LizBeth

Hi,

my husband and I had cell phones from the UK that we'd like to continue to use here. We had PAYG Virgin phones, and I understand we can get them unlocked and put in a US SIM. Is this the case, and who best to talk to? Thanks.

hobbes79

If they are dual band, you're out of luck... they won't work.

If they are tri-band, they will work a lot of the time.

If they are quad band, they will work all of the time.

What's the make and model of the phones? Be easier to answer your question.

hobbes79

BTW, if you sign up for a plan in the US you will almost certainly get a free phone.

If you want pay as you go, phones here with the SIM are peanuts... about $10 for the cheap ones.

Chrissywissy100

When I first came to the US I ended up getting a pay as you go mobile.. was dead cheap ($20 after mail in rebate), although the phone had no frills. Not even bluetooth! That worked out quite well.

If you are brand new to the US, and therefore no credit history, I found that I would have had to put down a $600 deposit to get a cell phone contract, and there was no way I was going to do that!

I did get my UK phone unlocked in the end and switched the Sim card over, but I am now finding that it only picks up reception some of the time, and oddly will only receive texts if I'm actually holding it!?? WEird!

To get your phone unlocked try ringing Virgin direct and tell them why it is you want to get the code. They can tell you how to type the code in, and its free. Alternatively, I used www.unlockitnow.com where if you give them your phone provider, make and model of phone and 20quid they will send you the code and instructions in a couple of days by email.

BTW you can just buy the sim card. Just go to any cell phone store, eg AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, T-Mobile etc.

dunroving

On a side note, can you get PAYG phones in the States that don't expire? When I last bought one there (in 2005), just about all the PAYG required you to top up regularly to avoid losing your minutes ... I ended up with Tracfone, that only needed topping up every year. If they are only $10 as someone just said, I may get one next time I'm there, just for when I'm over there for short trips...

Bob

Nope...depends on which you get, but most need to be topped up every 45-90 days, some you lose unused mins, some you don't.

Tracfone have gone down hill a bit lately, unless you get the annual card jobby.

As to what to get, well it depends on where you live, some just might not work were you live so no point in getting them etc...

RoadWarriorFromLP

Try T-Mobile. The time will eventually expire, but you can get a PAYG SIM for $10, including a bit of credit to get you started.

dunroving

Och, I forgot that bit ... and I don't live anywhere in the US at the moment so was thinking about use during trips to the States.

Bob

generally then, I'd agree with RW above, that T-mobile would probably be your safest bet.

Steerpike

Two points regarding Pay as you Go phones ...

1) the expiration period gets longer if you pay more; eg, if you pay, say, $20, then the minutes may expire in a month; but if you pay, say, $100, then the minutes may expire in a year.

2) At least on ATT, you don't get the same network access / coverage using a 'Go' phone as you do with a contract phone. I don't fully see their logic, but, they are not willing to let you roam on their partner networks with a 'go' phone the way they do with a contract phone, so your coverage is reduced. This is confirmed by looking at their coverage maps online; the maps for 'go' phones shows less coverage. Yes, they are saving money by not letting you roam on their partners networks, but - if you have a bad experience with a 'go' phone, you are less likely to transition to a 'contract' phone later with the same carrier, so ... I see this as short-sighted.

BlightyBoy

Get a sim card from T-Mobile. They have a good pay as you go scheme where you pay $100 up front and it won't expire for a year. If you haven't used up your $100 at the end of the year you can get the minimum topup ($10?, $20?) and your minutes from the $100 will roll over. So in theory you could spend about $20 (less?) per year as long as you front the money.

Jerseygirl

Verizon offer exactly the same. I bought a PAYG phone a few months ago...I had to rule out several companies because they their coverage wasn't good in the areas I want. I bought $100 of calls which I can roll over next year if I buy their lowest amount prepaid card. I was quite surprised at Verizon's choice of PAYG phones...mine has internet access, email, camera, a full querty keyboard etc.

Steerpike

Verizon is still 'King' in the NJ area, so you are wise to go with them. I hate them as a company, but as someone responsible for providing cell phones to people nationwide, I go with T-Mobile or ATT in most of the country but still use Verizon in NJ/NY. This is especially true as you get out of the major met areas and into rural areas.

Do Verizon let you roam with their PAYG phones? Verizon not only has an extensive network, but they also have good relationships with other network providers for roaming in areas where their own coverage is poor. I was shocked to see ATT don't offer this on they go phones; would like to know what Verizon's practice is.

How do you pay for the 'extra' features such as Internet access? Do they deduct 'x' cents per kilobyte, or something? Do they tell you right away what a 'session' cost?

Jerseygirl

Yes I can roam...I've used it in Canada. Internet access is $1 per day for the days it is used only.

Steerpike

I think the issue is more, do they let you roam to the full extent that a contract customer can roam? With ATT, they may give you 'some' access to partner networks, but not all partner networks. The only real way to find out is to look at their detailed coverage maps, I guess.

I presume that $1/day is for a phone with limited browsing capabilities, and no 'tethering' feature (ability to use your phone as a 'cellular modem' for your laptop). I'm paying $50/month for unlimited data, but that's on a contract iPhone which can suck down a huge amount of data since it has a full-blown browser, outlook email synch, etc. What I mean is - you probably could not use your phone to surf the web all day, and they know that when offering $1/day.