Credit card for analog roaming?

good question. the few times i have roamed off of sprint in the northeast i didnt have to use any credit card information. perhaps are you on a clear pay plan?

or perhaps it depends on where u r roaming.

 

There is either something wrong with your PRL version or you are on a Clear Pay plan. You should be able to access an analog network without using a credit card when roaming unless Sprint's preferred roaming partner doesn't have a good signal in the area. In which case it will look for the alternative analog carrier with whom Sprint might not have a roaming agreement with. But it is very rare to encounter an analog system that Sprint doesn't have a roaming agreement with. I suspect that a PRL update might solve this problem. Do you know which version you have? Oh and never use a credit card when roaming. It will likely costs you $2 or $3 per mintue. Ouch.

 

My guess is also an older prl is the problem. Also, the area just north of Wickenburg is on the map as future coverage so it's possible next time you won't need to roam (at least part of the way).

G.

 

If you are going to be doing any amount of traveling in the rural, desert areas of Nevada and Arizona, I would recommend another company besides Sprint. Verizon or AT&T would be your best bets. Sprint is great in the larger cities, but that area you mention is very desolate in many areas. So if you don't travel that way often, stick with Sprint. You do know that even if you can get analog signal and place a call normally, Sprint will charge you for it? As for Cingular in Nevada, they don't have analog coverage, they are GSM digital there, no analog signal at all. And all their phones in the GSM areas are digital only, so you couldn't get an analog signal anyway.

 

Mike,
I'm sure that we all know that analog roaming is extra with Sprint.

 

Mark,
Even an old Sprint PRL should have all the proper Arizona carriers on their list. Not much has changed in that area. What is more likely, is that you were forwarded to the "American Roaming Network", or the like, which means the local carrier, either Alltel or Verizon, couldn't identify you, so they handed you off to ARN.

This happens when Sprint's data file on you hasn't properly been entered in every roaming carrier's data base. It isn't Sprint's fault. To fix this, you need to ask Sprint to start a Trouble Ticket, that you are having trouble roaming. Sprint has so many agreements with so many carriers, it is very rare to get intercepted for a credit card. It does happen, but near Wickenburg there are few choices, so it should work.

-Bill Radio

 

Bill,

Here in most of So. California Sprint only has an agreement with Verizon and not AT&T. There have been a few times when I've reached AT&T and was asked for a credit card to place a call. For instance if I force my phone into analog only mode here at my house I will land on AT&T because Verizon has a very weak signal here. I can't place or receive calls at all in analog here because of AT&T.

 

if you are solely deciding on leaving sprint in the end because of the new TREO.......if you have a little patience it is coming out for sprint as well.


from cnet :

"
Handspring Treo 270
Those waiting for the CDMA version of the Treo for Sprint PCS service will have to wait a bit longer. Handspring has yet to make an announcement of when its Sprint PCS Treo will be available, but the company claims that it's in the works. "

 

My cousin recently came from Houston with her Sprint PCS phone and we went over into SW Mississppi to eat dinner, well there was analog roaming there and when she tried to call me it routed her to that credit card calling as well. Sprint must not have many roaming agreements with many a/b carriers. Of course my call was clear, digital, and free roaming on Cellular South because I have Cingular and the nationwide plan

 

Sprint does have roaming agreements with either the A or the B carrier in EVERY market. If you can't roam it must be a phone software/PRL problem.

 

Cingular DOES NOT have coverage in Tonopah, the salesman was either misinformed or just not too bright. They currently have coverage in the Las Vegas, Boulder, Lake Mead, Reno, and Carson City areas, but nowhere outside of there. Places like Tonopah, Goldfield, Churchill, Winnemucca, Elko, Battle Mountain, Rye Patch, Wells, Ely, Contact and Jackpot would be dead air with GSM Cingular. Like I said, Verizon or AT&T are your best bets for that area.

 

GSM coverage is expanding very rapidly but I doubt in 4 months it will match TDMA coverage. Three of the major US carriers are working on it (Voicestream, AT&T and Cingular) but even if they do match TDMA coverage, we have to wait and see the quality of that coverage. Since TDMA is older, it has been well tested and many problems have been ironed out. Phone carriers just want to put everyone on GSM because its cheaper for them, but I would wait a little longer.

About the problem with Sprint, I also think is a problem with the PRL so your phone may be picking up the wrong analog carrier. I doubt Sprint has any analog areas where there's no roaming agreement.

If you decide to stay away from Sprint, just make sure the carrier you pick gives you a phone that has analog capability. You'll still get the same analog coverage with Sprint anyway.

 

A few of Sprint's PRL's were defective meaning you will have problems trying to roam. PRL 10010 had many bugs which were worked out by about the time 10012 came around. Since then they have added a few more roaming agreements.

 

Larry is right, the root cause is usually an old PRL list. Or it could be a "mom and pop" system that doesn't have any agreements with the current providers.
I noticed that "Clear Pay" was mentioned...so for clearification. Sprint Clear Pay customers get all the same features and plans as regular customers..no restrictions on ld or roaming.....well some restrictions. They are limited to a dollar amount that there able to incur charges..which is usually either 125.00 or 200.00 and restricted to just one phone line. So as an example..if they go over the minutes or have roaming charges that exced there limit, (or any other unbilled usuage) the phone is turned off till a payment is made. Kinda works like a credit card when it hits the credit limit. This is Sprints new program to offer service to people with credit problems, and in most cases lets them get a phone without a deposit. Usually these customer are charged a 3.00 customer care fee when talking to a csr because they tend to be a "high maintance" group..and im sure the 3.00 fee is probably due the the high churn this type of customer creates and is a way for sprint to recup some cost for offering service to this customer base.

 

HI SIR MY NAME IS LORENZO. I HAVE WORKED FOR SPRINT FOR 8 YEARS AND I KNOW ALOT ABOUT THE COVERAGE BECAUSE I HAVE TRAVELED TO MANY AREAS. SPRINT IS A WEL OFF COMPANY IN THE WIRELESS BUSINESS. FOR EXAMPLE WHEN I WENT TO CATALINA ISLAND, CA THE SPRINT CELLPHONE WORKED IN ANALOG ROAM BUT THE AT&T PHONE HAD NO SERVICE. I HAVE GONE TO JAPAN AND MY PHONE HAS WORKED. WHAT YOU CAN DO WITH SPRINT IS BEFORE YOU GO AND TRAVEL YOU CAN BUY A BUDDLE OF ROAMING MINUTES THAT YOU CAN USE SO THAT YOUR CALLS WILL NOT BE REDICULOUS. FOR ANY MORE QUESTION ON THIS PLEASE REFER TO SPRINT PCS CUSTOMER SERVICE AT 1-888-211-4727. SPRINT IS WELL OF FOR TRAVELING. BELIEVE ME

 

Im not sure why it does that, but I have had lots of customers come into the stores with this problem. I would update their prl info, then switch it over to analog only and try to make a call. Just as the customer said, it asked me for a credit card info. But the same phone with same prl in the same spot of the store would make the analog call just fine. My conclusion is either something is wrong with the phone, or you need to call tech helpdesk to see if it is an account setting issue.