Mobile (cell) phones - to rent or buy?

"Dominic Kelly" wrote in
message
...
This query is probably more for the non-Americans...

My family and are visiting the USA (from Australia) for 11 weeks
starting
26/3. We want to have a cell phone during our trip, which covers
many
different parts of the country.

I've been researching this online, and there are clearly a few
different
options for getting a phone when we arrive. I'm starting to think
that for
a
stay of 11 weeks it may well be better to buy rather than rent. Can
anyone
tell me whether one can buy or rent a handset or SIM card in LA
airport?
If
so, would these stores tend to charge more for the same thing than
could
be
obtained elsewhere in the city?

First, forget about renting. And buying at the airport is a sure way
to get
ripped off.

Second, if you are driving around the country then you will definitely
want
to buy a phone that supports AMPS. GSM coverage in the U.S. is poor
once you
get outside the city. I.e., in places like National Parks, you'll have
no
coverage on GSM, you may have TDMA or CDMA coverage in some cases, but
you'll often have AMPS coverage from towers outside the park. In
Alaska
there is no GSM coverage except for one small island.

Avoid T-Mobile, Virgin, and Cingular prepaid, none of these support
AMPS on
prepaid.

Options
----------
TracFone. Sold in many department stores, drug stores, hardware
stores,
office supply stores, convenience stores, and supermarkets. Usually a
TDMA/AMPS phone, though in a few areas supposedly they sell CDMA/AMPS
phones.
http://tracfone.com/.
This will be the easiest thing to do. Also sold on-line if you have a
place
that it can be shipped to in the U.S..
20 cents to 50 cents per minute. Probably the lowest initial cost,
their
phones usually sell for $70-80. Not too bad on airtime with the larger
value
refills.

You can sign up for the OLD AT&T TDMA/AMPS prepaid plan
(Free-to-Go). NOT
the GSM-only go-phone. Be certain NOT to sign up for the "go-phone" as
coverage is poor. See: "http://www.1800mobiles.com/3361.html" It isn't
clear
if AT&T Wireless is still selling this in their stores, it's not
on their
own web site. 22-85 cents/minute.

CallPlus is an option, but you have to order on-line, and it has to be
shipped to someone in the U.S.
"http://www.ecallplus.com/" though they will ship overseas. Starter
kit is
$129. Airtime is between 19 cents and 39 cents per minute. No roaming
charges. The best deal for airtime, especially while roaming. You can
use
any used TDMA/AMPs phone with this if you can find one (there are a
lot of
these around), and buy just the service.

Verizon Wireless offers a prepay starter kit for $129. Airtime is 30
cents
per minute for calling from Verizon's area, 99 cents per minute
roaming, 15
cents/minute in-network to other Verizon Wireless phones. Not cheap,
but the
best coverage.

Also see: http://teletoss.bizhosting.com

Steve
http://socalcell.com
--multiplaza.nl.nu--

"Dominic Kelly" wrote in
message
...
This query is probably more for the non-Americans...

My family and are visiting the USA (from Australia) for 11 weeks
starting
26/3. We want to have a cell phone during our trip, which covers
many
different parts of the country.

I've been researching this online, and there are clearly a few
different
options for getting a phone when we arrive. I'm starting to think
that for
a
stay of 11 weeks it may well be better to buy rather than rent. Can
anyone
tell me whether one can buy or rent a handset or SIM card in LA
airport?
If
so, would these stores tend to charge more for the same thing than
could
be
obtained elsewhere in the city?

First, forget about renting. And buying at the airport is a sure way
to get
ripped off.

Second, if you are driving around the country then you will definitely
want
to buy a phone that supports AMPS. GSM coverage in the U.S. is poor
once you
get outside the city. I.e., in places like National Parks, you'll have
no
coverage on GSM, you may have TDMA or CDMA coverage in some cases, but
you'll often have AMPS coverage from towers outside the park. In
Alaska
there is no GSM coverage except for one small island.

Avoid T-Mobile, Virgin, and Cingular prepaid, none of these support
AMPS on
prepaid.

