Looking for a USA / Caribean SIM card for my phone

[ProDave]

Early in the new year we are going to the USA and then onto a cruise to the Caribean.

Our UK phones and their contracts only cover EU roaming with horendous looking charges in other countries.

So thinking it should be possible to buy in advance a PAYG USA SIM with a sensible amount of credit to cover 2 weeks use in the USA and Caribean. That would give us a USA phone number for the trip and being PAYG would just not get used or topped up again on our return.

Any advice? buy here in advance? Or is the sort of thing you can buy at the airport on arrival? buy in advance seems attractive if you are able to know what your phone number will be in advance?

 

[colind3782]

Does your phone support Esim? If yes you can download a local sim to it from a supplier like Alosim or similar.

 

[bendyone]

Get a 1p Mobile sim, the rates are not too bad.

 

[wonkywinch]

Lots of UK PAYG offer USA roaming, eg Three, O2 etc.

For the cruise, there won't be one sim that covers "The Caribbean" as it's many different countries depending on your cruise itinerary.

It will be hard/impossible to connect to the local antennas on sea days or anytime you're more than a couple of miles offshore as mobile co antennas are set up to propagate over the land, not the sea.

Even in port, if you're on the other side of the ship or inside, you'll likely lose connection as you're in a Faraday cage.

Many ships use Telenor connected to Starlink and there is a sim you can buy to use that - Telenor Maritime Internet

We just got back from a transatlantic on Cunard. I paid for their "essentials" service, connected with my phone and then activated the personal hotspot so my partner and other devices could connect.

I got >70Mbps the whole time for $18 (£14.70) a day. Expensive but connected everywhere on the ship with no problems. No regrets about paying for it (my drinks bill was a lot more!)

 

[ProDave]

We are both with 1P mobile and the roaming rates are not as bad as I thought.

Most of the use will be in the USA before the cruise, to contact accommodation suppliers if needed, some data for google maps etc. And to make contact with a relative who is joining us for the cruise.

The only thing about using roaming and pay per minute or mb of data is you also have to pay to receive calls or voicemail. I can turn off voicemail but if I receive a call from the UK that I do not want to answer will that be charged if I don't answer it?

Am I right in thinking if I have a wifi connection (in a hotel for example) we can call each other using wattsapp for free?

 

[wonkywinch]

We are both with 1P mobile and the roaming rates are not as bad as I thought.

Most of the use will be in the USA before the cruise, to contact accommodation suppliers if needed, some data for google maps etc. And to make contact with a relative who is joining us for the cruise.

The only thing about using roaming and pay per minute or mb of data is you also have to pay to receive calls or voicemail. I can turn off voicemail but if I receive a call from the UK that I do not want to answer will that be charged if I don't answer it?

Am I right in thinking if I have a wifi connection (in a hotel for example) we can call each other using wattsapp for free?

You won't be charged for calls you don't answer if voicemail is off.

You don't need a local connection for Google maps. Just download the coverage area you need before you go.

Download areas & navigate offline in Google Maps - Android - Google Maps Help

If both devices are online, yes you can WhatsApp.

I use a VOIP set up with Sipgate and the Zoiper app on my phone. The number I have is a Southampton local number so incoming and outgoing calls appear as if I have a local (to my home) landline but this is slightly techie to set up and Sipgate no longer offer free accounts to new sign ups.

 

[ProDave]

One of the stop offs on the cruise is Dominican Republic. that is the scary one at £1 per minute for calls. Hopefully we will all be travelling together there so won't need to use that.

 

[Dellquay13]

ISTR that when I was last in Central America/ Caribbean coasts most US phones were tri band, while UK / EU phones were only dual band, and I struggled with finding a Phone signal on a frequency that I could roam on.
Could be different now most people have 5g type modern phones

 

[billskip]

How did we survive back in the 70's?

 

[Marsali_1]

How did we survive back in the 70's?

Carrier pigeon for long distance calls and either semaphore or Aldis lamp for local

 

[bendyone]

Another useful app is "Keep calling" connects with wifi and makes cheap calls to any number.

