Pay as you go (prepaid) internet in the USA

[aussietravellers]

Does anybody know if they have this in the USA? All of the hotels we are staying at on our next trip all have WiFi or internet access but at a fee, none of the three hotels have it for free like at the Disneyland hotels, in NY and at the WDW hotels it is all pay by the day (I think it's free in the lobby, but I don't want to check and reply to work emails in the lobby, I'd prefer to do it in the room whilst my son is sleeping or late at night).

So I was just reading the paper and there was one of those junk mail catalogues for somewhere and I saw the prepaid broadband sticks and just had a thought. It would probably be cheaper for me to have than than paying daily whilst being over there (I will need to log in daily for business to check emails etc).

I know here we have prepaid broadband and was wondering if they have such at thing in the US without going on some sort of contract.

Which would be the best company to use if they do? Has anybody used it if its available?

Thanks

 

[LMC]

I just purchased a Virgin wireless device at Walmart last night. It was $99, then I have to purchase the wireless minutes. They start at $10 for 10 days of use or $20 for 30 days of use. go to virginmobileusa.com to research the details. Some where I saw that the $10 gets about 5 hours of use and the $20 gets 15 hours. Verizon also has a plan but the wireless device cost more (130) and the minutes cost more. Another DIS poster said that Virgin worked fine and I was searching for that post when I stumbled upon yours.

 

[Sugarglider]

I just purchased a Virgin wireless device at Walmart last night. It was $99, then I have to purchase the wireless minutes. They start at $10 for 10 days of use or $20 for 30 days of use. go to virginmobileusa.com to research the details. Some where I saw that the $10 gets about 5 hours of use and the $20 gets 15 hours. Verizon also has a plan but the wireless device cost more (130) and the minutes cost more. Another DIS poster said that Virgin worked fine and I was searching for that post when I stumbled upon yours.

thanks for lead! this is something I too am interested in.

Do you think it would work at WDW? After all, it is such a large place and WDW has done a deal with a specific supplier for the wifi in the foyers.
thanks

 

[LMC]

It should work at WDW. Another poster recently went and that is where I learned of this from their post. He/she said no trouble. I don't know what cell carrier virgin bounces off of but as long as there is cell service you would get the pc card service.

 

[aussietravellers]

That is great Being at WDW for three weeks if I paid daily it would be very expensive to use the hotel internet. (even thought I don't actually know the price of internet daily at WDW resorts, I presume it's $10 to $15 a day, somewhere around there).

 

[Toy Story]

Hi,
This is my first post since coming back about three weeks ago (still trying to sort out all my photos) - we purchased a Virgin Mobile Broadband at a BestBuys in NY (for about $99), it came with no internet time.

We then purchased two Virgin cards ($20 each for 250mb), we were told we would have no problems getting another card in Orlando. Well they were wrong, we checked in a Walmart, a Target and various mobile stores and could not find the Virgin Mobile Broadband2Go Recharge card - not to be confused with the Mobile Recharge card as there were heaps of these. We also tried to purchase more credit online, but with no USA specific credit card we were not able to purchase online.

Moral of the story, stock up before you get to Orlando, or know where you can purchase before you get there.

Note have just found the details of the plan:
$10 = 100MB (expires in 10 days)
$20 = 250MB (exp 30 days)
$40 = 600MB (exp 30 days)
$60 = 1GB (exp 30 days) - this was not available in the store we went into.

More notes - none of my prices include taxes.... and more most salespeople could not get their head around us wanting to use a laptop - not a mobile. Free Wifi was hard to find in NY, Orlando international airport had free WiFi.

Anything else, just ask - I am easing myself back into the Dis world.

 

[Toy Story]

thanks for lead! this is something I too am interested in.

Do you think it would work at WDW? After all, it is such a large place and WDW has done a deal with a specific supplier for the wifi in the foyers.
thanks

We had no problems using at Port Orleans.

BTW - Sugarglider, we are also from Canberra.

 

[aussietravellers]

Hi,
This is my first post since coming back about three weeks ago (still trying to sort out all my photos) - we purchased a Virgin Mobile Broadband at a BestBuys in NY (for about $99), it came with no internet time.

We then purchased two Virgin cards ($20 each for 250mb), we were told we would have no problems getting another card in Orlando. Well they were wrong, we checked in a Walmart, a Target and various mobile stores and could not find the Virgin Mobile Broadband2Go Recharge card - not to be confused with the Mobile Recharge card as there were heaps of these. We also tried to purchase more credit online, but with no USA specific credit card we were not able to purchase online.

Moral of the story, stock up before you get to Orlando, or know where you can purchase before you get there.

Note have just found the details of the plan:
$10 = 100MB (expires in 10 days)
$20 = 250MB (exp 30 days)
$40 = 600MB (exp 30 days)
$60 = 1GB (exp 30 days) - this was not available in the store we went into.

More notes - none of my prices include taxes.... and more most salespeople could not get their head around us wanting to use a laptop - not a mobile. Free Wifi was hard to find in NY, Orlando international airport had free WiFi.

Anything else, just ask - I am easing myself back into the Dis world.

Thanks so much for that info, we will make sure we have enough for our Orlando part of the trip when we leave NY.

I am just wondering, not being very literate when it comes to all things computers How many hours roughly did you get out of one $20 card? As I just can't think how many MB's or GB's we may need.

 

[Toy Story]

Thanks so much for that info, we will make sure we have enough for our Orlando part of the trip when we leave NY.

I am just wondering, not being very literate when it comes to all things computers How many hours roughly did you get out of one $20 card? As I just can't think how many MB's or GB's we may need.

According to the Virgin card - it says:
$20/250MB + 12 hours (web browsing) or 1 hour video or 25,000 emails (without attachments).

It depends on how you are using it (multiple pages open equals less time), I was checking emails, blogging and google mapping, and checking some websites (Dis), my 17yo was on Facebook, msn instant messaging, checking email and some web browsing, she also streamed some music. We don't think we got 12 hours out of the first 250MB.

It was annoying running out in WDW and not being able to purchase any more.

Hope that helps.

 

[Sugarglider]

Hey Toystory
thank you for all this detailed info - and the heads on getting organised.
I have a week in SoCal B4 going to WDW so I'll get myself organised.

and YAY - Canberrans bothering to go all the way to Florida!!
and then coming back to work in the APS and have them all look strangely at you .............

 

[Toy Story]

Thanks so much for that info, we will make sure we have enough for our Orlando part of the trip when we leave NY.

I am just wondering, not being very literate when it comes to all things computers How many hours roughly did you get out of one $20 card? As I just can't think how many MB's or GB's we may need.

According to the Virgin card - it says:
$20/250MB + 12 hours (web browsing) or 1 hour video or 25,000 emails (without attachments).

It depends on how you are using it (multiple pages open equals less time), I was checking emails, blogging and google mapping, and checking some websites (Dis), my 17yo was on Facebook, msn instant messaging, checking email and some web browsing, she also streamed some music. We don't think we got 12 hours out of the first 250MB.

It was annoying running out in WDW and not being able to purchase any more.

Hope that helps.

 

[Toy Story]

Hey Toystory
thank you for all this detailed info - and the heads on getting organised.
I have a week in SoCal B4 going to WDW so I'll get myself organised.

and YAY - Canberrans bothering to go all the way to Florida!!
and then coming back to work in the APS and have them all look strangely at you .............

I think I had some internal support, two colleagues had been to WDW before - we are thinking of going again in Oct 2011 (well that is my DD12 plans).

Be prepared for a 'weather shock'.

Sorry for going slightly offtopic