How To Get A U.S. Sim Card To Work With My Phone Will In The U.S.

[livinthailandos]

first of all I don't know where to post this either in internet forum or travel forum. anyways here the details

I am traveling in the US next month but I want to be able to use my smartphone I bought from here. Although I know the US has nothing similiar for buying sim cards for people traveling to the US, like you can buy here or even singapore. Just curious to know what are my options

I'm aware I could buy a prepaid basic phone but any possibly I can buy a prepaid sim card for telephone use and internet use as well. I look forward to all your answers

by the way my smart phone is the HTC Desire HD

[snarky66]

AT&T has a GSM network.

[lomatopo]

You could get a pre-paid SIM from T-Mobile or AT&T.

http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/prepaid-plans

http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-phone-service/get-started/index.jsp?q_returnUrl=/cell-phone-service/cell-phone-plans/pyg-cell-phone-plans.jsp

Either would work for you. (Your phone is unlocked, can take a SIM and supports GSM1900.) Just make sure there is coverage in your destinations.

You can buy these in shops or on eBay. Maybe someone in the U.S. could hold it for you?

I use T-Mobile, and use a $1.49 per day (24 hours) lower-speed EDGE product for data.

AT&T pre-paid have a EDGE data option. They also have some limited 3G on 1900 (most is 850), your phone support 3G 1900 Mhz (I'm almost certain) but it does not support 3G 850 Mhz.

This topic has come up before. I'll search for some threads and add them.

Edited August 17, 2011 by lomatopo

[Gonsalviz]

T mobile has a 1 month plan for $30 that I use and have never run out of time. For data and talk time.

[fatfather]

You can open your Thai SIM for international roaming and get a special deal for US, you also can change your prepaid SIM into a postpaid SIM, so you needn't worry about running out of credit..... this will be the most comfort but expensive option. For business no problem, for private use up to your usage...

fatfather

[lomatopo]

T mobile has a 1 month plan for $30 that I use and have never run out of time. For data and talk time.

Agreed. For a one-time visit without worrying about maintaining the number those monthly plans are ideal. ( It would be great if you could keep those alive, and turn on/off a month's service during return trips.) If data is a requirement then I'd go for that $50 plan as it gives you unlimited (albeit low-speed for the OP) data. At $1.49 per day for data I pay $45 just for data and the $0.10 (ten U.S. cents) per minute for voice calls.

I would caution against using your Thai SIM, except perhaps in a second handset to see missed calls, SMSes and occasionally reply to SMSes. Using it for originating local calls or accepting calls from Thailand will be ~ 80-ish baht per minute. It's not unusual for Thais to return to an 80,000 baht bill after a trip State-side!

[Gary A]

My last trip to the US, I bought an ATT SIM card with a hundred minutes. I think I paid about $62. Expensive but it worked in Ohio, West Virginia and North Carolina so the coverage was OK for my trip. T Mobile has no coverage for Northwest Ohio. The Nokia E52 worked just fine. I didn't try the Internet because I was normally able to use WiFi.

[lomatopo]

My last trip to the US, I bought an ATT SIM card with a hundred minutes. I think I paid about $62. Expensive but it worked in Ohio, West Virginia and North Carolina so the coverage was OK for my trip. T Mobile has no coverage for Northwest Ohio. The Nokia E52 worked just fine. I didn't try the Internet because I was normally able to use WiFi.

Ouch. I just bought four (4) AT&T pre-paid SIMs for $2.50 each. You can activate via the internet, add money via the internet using a credit card, then pay $2 per day for unlimited calling or $0.10 (ten U.S. cents per minute as you go. Sixty-two bucks for hundred minutes is quite steep?

No doubt AT&T has better coverage than T-Mobile. Not sure where the merger stands at this point.

[Gary A]

My last trip to the US, I bought an ATT SIM card with a hundred minutes. I think I paid about $62. Expensive but it worked in Ohio, West Virginia and North Carolina so the coverage was OK for my trip. T Mobile has no coverage for Northwest Ohio. The Nokia E52 worked just fine. I didn't try the Internet because I was normally able to use WiFi.

Ouch. I just bought four (4) AT&T pre-paid SIMs for $2.50 each. You can activate via the internet, add money via the internet using a credit card, then pay $2 per day for unlimited calling or $0.10 (ten U.S. cents per minute as you go. Sixty-two bucks for hundred minutes is quite steep?

No doubt AT&T has better coverage than T-Mobile. Not sure where the merger stands at this point.

