Iphone and Carrier questions

[HappyFingers]

Hello (maybe i should of said giday )

we will be visiting in a couple of months and both my wife and i have iphones
we were hoping to still be able to use them by buying prepaid sim cards when we get there, then letting our familys know what the new numbers are

we will be landing in los angeles and im just curious
is there a place in the airport where we can get prepaid sims
and what company is the best choice for prepaid sim
if we could get one that still allows us to surf the net reasonably cheaply that would be great

it would need to be country wide as we are going to the other side of the country about a week later

cheers and thanks

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

One, make sure it's unlocked. If not all bets are off.

Two, good luck. Unlike other parts of the world in the US we sell "locked phones" MOST providers will only sell you a phone with a 2 year contract. This is going to be tough....

There isn't anyplace that I have ever seen at LAX (and I am there every few weeks)

Would you consider a cheap "pre paid" phone instead. YOu can go to a WalMart and pick one up, then you just top off everytime you need to.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

You might want to purchase these before your trip. Do a Google search for prepaid sim cards for iPhone. And as mentioned, you will need an unlocked phone.

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=706167

I agree that the simplest plan might be to get a cheap pre-paid phone.

it would need to be country wide as we are going to the other side of the country about a week later

That won't be a problem.

if we could get one that still allows us to surf the net reasonably cheaply that would be great

Even with your iPhone in airplane mode or no sim card, you can still surf the net if you can use a wi-fi connection.

 

[PhillyMc]

I assume your iPhones are the GSM version and are carrier unlocked (either through jailbreak & unlock, or from the carrir). If they are unlocked you can purchase a prepaid sim card from AT&T. They are the major carrier of GSM phones and your phone will work on their network. The only other option would to buy a prepaid sim for T-mobile but their network does not support 3g for the iPhone so you would have slower data rates.