pay as you go mobiles in Florida

[matty624]

I know mobiles have been discussed before, but has anyone bought pay as you go phones in Florida?
We want to buy two so dw and I can occasionally part company in shops etc. If I can't phone her, I know I'll never find her before the credit card melts down, particularly with the good exchange rate currently! Any help?
I'd like to avoid using our tri-band phones, when you consider we could be six feet apart, and the call has to go via the UK!!!
Thanks,
Ian

 

[MalcolmC]

I was looking at them in Walmart a couple of nights ago. I think the cheapest (Nokia) phones were about $50 and the cheapest cards were $20. So its going to be expensive!

What about those naff little walkie-talkies If you only want a range of a couple of miles they should do the trick. I've seen them at $25 for a pair.

 

[bubblefactory]

Can you put USA pay as you go sim cards in UK phones ? Do they have to be Tri -band ?

if you can taking your own mobile and just buying the sim card may be an option.

Anyone able to advise on this please ???

Alec

 

[matty624]

We tried walkie talkies a coiple of years ago, and it may have been the ones we bought, but we found them nearly useless. There was so much interference that you couldn't communicate very well at all.
Those $50 phones you mention, what were the call charges like? Most UK phones are £1/minute sort of rate! (international roaming rates) So x2 $50 phones, especailly when you consider the current exchange rate, may not be so bad...
Ian

 

[BiGGy]

Hi Alex

you do need to have a triband phone for a USA sim card to work in it.

maybe worth paying a visit to carphone warehouse a visit

found this that maybe of help to you

http://www.adam-phones.co.uk/carphonewarehouse/usaphone.htm

rgds

BiGGy

 

[dixie2000]

Is it possible to hire mobile phones at the airport on arrival?

 

[matty624]

You can certainly hire phones from Car rental places. We did a few years ago, but it wasn't cheap, about £60 for two weeks for only one phone. Personally I wouldn't do that now, not if pay as you gos are now available (they weren't back then).
Ian

 

[poohstix]

Another thing you may have to find out is:

Yes you need a tri band phone to use in the USA but also if you are to use a sim card purchased in the US you must make sure your phone is not locked to your service provider.

For example, if you have a contract with Orange you will not be able to use any another sim card in that phone unless it is unlocked. The best way to test this is put another sim card in from say Vodafone and see it it works.

Most network providers will unlock your phone for a price (Around £15 to £30).

I also would be interested if anyone HAS purchased a sim card from the US and used it in their UK phone ?

 

[Fantasia Sam]

I'm bumping this up to find out more info about the wonderful world of mobile phones in the States.

O2 will charge me £1 a minute to call home - but I'd probably use a phone card to do that anyway

45p a minute to receive calls which is more likely to be the case from DBF - which seems OK to me, what do you think?

56p a minute is the killer to call another US number - which is what I'm more likely to be doing.

But then I figure by the time I've laid out £50 for pay as you go phone and £20 for Card I may as well just expect £70 of phone charges for the month on top of what I normally spend - but then the pay as you go option would last me for all my other trips in the US in the future.

Hmmmmm it'sa tough call !