U.S. Cell Phone Card Guide U.S. Cell Phone Card, Telephone Card, and Internet Card Guide

Nowadays, more and more friends choose to go to the United States for travel. Whether traveling or studying abroad, they will face a problem, that is, how to get a phone card when going to the United States? Is the concept the same as in China? We know that real-name registration is now required in China. What are the rules in the United States? Below, the editor will bring you a guide to using mobile phone cards in the United States.

1. Rent WiFi, buy a mobile phone, or activate international roaming?

If you don’t know anything about mobile phones and are too lazy to operate them, rent WiFi; if you are willing to learn a little bit, buying a phone card is more appropriate. Especially for iPhone users, there are basically no adaptation problems and it is the most suitable card to buy. In terms of price, phone cards are cheap.

1) Renting WiFi

Advantages: Easy to use, can be used with any mobile phone, no adaptation problems.

Disadvantages: It’s a bit troublesome to rent, the equipment is old and easy to break, and you have to get another power bank to charge it.

2) US mobile phone card

Advantages: low price, can make calls and text messages, and throw it away after use.

Disadvantages: You need to change the card, the phone has adaptation problems, and some Android phones also need to set up Internet access.

3) International Roaming

China Mobile International Roaming Tariffs

China Unicom International Roaming Tariffs

Postpaid Tariff Inquiry

Prepaid tariff inquiry

China Telecom international roaming tariff

2. Which operator to choose in the United States?

Compared with China's existing mobile, China Unicom and Among the three major telecom operators, there are many more operators in the United States, including large national operators, small local operators, and many virtual operators.

1) National operators

The first echelon is now the two major operators, AT&T and Verizon. Its network coverage is the best and the speed is fast. But inaccessible areas are generally not covered.

The second tier includes T-Mobile and Sprint. The coverage is poor. It’s fine in big cities, but it will be worse when you leave the city.

Verizon and Sprint use the CDMA standard. American CDMA mobile phones do not have SIM cards. In the past, Chinese CDMA mobile phones could only roam and could not change numbers. So Verizon and Sprint just ignore it.

The only two major operators you can choose from are AT&T and T-Mobile. I also saw cards from both operators on Taobao, and T-Mobile’s cards are much cheaper.

There is a gap between T-Mobile's network coverage and AT&T's. My suggestion is that if you mainly stay in big cities, T-Mobile will work; if you are traveling, especially if you are traveling by car, it is recommended to use AT&T.

Regarding the difference in signal network coverage between T-Mobile and AT&T, I found pictures from the official website. You can refer to them yourself. The first one is T-Mobile’s network coverage map, and the second one is AT&T’s. In terms of network coverage, the gap is still huge.

T-Mobile’s network coverage map

AT&T’s network coverage map

You can also log in to this website directly: /networks/usa/t-mobile- Coverage Check whether there is network coverage of the operator where you want to go. Orange is where the signal is strong, and green is where the signal is weakest.

2) There are many local operators, such as UScellular, LEAP, etc. Basically don't even think about it unless you are extremely familiar with where you are going.

3) Virtual operators

Virtual operators are very common internationally, and there are some in the United States, such as H2O wireless, Red

Pocket, Lyca, etc. The so-called virtual operator does not build its own network. It wholesales some numbers from operators and then retails them to users under its own brand. So what you should pay attention to when choosing a card from a virtual operator is:

First of all, check which operator's network it uses: the price will generally be cheaper than that of the operator, which is normal.

Because operators often guarantee the best services to their own users, users of virtual operators are generally equivalent to second-class citizens.

Under the same conditions, the actual speed of its users is much worse than that of AT&T's own users. Check to see if it supports 4G: The 4G network in the United States has been under construction for three years and has nationwide coverage.

There is also a small trap here. Many cards claim to have "unlimited traffic", but in fact they all have unlimited 2G traffic.

At this time, you must take a closer look at the high-speed 3/4G traffic provided. For example, AT&T native cards do not have unlimited data packages, and virtual carrier cards have some unlimited data gimmicks, but the actual usage experience is much worse than native cards.

Many fictitious cards are "unlimited international direct dial calls", which also has traps.

My personal experience is that the card provided by Xushang can indeed make direct international long distance calls, but it cannot be used at all.

When it's busy, such as at night or all day on weekends, I can't get through the phone at all, and even if I get through, the voice quality is unacceptable.

In fact, the so-called direct dial phone is also an IP phone, and the capacity of the fictitious IP phone system must not be enough. Therefore, only native cards are directly connected to the operator's system, and direct dial calls are guaranteed.

To sum up, most of them buy AT&T’s native cards directly. The price is a little higher, but if you want to use 4G smoothly, it is the best choice.

3. How to choose a phone card?

Once the operator has been selected, the card is easy to choose. Factors to consider include:

1) Price

The cost of buying an AT&T card in the United States is generally around US$70 plus tax. Domestic prices range from 200 to 500. For the specific price, go to Taobao and search for "US ATT

SIM card".

2) Confirm whether 3/4G data is supported

3) SIM type

iPhone5/5S/5C/6/6P uses Nano card; iPhone

4/4S and most other mobile phones use Micro cards, commonly known as small cards; only a few mobile phones still use large cards. Therefore, it is best to tell the seller your mobile phone model when buying.

4) The card includes packages

Determine the voice duration, data traffic, and validity period based on your itinerary and usage. Since traveling in a foreign country often requires more traffic than at home, you can refer to your domestic monthly package traffic and increase it appropriately.

5) Internet settings

Some mobile phones need to set up an access point (APN). If you go to the United States and find that you can make phone calls but cannot access the Internet, don't be nervous. Generally, you need to set up an APN. The settings are very simple, just follow the operator's instructions.

6) Hotspot function

If you want to use your mobile phone as a hotspot to share it with other devices, you need to activate the hotspot function. Note: Currently, iPhone cannot use hotspots with most cards, because AT&T can restrict it. Only native cards can share hotspots.

7) Make a call

To call the local United States: dial the number directly

To call a Chinese mobile phone: 011+86+mobile number

Dial China landline: 011+86+area code (remove 0)+landline number

T-Mobile card to call back to China: add 01186 or 0086 or +86 before the number (press and hold 0 for +)

To call an American card number from China: Dial 001 or +1 (press and hold 0 for +)

4. Can domestic mobile phones be used in the United States?

Telephone and The 2G Internet access function can be used, but for 3G and 4G Internet access, you need to check the specific mobile phone model.

5. Internet access

WIFI service has covered the entire United States.

Many cafes, restaurants and public libraries offer free WIFI access.

To find free WIFI access points, click:

/

Many hotels offer free WIFI for laptops, tablets and smartphones< /p>

Access service.

Luxury hotels often charge for this service, while slightly cheaper hotels often provide it for free.

Some hotels only provide WIFI access in the lobby, or have computers in the lobby for travelers to use.

WIFI

services are usually provided on trains, buses and airplanes.

For U.S. domestic flights, passengers are allowed to use computers, tablets, reading devices and smartphones as long as they are set to airplane mode.

Before traveling, please visit the transportation service provider's website to see if WIFI

service is available and whether there is a fee.