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[science_expat]

I'm a UK resident who will be spending a few weeks in the States this summer. I have a tri-band mobile (cell) phone that will work in the US.

However, I'd like to keep costs down for internal US calls. In Europe, the trick is to buy a "pay as you go" SIM card in the country of interest (e.g. Italy) and substitute it in your phone for local calls. Are such cards easy/cheap to acquire in the States? And is there much of a surcharge to phone across state boundaries?

Cheers,
SE

[starfleet_grad]

When I got my last cell phone, I inquired about those cards and was told that they do not exist in the U.S. for legal reasons, i.e. Congress never having approved their use. I have no idea if the clerk was uninformed or if the situation has changed, but that's what I was told.

[n8vtnn]

What you're describing can be done here in the states.  The difference is that we don't have nearly as many options for buying SIM cards as you're used to in the UK.  T-Mobile has a $5 SIM card kit that comes with 10 minutes of free airtime.  I think ATT/Cingular has a similar deal, but not as cheap (around $15 or so for the card). 

Here's the link for T-Mobile phones:

http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/phones/prepaid.aspx

Here is a link for t-mobile plans:
http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/plans/

Scroll down to the bottom of the page for the sim card kit.

 You might also try ebay.  There are often sellers selling ATT/Cingular or T-Mobile (the only GSM providers  in the US) sim cards and airtime at a pretty steep discount.

[magimax]

Another option is a Tracfone (www.tracfone.com) - it's a pay-as-you go phone system, meaning you purchase usage units as you need them and no contract is necessary.  You can purchase a nice little Motorola phone for $15 and then pre-purchase airtime to which you can add units online.  It works throughout the country and includes international calls for the same price as in-country calls. 

Now, having said the above, I personally have never used one, but some friends have and they loved it.  It might just suit your needs.

[daniel_von_flanagan]

The cheapest solution is to buy a pre-activated T-Mobile SIM card on eBay; you can frequently get them there for as low as $10 including a couple of hours of air time.  This is easier if you have someone in the US who can buy it on your behalf, since most of these sellers will want a verified domestic address.

Another possibility is to just walk into Wal Mart and see which prepaid (complete with phone) are on sale.  Usually you can get a cheezy Net-10 phone with 60 days of service and 300 minutes for under $30.

The authoritative website on US cell plans (including prepaid) is HowardForums.com  - DvF

[doctor_torrseal]

I'm a UK resident who will be spending a few weeks in the States this summer. I have a tri-band mobile (cell) phone that will work in the US.

However, I'd like to keep costs down for internal US calls. In Europe, the trick is to buy a "pay as you go" SIM card in the country of interest (e.g. Italy) and substitute it in your phone for local calls. Are such cards easy/cheap to acquire in the States? And is there much of a surcharge to phone across state boundaries?

Cheers,
SE

You can get a SIM chip at a T-Mobile store (presumably also AT&T).  This is not difficult.  You can then get refill time cards at most supermarkets, etc.  The SIMs have expiration dates; people sell SIMs on ebay that are discounted because they are closer to expiration.  If you buy more time the expiration is postponed.

Most US cell plans except the cheapest and ones aimed at teenagers don't charge extra for long distance; no surcharge for interstate calls.

A major difference between Europe and US cell billing is that in Europe you only get charged airtime for making calls but in the US, you get charged airtime for making and receiving.  There are websites that explain all of this in gory detail.

[daniel_von_flanagan]

people sell SIMs on eBay that are discounted because they are closer to expiration.

Most of the T-Mobile prepaid SIMS on eBay without minutes are sold unactivated, often for $1-2, and have full time once you activate them.  The preactivated ones with lots of time on them are usually only recently activated, and tend to have over 10 weeks remaining before the next top-up.  The sellers are often people who work at T-mobile retail shops, who get these SIMs as a perquisite of the job from T-Mobile.  I bought one this way last year, it had 400 minutes for $25 and didn't expire for 80 days. (However, I just looked, and there don't seem to be any like this listed now.)  The biggest downside to buying a preactivated card is that the area code might be something wierd.

Tmobile is currently selling a Nokia 2610 phone for $29 (or a Motorola V195 for $39), and including $25 in air time.  I don't know if they honor this in stores. The Motorola is a good phone (my son has one). - DvF

[aandsdean]

people sell SIMs on eBay that are discounted because they are closer to expiration.

Most of the T-Mobile prepaid SIMS on eBay without minutes are sold unactivated, often for $1-2, and have full time once you activate them.  The preactivated ones with lots of time on them are usually only recently activated, and tend to have over 10 weeks remaining before the next top-up.  The sellers are often people who work at T-mobile retail shops, who get these SIMs as a perquisite of the job from T-Mobile.  I bought one this way last year, it had 400 minutes for $25 and didn't expire for 80 days. (However, I just looked, and there don't seem to be any like this listed now.)  The biggest downside to buying a preactivated card is that the area code might be something wierd.

Tmobile is currently selling a Nokia 2610 phone for $29 (or a Motorola V195 for $39), and including $25 in air time.  I don't know if they honor this in stores. The Motorola is a good phone (my son has one). - DvF

And every Wal-Mart, Target, and Best Buy in the country has a good selection of prepaid phones from T-Mobile and others.  My new school is in a place where my current (Sprint) phone is roaming ($$$+$$$+$$$+), so until I permanently get there and settle in with a new phone, I got an Alltel cheapo for about $25 with $10 in included airtime and 60 bonus minutes for online activation.  Then I bought a $20 card (They chard $.15/minute) so I should be good to go.

Before you get here, check the coverage maps for all of them--T-mobile, Alltel, US Cellular, Sprint, Virgin Mobile (which uses the Sprint network), Cingular/AT&T, and TracPhone.  None of them would be a problem in any major metropolitan area (I take that back--I live in a major metro area now and when we moved here our Verizon phones wouldn't work), but if you're going someplace out of the way, one may be decidedly better than another.

[svenc]

I glanced at the pay-as-you-go cellphones in Target just last week.  The cheapest one was a passable-looking flip phone, selling for $10.

[history_grrrl]

OP, thanks for posting; I was about to do the same, because I will be in a similar situation this summer. I live in Canada and will be in the U.S. for about a month. So this is very helpful, especially since I don't currently own a cell phone.

A related question: what about keeping down costs for the folks calling you? A friend has offered to lend me her (Canadian) cell phone, which she never uses, but then people in the U.S. will incur international charges when they call. Is there some way around this (I will be getting calls from people in both countries).