Using Unlocked Phone in US

friendface

Hi all,

I know this question has probably come up a few times, but I'm having difficulty finding the answer as most of the threads relate to actually unlocking the phone. Long story short, I have a Billpay Galaxy S3 which I have unlocked. I am travelling to the U.S. for a few weeks and want to find out whether my phone will work on the US networks, or is there anything else that would prevent me from using it.


Also, if anyone has any advice about which network to use (AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile) that would also be much appreciated. I will be travelling for four weeks, cross country. Data would be useful - just for checking e-mails and finding places to stay (no huge downloads or anything).

Thanks in advance - any help is much appreciated

friendface

Assuming there's no issue with my unlocked mobile working on US carriers, I'm looking at this plan with T-mobile for a month of travelling: http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/plans/individual-plans.aspx

I've seen some warnings about some networks charging roaming fees when moving across states. However, this plan specifies "Unlimited nationwide and T-Mobile to T-Mobile calling". I guess that means there are no cross-state roaming fees?

Is there anything else that I should know about getting a mobile contract in the US?

SpaceTime

If you don't have an American credit rating, a phone contract could be tough to get.

friendface

SpaceTime wrote: »

If you don't have an American credit rating, a phone contract could be tough to get.

Ah, I don't have a US credit rating, nor does anyone I'm travelling with. The plan specifies that there is no annual contract though. I might just send off an e-mail to t-mobile now to check whether I'm eligible. I'll update with info here.

SpaceTime

They're not all that free and easy with mobile phones in the US, to the point that some of the networks won't even sell you a SIM card without a phone attached to it!

Google around for pre-pay plans from some of the MVNOs (Mobile Virtual Network Operators, same as Tesco Mobile in Ireland)

Some good ones out there, but just beware that there are two technologies in use in the USA which are not compatible.

T-Mobile and AT&T use GSM/UMTS same as here but on different frequencies, so you need a compatible multi-band phone. Most newer smart phones tend to be OK.

Verizon and Sprint use CDMA so absolutely no way you can use those. Different technology and no SIM cards are used. The phone itself has to be authorised and usually sold to you by the network.

A few examples like : https://www.h2owirelessnow.com are pretty good options.

You might even be able to get a month-to-month plan with them without a long contract. Not entirely sure but they're a hell of a lot cheaper than AT&T or T-Mobile.

él statutorio

As somebody who travels to the US regularly, this is what you do.

You have 2 options, t-mobile or AT&T. (Sprint & verizon are cdma and a different type of network).

I prefer t-mobile as i find their data plans more flexible. I'd check their coverage maps and compare them with your route and see who has the most coverage. Off the top of my head i'd say that's gonna be AT&T.

Once you've landed, walk into the first t-mobile / AT&T (whichever one suits your trip) store you find and ask them for as pay as you go SIM card. if you need data, ask what the best value plan is, insist on pay as you go.

Stick a few bucks credit on it and away you go.

If you're worried about bouncing to other networks when moving from state to state, turn off roaming on your phone and you'll only stay on the home network (either t-mobile or AT&T)

él statutorio

SpaceTime wrote: »

They're not all that free and easy with mobile phones in the US, to the point that some of the networks won't even sell you a SIM card without a phone attached to it!

This is not true for either of AT&T or T-mobile.

friendface

SpaceTime wrote: »

They're not all that free and easy with mobile phones in the US, to the point that some of the networks won't even sell you a SIM card without a phone attached to it!

Google around for pre-pay plans from some of the MVNOs (Mobile Virtual Network Operators, same as Tesco Mobile in Ireland)

Some good ones out there, but just beware that there are two technologies in use in the USA which are not compatible.

T-Mobile and AT&T use GSM/UMTS same as here but on different frequencies, so you need a compatible multi-band phone. Most newer smart phones tend to be OK.

Verizon and Sprint use CDMA so absolutely no way you can use those. Different technology and no SIM cards are used. The phone itself has to be authorised and usually sold to you by the network.

A few examples like : https://www.h2owirelessnow.com are pretty good options.

You might even be able to get a month-to-month plan with them without a long contract. Not entirely sure but they're a hell of a lot cheaper than AT&T or T-Mobile.

Great, thanks a million for the info. That h2owirelessnow looks pretty good. I just had a chat with one of the reps online and it seems to be ideal. No contract, no roaming charges and I can pick up a SIM in Bestbuy when I get over. Also, they don't require a US address or credit rating, just $10 for the SIM and that's it. The monthly $50 plan looks to cover everything: https://www.h2owirelessnow.com/pageControl.php?page=planMonth, including international calls. I can't seem to find what destinations this covers though, although I would probably just use Skype for those calls.

Thanks again for the info - looks like I'll probably go with that service.

él statutorio

friendface wrote: »

Ah, I don't have a US credit rating, nor does anyone I'm travelling with. The plan specifies that there is no annual contract though. I might just send off an e-mail to t-mobile now to check whether I'm eligible. I'll update with info here.

You'll be fine. Just walk into a store and ask them.

I have a t-mobile pay as you go number. When i'm in the US I load it up with credit and log into my t-mobile account and turn on my data plan ($2 a day). When i come home here, i log back in and turn off the data. As long as I put $100 on the phone in a year the number remains active for 12 months. That is what works for me.

friendface

él statutorio wrote: »

As somebody who travels to the US regularly, this is what you do.

You have 2 options, t-mobile or AT&T. (Sprint & verizon are cdma and a different type of network).

I prefer t-mobile as i find their data plans more flexible. I'd check their coverage maps and compare them with your route and see who has the most coverage. Off the top of my head i'd say that's gonna be AT&T.

Once you've landed, walk into the first t-mobile / AT&T (whichever one suits your trip) store you find and ask them for as pay as you go SIM card. if you need data, ask what the best value plan is, insist on pay as you go.

Stick a few bucks credit on it and away you go.

If you're worried about bouncing to other networks when moving from state to state, turn off roaming on your phone and you'll only stay on the home network (either t-mobile or AT&T)

Thanks for the info. So I wouldn't need US address or credit rating for signing up with those networks? I thought the T-mobile plan looked good and is on par with the h2owireless plans I mentioned in the last post. I guess coverage could be an issue though.

What about contracts with T-mobile. Are they happy enough to let you sign up for a month. It does say no yearly contract on the T-mobile site...