# Prepaid SIM for America **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 21, 2023, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prepaid-sim-for-america/987369 "2023-07-21T23:44:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2023, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prepaid-sim-for-america/987369/1 "2023-07-21T23:44:41Z")
I’m taking my children to America for three weeks and am looking at prepaid SIM cards. Does anyone have any experience with this and any recommendations? I’ll be doing a road trip, so I’ll need GPS, which seems to require a fair amount of data. Next question, how is a good way of calculating how much data is needed? Are there prepaid SIM cards with unlimited data? ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2023, 9:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prepaid-sim-for-america/987369/2 "2023-07-22T09:54:44Z")
Have you considered checking with the car rental agency to see what plans they have for navigation services that come with the car rental? That way you don’t have to worry about the cell phone data bill. I just did a quick search and it seems that there are a few outfits selling prepaid SIM cards with unlimited data. I don’t know one way or the other how good they are. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2023, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prepaid-sim-for-america/987369/3 "2023-07-22T10:26:41Z")
Thanks! I did arrange for a navigation system for the car, so that will at least get me places. I’ve been reading more about eSIMS and it looks like that may be the way to go. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2023, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prepaid-sim-for-america/987369/4 "2023-07-22T11:57:29Z")
Can you pre-download all the street maps in advance? Then you will not have to rely on a SIM with unlimited data, or indeed any data. > [@TokyoBayer](#): > > Next question, how is a good way of calculating how much data is needed? OpenStreetMap for all of North America is 12.7 GB here: [https://download.geofabrik.de/](https://download.geofabrik.de/) If you click on it you will see that USA is 9.1 GB, then it goes down if you only grab subregions or states, e.g., Midwest is 1.8 GB. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2023, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prepaid-sim-for-america/987369/5 "2023-07-22T12:14:22Z")
Wouldn’t help with traffic data, though. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2023, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prepaid-sim-for-america/987369/6 "2023-07-22T12:18:35Z")
I would recommend Boost, SimpleMobile, or ATT. I’m not sure how easy it would be to have a sim shipped internationally. You might want to get the sim once you are in America. Go to a store like Walmart or Target and they will have a few to choose from. Unlimited data may be anywhere from $25-$50/mo depending on which service you use and which signup deal you get. When you setup the sim, you’ll also setup an account. You might want to be in a place where you can use your laptop with wifi so you can do the signup on the laptop rather than the phone. One thing about the sims in America is that they are just used to setup your account. They typically don’t have a plan associated with them. You have to pick which plan you want to have associated with your sim. From what I remember, international sims often have data bundled with them as a packaged deal, like 5GB of data for 3 months. I’m not sure if I’ve seen those in America. In America, the prepaid sim just enables your phone to connect to the network. You have do some additional stuff to setup your account to say what kind of plan your sim will have. Here’s the prepaid sim kits you’ll typically find at a Target store: > **[Prepaid Sim : Target](https://www.target.com/s?searchTerm=prepaid%2Bsim&facetedValue=5zl7w&moveTo=product-list-grid)** > > Shop Target for prepaid sim you will love at great low prices. Choose from Same Day Delivery, Drive Up or Order Pickup plus free shipping on orders $35+. ---
**Author:** ![Danger\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6de8d8/32.png) [@Danger\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danger_Man)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2023, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prepaid-sim-for-america/987369/7 "2023-07-23T03:55:55Z")
Have you checked with your current provider if you can buy a data package for the US? ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2023, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prepaid-sim-for-america/987369/8 "2023-07-23T04:07:12Z")
Not unlimited, but I am using data from Airalo for the second time. > **[Airalo is my go-to service for purchasing mobile data whenever I travel abroad...](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/airalo-esim)** > > Staying connected while you’re traveling internationally is important. That’s why we like the ease of Airalo’s eSIM services. Read our full review here. Far cheaper than anything from my own provider in Switzerland. It was recommended by other Swiss residents who travel to the US. ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2023, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prepaid-sim-for-america/987369/9 "2023-07-23T10:44:21Z")
I’ve used Airalo and Ubigi with equal success and at a fraction of the cost of roaming with my provider. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2023, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prepaid-sim-for-america/987369/10 "2023-07-23T12:37:10Z")