Options
----------
TracFone. Sold in many department stores, drug stores, hardware
stores,
office supply stores, convenience stores, and supermarkets. Usually a
TDMA/AMPS phone, though in a few areas supposedly they sell CDMA/AMPS
phones.
http://tracfone.com/.
This will be the easiest thing to do. Also sold on-line if you have a
place
that it can be shipped to in the U.S..
20 cents to 50 cents per minute. Probably the lowest initial cost,
their
phones usually sell for $70-80. Not too bad on airtime with the larger
value
refills.

You can sign up for the OLD AT&T TDMA/AMPS prepaid plan
(Free-to-Go). NOT
the GSM-only go-phone. Be certain NOT to sign up for the "go-phone" as
coverage is poor. See: "http://www.1800mobiles.com/3361.html" It isn't
clear
if AT&T Wireless is still selling this in their stores, it's not
on their
own web site. 22-85 cents/minute.

CallPlus is an option, but you have to order on-line, and it has to be
shipped to someone in the U.S.
"http://www.ecallplus.com/" though they will ship overseas. Starter
kit is
$129. Airtime is between 19 cents and 39 cents per minute. No roaming
charges. The best deal for airtime, especially while roaming. You can
use
any used TDMA/AMPs phone with this if you can find one (there are a
lot of
these around), and buy just the service.

Verizon Wireless offers a prepay starter kit for $129. Airtime is 30
cents
per minute for calling from Verizon's area, 99 cents per minute
roaming, 15
cents/minute in-network to other Verizon Wireless phones. Not cheap,
but the
best coverage.

Also see: http://teletoss.bizhosting.com

Steve
http://socalcell.com
--multiplaza.nl.nu--

"Dominic Kelly" wrote in
message
...
This query is probably more for the non-Americans...

My family and are visiting the USA (from Australia) for 11 weeks
starting
26/3. We want to have a cell phone during our trip, which covers
many
different parts of the country.

I've been researching this online, and there are clearly a few
different
options for getting a phone when we arrive. I'm starting to think
that for
a
stay of 11 weeks it may well be better to buy rather than rent. Can
anyone
tell me whether one can buy or rent a handset or SIM card in LA
airport?
If
so, would these stores tend to charge more for the same thing than
could
be
obtained elsewhere in the city?

First, forget about renting. And buying at the airport is a sure way
to get
ripped off.

Second, if you are driving around the country then you will definitely
want
to buy a phone that supports AMPS. GSM coverage in the U.S. is poor
once you
get outside the city. I.e., in places like National Parks, you'll have
no
coverage on GSM, you may have TDMA or CDMA coverage in some cases, but
you'll often have AMPS coverage from towers outside the park. In
Alaska
there is no GSM coverage except for one small island.

Avoid T-Mobile, Virgin, and Cingular prepaid, none of these support
AMPS on
prepaid.

Options
----------
TracFone. Sold in many department stores, drug stores, hardware
stores,
office supply stores, convenience stores, and supermarkets. Usually a
TDMA/AMPS phone, though in a few areas supposedly they sell CDMA/AMPS
phones.
http://tracfone.com/.
This will be the easiest thing to do. Also sold on-line if you have a
place
that it can be shipped to in the U.S..
20 cents to 50 cents per minute. Probably the lowest initial cost,
their
phones usually sell for $70-80. Not too bad on airtime with the larger
value
refills.

You can sign up for the OLD AT&T TDMA/AMPS prepaid plan
(Free-to-Go). NOT
the GSM-only go-phone. Be certain NOT to sign up for the "go-phone" as
coverage is poor. See: "http://www.1800mobiles.com/3361.html" It isn't
clear
if AT&T Wireless is still selling this in their stores, it's not
on their
own web site. 22-85 cents/minute.

CallPlus is an option, but you have to order on-line, and it has to be
shipped to someone in the U.S.
"http://www.ecallplus.com/" though they will ship overseas. Starter
kit is
$129. Airtime is between 19 cents and 39 cents per minute. No roaming
charges. The best deal for airtime, especially while roaming. You can
use
any used TDMA/AMPs phone with this if you can find one (there are a
lot of
these around), and buy just the service.

Verizon Wireless offers a prepay starter kit for $129. Airtime is 30
cents
per minute for calling from Verizon's area, 99 cents per minute
roaming, 15
cents/minute in-network to other Verizon Wireless phones. Not cheap,
but the
best coverage.

