Before traveling to the United States of America, it is important to know what the available prepaid phone operators are in the country, especially for those who wish to use their prepaid phones during their stay there.
As of today, there are four national GSM and 3G prepaid phone operators in the United States of America, namely: T-Mobile USA Inc., AT&T Wireless, Verizon Wireless and Alltel Wireless. And seven virtual prepaid phone operators, namely: IDT Corporation (Túyo Mobile), Red Pocket Mobile, AirVoice Wireless, 7-Eleven, H2O Wireless, Net10 and Tracfone. The mobile prefix for the United States of America is +1. Their currency, 1 US$ = 0.76697 Euro. The electricity available in the United States of America is 120 Volts with an electrical frequency of 60 Hertz. Time Zone is GMT -5.00 to GMT -8.00.
GSM and 3G Prepaid Phone Operators in the United States of America
The first prepaid phone operator in the United States of America is T-Mobile USA Inc. The mobile communications company was founded in 1994 as VoiceStream Wireless PCS (originally a subsidiary of Western Wireless Corporation) and is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, United States of America. T-Mobile provides products and services such as voice, mobile (post paid and prepaid phone plans) services, data and Internet services in the USA, Puerto Rico, and the U.S.Virgin Islands. As of March 2011, T-Mobile USA has reached 130 million active subscribers.
The prepaid phone card name for T-Mobile USA is called “Prepaid.” The activation fee for this prepaid phone card is US$ 1.99. Prepaid phone cards are valid for 90 days upon their activation. The net frequencies available for T-Mobile USA are GSM 1900 and WCDMA 1700. The logo for this prepaid phone card is T-Mobile with a net code of 310 260. There are two voice tariffs under Prepaid, namely: Pay As You Go and Pay by the day.
Pay As You Go offers:
- $10.00 with 30 included minutes (all incoming and outgoing calls); 35 gold rewards; valid for 90 days
- $30.00 with 160 included minutes (all incoming and outgoing calls); 184 gold rewards; valid for 90 days
- $50.00 with 400 included minutes (all incoming and outgoing calls); 460 gold rewards; valid for 90 days
- $100.00 with 1000 included minutes (all incoming and outgoing calls) and gold rewards; valid for 365 days
Pay by the day offers: calls to T-Mobile for free, other calls (Monday to Sunday 7AM – 7PM) for $0.10, other calls (Monday to Sunday 7PM – 7AM) for free and a daily fee of $1.00.
Gold Rewards - Once a user added $100.00 in refills to their account, they automatically become a Gold Rewards customer and get more minutes with every refill, their minutes do not expire for one full year. Gold Rewards program does not apply to Sidekick pricing and is available on Pay As You Go plan only.
Sidekick Prepaid - For US$ 1.00 per day, users get unlimited email, web browsing, instant messaging and text messaging. Calls are billed at US $0.15 per minute.
Additional Services and Costs:
Messaging:
- SMS Sending (USA and Canada) – US$ 0.10
- SMS Sending (International) – US$ 0.35
- SMS Receiving – US$ 0.05
- MMS Sending and Receiving – US$ 0.25
Voicemail: Same rate as voice calls
Data Calls: T-Zone access for free
Data Plans:
- $70 unlimited talk and text 0 with 2 GB data allowance
- $50 unlimited talk and text – with 100 MB data allowance
- $30 talk and text – with 1500 talk minutes or texts allowance with 30 MB data allowance
- $15 unlimited text – with voice minutes at 10¢ per minute
International Calls:
- Puerto Rico - $0.40 plus airtime per minute
- Canada and Mexico - $0.50 plus airtime per minute
- Guam, Jamaica and Caribbean - $0.90 plus airtime per minute
- Tuvalu and Vanuatu - $5.10 plus airtime per minute
- Rest of the World - $1.60 plus airtime per minute
International Roaming: **International roaming is available in Canada and Mexico only.
