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SIM card for USA
cliftyhanger - 7/7/19 at 04:04 PM

Off to the USA in September for 3 weeks (California, renting a Mustang... to do some touring)
I am thinking of changing my phone contract over to 3 to make use of their roaming deal. However, it doesn't include calls within the USA (only calls to the UK. from what I can work out)
As such, I am thinking of taking a spare phone and buying a SIM card to use for calls over there. Probably not loads, but there will be enough to make it worthwhile. So anybody got any pointers? It will be entirely for voice calls within the USA.....

Ta

luke2152 - 7/7/19 at 10:41 PM

I tried to buy a sim card in the states when I was over for a few weeks in 2014 and ran into a brick wall. The majority of US phones didn't use sim cards but were locked into their own networks. The providers that did use sims wouldn't sell them without documents and permanent address etc due to the perceived security risks. Things may have moved on in the last few years though.

Benzine - 8/7/19 at 07:53 AM

Have you looked into disposable aka 'burner' phones? Prepaid credit cheap handsets for very little from Walmart and lots of other places

loggyboy - 8/7/19 at 09:26 AM

Buy a three sim only here - they allow USA roaming
https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/phones/us-roaming/

cliftyhanger - 8/7/19 at 09:35 AM

quote:
Originally posted by loggyboy
Buy a three sim only here - they allow USA roaming
https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/phones/us-roaming/


Yep, but £1.40 a minute if you make a call to a US number. Ouch.
I intend using 3 for my "normal" phone as contract is up soon. But I reckon the idea of a walmart burner phone is sound!

Thanks chaps

HOL - 8/7/19 at 11:06 AM

I’m in the USA at the moment and bought Three sims for all the family. Not for the need to call a US umber, but for the 12gb of roaming data and the ability to call each other for free when split up in shops and recreation areas.

The next time I am in a Walmart I will look and see if there is an AT &T payg sim that does the opposite.

[Edited on 8/7/19 by HOL]

cliftyhanger - 8/7/19 at 02:00 PM

That would be great.
From the stuff I have found ( that isn't easy) data and texts are cheapish, talk time not. Funny old world.

gremlin1234 - 8/7/19 at 02:50 PM

this looks a good page, also links for other operators too
https://www.walmart.com/ip/AT-T-PREPAID-SIM-Starter-Kit/44938608

edit: ensure your phone is unlocked from your current network.

edit: also it looks like the sim I linked to you have to add airtime extra,
hopefully the other links on the page are useful

[Edited on 8/7/19 by gremlin1234]

FEZ1025 - 8/7/19 at 08:29 PM

If you can call UK numbers on your UK Three sim then use a company like https://www.localphone.com they will give you a UK number that you can call then you can call a US number you just pay them for the US leg, but at 0.5p a minutes it never costs much.

mark chandler - 8/7/19 at 08:50 PM

Port to Vodafone, they cover USA

Also just launched unlimited on 5g, starts at £22 a month

geoff shep - 9/7/19 at 06:38 PM

quote:
Originally posted by cliftyhanger
Off to the USA in September for 3 weeks I am thinking of changing my phone contract over to 3 to make use of their roaming deal.


Who are you with now?

cliftyhanger - 9/7/19 at 07:12 PM

Tesco. Suits me fine at £7 a month, but contract up soon. (Though the date is rather hard to discover, so I need to actually call them)

cliftyhanger - 10/7/19 at 10:10 AM

Been thinking. Would Skype ( or similar) work? Struggling to understand exactly how the "system" works, but it looks like a simple £5 of Skype credit would work fine for usa numbers.
https://www.skype.com/en/international-calls/