You or a friend are looking to come to the United States, but you need a way to keep in touch with your friends and family back home. You'll need a phone plan, but which one should you pick? In this article, I'll tell you everything you need to know about the best cell phone plans for visitors to the USA.
Roaming Is A Ripoff
If you follow any of the advice in this article, I strongly suggest you hear me out on this one. Roaming fees are one of the biggest ripoffs in history. If you're a visitor to the USA, you're much better off with a prepaid plan for the duration of your trip.
Types Of Carriers
In the United States, there are two types of carriers. There are MNOs, or major carriers, and MVNOs. MNOs, or mobile network operators, are composed of four major carriers: Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile. MVNOs, or mobile virtual network operators, are composed of minor carriers like Straight Talk, Cricket Wireless, and Tello Mobile.
The best way to understand the difference between them is that major carriers own the towers and infrastructure that makes wireless connectivity possible. MVNOs, on the other hand, merely lease your service on those networks owned by the major carriers.
Is one better than the other? It's really up to coverage, customer service, data, features, and price. MVNOs usually have lower prices, but they may have lower quality customer service and less features than a major carrier like Verizon.
Is Your Phone Compatible?
A big issue here in the United States is the differences in connectivity technology. The two primary technologies behind wireless connectivity in the US are GSM and CDMA. Most carriers are moving away from CDMA and are now using GSM. If you have an older phone that uses CDMA, you should consider purchasing from carriers that still support CDMA connectivity.
The main difference between the two technologies is that GSM allows you to use a SIM card. It's easier to swap your current SIM card with a prepaid one from the US to avoid those pesky roaming fees. If you're a visitor to the USA and need a cell phone plan, I recommend checking for a GSM option, if your phone supports it.
Is Your Phone Unlocked?
If your phone isn't carrier unlocked, you won't be able to easily swap out your SIM card. If you're looking for a cell phone plan as a visitor to the USA, first make sure your phone is unlocked by your carrier.
You can typically check on the website of the carrier you're interested in to see if your phone is compatible and unlocked. They'll ask for your IMEI, or international mobile equipment identity number. In the United States you can find that number by dialing #06# or by using the methods below.
Find IMEI On Android
To find your IMEI on Android, go to your Settings, then scroll down to find About phone.
Find IMEI On iPhone
If you have an iPhone, you can find your IMEI by going to Settings -> General -> About.
Verizon 5 GB Prepaid Plan
The Verizon 5 GB Prepaid Plan is a good option for visitors looking for a phone plan with a decent amount of data at a reasonable price. You'll get unlimited talk and text, whereas if you used roaming, you'd have to pay per minute.
With this plan, you can stream up to 480p (DVD quality) video. If you use up all the data before the end of the cycle, you won't get any overage charges. However, your speeds will be throttled to 2G.
AT&T 5 GB Prepaid
If you're looking for a phone plan as a visitor to the USA and don't need a whole lot of data, the AT&T 5 GB Prepaid plan may be right for you. Unlike the Verizon 5 GB Prepaid Plan, you can stream video in HD. If 5 GB isn't enough, you can upgrade to 8 GB or unlimited data.
Tello Mobile Build Your Own Plans
Tello Mobile's Build Your Own Plans are the most customizable plans on the US market. If you're a visitor to the USA looking for a phone plan that meets your needs, Tello Mobile has you covered. You can choose the amount of data, minutes, and text messages for the month, so that you don't have to pay for more than you need.
There aren't any overage charges, and you can enjoy using 4G LTE mobile hotspot at any time. In addition, you can choose data allotments of 0 GB, 500 MB, 1 GB, 2 GB, 4 GB, 6 GB, or 8 GB.
Cricket Wireless High Speed 2 GB
The Cricket Wireless High Speed 2 GB plan is a great option if you're looking for a phone plan as a visitor to the USA. In addition to unlimited talk, text, and 2 GB of data, you can use Cricket Wireless's Stream More feature that will prevent videos from streaming over 480p to save valuable data.
Boost Mobile 2 GB Plan
The Boost Mobile 2 GB plan is a perfect plan, if you're a visitor to the USA looking for an affordable prepaid plan. With unlimited minutes, messages, and 2 GB of data, this is a great way to save money when traveling, so you don't have to pay the roaming fees.
Enjoy Phone Plan Savings!
Now you know the best plans to look for if you're a visitor to the USA. Feel free to check out our plan comparison tool to see the different plans and how much you could save. Thank you for reading, and if you have any questions about cell phone plans, please leave a comment down below.
Hi Liam I’m looking for a phone sim that will allow me to keep a usa phone number as have a USA holiday home. I only use the cell phone a few months a year but need it for bills entry system etc. I was with ATandT go phone but they no longer do this. It allowed me to pay $50 a year and top up if need be each year.