Help needed!

[Zhenya]

I am travelling around US and urgently need to chose a cell phone and plan which would be the best and not the most expensive one to use for both local also for international calls. Where I am based now there's At&t, Sprint, Verizon and T-mobile. Sprint seems cheaper than others and international calls are twice cheaper than At&T. What do you say - is it worse? What company would yo advice? I've been here only 2 weeks so - no idea what to choose

[BillRadio]

Where do you travel around the US? All 4 carriers work in most parts of the country. There's no clear winner here without trying it in most areas. You can price shop, but if there is a significant difference for international calling, you can just add a prepaid international calling card, like Primus Global Talk. You would put their access number in your phone book and no PIN would be needed. There are other LD options, but Global Talk serves places like Russia for only 2.9 cents/min.

Verizon may have a slight coverage edge in rural areas, but Sprint roams equally as well. But if you liked T-Mobile's prices and/or phones the best, you probably would not suffer any significant loss of coverage, especailly if you don't travel often in the boonies.

[Zhenya]

Thanks for information! Currently I am in Denver planning to travel across west and east coasts and I don't know where else yet. So Verizon and Sprint aren't too good and T-mobile and At&T ok? And what/s a prepaid card - is it cheaper than just using an international plan (it's like 4$ a month in Sprint and about 10 cents international phone call per minute).

[dmapr]

It depends on what type of internationals calls you're going to make, but for example for calling Moscow, Russia one could use LDPost to get rates of about 1¢/min.

[Andy]

I would suggest a Sprint SERO Plan: $30 per month for 500 anytime minutes, unlimited Nights and Weekends starting at 7 p.m., Unlimited SMS/PIX/Video messaging, Unlimited Data and free roaming.
Go to Sprint Employee Referral Offer and enter john.smith@sprint.com for an email address.
Sprint, including roaming partners, will give you the largest voice and data coverage in the U.S.

[Zhenya]

So is it cheaper to buy a prepaid card than add international connections to th plan I choose?

[Zhenya]

Originally Posted by Andy

I would suggest a Sprint SERO Plan: $30 per month for 500 anytime minutes, unlimited Nights and Weekends starting at 7 p.m., Unlimited SMS/PIX/Video messaging, Unlimited Data and free roaming.
Go to Sprint Employee Referral Offer and enter john.smith@sprint.com for an email address.
Sprint, including roaming partners, will give you the largest voice and data coverage in the U.S.

Thanks a lot! Two questions - is it possible to get any of the other phones besides the ones offered? Abd second - if I move to another country that has no Sprint offices - will the contract be annuled without paying 200$ (that's what I was told in Sprint office)?

[BillRadio]

Originally Posted by Zhenya

Currently I am in Denver planning to travel across west and east coasts and I don't know where else yet. So Verizon and Sprint aren't too good and T-mobile and At&T ok?

For Denver you have that upside down. Verizon and Sprint are tops, T-Mobile is a good 2nd, and AT&T is dead last. The same is true across the country, but in some areas, like across the Gulf states, AT&T is much better.

And what/s a prepaid card - is it cheaper than just using an international plan (it's like 4$ a month in Sprint and about 10 cents international phone call per minute).

Yes, while you must pre-pay for these cards, the rate is MUCH cheaper than the carriers' international rates.

If you are planning to leave the country before the end of a 2-year service contract, you may want to consider pre-paid. T-Mobile 2 Go is the best value, but Page Plus (using Verizon) has slightly better coverage. How serious are you? You can get an "international" phone that works here and overseas.

You might be able to cancel a contract if you can prove you have moved out of the country. That would require providing a utility bill or foreign driver's license in your name. This would also require some time on the phone to convince them. It may not be worth it.

[Zhenya]

Originally Posted by BillRadio

For Denver you have that upside down. Verizon and Sprint are tops, T-Mobile is a good 2nd, and AT&T is dead last. The same is true across the country, but in some areas, like across the Gulf states, AT&T is much better.

Yes, while you must pre-pay for these cards, the rate is MUCH cheaper than the carriers' international rates.

If you are planning to leave the country before the end of a 2-year service contract, you may want to consider pre-paid. T-Mobile 2 Go is the best value, but Page Plus (using Verizon) has slightly better coverage. How serious are you? You can get an "international" phone that works here and overseas.

You might be able to cancel a contract if you can prove you have moved out of the country. That would require providing a utility bill or foreign driver's license in your name. This would also require some time on the phone to convince them. It may not be worth it.

I already bought Sprint but thanks a lot for your advices!