Also see: http://teletoss.bizhosting.com

Steve
http://socalcell.com
--multiplaza.nl.nu--

"Charles Hawtrey" wrote in message
...

Probably your best bet is to buy a Virgin Mobile phone. Virgin
Mobile
is a reseller of the Sprint PCS network. Coverage is good in cities
and along major highways but spotty elsewhere.

This is not a good idea if they are on vacation and apt to visit
places off
the beaten path, i.e. national parks, etc. Virgin doesn't allow
off-Sprint
roaming, even at extra cost. Sprint's network is adequate in metro
areas,
but not eleswhere.

Sorry, I don't know if prepaid phones are available at LAX but they
are widely available from the major discount chains (WalMart,
Target,
KMart, and so on).

This is true. TracFone is probably the least trouble to acquire as
it's sold
in stores, though CallPlus is a better deal in terms of rates.
--multiplaza.nl.nu--

"Charles Hawtrey" wrote in message
...

Probably your best bet is to buy a Virgin Mobile phone. Virgin
Mobile
is a reseller of the Sprint PCS network. Coverage is good in cities
and along major highways but spotty elsewhere.

This is not a good idea if they are on vacation and apt to visit
places off
the beaten path, i.e. national parks, etc. Virgin doesn't allow
off-Sprint
roaming, even at extra cost. Sprint's network is adequate in metro
areas,
but not eleswhere.

Sorry, I don't know if prepaid phones are available at LAX but they
are widely available from the major discount chains (WalMart,
Target,
KMart, and so on).

This is true. TracFone is probably the least trouble to acquire as
it's sold
in stores, though CallPlus is a better deal in terms of rates.
--multiplaza.nl.nu--

"Charles Hawtrey" wrote in message
...

Probably your best bet is to buy a Virgin Mobile phone. Virgin
Mobile
is a reseller of the Sprint PCS network. Coverage is good in cities
and along major highways but spotty elsewhere.

This is not a good idea if they are on vacation and apt to visit
places off
the beaten path, i.e. national parks, etc. Virgin doesn't allow
off-Sprint
roaming, even at extra cost. Sprint's network is adequate in metro
areas,
but not eleswhere.

Sorry, I don't know if prepaid phones are available at LAX but they
are widely available from the major discount chains (WalMart,
Target,
KMart, and so on).

This is true. TracFone is probably the least trouble to acquire as
it's sold
in stores, though CallPlus is a better deal in terms of rates.
--multiplaza.nl.nu--

"Dominic Kelly" wrote in
message
...
This query is probably more for the non-Americans...

My family and are visiting the USA (from Australia) for 11 weeks
starting
26/3. We want to have a cell phone during our trip, which covers
many
different parts of the country.

I've been researching this online, and there are clearly a few
different
options for getting a phone when we arrive. I'm starting to think
that for
a
stay of 11 weeks it may well be better to buy rather than rent. Can
anyone
tell me whether one can buy or rent a handset or SIM card in LA
airport?
If
so, would these stores tend to charge more for the same thing than
could
be
obtained elsewhere in the city?

I was in Target today (Northern California), and they were selling
four
different prepaid phones:

-AT&T Free-To-Go with a Nokia 1260 TDMA phone

-Boost Mobile (Nextel) with an iDEN phone

-Tracfone with a CDMA 800&1900/AMPS Motorola V120C for $80. This
is probably
using Verizon's network Included car charger and AC charger.

-Virgin Mobile with a 1900 Mhz CDMA phone

Of these, avoid the Virgin or the Boost, due to coverage limitations.

The Free-To-Go and the Tracfone CDMA would be fine. I'd lean toward
the CDMA
Tracfone because it'll be useful for longer, since TDMA coverage is
declining as it is being replaced by GSM.

There are plenty of Target stores around the LA area. There is one
quite
close to the airport on W. Century Boulevard, see
http://tinyurl.com/34q36

Not all stores may carry all choices above.
--multiplaza.nl.nu--

"Dominic Kelly" wrote in
message
...
This query is probably more for the non-Americans...

My family and are visiting the USA (from Australia) for 11 weeks
starting
26/3. We want to have a cell phone during our trip, which covers
many
different parts of the country.

