Sim card or whatever for iPhone while travelling in US
March 16, 2016 3:18 PM Subscribe
This seems like an obvious question but the internet is being surprisingly non-informative and what information I can find seems to be several years old. I will be travelling for about 1 month. I have a totally unlocked iPhone 6s purchased in the UK. Can I walk into a store in the US when I arrive, buy a pre-paid nano sim with a data allowance, and stick it in my phone and use it?
Alternatively, can I have one delivered to a friend's house so it will be waiting for me when I get there? Can I pay for this sim card (either in a store or online) with a UK debit card? Do I need a US address or anything when I activate it? I would think there are registration or security restrictions so people aren't going around with "burner" phones and sim cards doing nefarious things, right? Is this going to be a huge pain in the ass?
Suggestions on companies, carriers, as well as any other ideas (mobile hot spot thingy maybe?) that will allow me to use my phone while travelling all over (from Atlanta to Nashville to Louisville to Houston to LA and then to Seattle, with a few more places in between) for internetting and using google maps for sat nav in the rental car with minimum hassle would also be appreciated. Data is more important than voice calls/text, and convenience is way more important than cost.
Alternatively, can I have one delivered to a friend's house so it will be waiting for me when I get there? Can I pay for this sim card (either in a store or online) with a UK debit card? Do I need a US address or anything when I activate it? I would think there are registration or security restrictions so people aren't going around with "burner" phones and sim cards doing nefarious things, right? Is this going to be a huge pain in the ass?
Suggestions on companies, carriers, as well as any other ideas (mobile hot spot thingy maybe?) that will allow me to use my phone while travelling all over (from Atlanta to Nashville to Louisville to Houston to LA and then to Seattle, with a few more places in between) for internetting and using google maps for sat nav in the rental car with minimum hassle would also be appreciated. Data is more important than voice calls/text, and convenience is way more important than cost.
Best answer: T-Mobile is the answer. They even have booths at some airports now to scoop up travellers as they arrive. Usually you can get lots of data and/or calls and/or texts for around $30 a month.
Walk in store (or to the booth) and tell them what you want. Takes about 5 minutes.
posted by 0bvious at 3:59 PM on March 16, 2016 [1 favorite]
Walk in store (or to the booth) and tell them what you want. Takes about 5 minutes.
posted by 0bvious at 3:59 PM on March 16, 2016 [1 favorite]
Best answer: T-Mobile. Just did it myself with a Japanese Nexus, and data service has been great.
posted by davejh at 5:16 PM on March 16, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by davejh at 5:16 PM on March 16, 2016 [1 favorite]
Best answer: The Prepaid Data SIM Card Wiki is a good resource. T-Mobile's coverage outside of cities isn't so great.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 9:47 PM on March 16, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 9:47 PM on March 16, 2016 [1 favorite]
I did this earlier this year with ReadySIM. Worked great.
posted by neushoorn at 2:25 AM on March 17, 2016
posted by neushoorn at 2:25 AM on March 17, 2016
Just checking you don't already have roaming in the US: if your UK contract is with 3, your UK data allowance goes with you to the US.
posted by ambrosen at 9:13 AM on March 17, 2016
posted by ambrosen at 9:13 AM on March 17, 2016
Data is more important than voice calls/text
It sounds like you are driving across the US.
You won't get data everywhere.
If it's really, really important to have data as much as possible no matter the cost, get multiple phones on different networks. One AT&T, one tmobile, one Verizon. But you still won't get data everywhere, it's just not something that is available in the US. Expect more difficulty with getting data in rural area and in mountainous areas.
convenience is way more important than cost
I'm not sure what you mean by convenience -- but there is satellite internet available. It's the only option if you really need to get internet access anywhere. People have mixed opinions as to how convenient it is.
posted by yohko at 11:54 AM on March 17, 2016
It sounds like you are driving across the US.
You won't get data everywhere.
If it's really, really important to have data as much as possible no matter the cost, get multiple phones on different networks. One AT&T, one tmobile, one Verizon. But you still won't get data everywhere, it's just not something that is available in the US. Expect more difficulty with getting data in rural area and in mountainous areas.
convenience is way more important than cost
I'm not sure what you mean by convenience -- but there is satellite internet available. It's the only option if you really need to get internet access anywhere. People have mixed opinions as to how convenient it is.
posted by yohko at 11:54 AM on March 17, 2016
I've noticed SIM card vending machines at Walt Disney World, so I doubt that the process of getting one in the US will be as onerous as you fear.
To add some color to yohko's comment: if you're driving on major highways, you'll probably still have data 99% of the time. Sometimes it won't be 4G, but it'll still be enough to do Google Maps. If you find yourself detoured onto a state highway or otherwise going off the beaten path, that's when you can throw guarantees out the window. Here's T-Mobile's coverage map to give you an idea.
It would not surprise me if you had no hiccups with your data coverage throughout what looks to be a whole shitload of hours in a rental car. But I'd still carry a road map of the US in the car and avoid being so beholden to sat-nav that you'd be screwed if it suddenly stopped working — i.e., have a good understanding of the route you're taking before you start.
posted by savetheclocktower at 2:32 PM on March 17, 2016
To add some color to yohko's comment: if you're driving on major highways, you'll probably still have data 99% of the time. Sometimes it won't be 4G, but it'll still be enough to do Google Maps. If you find yourself detoured onto a state highway or otherwise going off the beaten path, that's when you can throw guarantees out the window. Here's T-Mobile's coverage map to give you an idea.
It would not surprise me if you had no hiccups with your data coverage throughout what looks to be a whole shitload of hours in a rental car. But I'd still carry a road map of the US in the car and avoid being so beholden to sat-nav that you'd be screwed if it suddenly stopped working — i.e., have a good understanding of the route you're taking before you start.
posted by savetheclocktower at 2:32 PM on March 17, 2016
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