I cannot function with a data plan, apparently.
July 19, 2012 8:17 AM Subscribe
The new contract-free iPhone plans from Cricket and Virgin - do you have to buy the phone from them as well, or can anybody with an unlocked iPhone get a month of service without a contract?
I'll be spending a couple weeks in the States early next year (not sure exactly where yet, but it'll be a urban-ish snowbirdy-type location), and I'll have my unlocked iPhone 4 (or hopefully even the 5 by then) with me. The idea of being disconnected from my data plan is seriously stressing me out. Can I (as a non-resident Canadian) just walk into Cricket or Virgin and get a month-to-month contract, pop the sim in my phone and stay connected? Better yet, can I set this up online, before I even get into town? In this particular case, I obviously only need one month of service. You don't have to buy the phone from them as well, do you?
Additionally, for these plans it looks like you have to pay extra to be able to use the phone as a wifi-hotspot?
Backup question - If I can't do this, is there any other way I can get reasonably priced 3G data with my unlocked iPhone? And as a bonus, share it with my iPad and laptop?
I'll be spending a couple weeks in the States early next year (not sure exactly where yet, but it'll be a urban-ish snowbirdy-type location), and I'll have my unlocked iPhone 4 (or hopefully even the 5 by then) with me. The idea of being disconnected from my data plan is seriously stressing me out. Can I (as a non-resident Canadian) just walk into Cricket or Virgin and get a month-to-month contract, pop the sim in my phone and stay connected? Better yet, can I set this up online, before I even get into town? In this particular case, I obviously only need one month of service. You don't have to buy the phone from them as well, do you?
Additionally, for these plans it looks like you have to pay extra to be able to use the phone as a wifi-hotspot?
Backup question - If I can't do this, is there any other way I can get reasonably priced 3G data with my unlocked iPhone? And as a bonus, share it with my iPad and laptop?
Virgin Mobile and Cricket both use CDMA technology, so you can't get a SIM from them. Straight Talk offers prepaid micro-SIMs that will work with your unlocked phone. It's $15 for the SIM and $45 per month for "unlimited" talk, text, and data.
posted by Nothlit at 8:41 AM on July 19, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Nothlit at 8:41 AM on July 19, 2012 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thanks all -- StraightTalk looks to be exactly what I need.
posted by cgg at 10:34 PM on July 19, 2012
posted by cgg at 10:34 PM on July 19, 2012
This thread is closed to new comments.
StraightTalk looks like a good option for you, or TMobile or AT&T's prepaid services.
posted by mskyle at 8:30 AM on July 19, 2012