Prepaid SIM at Reagan National (AT&T)

June 24, 2015 6:45 AM

Looking for a pre-paid AT&T SIM card at Reagan National

I'm flying into Reagan National from parts abroad. I have an old Nokia 3110 which will work on the AT&T network - but I need a pre-paid SIM. Ideally I would get said SIM at the airport, which will solve logistical hassles later that day. Does anybody know of a store there selling pre-paid AT&T SIM cards?

posted by defcom1 to Technology (3 answers total)

Best answer: Your best bet is going to be to take the Metro two stops to Pentagon City, turn left as you exit the station, and go to the AT&T Store at the mall ("space #W04b" according to their store locator). The easy purchase of prepaid SIMs fell victim to the War On Terror, so pretty much the only places that sell them are the company stores. Nobody else wants to deal with the reporting requirements. They'll ask for ID and probably your (temporary) address in the states.

There's an outside chance there's a store in the airport that sells them, but retail at DCA is almost useless unless you need a neck pillow, headphones, or Spanx.
posted by fedward at 8:35 AM on June 24, 2015

Best answer: I'm not sure if there is a store at the airport, but if you're going to be taking Metro, the airport is just two stops away from the Pentagon City Mall, which an AT&T store (and a T-Mobile store if AT&T for whatever reason doesn't work out).

On preview: Jinx.
posted by General Malaise at 8:36 AM on June 24, 2015

A 3110 will be better on T-Mobile, as all of their GSM is in the PCS (1900MHz) band. AFAIK, at&t still has some GSM on 850MHz, so you may find yourself with subpar service in some areas where the network is spaced for the longer reach of 850Mhz and 1900 is used for extra capacity close to the cell sites.

FWIW, I didn't have to show ID or anything when I purchased a prepaid SIM from T-Mobile a couple of years ago. I did activate it online, though, so they may have asked had I been doing the activation in store. I believe the SIM kit was $10.
posted by wierdo at 2:14 PM on June 25, 2015