Using mobiles in Florida, can we buy sim cards?

[Magical Dreams]

There are a couple of sim cards you can buy that work all over the world, with UK numbers and low call rates.

Check out this link from Play [website link edited]

They're promoting them at the moment.
Also Carphonewarehouse also do one called Mobile World

Don't forget you need a Tri or Quad Band mobile to work in the USA

[florida4sun]

Becareful, it is easy to run up a huge bill. They will charge you a fortune per megabite when in the USA, europe is bad enough I ran up a bill of around £250 in week just getting email. They also charge you for uploading and downloading to, somehwere around £10 per meg.

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by ajackuk
Can I add a question onto this thread, similar theme ?

I have a UK T mobile phone and want to use it for data purposes, it is one of the newer ones with a little keyboard - MDA Vario for those interested. The UK web site says I can use it in the States fine.

The plan is to connect to my email, pull down the mail headers and then disconnect. With the mail items I want to read, I go back online and pull them down.

I want to drop quick mail messages to friends and family back home, and give certain updates to people on items I have been asked to buy, make sure they are OK with prices etc etc.

There appears to be various mobile cariers in Florida, and am not sure which my phone will connect to when I turn it on, but I know how to manually select a network.

The question is this, the villa is in the Indian Ridge development so should I select a specific carrier to get data features, or will any of the available ones allow it?

[/quote]

[rogerdunnaker]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by KevinT
Pamela,
If you go to a T-Mobile USA main dealer in Florida you can buy a sim to use in your UK mobile (provided it's a triband or quad band one). Costs about $50 for a starter pack I think....this also provided some airtime. Bought mine about 3 years ago and once you have got to $100 airtime top ups, the time rolls over and lasts for a year. (Otherwise you lose it after around 45 days). USA sim cards also generally become invalid if you don't top up every so often.
Rather depends how often you intend to be in Florida. We go a couple of times a year and my sim will last for 365 days , then just the minimum $10 top up keeps it active for another year!! (and accumulates to any time left on the phone)
[/quote]

You can only use US SIM cards if your phone is not locked to a provider.

[edlea]

I know this topic originates in 2006.

BUT ......

posters frequently ask about how to keep in touch by phone whilst in the US or to phone home, the best deals, SIM cards etc. etc..
There's a whole thread on this which some important person believes belongs buried deep in the "Shopping" section along with other such vital issues such as buying model trains and Ugg boots.
Surely the whole issue of "communication" whilst in Florida is worthy of a topic heading of its own ?

Or am I in a minority of one ?

http://www.orlando-guide.info/forums/topic_46098.asp

[rogerdunnaker]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by TonyBlenk
We bought PAYG phones over in Florida and they have a digital walkie talkie feature which operates throughout the States.
You can have a perfect conversation over any distance - it costs an additional $1 per day to use the walkie talkie feature.
[/quote]

They are called Boost phones and they are by Nextel, you can get them at WalMart