Using UK iPhone 5 in USA

[Bigads]

Hopefully someone can help me here.

I am travelling around San Francisco and Las Vegas in the summer and was thinking that I could pick up a pre-paid micro sim to use whilst there. I have an iPhone 5 that I use on 3 in the UK and was hoping to avoid massive call, text and data bills whilst I travel.

Any help and advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[nburwell]

Your best bet would be to visit a local WalMart and pick up a Straight Talk SIM card. They have a $45/month prepaid plan for unlimited talk, text and web (although I believe 2GB is is when they will slow your connection). Net10 is another option to go with.

 

[617aircav]

The prepaid market here is not as favorable to travelers as it is in the UK, especially for data. You can pick a prepaid monthly plan from tmobile and att. I would not recommend the mvno carriers as they offer zero customer service. When I went to the UK I got a Vodafone SIM and topped up 10 pounds. It's not that flexible here in the USA.

 

[Bigads]

Good to know that there are pre paid options for while I am there.

If I use my Uk 3 sim, I know it will cost a fortune for data in particular and having never visited the USA before I want to use my phone as a sat nav for driving and obviously looking up local landmark, tourist info., etc. $45 doesnt sound too bad. The key I presume is that I will be limited with carriers due to my handset being UK. I presume I will need a GSM carrier?

 

[Lostanddamned]

When I was in the states last week I picked up a T-mobile sim with 500mb of data.

I was told that I wouldn't be able to access 4g (and that was my understanding too, due to the bandwidths a UK iPhone 5 can pick up), but was able to.

$50 + $10 for the SIM card wasn't bad, and I will be able to top up next time I return. Paid in cash, no ID, nothing needed. Easy as.

 

[reclusive46]

Have a look at red pocket. I've got a sim off the UK ebay and then signed up to the service on the red pocket site. They use the AT&T network. I've used them on several trips to the USA and had no problem. You will also need a nano sim not a micro sim if you have a iPhone 5.

 

[KUguardgrl13]

You could try Tracfone on AT&T's network. Should be the same frequency as what you use in the UK.

 

[dictoresno]

You could try Tracfone on AT&T's network. Should be the same frequency as what you use in the UK.

At&t is 850/1900, Europe uses 900/1800. the phone is quadband for GSM/EDGE so it will still pick up the basic US frequencies anyways. but its not really the same as the UK.

 

[qtaran111]

On a trip to NYC in April, I wanted to do the same thing (i.e. pick up a US sim card to use in my unlocked iPhone 5). I walked into the first phone shop I saw, which happened to be an AT&T store on 5th Avenue. I picked up a prepaid SIM for about $40 absolutely no problem.

The service in the shop (as is usually the case in the US) was fantastic, about 1000x better than you get in your typical UK phone shop.

 

[TomSinclair]

Looking into using my iPhone 5 whilst in Florida for 3 weeks and I've come across this on T-Mobile. Will a US T-Mobile SIM work ok in a UK iPhone 5?


http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/pay-by-the-day-cell-phone-plans

$2/$3 per day for unlimited everything can't be argued with especially as I'll be using my iPhone mainly for Google Maps.

 

[Satnam1989]

Go to AT&T Store and get the Prepaid $60 plan. Its the best deal you will get, your iPhone 5 will get 4G HSPA+ access but not LTE.

Its got the best coverage and data! 2GB...far better than Straight Talk (Uses T-Mobile network - All new sims to those wondering).


AT&T store should be able to give you the SIM for free.

 

[TomSinclair]

If it was unlimited data I probably would but I can't see 2GB lasting long if I'll be using the sat nav for near 1000 miles?

 

[digitalhen]

You might want to think about something like TomTom or Sygic for sat nav: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/sygic-gps-navigation-all-regions/id585193266?mt=8

Works offline. Mobile internet is generally pretty good in the US, but this way, if it drops out (or you run out of data etc), you can still navigate.