So I was in the States this past weekend and I had made a post before about How to Avoid Roaming Charges while in the USA. I said how much better it was, so of course I was going to test it out for myself. Once I was at the border and waiting in line obviously, I popped out my Fido sim card and put my T-Mobile sim in. Now I was set to go and make as many calls and texts that I wanted.
Texts sent - 30 @ $.10 each
Texts sent - 30 at $.60 each - $18
Texts received - 10 - I believe it is still free to receive texts while roaming, if not it will just cost that much more.
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One Ping to “Using T-Mobile instead of paying roaming charges really works”
18 Responses to “Using T-Mobile instead of paying roaming charges really works”
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1. Anonymous Says:
March 25th, 2008 at 3:44 pmDid you buy the initial t mobile sim to go card from tmobile kiosk or ebay?
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2. ruffdeezy Says:
March 26th, 2008 at 7:02 amI bought 2 off ebay. One was already activated, cost $8 and came with 150 minutes on it. It had a Los Angeles phone # assigned to it. Then I bought a prepaid activation kit with came with the sim card and an activation code which I activated myself over the phone. Didn’t have to give any personal details or talk to anyone. If you buy them in the store, it costs more so I would just get it from ebay.
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3. Anonymous Says:
March 27th, 2008 at 3:51 amthanks a lot ruffdeezy
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4. cedarman Says:
June 17th, 2008 at 7:54 amSorry, dumb question here….why can’t you use an AT&T SIM card? Will it lock the iphone or something? I have an AT&T SIM that came with my iphone, purchased in the U.S., unlocked etc., to use in Canada on Rogers. (I live in Canada)
I am going to be in New York City for a week in early July, what type of SIM would you buy…..T-Mobile?….also what Value would work best if I travel to the states fairly occasionally?
Your answers are REALLY appreciated…thanks!
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5. ruffdeezy Says:
June 17th, 2008 at 8:05 amHey,
You can use and AT&T sim card, I just chose to go with T-mobile because they have better options. The cheapest refill card on T-mobile is $10 and expires after 90 days where on AT&T the cheapest is $15 and expires after 30 days. I posted about setting up a prepaid account for AT&T go phone here http://www.iphoneuser.ca/2008/05/another-way-to-avoid-roaming-charges-in-the-usa/If you are just going to the States for a week, I would buy a T-mobile card that is already activated from ebay. It’s usually $10 for 150 mins. You would have to use it withing 2 months though but should be perfect for one trip. If you go a lot, I would get a prepaid activation kit and get your own account with your own # so you can continually refill it before you go. You could just refill the preactivated one but I like to have the area code of the place I usually go.
Thanks for reading, glad you like it -
6. cedarman Says:
June 17th, 2008 at 10:51 amHey ruffdeezy….. hey, Thnx for the great info!
I am going to buy a 150 Min TMobile card off ebay, like you suggested. I am hoping to have my regular phone # forwarded to the new TMobile number….does that sound like it will work?
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7. ruffdeezy Says:
June 17th, 2008 at 10:59 amYep that will work, just make sure that’s included in your current plan otherwise they may charge you
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8. nigglesworth Says:
July 14th, 2008 at 2:43 pmI work in the states all the time and bought a t-mobile sim card and topped it up with the 100$-1000 minute option. This means that the number does not expire for a year. This is a considerable savings over the roaming I was paying before. I just use this sim when I am in the states (10-15 times a year) and I always have the same number!
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9. ruffdeezy Says:
July 14th, 2008 at 2:53 pmIt’s the best. One of the best things about having an unlocked GSM phone. I would never pay them 1.50 plus for roaming per minute. I don’t mind having another # for when I’m in the States.
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10. anonymous Says:
August 17th, 2008 at 1:40 ami live in canada but i want to buy a sidekick .. if i get a sidekick, should i put in a rogers or t-mobile SIM card if i am planning to go to rogers??
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11. kolz Says:
August 17th, 2008 at 2:33 amhey can i use the prepaid thing with iphone 3g i bought from fido? (i dont know about unlock)
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12. ruffdeezy Says:
August 17th, 2008 at 5:55 pmYou could if you use the turbosim or similar unlock method, there is no software unlock for the iPhone 3G right now.
http://www.ehphone.ca/2008/08/iphone3g-unlock/ -
13. ruffdeezy Says:
August 17th, 2008 at 5:55 pm@ anon
If you get an unlocked sidekick, it will work in Canada when you put your rogers sim in it. -
14. dhunter13 Says:
August 27th, 2008 at 9:29 pmGood evening,
I have a BlackBerry 8820 and I work in fulltime in the US. Does the prepaid T-mobile SIM card that comes with the $10 starter kit allow for data for BlackBerry or is it only voice?
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15. ruffdeezy Says:
August 27th, 2008 at 9:31 pmit’s voice only
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16. audra26551 Says:
December 15th, 2008 at 1:07 amHi, I’ve purchased 2 T-mobile pay by day sim cards from eBay, one for my 2G and one for my husband’s 3G. We’ve read here about just changing the sim when you get to the border, but how do you get your address book, iCal, etc.synced?
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17. Jeremy Says:
March 18th, 2009 at 3:41 pmAfter the refill, your sim card is good for 90 days which is the expiry date. But when 90 days pass, would you still be able to activate (or refill) the sim card? Is the sim card still usable?
I travel to the U.S. about 5 times a year and tired of paying those ridiculous roaming rates!
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18. nancy Says:
June 28th, 2009 at 4:18 pmhi! i will spend 6 months in the states.. i have a unlock blackberry and i want to keep using this phone …don’t want to use the cheap phone that they offer with a pay as you go. witch company is the best ? i wont have a phone at home so i’m trying to find a cheap way ….any suggestions ?
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September 28th, 2008 at 5:27 am
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