- Incoming and Outgoing Calls - $0.69 for Canada and $1.49 for Mexico
- Outgoing SMS - $0.10 for Canada and $0.35 for Mexico
- Incoming SMS – $0.05 for Canada and Mexico
- Incoming and Outgoing MMS – $0.25 for Canada and Mexico
- Data Calls – $0.015/KB for Canada and $0.01 for Mexico
Debiting Method: 60/60
Validity: All prepaid phone cards have a validity of 90 days after credit expires.
The second prepaid phone operator available in the United States of America is AT&T Wireless. The telecommunications company was established in 1987 (as McCaw Cellular Communications, Inc.) and is headquartered in Redmond, Washington, United States of America. They provide a wide range of products and services such as mobile (post paid and prepaid phone plans),voice, SMS, MMS, data and Internet services. They remained the number one and largest mobile communications company in the United States of America until late 2009.
The prepaid phone card name for AT&T Wireless is called “Go Phone Pay as You Go.” The activation fee for this prepaid phone card is US$ 55.00 with 30.00 free credits. Go Phone Pay as You Go prepaid cards are valid for 90 days after its activation. The net frequency available for this prepaid phone card are GSM 850/1900 and WCDMA 850/1900. The logos for this prepaid phone card are at&t and AT&T with 310 38 as its net code. There are two available voice tariffs under Go Phone Pay as You Go, namely: Unlimited mobile to mobile that offers all calls (outgoing and incoming) for $0.10 and $.25 per minute that offers all calls (outgoing and incoming) for $0.25.
**There is a plan called “Unlimited mobile to mobile” where users can enjoy unlimited minutes to all AT&T Wireless mobile phones. This plan has a daily fee of US$ 1.00 per day.
Additional Services and Costs:
Messaging:
- National SMS (Outgoing and Incoming) – US$ 0.15
- International SMS (Outgoing) – US$ 0.25
- International SMS (Incoming) – US$ 0.15
- MMS – US$ 0.25
Data Calls: WAP over GPRS, EDGE and 3G – US$ 0.01/KB
Long distance and National Roaming: Same rate as local voice calls
International Calls:
- Mexico landline, Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica and Dominican Republic - US$ 0.10 plus local rate
- Brazil, Canada, Chile, Uruguay, Ecuador, Guatemala and Paraguay - US$ 0.15 plus local rate
- El Salvador, Peru, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Panama and Venezuela - US$ 0.20 plus local rate
- Israel - US$ 0.29 plus local rate
- Honduras - US$ 0.30 plus local rate
- Mexico Mobile - US$ 0.37 plus local rate
- Western Europe - US$ 0.39 PLUS local rate
- Central/South America and Caribbean – US$ 0.69 plus local rate
- Eastern Europe - US$ 0.79 plus local rate
- Asia and Pacific - US$ 0.89 plus local rate
- Africa and the Middle East - US$ 0.99 plus local rate
International Roaming: International roaming service available, see here
Debiting Method: 60/60
Refills, Credit and Validity:
- US$ 15/15, valid for 30 days
- US$ 25/25, valid for 90 days
- US$ 50/50, valid for 90 days
- US$ 75/75, valid for 90 days
- US$ 100/100, valid for 365 days
Services Included:
- Voicemail
- Caller ID
- Call Waiting
- Call Hold
- Call Forwarding
- Conference Calling
- Text Messaging
The third prepaid phone operator available in the USA is Verizon Wireless. The mobile communications company was founded on October 7, 1983 (as Bell Atlantic) and is headquartered in Verizon Building, New York City, New York,United States. They are considered as a global broadband provider and telecommunications company and a component of Dow Jones Industrial Average. Verizon Wireless first started its operations under the brand name Bell Atlantic based in Philadelphia then covered New Jersey to Virginia. In 1997, the company merged with NYNEX (a telecommunications company) based in New York City. Verizon Wireless is now considered as the largest and biggest mobile communications company in the United States, with more than 200 million active subscribers. They offer a wide range of products and services such as mobile (post paid and prepaid phone plans), voice, data and Internet services.
