Best mobile phone tactic

[JennyN]

Thanks Sugarglider, you have been a great help. Thanks for your patience.

 

[aussieGeorge68]

Sugarglider and any other mobile knowledgeable peeps - do you mind if I jump in with a few questions also?

If we are only using our iphones to text each other if separated, or in an emergency a quick phone call to each other (not likely to happen often) - would this be our best option? Our iphones are locked phones so I don't think we can put other sims in them.

We would not be using our mobiles for any app usage or internet usage. We will be buying some type of Mobile Broadband device for that.

Or should we just do what we've done in the past and buy cheap prepaid phones when we get there?

Would love opinions.

If you are not going to use iphone features, then I would say get a cheap prepaid. Unlocking the phone and getting the SIM to work is going to be a lot of hassle. If you have a prepaid iphone or don't know how to connect your phone to itunes on a PC or MAC, then I would suggest it will be too hard or expensive for you to use your iphone oversees.

If you are still thinking about using you iphone, then next step is to call your telephone carrier and ask them to unlock your iphone. After they unlock it you will then need to connect it to itunes on your PC or MAC to complete the process. Firstly start up itunes on your computer and allow it to update to the latest version of itunes if required, then connect the iphone to the PC via the cable.

I want high speed data on an iphone 4s so I intend to use this company:
http://www.prepaidsimcard.org
you get to use the fully compatible AT&T network without dealing directly with AT&T, but these SIM cards are 80 Euros! for 30 days (data included).

The T-mobile company has SIMs that will work on an iphone, but only in a basic mode (GSM-edge), there may be some call coverage issues and the data speed will be slower. I think you can get prepaid T-Mobile SIMs from Australia try:
http://www.travelsim.net.au/

Don't deal with AT&T directly, or via a US store. While AT&T has a compatible network, they are not very friendly to travellers and cut off data on iphones with pre-paid plans. Unless you are very technical, don't deal with AT&T directly. It took some of the top apple developers the best part of a day to get an iphone4 working on AT&T prepaid. While its the most cost effective option it seems too hard and risky for me.

 

[marvel]

Good advice from everyone, but do NOT use global roaming on your phone even for texting. As soon as it is turned on you get charged for every call you also receive, so anyone that calls you from Oz will be costing you plenty. And by plenty i don't mean hundreds, it costs thousands.

On a recent trip another aussie poolside went ape at his 8 yr old son for downloading 1 app on his iphone, cost him $1800. no kidding. so if you happen to use any data like google maps on your phone, it will cost a lot.

even just a quick call back home will cost hundreds, it is just crazy. I cannot stress that enough. Global roaming will kill you!

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

Okay okay okay Marvel has suitably scared me lol.

We will buy some cheapy prepaid phones.

So now that that decision is made, would our best bet be to buy online at Bestbuys, along with the broadband wifi internet stick and have them delivered to our WDW resort a few days before we arrive? That way they will be there when we get there? We don't arrive into Orlando until 9.30pm at night, all going to plan so by the time we get to the resort etc after so much travelling it would be good if they were there ready for my husband to activate bwahaha. Last time it was super easy, we flew into NYC, went straight to Bestbuys in Times Square and the guy there activated everything and we were up and running super quick.

 

[WAMUMOF4]

Okay okay okay Marvel has suitably scared me lol.

We will buy some cheapy prepaid phones.

So now that that decision is made, would our best bet be to buy online at Bestbuys, along with the broadband wifi internet stick and have them delivered to our WDW resort a few days before we arrive? That way they will be there when we get there? We don't arrive into Orlando until 9.30pm at night, all going to plan so by the time we get to the resort etc after so much travelling it would be good if they were there ready for my husband to activate bwahaha. Last time it was super easy, we flew into NYC, went straight to Bestbuys in Times Square and the guy there activated everything and we were up and running super quick.

Have you still got those phones?
We kept ours and we can just go online and recharge them.
I used net10 we could call Aus for 5 cents a min you did have to call or activate that bit online.

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

Have you still got those phones?
We kept ours and we can just go online and recharge them.
I used net10 we could call Aus for 5 cents a min you did have to call or activate that bit online.

Nah I think we just tossed them . Bummer.

 

[Aust]

My global roaming charges were ok last year, I only had $30 credit on my phone before we left and came home with most of that still - but I don't have internet on my phone and I just sent a few text messages mainly to my MIL (who was in Thailand with her phone on global roaming also).

Think I will bar my husband from taking his phone at all, he's the one who would be racking up the huge charges checking in on Facebook etc.

My killer was making a phone call to my husband back home on the credit card pay phones in the hotel lobby, 15 minutes cost me $90!

