US pre-paid plan for HTC Tattoo phone?

May 26, 2010 2:58 PM

Where, if anywhere, can I get a short-term pre-paid plan for a HTC Tattoo (Android) phone in the US?

A friend of mine is visiting the US (NYC, then Texas) for two weeks and would like to get a pre-paid US number for her HTC Tattoo (Android) phone during her visit. Is this possible and if so, which company should she go with?

If it's not possible or not feasible, what suggestions for relatively cheap pre-paid plans (with phone) could I give her? She'd prefer a data plan so she could have internet access, but it is not a necessity. Thanks in advance!

posted by wiskunde to Technology (3 answers total)

Best answer: That's a quad-band GSM phone, so it should work with a prepaid SIM from T-Mobile. The SIM costs $7 and comes with 10 minutes. Refills cost arround $0.10 to $0.20/minute depending on how many you buy.

She'll need to make sure the phone is not locked to a particular carrier. If it is locked, her own service provider may be able to unlock it for her for free, or you can Google for other ways to unlock the phone.

T-Mobile prepaid plans are voice only. I don't have any experience with prepaid data plans; they seem to be uncommon and expensive in the US.
posted by mbrubeck at 3:18 PM on May 26, 2010

Best answer: prepaid data plans exist, but I believe only on AT&T, and for ridiculous amounts of money.
posted by garlic at 11:21 AM on May 27, 2010

Response by poster: Thanks very much! Although my friend decided not to get a prepaid SIM, both of us greatly appreciated being able to make a better informed choice. I have a feeling the question will come up again with other friends, so it's great to have this as a reference. Thanks again!
posted by wiskunde at 5:09 PM on June 6, 2010