Cell Phone help
 

Hi all

We are arriving in Seattle, then travelling to Alaska, Canada, New York, Hawaii and then back home to Australia. We have been told that our phones from here will not work in US, could someone please advise what type of phone we will need to buy to use on our trip.

Thanks

You need to speak to your phone service provider in Australia to consider all your options. Many carriers have an international service option that you can upgrade to for just the period of the trip. (be aware that you will probably pay a significant per minute charge for international calls under the temporary service agreement).


Another consideration is buying a disposable/prepaid cell phone when you arrive. You will need to ask about service in Canada for the disposable. Many U.S. carriers require a separate fee for Canada service. Also, the disposable phone will provide service in the U.S. not for calls back to Australia.

kaz55,
The long answer to your question is here. Read parts 1-9.
http://www.thetravelinsider.info/2002/0308.htm

The short answer is that you will need an unlocked, GSM phone with separate (prepaid) SIM cards for the U.S. and Canada. Of course, the one for the U.S. will work in Alaska as well as "the lower 48".

Alternatively, you could just buy a U.S. SIM card (with compatible phone if you wish) very cheaply from a company such as T-Mobile http://www.t-mobile.com/Shop/Plans/P...-Overview.aspx however, they might not ship to Australia. I don't know this for sure. Calls to/from Canada would be possible, but would incur roaming rates http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/plans/prepaidrates.aspx . One thing to remember, these SIM cards will cost you for incoming calls, unlike Australia.

One exception is TravelSIM: http://www.travelsim.net.au/index.php which you can buy in Australia before you leave home.

Does this help?

Here is a very short answer:

unlocked phone

and

http://www.telestial.com/sim_bridge.php?ID=US

The SIM card works in both countries.

Your short answer is better than my short answer!