Best phone plan for a Canadian visiting the U.S.?
June 11, 2013 2:30 PM Subscribe
What's the best phone service provider for a Canadian visiting the US with an unlocked iPhone?
I'll be in upstate New York (Ithaca) for the next two months, and I'd like to use my unlocked iPhone 4 while I'm there. I'll have access to WiFi a good bit of the time, but I'd still like a data-heavy plan, and I'll be calling and texting Canada every few days or so. I've found some providers that might work (AT&T, travellersmobile.com, H20 wireless, SIMplemobile, Red Pocket, Roam Mobility), but it's pretty confusing to sort out their relative merits--and I'm not sure which of these are reliable. I'd love to hear of anyone's experiences, positive or negative, with any of these providers. Thanks!
I'll be in upstate New York (Ithaca) for the next two months, and I'd like to use my unlocked iPhone 4 while I'm there. I'll have access to WiFi a good bit of the time, but I'd still like a data-heavy plan, and I'll be calling and texting Canada every few days or so. I've found some providers that might work (AT&T, travellersmobile.com, H20 wireless, SIMplemobile, Red Pocket, Roam Mobility), but it's pretty confusing to sort out their relative merits--and I'm not sure which of these are reliable. I'd love to hear of anyone's experiences, positive or negative, with any of these providers. Thanks!
I'm not a heavy data user but have used Straight talk and PlatinumTel for over a year with no issues.
posted by wongcorgi at 2:58 PM on June 11, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by wongcorgi at 2:58 PM on June 11, 2013 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Not to threadsit, but one clarification: I will almost exclusively be calling / texting to Canada--so rates within the US are comparatively unimportant to me. Thanks!
posted by Edna Million at 3:10 PM on June 11, 2013
posted by Edna Million at 3:10 PM on June 11, 2013
Straight Talk has a $60/month unlimited everything international plan that you might like. You’d have to buy a compatible SIM from eBay.
posted by oceanjesse at 3:19 PM on June 11, 2013
posted by oceanjesse at 3:19 PM on June 11, 2013
If you're going to be texting the same person a lot maybe look into something like WhatsApp and maybe skype/facetime if you can't find a reasonable phone plan.
posted by SpaceWarp13 at 3:43 PM on June 11, 2013
posted by SpaceWarp13 at 3:43 PM on June 11, 2013
I'm going to second StraightTalk - cheap and easy to use. Just pop the sim into your ATT or unlocked GSM and it works. Their "unlimited" oan is however limited to 2 gb a month and/or 200 mb a day so fyi. No contract no extra charges.
posted by Podkayne of Pasadena at 5:01 PM on June 11, 2013
posted by Podkayne of Pasadena at 5:01 PM on June 11, 2013
Try T-Mobile $30 unlimited text/5GB data/100 min pre-paid plan.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Tmobile-30-Wireless-Airtime-Card/15443357
posted by WizKid at 10:15 AM on June 12, 2013
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Tmobile-30-Wireless-Airtime-Card/15443357
posted by WizKid at 10:15 AM on June 12, 2013
Best answer: I've used AT&T GoPhone, T-Mobile, and keep meaning to try H2O. The T-Mobile plans might be what you're looking for, but you'll have WiFi access in Ithaca. Depending on where you will be (on Cornell campus?) you might have access *all* the time, at which point even leaving your phone in Airplane mode and turning on WiFi might be good enough.
posted by RedOrGreen at 10:38 AM on June 12, 2013
posted by RedOrGreen at 10:38 AM on June 12, 2013
Response by poster: I ended up just using Skype a lot. I tried to use Red Pocket, but the salesperson and I couldn't end up successfully making it work. She recommended H20, which I would have done if I ended up getting phone service. Thanks for the ideas all!
posted by Edna Million at 10:29 AM on July 5, 2013
posted by Edna Million at 10:29 AM on July 5, 2013
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by hapax_legomenon at 2:56 PM on June 11, 2013