The prepaid phone card name for Verizon Wireless is called “Pay As You Go.” The activation fee and validity for this prepaid phone card is available upon request. The net frequency available for Verizon Wireless is CDMA 2000 850/1900. The logo for this prepaid phone card is Verizon with a net code of 310 005. The voice tariff under Pay As You Go is called “Daily Plan” that offers: unlimited calls to Verizon, US$ 0.20 SMS (nationwide, Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico) and MMS for US$ 0.25 (nationwide, Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico).
Prepaid Daily Plans:
- $1.99 with unlimited calls to Verizon; unlimited night and weekend minutes; unlimited each additional minute; SMS for $0.02 (incoming and outgoing text messages)
- $0.99 with unlimited calls to Verizon; $0.10 night and weekend minutes; $0.140 each additional minute; SMS for $0.10 (incoming and outgoing text messages)
- $0.00 with $0.25 per minute calls to Verizon; $0.25 night and weekend minutes; $0.25 each additional minute; SMS for $0.20 (incoming and outgoing text messages)
Additional Services and Costs: Additional prepaid features available, see here
Refills and Validity:
- $15 – $29.99 expires in 30 days
- $30 – $74.99 expires in 90 days
- $75 – $99.99 expires in 180 days
- $100 or more expires in 365 days
The fourth prepaid phone operator available in the United States of America is Alltel Wireless. The company was founded in 1943 and is headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas, United States. Before its acquisition by Verizon Wireless, Alltel Wireless served 34 states in the United States. As of the moment, Alltel is the eighth largest mobile phone operator in the country with 800,000 active customers. They offer a wide range of products and services such as mobile (post paid and prepaid phone plans), voice, SMS, MMS, data and Internet services.
The prepaid phone card name for Alltel Wireless is called “Prepaid.” The activation fee and validity of this prepaid phone cars is available upon request. The net frequency available for Alltel Wireless is CDMA2000 800/1900. The logo for this prepaid phone card is 310 500.
Prepaid phone plans are available for Alltel Wireless, click here for more information.
Virtual Prepaid Phone Operators in the United States of America
The first virtual prepaid phone operator in the United States of America is IDT Corporation or more commonly known as Túyo Mobile. The prepaid phone card name for Túyo Mobile is called “Túyo Mobile.” This prepaid phone card is available in phone-kits only with $10 free credits. Túyo Mobile cards are valid for 90 days upon its activation. The net frequency for Túyo Mobile is MVNO on GSM 1900. The logo for this prepaid phone card is Tuyo Mobile/T-Mobile with a net code of 310-26 (310-17 in CA, NV). Túyo Mobile is under T-Mobile USA.
There are two voice tariffs under Túyo Mobile, namely: “Plan 10″ that offers: set up fee for all calls for $0.10 and all calls for $0.10 and “Nights and weekends” that offers 1000 free minutes at a monthly fee of US 24.99.
Additional Services and Costs:
Messaging:
- Outgoing National SMS – $ 0.05
- Outgoing International SMS – $ 0.10
- Incoming SMS – $ 0.05
- Incoming and Outgoing MMS – $ 0.25
Voicemail: Free of charge
Data Calls: Data service not available
Long Distance Calls: Same rate as local calls
International Calls: International prepaid phone calls available, see here
**Users can get unlimited calls to their country for $ 5.00 per month (additional charges for calling mobile numbers may apply)
International Roaming: International roaming service not available
Debiting Method: 60/60
Refills, Credit and Validity:
- $ 10/10, valid for 90 days
- $ 20/20, valid for 90 days
- $ 50/50, valid for 90 days
The second virtual prepaid phone operator available in the United States of America is Red Pocket Mobile. The prepaid phone card name for Red Pocket Mobile is aptly called “Red Pocket Mobile.” The activation fee and validity of this prepaid phone card is available upon request. The net frequency for Red Pocket Mobile is MVNO on GSM 850/1900. The logo for this prepaid phone card is Red Pocket Mobile with a net code of 310 38. Red Pocket Mobile is under AT&T Wireless.
