Use prepaid cell phones in the USA

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Are you planning a trip to the USA, but would also like to be reachable there by cell phone? Then you should find out about prepaid tariffs and differences to Germany.

In the USA, the called party always pays.
In the USA, the called party always pays.

Mobile phone use in the USA - differences to Germany

Of course in the US that is Cell phone use generally very widespread. You can compare the situation with that in Europe: Almost everyone in the US has at least one cell phone.

  • Now it is the case there, however, that there are very large rural and almost uninhabited areas between the metropolitan areas. As a rule, these are not integrated into the radio network. In other words, if you want to use your cell phone to make calls within the USA, you will do so in cities and towns work well along the highways, but hardly in the country or on a trip into the desert.
  • In addition, you cannot simply take your German cell phone with you to the USA, because different radio frequencies are used there than in Germany or in Europe in general. For the US, you need a tri-band or quad-band cell phone. Check with the dealer to see if yours is one, or get a new cell phone.

Prepaid Telephony in the States

With some PrepaidTariffs, it is now the case that a foreign tariff is already part of the offer. If you are lucky, you can call in the USA with your normal prepaid cell phone.

  • However, the prices for this are very high: you should expect around € 1.50 per minute in any case.
  • Buy a SIM card for a trip to the USA - this is how it works

    You are planning a trip to the United States of America and you also want to ...

  • You also pay when someone calls you - don't forget that. Make sure you take enough credit with you to the USA because it is not said that you can buy new ones there.
  • You can of course also get an American prepaid SIM card. However, you may not be sold one without a US Social Security number. This is where it pays to have American acquaintances who do the purchase.
  • However, the US cell phone tariffs are also quite expensive, mainly because you pay for every call - even if you are called from a cell phone within the states.
  • Tuyo is considered to be a very inexpensive provider. This allows you to call Europe for 10 to 15 cents a minute.
  • AT&T, on the other hand, guarantees great network coverage. This provider is also twice as expensive as tuyo.

As you can see, prepaid telephony in the USA is a rather complicated topic. It is best to drive with an American SIM card.

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