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Travelling to the US. Getting data SIM there?


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Normally pick up a prepaid phone, but this time I'm getting a SIM card, so slightly different this trip...

T-Mobile is cheaper and better coverage in major cities, but ATT wider coverage. Where are you going?

Also when are you going? as you can buy SIMs before you leave so its more convenient to have a US phone the second you get off the plane..

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I bought a SIM card from LAX I think $90 with 4 gig that's the expensive option lol, but when that ran out Walmart had 5gig for about $35 from memory. Used my iPhone and just inserted the new SIM card. Hotels cafes almost everywhere has free wifi to.
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Cool. So AT and T or T mobile SIM, at airport for convenience. Use my own phone. I actually dont care at all for all the connectivity, but my girlfriend insists so I will. i personally dont mind getting lost now and then on holidays. its how you discover things. And anyway, its not the ****ing amazon. its NYC!
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I've just recently bought from Travelsims direct / an Aussie company that set it up before you go and is active the day you land

 

As a group we bought the $100 unlimited on T-Mobile beteeen 4 of us and WiFi hot spotted for individuals. Also ran the GPS off that phone

 

T-Mobile great coverage in the cities not so good in remote areas, but we survived. Also free calls and texts in the US and free intl texts / was useful to contact hotels, restaurants, AirBnB hosts etc

 

Have also bought a smaller package for myself. These are packages you can get from T-Mobile yourself for slightly cheaper if you are so inclined - but I enjoy having it ready to go and is not expensive for the convenience

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The following is a VERY common issue when going to the US and the main reason why you will NEVER see me going there. There are too many "friendlier" places to visit as far as I'm concerned! If they can't use common sense (which they obviously cannot) then I wouldn't waste my time going there.

 

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-02-25/mem-fox-detained-at-los-angeles-airport-by-us-officials/8303366

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I just use wifi, WhatsApp, Skype, Facebook Messenger. Turn data roaming off.

 

If I were driving I WOULD buy a sim though. For GPS.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Aussie Arcade

 

You don't understand- I would use nothing at all and leave my (Nokia) phone at home- but missus wants me on a tight leash :lol

 

So need to be able to text, call GPS etc...

 

I will get a second hand Iphone or something for the trip and when I'm done just leave it in the drawer. As Bill Nighy says "I don't carry a phone because it ruins the lines of my suits" :D

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You don't understand- I would use nothing at all and leave my (Nokia) phone at home- but missus wants me on a tight leash :lol

 

So need to be able to text, call GPS etc...

 

I will get a second hand Iphone or something for the trip and when I'm done just leave it in the drawer. As Bill Nighy says "I don't carry a phone because it ruins the lines of my suits" :D

 

No worries. If that's the case get a sim or buy a phone in the US.

 

Just a suggestion. The wide availability of WiFi now means I almost never use roaming data or make roaming calls when I travel.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Aussie Arcade

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Cool. So AT and T or T mobile SIM, at airport for convenience. Use my own phone. I actually dont care at all for all the connectivity, but my girlfriend insists so I will. i personally dont mind getting lost now and then on holidays. its how you discover things. And anyway, its not the ****ing amazon. its NYC!

 

Good approach! I'm the same. :) However it was nice to use Google Maps when you're lost in the Big Apple.

 

I also carried a Globalgig sim (data only) which was useful.

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When you get there sign up for Uber,

I tried when I was there, however they send txt (a pass number) to your phone so I couldn't use my oz phone as it didn't get the txt. (as the sim was off)

would have been $19 from LA to the Airport instead of $60 (in a cab)

 

Red

Edited by Redback
added in a cab
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When you get there sign up for Uber,

I tried when I was there, however they send txt (a pass number) to your phone so I couldn't use my oz phone as it didn't get the txt. (as the sim was off)

would have been $19 from LA to the Airport instead of $60 (in a cab)

 

Red

 

Good advice with Uber :) I used my app which I use here and saved a fortune in trips[emoji106][emoji106]

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I've just recently bought from Travelsims direct / an Aussie company that set it up before you go and is active the day you land

 

 

I did that also, turned out the sim that I got had already been drained of credit .. wtf. I was shit out of luck and ended up just using wifi where I could get it.

 

Real pain in ass when you need to call a cab from Pinball hall of fame late at night with a wifi only "phone" :\

I only found out when I got home that my company had an international roaming deal on the phone I had and I could have used unlimited phone/4g data while I was there *slow clap*

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I did that also, turned out the sim that I got had already been drained of credit .. wtf. I was shit out of luck and ended up just using wifi where I could get it.

 

Real pain in ass when you need to call a cab from Pinball hall of fame late at night with a wifi only "phone" :\

I only found out when I got home that my company had an international roaming deal on the phone I had and I could have used unlimited phone/4g data while I was there *slow clap*

 

Hehe. One of the reasons I'll just buy a sim there

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I'm a big Uber fan (starting to lose some of their polish however) - what's your reasoning?

 

I think it is a heinous erosion of workers rights. It is probably the way of the future though. There is almost no job any of us are doing that can't be done as an 'independent contractor'. Every one will be working for themselves. Pay all your own running costs- uniforms, PPE, sick leave, insurance etc. You want a holiday? Haha. And if things are a bit quiet, then hey, you won't be getting a text to come in to work until things pick up. It is probably the way of the future, but that doesn't mean I have to like it.

 

Put it this way, in the US federal election just passed, the Democrats were opposed to Uber, and the Republicans were for it. Both for similar reasons...

 

The other things I was opposed against has softened somewhat. People forget that there have always been 'sly taxis'. Just that now it is easier to arrange. So it was still a 'pirate' version of a taxi, without the 'tax' part of it (the term taxi derives from tax). It's part of the reason it's so much cheaper (that and tthe slave labour wage) And I don't care if you've had a bad time with a taxi, those guys have had to pay a butt load of money to buy a legit licence. And then people swan in and say 'oh we can do it a lot cheaper'.

 

No shit, if I distil my own booze and sell it, it will be a lot cheaper too. For some reason though, if I were to sell it through an app, it's all legit :lame2:

 

At least it seems most state governments are buying back taxi licences. Even if it might not be the going rate. And I believe there will be a move to make sure drivers are actually paying tax.

 

Anyway, rant over. I can see I have derailed my own thread :lol

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