> [@Die\_Capacitrix](#): > > Far cheaper than anything from my own provider in Switzerland. It was recommended by other Swiss residents who travel to the US. > [@FinsToTheLeft](#): > > I’ve used Airalo and Ubigi with equal success and at a fraction of the cost of roaming with my provider. Thank you!! After I made the OP, I did further research and looked at Airalo. I will go with that! ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2023, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prepaid-sim-for-america/987369/11 "2023-07-23T13:57:22Z")
> [@ekedolphin](#): > > Wouldn’t help with traffic data, though. Garmin Nuvi’s have had LMT - Lifetime Traffic & Maps for years now ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2023, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prepaid-sim-for-america/987369/12 "2023-07-24T16:02:06Z")
> [@Danger\_Man](#): > > Have you checked with your current provider if you can buy a data package for the US? I agree with @Danger_Man . Most cell phone providers have relationships with providers in other countries which permit their phones to be used on that particular countries network for a small fee. I use AT&T and wherever I travel outside the US it only costs me $10/day to use my phone on another countries network, which includes text data and 5G service. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2023, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prepaid-sim-for-america/987369/13 "2023-07-24T16:09:08Z")
Paying AT&T ten bucks a day might be the most convenient option, but I suspect a pre-paid SIM overseas might be cheaper. Though perhaps the AT&T service allows people to call you at the same number you use in the US? ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2023, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prepaid-sim-for-america/987369/14 "2023-07-24T16:09:50Z")
Yes, my numbers are good anywhere. ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2023, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prepaid-sim-for-america/987369/15 "2023-07-24T18:25:01Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > I use AT&T and wherever I travel outside the US it only costs me $10/day to use my phone on another countries network, which includes text data and 5G service. My Canadian provider charges me $14/day to roam in the US and $16/day everywhere else. I bought an eSIM to use when I was in Italy in March. Instead of paying $192 for 12 days, I paid $17. Multiply this by 4 phones (wife and kids) and I saved $750. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2023, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prepaid-sim-for-america/987369/16 "2023-07-24T19:49:54Z")
We’ve done the $10/day plan, usually only on one of our phones when traveling, but it adds up for a week. With this we can do both phones for 1/3 the price of one phone on the company plan. This seems like a no brainer for us. ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2023, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prepaid-sim-for-america/987369/17 "2023-07-26T04:03:37Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > I use AT&T and wherever I travel outside the US it only costs me $10/day to use my phone on another countries network, which includes text data and 5G service. I paid $11.00 for 3GB for 30 days, which is a lot cheaper than $300.00 for the same 30 days. I’m actually in the U.S. for 38 days, so I’m also using the 100MB of roaming which is included in my plan. Coincidentally my contract year ends at the end of July, so I‘ll get another 100MB before I go back to Switzerland. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2023, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prepaid-sim-for-america/987369/18 "2023-07-26T05:26:06Z")
I was in Italy and did the same $10/day from my cell provider. They also had a $100/month option (better if you are staying more than 10 days). The advantage is unlimited data and calling. No fuss. 3GB is not a whole lot of data and you have to be really careful to manage your data usage. I prefer not to have to think about it but it is more expensive. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2023, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prepaid-sim-for-america/987369/19 "2023-07-28T02:21:56Z")
> [@Danger\_Man](#): > > Have you checked with your current provider if you can buy a data package for the US? I did and docomo charges 1980 yen per day, which $14.65 at the current exchage rate. For 21 days, that’s US$322, which is more than I wanted to pay. I would up going with Airalo, and paying $42 for 20 GB for 30 days, which can be topped up as needed. If I stay within 20 GB it will save me $280. We’re staying with family, friends and at places with wifi so I think I should be good. I rented a dedicated GPS car navigation for $10 for the rental. Thanks everyone for your comments and suggestions. ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2023, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prepaid-sim-for-america/987369/20 "2023-07-28T23:43:37Z")
AT&T’s international day pass charges are $10/day with a maximum of $100 per billing cycle. A second line on the same account is only $5/day: > Pay $10 for the first 24 hours of coverage - only on the days you use it. Use any additional lines on your account on the same day for just $5 per day. Never pay for more than 10 days per bill. > You will only be charged a maximum of 10 days per line each bill cycle, even if you stay longer! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prepaid-sim-for-america/987369.md?page=2)