Do you have a Voip phone at home, if so see if there is an app you can take with you to make and receive call over wifi.

 

[ProDave]

How did we survive back in the 70's?

We found a public call box and put some coins in it.

In the 80's when met at the airport, look for the bloke holding a bit of paper with your name on it.

We had paper maps in the car. If we got lost we stopped and asked someone.

 

[billskip]

We found a public call box and put some coins in it.

In the 80's when met at the airport, look for the bloke holding a bit of paper with your name on it.

We had paper maps in the car. If we got lost we stopped and asked someone.

All seems so much simpler than trying to use a mobile .....afraid I have not succumbed to the demands of others to be attentive at their pleasure....
Leave a message I'll answer when I see/hear it.......

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Another useful app is "Keep calling" connects with wifi and makes cheap calls to any number.

Do you have a Voip phone at home, if so see if there is an app you can take with you to make and receive call over wifi.

Don’t all modern phones do wi fi calling? We’re in the Azores curently, heading for USA, with a TP link portable router, £30, with a 3 mobile roaming card. All of our devices connect to that. Airplane mode, turn on wi fi, and Bobs your uncle.

 

[st599]

Most of the Carribbean nations require you to be present with a passport to register a SIM. Some also require biometric scans.

 

[ProDave]

Don’t all modern phones do wi fi calling? We’re in the Azores curently, heading for USA, with a TP link portable router, £30, with a 3 mobile roaming card. All of our devices connect to that. Airplane mode, turn on wi fi, and Bobs your uncle.

As I understand it, when using wifi calling on our phones we are charged as if we are connected to the mobile network. So I don't see that working to make normal phone calls.

It would work to send messages or make calls via wattsapp which is a voip application.

 

[dansaskip]

I used to buy one locally once I had arrived but lots of time I didn't bother. If I had a desire to communicate I would find a bar, or cafe and use the wifi for email or FaceTime and of course could keep my own number. Just remember to turn off roaming and don't use the phone to avoid expensive surprises. But it seems these days people are too addicted to their phones to give them up for just 2 weeks.

 

[bendyone]

Don’t all modern phones do wi fi calling? We’re in the Azores curently, heading for USA, with a TP link portable router, £30, with a 3 mobile roaming card. All of our devices connect to that. Airplane mode, turn on wi fi, and Bobs your uncle.

As I understand it, when using wifi calling on our phones we are charged as if we are connected to the mobile network. So I don't see that working to make normal phone calls.

It would work to send messages or make calls via wattsapp which is a voip application.

No, Keep calling is a seperate app, not wifi calling using your sim provider, It is like a PAYG Voip phone for outgoing calls only.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

As I understand it, when using wifi calling on our phones we are charged as if we are connected to the mobile network. So I don't see that working to make normal phone calls.

It would work to send messages or make calls via wattsapp which is a voip application.

Let me help you out then, assuming all networks work the same. Some sub let plans don’t allow it of course.


Yes, Vodafone's Wi-Fi calling is free and included in your monthly plan:
Cost: There's no additional charge for using Wi-Fi calling. Calls and texts are rated as per your price plan.
How it works: Wi-Fi calling lets you make and receive calls anywhere you have a Wi-Fi connection. It's similar to making normal calls over 4G, but instead of using the mobile network it uses the internet.

Note anywhere.

 

[ProDave]

Let me help you out then, assuming all networks work the same. Some sub let plans don’t allow it of course.


Yes, Vodafone's Wi-Fi calling is free and included in your monthly plan:
Cost: There's no additional charge for using Wi-Fi calling. Calls and texts are rated as per your price plan.
How it works: Wi-Fi calling lets you make and receive calls anywhere you have a Wi-Fi connection. It's similar to making normal calls over 4G, but instead of using the mobile network it uses the internet.

Note anywhere.

Yes to make a Wifi call using your phone costs the same as if you had a network signal. As i said further up, 10p per minute while in the USA but £1 per minute on the Caribean islands.