Yes, I think I probably could have saved some money but being my time was limited and one of my kids lives in West Virginia and the other in North Carolina, I was just happy to be able to contact then both when I was on the road. I bought directly through an ATT office.

[lomatopo]

T-Mo SIMs are ~ $5.00 on eBay; AT&T SIMs are ~ $2.50 (free shipping)

I've purchased both on eBay.

Buy the SIMs un-activated. They can be activated on the internet but you need to do this while physically in the U.S.

You can manage the account fully via the internet, adding value with a credit card.

Really quite simple, easy and straight-forward.

[moo9]

DTAC has a special roaming package for travelling abroad....sounds quite interesting. Just talk to your provider!

[lomatopo]

DTAC has a special roaming package for travelling abroad....sounds quite interesting. Just talk to your provider!

For DTAC international roaming in the U.S. the rates are:

Domestic call 45 baht/min

Call to Thailand 90 baht/min

Calls to other coutnries 95 baht/min

Incoming calls 44 baht/min

SMS 12 baht/per

data: 0.45 baht per Kilo-Byte.

Also note:

While abroad, if there is an incoming call but you do not answer, roaming partner network always charges a minimum service charge for one minute call.

While abroad, if you make an outgoing call but nobody answers, roaming partner network always charges a minimum service charge for one minute call.

While abroad, if you use a calling card to make an outgoing call, you will be charged for the call to the card’s central number at a local call rate, while at the same time, international call will be charged by debiting the expense from the card’s value.

[nikster]

T-Mo SIMs are ~ $5.00 on eBay; AT&T SIMs are ~ $2.50 (free shipping)

I've purchased both on eBay.

Buy the SIMs un-activated. They can be activated on the internet but you need to do this while physically in the U.S.

Do ATT data plans now work in iPhones? Or do I have to hack it, e.g. enter the IMEI of a different phone, and then set the APN settings manually? If the latter how does it work? Or did you not use an iPhone?

2 years ago I had a prepaid ATT sim card with data package. Previously, this package had worked on the iPhone, but then it stopped working, and ATT customer service in shops and on the phone told me iPhones were not supported with prepaid cards and couldn't get data.

Anyway going to the US tomorrow, would be good to know if there now is some sort of quick and easy solution.

[lomatopo]

http://wpjrnl.com/2010/11/07/activate-att-prepaid-sim-card-with-3g-for-iphone/

[nikster]

http://wpjrnl.com/2010/11/07/activate-att-prepaid-sim-card-with-3g-for-iphone/

Cool - this worked really well.

I followed the above precisely:

1 - Order AT&T SIM card from ebay for $0.99. I don't know how these guys can sell sim cards for less than $1, but they can, and it was with free shipping, too.

2 - Cut down the SIM to micro sim size. I used a swiss army knife and eye measurement, using my True Move micro sim as sample. Kinda proud that this worked first try.

3 - Activate sim like in the above post. Use the IMEI from any phone other than an iPhone.

4 - Buy $100 for 1 year activation

5 - Get data package (can't do that at the same time as 4 b/c you want it to come out of the $100). Got 500MB for $25, $75 credit remaining.

6 - Set up APN and so on following the instructions above

The mistake I'd made before was to tell AT&T that I had an iPhone. You never want to do that. I used the IMEI from a friend's HTC phone.

[lomatopo]

How was/is the data performance? 2G? 3G? 850? 1900?

The $25/500 MB "Data Feature Package" is good for 30 days only? That's what this statement implies:

Feature packages are good for 30 days as long as your account balance is not expired. Standard rates apply if feature package is not renewed after 30 days. Also, feature package balance rolls over if renewed before expiration date.

FWIW, AT&T SIM cards are essentially free, and are distributed by the millions to any/every retail outlet in the U.S. AT&T Reps hand these out as incentives. So many make their way into the eBay channel.

Edited September 10, 2011 by lomatopo

[Gary A]

I activated international roaming on my AIS SIM card in case of an emergency situation. I took the AIS SIM card out after I bought the ATT card while in the US.

I left the AIS card in my phone when I went to Cambodia. I got a call from a friend in the US while there. The roaming worked fine. I'm not sure of the cost per minute but that call ate 300 baht from my credit for a brief call.

[lomatopo]

International roaming on AIS, in Cambodia, you pay 125 baht per min for an incoming call, 125 baht/min to call Thailand. You pay 157 baht/min to make a local call.

Better to note the number, then call back using a local SIM.