GSM Sim card for USA & Canada

[gaz1]

Hi,

We are travelling to Los Angeles, Alaska & Vancouver in a few months & would like to take our LG GSM mobile phone with us - primarily for emergency use & SMS back to relatives in Australia for the couple of weeks we are there.

Our first stop will be Los Angeles for a few days - is it possible to get a sim card that will work in our phone from somewhere around LAX? I presume this would need to be a prepaid SIM as we won't want to sign up for a plan or contract.

I understand that GSM is not that common in the US & Canada, so I'm not sure which carriers will support this.

Of course if anyone has any other suggestions on ways to give us emergency contact & SMS that would be good too.

Thanks,

Gary.

[Maca44]

You might want to consider putting a voice message on your phone that you will be uncontactable for several weeks whilst overseas, but will be able to retrieve sms messages every couple of days. Then you won't have the expense of paying for global roaming calls received, but will have the option of using your phone to make calls. If you get a sim card in the USA be careful as some of the phone companies, apart from the cost of the sim card, charge you an activation fee which was US$85 when I did it two years ago. I now use the sms method, and purchase an international phone card, but again be careful as the ones you buy in the USA such as T-Mobile etc will not work in Canada as the majority of Canada is covered by Rogers Communications. Making calls from your mobile phone using global roaming can cost heaps if you use it a lot.

[oz_mark]

Making calls from your mobile phone using global roaming can cost heaps if you use it a lot.

So can receiving calls!

[Maca44]

So can receiving calls!

Yes, and receiving calls as the caller pays for the Australian connection and then "you" pay for the international connection. Got caught in 2001 with a ten day trip and a $190 phone bill.

[straitman]

gaz1,

In the past I've imply used my GSM phone in the USA. I just authorised International roaming and it all worked. A triple band phone is required but all was OK.

For the emergency situations you are talking about this works well (though expensive).

[futaris]

You can get a prepaid AT&T Wireless SIM card (used to be called Cingular) in the US.

Your phone needs to supports GSM 850 and 1900 to have the best coverage. This generally means Quad Band phone.

You should check prepaidgsm.net for Canada options if you want to get another SIM card there. Rates for pretty much every country's prepaid SIM options are on that site.

If its essential for others to contact you, activate international roaming, and set the diversion on your other phone to your local prepaid SIM card. Alternatively you can look at an international SIM card, but these generally aren't worth it unless you visit a lot of countries and don't stay there long enough to justify the cost of a local prepaid GSM card.

[robertz]

Here's another way to cut the cost, if its important for people to call U.
Get a VoIP phone and Aussie number.
Get a Pre-Paid US GSM Card.
Divert aussie VoIP to US Mobile. (Change divert numbers when you go to different countries)

Put phone messege to call VoIP Number for the next few weeks on your mobile. (Might be able to divert, but a double diversion sometime doesnt work, but this increases the cost as you pay Mobile back to VoIP)

This way you pay 3-4 cents per minute. (VoIP to US GSM)

Cheapest way I've worked out how to get your friends/work to call U overseas without paying a fortune.

Rob

[mainly tailfirst]

For the US, AT&T or T-Mobile are GSM
For Canada, it's just Fifo/Rogers.

Prepaid through T-mobile is a little cheaper to set up.
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However, AT&T has better coverage, esp. outside major cities.

Both have stores everywhere, so you'll have no problems getting a SIM quickly. Just remember to have some ID (e.g. Driver's license) in case they ask.

mt

[Maca44]

Last year I purchased a pre paid AT&T sim card and although I only wanted $50 worth of calls on it, it then cost me something like $38 for an activation fee that I had to pay at the store. I now use global roaming, put a voice message on the phone to say I'm overseas for several weeks, but will check sms messages every couple of days. Saves me money, but doesn't help those who need to be in constant contact with their office. THEN, when I drove to Vancouver I did not have any signal from AT&T so had to purchase a Rogers sms card. You learn what not to do every day.

[Baysider]

We spent 6 weeks around the USA and Canada over December / January. My wife and I purchased T-Mobile SIM cards and these were fine. Note that you pay not only to make calls but also to receive calls in the USA. T-Mobile does roam into parts of Canada - it was fine for us in Toronto and up to Barrie. You have to go to a full T-Mobile store to get a SIM, the little booths they have in malls can only deal with top-ups.

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