Source
r/PAX•
8bitsoul

International Travel Phones

WEST

I searched for anything that has to do with phones but didn't find anything so I figured I'd make this.

I'm going to Prime this year and and I wanted to know the best ways to get cell service for the week that I'll be in the US. I remember that from previous years any wifi is spotty because of the sheer amount of people that are trying to use it at the same time. International Roaming plans in Canadaland are overpriced for the amount that you get so I figure that it would be best to get a new SIM for my phone while Im there.

Any tips for people like me?

Posted Jun 12, 2017, 12:46 AM UTC

815
WinDroidGuy•

Depends on how much you want to spend, all 3 major carriers have prepaid plans which start at $30 for unlimited talk/text & a bucket of data. Downtown Seattle your best bet is Verizon, you'll pay a little extra & will have coverage almost anywhere you travel. I've streamed on Periscope last 3 years without issues.

4
TechIsCool•

T-Mobile is most likely your best chance of having global coverage depending on where you're coming from.

3
yeah568•

T-Mobile has a dedicated tourist plan that lasts up to 3 weeks with 2GB of LTE. You do need to get it shipped to a US address (although it may be possible to go.to a store to pick up the SIM package.)

There's also Roam Mobility for Canadians, and they do plans by the day. They give you an American phone number and ship the SIM to you before you go.

3
loonyeclipse•

Actually, there's one option for Canada that you can get in canada that's not ridiculous (I use it myself):

Roam Mobility

You swap out your sim card, and it's about $5 CAD a day for unlimited call, text and unlimited data per day.

3
bagelnz•

This. Been using Roam every year since 2013, and they work great.

1
Logain86•

Also, all 3 major canadian carriers do things like Rogers Roam like Home, etc. Who are you with?

2
8bitsoulOP•

I'm with virgin. To get a roaming pack from them with talk text and some data is $40 extra. that's 200 mins, unlimited talk and 200MB of data.

1
Logain86•

what plan?

http://www.virginmobile.ca/en/features/features-summary.html?itcid=NAV:70&dType=deviceType_ROAM

1
8bitsoulOP•

These are the options that I get from them.

1
imguralbumbot•

^(Hi, I'm a bot for linking direct images of albums with only 1 image)

https://i.imgur.com/aqLDk7K.jpg

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1
Logain86•

how old is your plan, you should be able to get their Roam Sweet Roam

1
okeefe•

I found T-Mobile's coverage to be spotty in parts of the Convention Center. Some of the free tabletop rooms had zero bars and either no or nonworking wifi.

2
ggrrqq•

I've had zero issues with them - is your phone an older model? It might not support their band 12 LTE.

1
okeefe•

iPhone SE, which supports band 12. It may have more do to with the construction of the convention center.

1