 

[Mum from oz]

Here what I have done:

Went to Target in the USA and got Tracfone per paid cheap phones with sim cards. Cost about $15 plus credit. Very cheap and easy option.

This year I took my iPhone. I am a little obsessed with it so I went with the T-Mobile sim card from Travelgear. I also purchased the $60 credit for one month. It cost less that $100. This has gotten me:
Unlimited phone calls to US landlines and mobile numbers
Unlimited Texts to US numbers
Free calls to AUSSIE landlines
33c min calls to Aussie mobiles (you will need to buy more credit either from Travelgear or even any 7 eleven type place.

I activated in about five minutes using Sydney airports free wi fi. Once in LA I put in my sim card (don't forget the iPhone sim tray unlock tool/or use a paper clip!) and it worked straight away.

I have been using it for Facebook, checking it out and checking in everywhere. Using it for browsing the net, checking email, Googleing places etc. I have also been using the WDW app for touring plans and line. I have absolutely loved this option and would use it again n a heartbeat.

 

[becpee]

This year I took my iPhone. I am a little obsessed with it so I went with the T-Mobile sim card from Travelgear. I also purchased the $60 credit for one month. It cost less that $100. This has gotten me:
Unlimited phone calls to US landlines and mobile numbers
Unlimited Texts to US numbers
Free calls to AUSSIE landlines
33c min calls to Aussie mobiles (you will need to buy more credit either from Travelgear or even any 7 eleven type place.

I activated in about five minutes using Sydney airports free wi fi. Once in LA I put in my sim card (don't forget the iPhone sim tray unlock tool/or use a paper clip!) and it worked straight away.

I have been using it for Facebook, checking it out and checking in everywhere. Using it for browsing the net, checking email, Googleing places etc. I have also been using the WDW app for touring plans and line. I have absolutely loved this option and would use it again n a heartbeat.

Sounds like a plan

 

[battymum]

We used the travelgear sim last year in an Iphone - no problems - it also has unlimited data - and unlimited international texts, which Mum from Oz didnt mention - a bit slow, couldnt upload photos to facebook at all - but was able to keep in touch. My DD16 spent the entire trip with it glued to her hand - hang on, she spends her entire life with it glued to her hand

We paid for it, and made a couple of calls back home to our parents, so I guess that made it expensive per call for us, but DD was never out of touch with her mates.

We only had one, so relied on the old fashioned way of picking a meeting place - we all came home together, so you can still manage that way.

 

[alicia1506]

Here what I have done:

Went to Target in the USA and got Tracfone per paid cheap phones with sim cards. Cost about $15 plus credit. Very cheap and easy option.

This year I took my iPhone. I am a little obsessed with it so I went with the T-Mobile sim card from Travelgear. I also purchased the $60 credit for one month. It cost less that $100. This has gotten me:
Unlimited phone calls to US landlines and mobile numbers
Unlimited Texts to US numbers
Free calls to AUSSIE landlines
33c min calls to Aussie mobiles (you will need to buy more credit either from Travelgear or even any 7 eleven type place.

I activated in about five minutes using Sydney airports free wi fi. Once in LA I put in my sim card (don't forget the iPhone sim tray unlock tool/or use a paper clip!) and it worked straight away.

I have been using it for Facebook, checking it out and checking in everywhere. Using it for browsing the net, checking email, Googleing places etc. I have also been using the WDW app for touring plans and line. I have absolutely loved this option and would use it again n a heartbeat.

definitely sounds like a plan... we are planning on upgrading our phones to the new samsung galaxy s2 ... not sure yet if we'll get the tablets, or whether we'll just use the phones and skype through them...

 

[Yvie]

Great info in this thread! Just what I needed to know!

 

[Sugarglider]

Sorry Ms. Shuttergirl - I seem to have completely missed this thread for an entire week!
I was going to ask - have you got any old mobile phones still hanging around that you can use?
(Or have you done the correct thing and put them in a mobile phone recycling bin?!? Can you tell I work for the environment dept?)

OK - so I took the Samsung Galaxy SII and a TravelGear sim card for T Mobile - everything worked fine. I also had a data sim card from T Mobile for my Samsung Galaxy Tablet - worked fine too.

the Travel Gear site and article links I posted before suggested that iPhone users would be better off on AT&T - but I am aware of other posters who have noted that AT&T service seems crappy and people had an OK time on the travel gear sim cards.

Re: the locked and unlocked for sim swapping thing - I am on an Optus POST paid plan and the phone came unlocked and Optus said they only lock PRE paid plans. My suspicion is that it would be the same for Telstra and others.

