Cell Phone Options for Recent Immigrant

November 30, 2015 8:38 AM

I have a good friend who recently immigrated to the United States from Albania. We are looking for the best first cell phone option while they are trying to settle down in their new country.

My friend and his wife recently immigrated to America from Albania. My boss and I have been trying to help them get situated in their new country. When we were deciding what the best option was for a first cellphone while trying to settle in, we weren't sure about what to suggest. Should they just get a pay-as-you-go phone? Or something with a plan? They don't need the latest smartphone or anything like that, just something to stay in communication with the rest of the world.

*I guess I should note that by best option, I mean most affordable, but not so cheap that you have to jump through a million hoops just to use it.

posted by Rage-chel to Grab Bag (3 answers total)

Unless they plan to spend lots of times calling Albania, pay-as-you-go: Virgin Mobile, Boost Mobile, etc. They have plans in the $35/mo range and phones that cost about that much once.

If there will be moderate amounts of foreign calls, probably worth checking the rates, but the above are probably better than the name brands anyway.
posted by flimflam at 9:18 AM on November 30, 2015

Something to be aware of is that cell phone companies can be difficult with people who don't have a credit history and recent immigrants don't have a credit history in the US. They may require a really large deposit.
posted by sciencegeek at 9:25 AM on November 30, 2015

I wouldn't want to be a new resident anywhere without a phone that let me use maps. I guess that smartphones are a worthy quality of life expenditure. I would look at Wirecutter's budget smart phone choice and a prepaid plan on Sprint or tmobile.
posted by Salamandrous at 3:20 PM on November 30, 2015