Brief visit to US
 

My wife is visiting the US for approx 16 days in Sep/Oct.

We have unlocked HTC Desires in Australia.

I have looked and seems like the AT&T GoPhone pay as you go plans are the go - probably the $2 daily plan with a data package.

https://www.paygonline.com/websc/rat...ateplan_en.jsp

So can she walk into any AT&T store and sign up and get a SIM? She has a SSN if that's important.

Yes, she can walk into an AT&T store and get a sim no need for SSN or anything. Better yet, she can get a sim/cheap phone package at one of the many stores, walmart, kmart, radioshack, target, etc. Same thing with Tmobile. Also, tmobile has the $1.49/day unlimited data package.

You should be able to get the SIMs at lots of places besides AT&T stores, such as Walmart and Target.

One thing to watch: if you buy the cheap phone + SIM package with AT&T, the SIM is locked to that phone for awhile (six months?). I understand you can activate them in a different phone but then it will be locked to that phone for the six months. (If the SIM gets locked to a phone, it simply won't work with any other phones until the lock expires.)

I think you'll find in the US that it's not that simple to get just a SIM starter pack and that you'll most likely not be able to get one at Walmart or Target. If you want a starter pack you'll need to go to a corporate store. Walmart and Target do sell prepaid phones with starter kits in the package, but not just a starter pack by itself. It's not like Europe where you can go to any corner store and buy a starter pack.

As 'Telekom' says. You will NOT find SIM starter kits at non cell phone stores.

You might have to buy the cheapest phone to get a SIM at a Walmart or a Target type store. Best Buy might have SIMs available. But unless you are right next to one you have better things to do with your time.

Have you considered Tru? They have 'home' rates for US and Austrailia [and the UK] without a monthly charge [now] and can be kept alive for future use by using it every 90 days.

Thanks - seems the data plans are new - no $25 data plan for mobiles. Any reason an "iPad" data plan won't work for a smartphone (I don't understand data plans specific to devices????).

http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-pho...nect-plans.jsp

It might work in a smartphone, but it won't support voice calls. Don't think of it as an iPad plan, think of it as a plan for tablet devices that don't need voice access.

(I've not tried it in a phone - I can't right now since I'm in Canada - but Rogers' iPad plan doesn't work at all in phones so it wouldn't surprise me if AT&T's doesn't either.)

So what are the options for a data plan add on to a smart phone? I don't see a $25 pack ...... is 5gb for $60 the only option?