US Data options for the International Visitor

[HishamElfar]

Hi
I'm going to the USofA in a few weeks, do any locals here have any recommendations for a local operator who could provide me with a call data plan while I'm there?

I'll be in Atlanta during Dragon*Con so wifi will be very poor.

Is there the equivalent of a UK Pay as You Go option?

thanks very much.

 

[palandri]

AT&T Pay As You Go

 

[eric12341]

I recommend T-mobile monthly 4G $30 for 100 mins of talk, unlimited text and data (5GB at high speed) you'll get faster speeds than AT&T and just about any other prepaid carrier.

 

[anon(5335877)]

I recommend T-mobile monthly 4G $30 for 100 mins of talk, unlimited text and data (5GB at high speed) you'll get faster speeds than AT&T and just about any other prepaid carrier.

Wouldn't he get 2G only?

 

[eric12341]

^ it depends on what phone he uses, if he used his HD7 he should get 3G but if he uses his 900 he might get 3G depending on where he's going and/if the refarm had been completed in that area.

 

[anon(5335877)]

^ it depends on what phone he uses, if he used his HD7 he should get 3G but if he uses his 900 he might get 3G depending on where he's going and/if the refarm had been completed in that area.

I think the UK HD7 might have different bands, and not have the 1700/2100. Not sure though.

 

[HishamElfar]

Last year I took my HD7, I borrowed a friends AT&T SIM to test it worked, It worked ok - but not brilliantly fast.

This year I'll be taking my Nokia 900. It's a UK model so will not have use of 4G, but I'll settle for 3G as long as I get enough data (circa 500mb should be enough).

 

[palandri]

Last year I took my HD7, I borrowed a friends AT&T SIM to test it worked, It worked ok - but not brilliantly fast.

This year I'll be taking my Nokia 900. It's a UK model so will not have use of 4G, but I'll settle for 3G as long as I get enough data (circa 500mb should be enough).

Currently with AT&T Pay As You Go you can purchase 3 data options:

Data 50MB $5.00 usd
Data 200MB $15.00 usd
Data 1GB $25.00 usd

 

[HishamElfar]

Do you have to get the SIM card from an AT&T shop or can I pick one up pretty much anywhere?

 

[palandri]

Do you have to get the SIM card from an AT&T shop or can I pick one up pretty much anywhere?

An AT&T shop is about the only place I have seen them. You could probably call them up and order one via the mail.

Other options are, a Walmart store will have a Straight Talk SIM card on the AT&T network. and a Best Buy store will have a H20wireless SIM card on the AT&T network. You'd have to buy a month of voice and data and I think they are between $45 and $50

 

[anon(5335877)]

Yeah, if you want to go with AT&T, other than online, the best place to get a SIM is at an AT&T shop. Unlocked phones and prepaid service aren't big here, which is why you can't easily find SIM cards sold by themselves.

As for Straight Talk, even though I use them, I probably would not recommend them because of their hidden data limits. Plus, I think the Straight Talk SIM is only sold online, and I don't think they ship outside the US. It costs $15, but if you look on eBay, those who ship internationally are charging more just because they can. Plus, if you need customer service, their customer service is mediocre at best.

H2O Wireless is an MVNO that uses the AT&T network. In addition to being sold online, I think SIMs can be found at Best Buy. I'm not sure if they offer a microSIM. Right now they're offering 30 days of unlimited talk, text, and 500MB of data for $50 plus $20 worth of international calling (you have to check the rates on their website).

https://www.h2owirelessnow.com/pageControl.php?page=intCalling

The AT&T MVNO that I hear is best is AirVoice. They also offer 30 days of unlimited talk, text, and 500MB of data for $50 but only $10 worth of international calling. Their international rates seem to be different than H2O. Their customer service is the best of any AT&T MVNO, as their customer service is US based, not outsourced. The problem will be finding a SIM. I don't think they're sold at any large US retailer, you may only find them at small 3rd party wireless dealers. It may be better to buy it online from eBay or something. Also, I don't think they offer microSIMs.

http://www.airvoicewireless.com/PDFDocs/AirVoiceFreeILDRates.pdf

Something to keep in mind is activation. For the two MVNOs that I listed, you probably will either need an internet connection or phone service of some sort (to call customer service) and activate it. Also something to think about is the refill card. H2O you can find these at Best Buy, but with AirVoice you'll probably have the same problem as with finding their SIMs. Also, with these two MVNOs, once you run out of data, there's no way to buy more.

Overall, AT&T Prepaid is probably the easiest, since there are physical stores you can go to, and you can have the sales rep take care of everything in-store.