Log in

View Full Version : UK resident considering US SIM for occasional visits - advice appreciated


martin_ayton
12-16-2005, 11:10 AM
Hi! I just got back from the US having routed via Chicago and got caught up in the recent Chicago O'Hare 'snowstorm' (=3 inches - sheesh, you'd think it never snowed in Chicago) debacle. The calls from my UK cell phone to try and sort out hotel rooms and reroute flights etc. cost me around $225 which leads me to wonder if getting a US SIM card for these trips might not be a better option.

My company has looked at this, but their contract with Cingular only allows them to have SIMs on a $49.95/month contract and since this SIM will sit in a desk drawer for months and months at a time, that is not a viable solution.

What I think I need is a US equivalent of the pay-as-you-go SIMs we can get in the UK. I.e. no monthly contract but you have to pre-pay for calls. The long-distance and in-USA roaming would have to be at reasonable call rates. Any suggestions?

Oh yes - does anyone know if my (out of contract) O2 Xda2s will be locked to O2 SIM cards and, if so, how I can get it unlocked?

TIA.

cyclist
12-18-2005, 12:15 PM
I'll be interested in the answers about US SIMs as well. I bought a German one which gets used about twice a year on my trips there, which has worked out well for me.
Oh yes - does anyone know if my (out of contract) O2 Xda2s will be locked to O2 SIM cards and, if so, how I can get it unlocked?
Yes it will be locked, and yes you can unlock it. Given that it's out of contract O2 will provide an unlock code, for a fee (15 pounds I think). Or take a look at xda-developers.com who have a free unlocking tool.

Sven Johannsen
12-18-2005, 04:15 PM
You have basically two major options for Pay as you go SIMs here if you actually want coverage. T-Mobile and Cingular. Which is better as far as coverage depends on where you typically go. Ask people around those places which service works best for them.

Both plans are readily detailed on their websites, but the gist is that T-Mobile will cost you about $35 to $50 to get the SIM in the first place and it comes with some # of minutes. Their minutes expire after a set amount of time which is measured in months. After you have bought $100 worth of minutes, expiration is after a year, so you could load it with $100 and be good for a year, and then add $25 and be good for another as you will have acheived "Gold Status". That's how I understand it. I have one of these for backup and playing.

Cingulars has two plans. On one the prices are about the same, but they charge you a $1 service charge on a day you use the phone. So if you make 1 call a day for a month, it will cost you $30 plus the time. (T-Mo doesn't have this service charge). On the other plan, the minute rates are higher, but you don't get the $1 ding each day you use it. It doesn't appear that minutes/$ expire on either plan.

What works best for you would depend a lot on you calling patterns. Actually if you just come over now and again and Cingular works well where you go, their expensive rate one might work out best. It's a bit high per minute, but I don't think you have to worry much about it.

martin_ayton
12-19-2005, 10:36 AM
Thanks, Sven. The Cingular route looks to be my best option, particularly given that the rest of the company in the US is with that carrier. I'll take Cyclist's hint too and pop over to Xda-developers: no point in getting the SIM if it won't work in my 'phone.

I appreciate you two for your advice on this. Merry Christmas!