Author Topic: Prepaid SIM Cards in the USA (Read 536 times)

mora · « **on:** December 28, 2004, 02:17:55 PM »

Do you have them and where are they sold at?

JB73 · « **Reply #1 on:** December 28, 2004, 02:30:50 PM »

what is a SIM card?

for playing online simulators?

mora · « **Reply #2 on:** December 28, 2004, 02:57:51 PM »

The card which goes inside a mobile phone.

mora · « **Reply #3 on:** December 28, 2004, 04:23:41 PM »

No one ever heard of such thing?

I know that you have long distance call cards there(never got one that actually worked). This is a similar thing which you use in your mobile.

JB73 · « **Reply #4 on:** December 28, 2004, 05:16:45 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by mora
The card which goes inside a mobile phone.

all our mobile phones just run on batteries, and the service provider.

there are a few cheapo phones you pre pay for, though i have never met anyone who actually uses one.

with those you purchase a set number of minutes, and the service provider keeps track of them. when you need more you call and give them a credit card number.

dont know about your country, but it is so cheap to have a cell phone, about $20 a month for tons of minutes. most just get a phone in a plan like that.

Roscoroo · « **Reply #5 on:** December 28, 2004, 05:23:10 PM »

we still have prepaid min cards for bolth long distance and mobiles . i still use one when ever i need to use my mobile phone ... but thats pritty rare

Wolf14 · « **Reply #6 on:** December 28, 2004, 05:54:14 PM »

Sim cards for cells are still new I think. I have one on my Nextel and it stores all my contacts and other information. I can take that card out of my phone and have all that information loaded into a new phone. In fact I have 2 phones now and I can swap the sim card I use currently to my other phone. I wont be able to utilize all the features of the other phone cause the one the sim card is mainly programmed for doesnt have all the features of my second phone.

As far as where to get them, go to your service provider and get it there.

lada · « **Reply #7 on:** December 28, 2004, 05:58:13 PM »

hehe try to ask for pay&go at least its term that they use in GB ... they will have them in every little shop with cigerets&news papers. ....

Long distance card is something absolutly diferent mora.
You buy card for $15, there is some local number, whitch you must call and then you will use tone to ID yourself and then dial ...

I think, its same all around the globe isnt it ?

btw if you are going ot US with your cell phone and you want to buy p&g Sim card, just make sure, that your phone working with their [FLAME ON] prehistorical mobile parody [/FLAME OFF]

Nilsen · « **Reply #8 on:** December 28, 2004, 06:04:41 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Wolf14
Sim cards for cells are still new I think. I have one on my Nextel and it stores all my contacts and other information. I can take that card out of my phone and have all that information loaded into a new phone. In fact I have 2 phones now and I can swap the sim card I use currently to my other phone. I wont be able to utilize all the features of the other phone cause the one the sim card is mainly programmed for doesnt have all the features of my second phone.

As far as where to get them, go to your service provider and get it there.

Oh

All cellphones have them here, they dont work without them so i guess you have a different system.

SOB · « **Reply #9 on:** December 28, 2004, 06:38:01 PM »

T-Mobile, Cingular, most AT&T (though not the prepaid, i think), Nextel, & a few regional carriers use GSM here. I'm not sure how it works over there, but I think to do prepaid here, even with a SIM, you'll need to purchase the SIM, activate a prepaid acct with the SIM, then purchase minutes to put on the prepaid acct.

I don't think I've ever seen just a SIM card that you could purchase off the rack that was already activated with minutes on it.

Wolf14 · « **Reply #10 on:** December 28, 2004, 06:52:58 PM »

All the newer phones have them but there are also alot of older phones in use that will still be used for awhile yet. So when somebody gets a phone with a sim card, its a new thing. They just aint real common in this area cause everybody is still using their old phones.

Dinger · « **Reply #11 on:** December 28, 2004, 10:35:50 PM »

GSM was primarily a European standard, and that's why "SIM Card", though they've been around for a long time, is relatively unknown out there.
Also, US carriers are heavily oriented towards charging for airtime, not calls made, and for subscription plans (with credit checks and yearly commitments). So the "pay as you go" approach just isn't popular. That's also why Cellphone market penetration isn't nearly as deep in the US as it is in other civilized countries.

SOB · « **Reply #12 on:** December 28, 2004, 11:20:49 PM »

I don't know, but I would have figured it was the gaps in coverage more than anything. That, combined with the quality of service and price, both of which have improved quite a bit here over the last several years. Also, I think the price for mobile service here is dirt cheap, which is why prepaid isn't that popular...unless you're credit challenged and can't get an account set up without a big deposit, or unless you hardly use the phone. For $40US, you can get a plan with 600 minutes, plus nights and weekends unlimited and calling to/from anywhere in the US. I checked out prices in the UK once and was amazed at how much the mobile service was when you started getting a larger number of minutes combined with free long distance in the country.

SunKing · « **Reply #13 on:** December 28, 2004, 11:28:40 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by JB73
what is a SIM card?

for playing online simulators?

LOL

JB73 · « **Reply #14 on:** December 29, 2004, 01:57:24 AM »

SOB said it best... i would never waste my money on a plan where i dont get 1000 minutes anytime / AND free weekends . nighttime.

i get that for $39 US

80% of my minutes are on weekends, and it makes sence.... i cna't imagine paying for 700 minutes in a "pay as you go" plan