Aussie phones in the USA

[battymum]

I bought a Tmobile one from travelgear.com.au this morning - They had them in stock and I paid extra to have it express posted - Hopefully it will arrive tomorrow or Monday.
In the end it cost me $103 for the sim, + credit and express post. Which is a lot to pay for a couple of phone calls home. I made DD pay half - (I am a mean mum,)but she will get her moneys worth out of it!

We would have done without!

 

[Franrose]

I might ring them tomorrow then. Did their website say a 7-10 day lead time when you looked? Maybe you guys have bought the last of their stock

I'm tempted to buy over the net (if poss with an Aus CC) and have delivered to our hotel, then cut down to size ourselves. We'd need two sims really so if possible, that would save us some dosh.

 

[battymum]

I rang them - their website did say 7-10days - but they said that they now had stock and they give priority to people that are travelling soon.

 

[Franrose]

Cool pyjamas, and thanks. Guess I'll ring them in the morning, I've called T-mobile and the Aus credit card is an issue, I don't have my travelcard yet, and I don't fancy a 5 mile round trip walk to a T-mobile store on the day we arrive!

 

[kylieh]

I rang them - their website did say 7-10days - but they said that they now had stock and they give priority to people that are travelling soon.

I bought a Tmobile one from travelgear.com.au this morning - They had them in stock and I paid extra to have it express posted - Hopefully it will arrive tomorrow or Monday.
In the end it cost me $103 for the sim, + credit and express post. Which is a lot to pay for a couple of phone calls home. I made DD pay half - (I am a mean mum,)but she will get her moneys worth out of it!

We would have done without!

I might ring them tomorrow then. Did their website say a 7-10 day lead time when you looked? Maybe you guys have bought the last of their stock

I'm tempted to buy over the net (if poss with an Aus CC) and have delivered to our hotel, then cut down to size ourselves. We'd need two sims really so if possible, that would save us some dosh.

I rang yesterday too - the guy told me they just had new stock arrive and should be enough for them month, order and I won't have any problems. We also got the card with the $60 monthly fee.

On the APNs - this is a telco term (at least my telco) Using jargon is a no-no! If any of you get stuck give me a pm and I can refer you through to someone locally if it's with the same Telco I work for!

 

[Franrose]

We'll have to swap numbers when we have them perhaps... I mean, all this unlimited credit and nobody to call, that wouldn't be any good!

 

[Sugarglider]

I've got a slightly different question - I am interested in getting a laptop stick USB 3g modem. I don't need one of the card ones cause there is only me and my laptop.
I am wondering if anyone knows of one in which the sim card can be changed - so I buy a random modem and then can stick a US data simcard in whilst there, and then come home and use it here.
OR does anyone have a lead to a cheapish modem?
Just wondering about the value of paying big bucks for a modem that I can only use in the US for 2 weeks.

 

[jessiegirl84]

Thanks so much for the information about the pre-paid sim card! Sounds really great! Off to go and check it out

 

[battymum]

My sim card arrived today, although there is no way to tell if it works until we get there.

It is good to be able to give a contact number to people before we go.

 

[Franrose]

Sheesh, that was quick! Guess I need to go check my post box on Monday then!

I guess you'd have to activate it now to check it

Did you get a cool number? I have a thing for cool numbers, really hoping I'll get one

 

[battymum]

no certainly not an easy one to remember! and then you have to put 00111 in front!!

Do you remember when you knew all your mates phone numbers off by heart!!

 

[Travel Mum]

Battymum and Fran, are your travel cards something like this?:

http://www.travelsim.net.au/

We can get these here in N.Z. now so that's what I'm looking at getting.

 

[battymum]

Travel mum, I didnt look too closely at that one, (I didnt want to see if it were a better deal)
The one we got was T-mobile $50 for unlimited talk, text and data, plus an additional $10 for unlimited international (landlines) and text. Although I am not sure if New Zealand was included in the list of international destinations.

 

[Travel Mum]

Battymum, can you please give me the link of your's and I'll have a look?

 

[battymum]

http://www.travelgear.com.au/c/SIMUS/USA+SIM+cards

There you go!

 

[kylieh]

http://www.travelgear.com.au/c/SIMUS/USA+SIM+cards

There you go!

That's the one I ended up ordering as well.

 

[Travel Mum]

That's the one I ended up ordering as well.

So Battymum and Kylie, did you end up getting this instead of getting prepaid phones in the U.S.?

 

[battymum]

I got this for DD's Iphone so that we can use it for internet as well.

We will probably pick up a prepaid phone when we get there, but unless we come across one in DFW we may wait until our shopping day on Thursday.

We will have to use the old fashioned method of determining a meeting place and time should we seperate in the parks.

 

[Franrose]

I got the travelgear/T-mobile one too. They will post to NZ Travelmum, so maybe check it out? V. handy if you have a smart phone. After reading about t-mobile here I researched it to death, lol (how the companies work over there, who does what). It's cheaper to buy the T-mobile card in the US of course, but for us (without a car) much easier to have it before we go than try and walk to a store. It's basically like a contract-phone month, except there's no contract so if you don't by subsequent months (30 day periods rather than actual calendar months kwim) as the current one ticks over, the number just ends up disconnecting. Perfect!

We did one sim with the $60 unlimited domestic/international calls, text and web, and one sim with the $30 plan that has 1500 domestic calls and texts on it and a little bit of web. So one phone will be our 'main' contact to home or on the 'net or whatever, but we'll be able to keep in contact with each other easily too with the second cheaper plan on our second phone.

If you don't need data (internet) though, many of the other providers will be fine.

 

[Franrose]

Hmm, have tried this phone unlocking business and no message in itunes. My US sim hasn't turned up yet so I can't check... please Telstra, don't stuff this up!