Prepaid phone lines in U.S

[zipton]

I am going to U.S for a month, i got a singtel phone line here but because of the duration of my stay , its kinda expensive to use singtel's dataroam packages there.

Last time i went to U.S and tried to buy a prepaid simcard with data plan in AT&T shop they told me that i cant buy a prepaid with data because of my phone was iphone5.

I just need to use data and local calls any suggestions?

thanks

[nakatago]

I am going to U.S for a month, i got a singtel phone line here but because of the duration of my stay , its kinda expensive to use singtel's dataroam packages there.

Last time i went to U.S and tried to buy a prepaid simcard with data plan in AT&T shop they told me that i cant buy a prepaid with data because of my phone was iphone5.

I just need to use data and local calls any suggestions?

thanks

Go with T-mobile. I'm not sure about Sprint but T-mobile I'm sure sells prepaid sim cards, without phones.

EDIT: I just checked their website. T-mobile has a nano sim but I don't know if they have it for prepaid as well. Better bring a different phone with you.

[zzm9980]

Last time i went to U.S and tried to buy a prepaid simcard with data plan in AT&T shop they told me that i cant buy a prepaid with data because of my phone was iphone5.

I just need to use data and local calls any suggestions?

thanks

I use AT&T Pre-paid data. T-Mobile will only give you 2G/Edge speeds in the US right now (they're fixing that).

The trick to make AT&T work is you need to change your APN. Go to this website from the phone's mobile safari while on Wifi:
http://www.unlockit.co.nz/unlockit/

And walk through the 'wizard' and pick AT&T. It'll send you a configuration profile. Reboot the phone and data will work. AT&T just tells you that it doesn't work because they don't want to send you to a third party website and have to give you support doing this.

Also, they might not sell nano-sim sized pre-paid cards. You might need to cut it yourself.

[joleei]

I am going to U.S for a month, i got a singtel phone line here but because of the duration of my stay , its kinda expensive to use singtel's dataroam packages there.

Last time i went to U.S and tried to buy a prepaid simcard with data plan in AT&T shop they told me that i cant buy a prepaid with data because of my phone was iphone5.

I just need to use data and local calls any suggestions?

thanks

Rather than using overseas network, i still feel more comfortable with our local ones. Was complaining about how expensive it is to pay for the roaming charges and how i dislike using overseas prepaid previously.

Then a friend of mine recommended Pheonix so i gave it a try. It's pretty simple and i saved SOOOOO MUCH as compared to the standard sg telecom charges. Not too sure what is the rate for U.S but you can check it online yourself if you are interested. All i can say is that you will defo save alot by using Pheonix. Satisfied user here!

TRY IT

[scarbowl]

You don't need to unlock your Singapore phone. It isn't locked. T-mobile offers micro sims. You can order one on eBay, even, but be careful whom you buy from. You can top-up online.

[Strong Eagle]

You need to differentiate between prepaid (the GO phone stuff AT&T sells) and a month to month normal contract.

You cannot use iPhone on a Go Plan... or a Samsung GS II... or any smartphone for that matter. http://www.att.com/shop/wireless/device ... hones.html

But you can get a standard plan with no contract and pay for it month to month... this is what I did last time I was in Houston... and it is what I am doing right now. http://www.att.com/shop/wireless/plans-new.html

The only pisser is exactly the same price as if you had a new subsidized phone under two year contract. Such is life.

PS: Besides the fact that T-Mobile 3G operates on a different frequency from the rest of the world, their coverage sucks, even worse than AT&T. You will not be happy with them. Interestingly enough, if you buy a T-Mobile smartphone it offers 3G and 4G at both their frequencies and the world standard. Of course, the frickin' thing is locked.

[zzm9980]

You cannot use iPhone on a Go Plan... or a Samsung GS II... or any smartphone for that matter. http://www.att.com/shop/wireless/device ... hones.html

You can, it's just that it's not supported by AT&T and you need a very slight bit of technical know-how because the AT&T prepaid network uses a different APN setting than their normal network.

The link I posted above has an iOS-optimized website which will create a configuration profile that you can download to your iPhone to automatically update the settings. Click the link, reboot the phone. When you finish and go back to your normal sim, remove the configuration profile, reboot again.

If you have an Android, I'm sure an equivalent site exists. If it doesn't, all of the settings you'll need for the different networks are still available on that site.

Note the site looks completely different when you open it in a normal web browser, or Safari on iOS. It's more like a native app with a simple wizard when opened in Safari.

[Strong Eagle]

^^^^^^

Interesting. I learned something today about phones. However, when one looks at the pricing for prepaid plans, the costs appear to be about the same.

Cheers.

[borch]

I went to the US for 4 months, and I got AT&T, the only problem that I had is that I had to pay even when receiving texts!!

[zzm9980]

I went to the US for 4 months, and I got AT&T, the only problem that I had is that I had to pay even when receiving texts!!

That's standard in the US. On the flip side, caller ID, call waiting, voice mail, three way calling, "auto roam", and other things like that are all a part of your standard plan. No extra cost.

[Strong Eagle]

I went to the US for 4 months, and I got AT&T, the only problem that I had is that I had to pay even when receiving texts!!

That's standard in the US. On the flip side, caller ID, call waiting, voice mail, three way calling, "auto roam", and other things like that are all a part of your standard plan. No extra cost.

True. I do like the fact you can call anywhere in the US at the same price as a local call. Having said that, the US carriers get away with murder when it comes to pricing. Then again, so do the Singapore carriers.

[zzm9980]

I went to the US for 4 months, and I got AT&T, the only problem that I had is that I had to pay even when receiving texts!!

That's standard in the US. On the flip side, caller ID, call waiting, voice mail, three way calling, "auto roam", and other things like that are all a part of your standard plan. No extra cost.

True. I do like the fact you can call anywhere in the US at the same price as a local call. Having said that, the US carriers get away with murder when it comes to pricing. Then again, so do the Singapore carriers.

US Carriers rape customers on the cost of SMS, especially overseas. But IME the higher end Singapore plans that are cost comparable to the US plans are much worse values than those US plans. The US carriers just lack lower priced options. It's like going out to eat in the US. You get a ton of food for your money, but its an unhealthy overabundance for most people.