I've been researching this online, and there are clearly a few
different
options for getting a phone when we arrive. I'm starting to think
that for
a
stay of 11 weeks it may well be better to buy rather than rent. Can
anyone
tell me whether one can buy or rent a handset or SIM card in LA
airport?
If
so, would these stores tend to charge more for the same thing than
could
be
obtained elsewhere in the city?

I was in Target today (Northern California), and they were selling
four
different prepaid phones:

-AT&T Free-To-Go with a Nokia 1260 TDMA phone

-Boost Mobile (Nextel) with an iDEN phone

-Tracfone with a CDMA 800&1900/AMPS Motorola V120C for $80. This
is probably
using Verizon's network Included car charger and AC charger.

-Virgin Mobile with a 1900 Mhz CDMA phone

Of these, avoid the Virgin or the Boost, due to coverage limitations.

The Free-To-Go and the Tracfone CDMA would be fine. I'd lean toward
the CDMA
Tracfone because it'll be useful for longer, since TDMA coverage is
declining as it is being replaced by GSM.

There are plenty of Target stores around the LA area. There is one
quite
close to the airport on W. Century Boulevard, see
http://tinyurl.com/34q36

Not all stores may carry all choices above.
--multiplaza.nl.nu--

"Dominic Kelly" wrote in
message
...
This query is probably more for the non-Americans...

My family and are visiting the USA (from Australia) for 11 weeks
starting
26/3. We want to have a cell phone during our trip, which covers
many
different parts of the country.

I've been researching this online, and there are clearly a few
different
options for getting a phone when we arrive. I'm starting to think
that for
a
stay of 11 weeks it may well be better to buy rather than rent. Can
anyone
tell me whether one can buy or rent a handset or SIM card in LA
airport?
If
so, would these stores tend to charge more for the same thing than
could
be
obtained elsewhere in the city?

I was in Target today (Northern California), and they were selling
four
different prepaid phones:

-AT&T Free-To-Go with a Nokia 1260 TDMA phone

-Boost Mobile (Nextel) with an iDEN phone

-Tracfone with a CDMA 800&1900/AMPS Motorola V120C for $80. This
is probably
using Verizon's network Included car charger and AC charger.

-Virgin Mobile with a 1900 Mhz CDMA phone

Of these, avoid the Virgin or the Boost, due to coverage limitations.

The Free-To-Go and the Tracfone CDMA would be fine. I'd lean toward
the CDMA
Tracfone because it'll be useful for longer, since TDMA coverage is
declining as it is being replaced by GSM.

There are plenty of Target stores around the LA area. There is one
quite
close to the airport on W. Century Boulevard, see
http://tinyurl.com/34q36

Not all stores may carry all choices above.
--multiplaza.nl.nu--

"Dominic Kelly" wrote in
message
...
This query is probably more for the non-Americans...

My family and are visiting the USA (from Australia) for 11 weeks
starting
26/3. We want to have a cell phone during our trip, which covers
many
different parts of the country.

I've been researching this online, and there are clearly a few
different
options for getting a phone when we arrive. I'm starting to think
that for
a
stay of 11 weeks it may well be better to buy rather than rent. Can
anyone
tell me whether one can buy or rent a handset or SIM card in LA
airport?
If
so, would these stores tend to charge more for the same thing than
could
be
obtained elsewhere in the city?

I was in Target today (Northern California), and they were selling
four
different prepaid phones:

-AT&T Free-To-Go with a Nokia 1260 TDMA phone

-Boost Mobile (Nextel) with an iDEN phone

-Tracfone with a CDMA 800&1900/AMPS Motorola V120C for $80. This
is probably
using Verizon's network Included car charger and AC charger.

-Virgin Mobile with a 1900 Mhz CDMA phone

Of these, avoid the Virgin or the Boost, due to coverage limitations.

The Free-To-Go and the Tracfone CDMA would be fine. I'd lean toward
the CDMA
Tracfone because it'll be useful for longer, since TDMA coverage is
declining as it is being replaced by GSM.

There are plenty of Target stores around the LA area. There is one
quite
close to the airport on W. Century Boulevard, see
http://tinyurl.com/34q36

Not all stores may carry all choices above.
--multiplaza.nl.nu--