I find all this astonishingly confusing and can wonder for the poor US citizens who have multiple phone systems to navigate!

 

[ExcitedSam]

So the T-mobile sound like a good option, but I also wanted to be able to contact DH on the odd occasion we get separated (at the parks!) don't want to spend a lot buying another T-mobile package, would the pre paid US phone be the way to go? Or would just texting him occasionally on his Aussie ph be ok?

 

[Andona]

I just thought I'd bump this up for anyone planning to but a sim in the USA and use it in their Telstra iPhone 4s.

These phones are locked to Telstra when you buy them on a plan ( even on a post-paid plan) so you have to go through the process of getting them unlocked before you go. Telstra support are woeful on providing correct information on this.

First you'll need to call them and ask them to process the unlock request with Apple. They MUST have your phone's IMEI number to put this though.

Then you have to wait 72 hours and go through a Backup/Restore to Factory Settings/Restore from Backup through iTunes before the unlock will go through. The Telstra people will tell you that you only need to sync with iTunes but that isn't true

If the process works correctly you'll get a message through iTunes that says "Congratulations, your phone has been unlocked" . After that you can test it out with a sim from another telco.

Now I just have to decide what sim to get in the USA

Andona

 

[areweindisneyyet]

In December we used the Travel Gear Sim cards, one normal and one for the new IPhone 4s.

For the IPhone, I rang Telstra to unlock which was done no problem, synced phone and we inserted the SIM at home the night before we left and we got welcome to TMobile with roaming rates of using TMobile in Australia. We used the $60 plan for my phone and diverted my business phone to our landline so I could check messages to free using the free call to Australian landlines. I used Line Apps (as you would Christmas Day in DL), facebook, email etc.. as I normally would and used 80% of the months credit in three weeks. Got the msg waiting at the gate at LAX to fly home.

DH go the $30 plan for his phone to use when separated and he had 1500 minutes on this. A text is a minute.

Really simple, my only tip was to turn the phones to silent at night as sometimes you get calls as they recycle numbers. We entered the new phone numbers into our address books as Travel Phone and as noone else had the numbers we knew when to answer and when to ignore.

Will definitely use again. In fact, the stay active as long as you purchase credit every 12 months. The instructions from Travel Gear are also really clear and deep.

 

[Andona]

In December we used the Travel Gear Sim cards, one normal and one for the new IPhone 4s.

For the IPhone, I rang Telstra to unlock which was done no problem, synced phone and we inserted the SIM at home the night before we left and we got welcome to TMobile with roaming rates of using TMobile in Australia. We used the $60 plan for my phone and diverted my business phone to our landline so I could check messages to free using the free call to Australian landlines. I used Line Apps (as you would Christmas Day in DL), facebook, email etc.. as I normally would and used 80% of the months credit in three weeks. Got the msg waiting at the gate at LAX to fly home.

I had 95% decided to buy the TRavelgear T-mobile sim but your post has sold me the extra 5% I'm particularly pleased that you were able to use the Lines app etc with your T-Mobile coverage. I'd been a bit concerned that you only get Edge/2G data speeds with them but it sounds like it's plenty for the apps

I'm thinking I'll get their AT&T sim for my iPad too.

Andona

 

[ExcitedSam]

How far in advance do you need to get your phone unlocked? And on that how long does it take to get the traveler sim? We go in just under 8 weeks, so thinking about all these things now.

 

[Andona]

How far in advance do you need to get your phone unlocked? And on that how long does it take to get the traveler sim? We go in just under 8 weeks, so thinking about all these things now.

Telstra said the unlock could take up to 72 hours from my phone call. Travelgear ship using Australia Post so it probably just takes a few days (areweindisneyyet ca probably say how quickly theirs came??)

We go in 6 weeks and I'll probably wait a few more weeks before ordering my sim.

Andona

 

[areweindisneyyet]

Telstra said the unlock could take up to 72 hours from my phone call. Travelgear ship using Australia Post so it probably just takes a few days (areweindisneyyet ca probably say how quickly theirs came??)

We go in 6 weeks and I'll probably wait a few more weeks before ordering my sim.

Andona

Phone unlocking was almost instant. They say 72 hours just to give them room to move.

I think I purchased about 5 weeks before we left. The ship from VIC and Express Post was an option.

Did not notice a massive difference with the internet speed on the phone. Perhaps with photos. I am quite inpatient with slow computers so the fact that I dont remember being frustrated says it all. We used it in Hawaii in Honolulu and at Aulani, in LA and around Disneyland.

I got the advice from someone else here on the Aussie Disboards. Wonderful people we have here/