OT: Cell phones in the US

[AdeV]

So, I'm coming to Florida in the next couple of days, staying for a week (wish it were longer, but not possible this time), then going home...

My UK cellphone will work in the US, but I get charged £1.20 (about $1.95) per minute for either making OR receiving calls... On the other hand, someone phoning a US cell phone from a UK landline, will be charged a maximum of £0.19 ($30c approx); plus they get to pay not me

So, question is, is it still possible to rock up to a shop in the US & buy a pre-paid cell phone without any form of US address or ID (well, I'll have my passport obviously)? If so, what network do you recommend?

I did have a look at AT&T's website, but it looks like they only do plan-based phones, even for pre-paid...

[Thob]

You can buy them just about anywhere - I think Walmart sells them, for example.  You can pay cash and nobody knows who you are.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/AT-T-GoPhone-Samsung-A157-Black/20742370

ATT sells them as the "GoPhone"

A lot of web sites ask for your zip code, which is really not handy for traveling.  Unfortunately, I don't have all the US zip codes memorized for everywhere.  If you get stuck on that, go to USPS.com, you can look up zip codes by city there.

Enjoy your trip, do the best you can to get past the language barrier, let us know if we can help in any way!

[AdeV]

Thanks Thob - it's not out of any special desire to remain anonymous, I just can't be arsed going through the rigmarole of setting up a recurring account for a phone I'm going to throw away after a week...

If you can find my driving licence for me, that's all I think I need, otherwise I will have to find a bus out to Kennedy....

[Jens]

If you can find my driving licence for me, that's all I think I need, otherwise I will have to find a bus out to Kennedy....

Remember that we are driving on the proper side of the road here

[AdeV]

If you can find my driving licence for me, that's all I think I need, otherwise I will have to find a bus out to Kennedy....

Remember that we are driving on the proper side of the road here

Woohoo - found it! Typical, it was in the last place I looked _again_.

Jens - you're supposed to say "We drive on the RIGHT side of the road, you guys drive on the WRONG side " - I believe you don't really go in for roundabouts (aka "traffic circles") that much; I have found that roundabouts can be extremely exciting when taken the wrong way (we go clockwise round ours...). Luckily, most of Europe drive on the unnatural side of the road  so I have got some left-hooker experience - enough to know that coming off a freeway to a T-junction is the most likely time to end up on the wrong side of the road - DAMHIKT. 

[vdubnut62]

Never could understand how Brits can manage to shift with the left hand......
Ron

[LowGear]

The only ID I've seen required at K-Mart - WalMart - Sear or the like is a couple Jacksons.

Ron;  When you get pulled over in a RHD auto from any island nation you just claim the driver ran away when the police were getting out of their car.  The real trick is to learn to drive on the left side of the road especially when pulling out into traffic.

Casey

[AdeV]

Never could understand how Brits can manage to shift with the left hand......
Ron

I can open the driver's door of a left-hand drive auto in 6 different ways....

[Henry W]

Look at the Pantech P7040P Go-Phone from ATT. Great G3 phone. Texting has never been easier. My daughter bought it for my birthday and she picked it up for just over 29.00 on sale at Target. Since I been with ATT go years I don't need to renew a contract as long as I buy a phone out right. I go to ATT with a go-phone and they put in a contract sim chip at no cost.

You can buy a go phone just about anywhere. ATT, Target, Walmart, Best Buy, Super Markets, Dollar General and Malls. Prices are pretty much the same at all places that sell them.

When you are done with it you can keep it or sell it.

Be careful driving on Florida freeways. Many people tend to go 80 mph there. Some people are just wreckless drivers and do not care if they cut you off. I been rear-ended twice in Florida on Interstate 4 during bikers week. Once in Tampa and once in Orlando. This all happened the same day . I did not have to pay a dime and both cars were replaced with another. If you will be renting a car there take out the rental cars insurance. It will cover crashes as long as you are the driver of the car you rented.

Driving in the Cayman Islands is always fun when I go to visit family. For the first couple hours I tend to try to go through the round-abouts counter clock wise. I blow my horn at the islanders and wonder what is wrong with the drivers here. Then it hits me I need to stay to the left and go clockwise. Need to remember about the leftaway. After driving a while I am ok and back into the swing of it.

Henry

[cgwymp]

You can buy a go phone just about anywhere. ATT, Target, Walmart, Best Buy, Super Markets, Dollar General and Malls.

Indeed -- even the Harris Teeter grocery store near me sells Tracfones. BTW, the Tracfone-branded LG800G sucks. ;-)

[vdubnut62]

 Make sure that whatever Provider you go with has coverage in the area(s) you are planning to go!
No use if you have no signal! From my experience Verizon works nearly everywhere. Just sayin".
Ron.

[deeiche]

Also, I don't know what the local laws are where you are going, but in some cities in the US you can get a traffic fine for talking on a cellphone while driving.  That is the way it is here.

[Henry W]

I know ATT has good coverage in Orlando, Tampa, Daytona Beach, Clearwater, Miami. Never had a bad signal in any major area in Florida with ATT.

Verizon is very good also.

Most convention centers, corperate and state offices and Hospitals have Micro cells. So getting a signal should not be a problem with ATT or Verizon. I don't think you can't go wrong with either of them.

Henry

[mobile_bob]

don't know about florida, but there are stiff fines in some area's for driving and having a cell phone in your hand, don't need to be talking on it, they just assume you are texting.

have a great time down there, maybe next time you cross the pond  you can get an extra week to come  see some of this country.

maybe by then we can put together a convention of our own!

(wonder if motel 6 would have us?)  lol

bob g

ps. on a serious note, a convention or get together for the members of our two forums would be very cool in my opinion.  we would just have to have it somewhere the significant others could be kept occupied for a couple days.

[oiler]

Woohoo - found it! Typical, it was in the last place I looked _again_.

Well, naturally! I usually stop looking when I've found it