to a company store to sign up and just paid cash.I had an iphone 6 plus