Red Pocket Mobile offers:
- $10.00 with 67 included minutes (all incoming and outgoing calls); $0.15 per minute calls; valid for 30 days
- $20.00 with 133 included minutes (all incoming and outgoing calls); $0.15 per minute calls; valid for 90 days
- $28.00 with 188 included minutes (all incoming and outgoing calls); $0.15 per minute calls; valid for 90 days
- $50.00 with 363 included minutes (all incoming and outgoing calls); $0.137 per minute calls; valid for 180 days
- $100.00 with 1000 included minutes (all incoming and outgoing calls); $0.10 per minute calls; valid for 365 days
- $188.00 with 1888 included minutes (all incoming and outgoing calls); $0.10 per minute calls; valid for 365 days
Additional Services and Costs:
Messaging:
- SMS Sending (USA and Canada) – US$ 0.10
- SMS Sending (International) – US$ 0.35
- SMS Receiving – US$ 0.05
Data Calls: Data service not available
International Calls: International prepaid phone calls available, see here (Click on “Check Our International Rates”)
International Roaming: International roaming service not available
Debiting Method: 60/60
The third virtual prepaid phone card in the United States of America is 7-Eleven. The prepaid phone card name for 7-Eleven is called “Speak Out.” They are available in prepaid phone-kits only. Speak Out prepaid phone cards are valid for 12 months upon its activation. The net frequency for 7-Eleven is MVNO on GSM 850/1900. The logo for this prepaid phone card is Speakout with a net code of 310 38. 7-Eleven is under AT&T Wireless.
Speak Out offers all calls (incoming and outgoing) for $0.15.
Press and Talk - users can enjoy unlimited Press and Talk offer for US$ 0.50 per day which offers unlimited Press and Talk calls to other PTT numbers.
**With 7-Eleven prepaid phone cards, users must pay a monthly fee of $2.14 for the 911 emergency number.
Additional Services and Costs:
Messaging: SMS (Incoming and Outgoing Text Messages) – US$ 0.10
Voicemail: Same rate as local voice calls
Data Calls: US$ 0.01/KB
International Calls:
- Mexico and Canada – US$ 0.39
- Israel – US$ 0.59
- Western Europe – US$ 0.69
- Central, Caribbean and South America – US$ 0.99
- Eastern Europe – US$ 1.19
- Asia and Pacific – US$ 1.29
- Africa and the Middle East – US$ 1.39
International Roaming: International roaming service not available
Debiting Method: 60/60
Refills and Validity:
- US$ 10, valid for 365 days
- US$ 25, valid for 365 days
- US$ 50, valid for 365 days
- US$ 100, valid for 365 days
The fourth virtual prepaid phone operator available in the United States of America is H2O Wireless. The prepaid phone card name for H2O Wireless is called “H2O Wireless.” The activation fee for this prepaid phone card is US$ 9.99 with 10.00 free credits. H2O Wireless cards are valid for 90 days upon their activation. The net frequency available for H2O Wireless is MVNO on GSM 850/1900. The logo for this prepaid phone card is H2O Wireless with 310 38 as its net code. H2O Wireless is under AT&T Wireless.
The voice tariff under H2O Wireless is called “MINUTE plan” that offers: all calls (with $10 or $20 as refill) for US$ 0.14, all calls (with $29.99 as refill) for US$ 0.06 and all calls (with $39.99 as refill) for US$ 0.05.
Additional Services and Costs:
Messaging: National and International SMS (Incoming and Outgoing) for US$ 0.05
Voicemail: Same rate as local voice calls
Data Calls: Data service not available
Long Distance and National Roaming Calls: Same rate as local voice calls
International Calls: International prepaid phone calls available, see here
International Roaming: International roaming service not available
Debiting Method: 60/60
Refills, Credit and Validity:
- USD 10/20, valid for 90 days
- USD 29.99/29.99, valid for 30 days
The fifth virtual prepaid phone operator available in the United States of America is Net10. The prepaid phone card name for Net10 is called “Net10.” The activation fee for this prepaid phone card is $29.99 with a Nokia 1100 phone. Net10 cards are valid for 60 days upon its activation. The net frequency for Net10 is MVNO on GSM 850/1900. The logo for this prepaid phone card is Net10 with a net code of 310 38. Net10 is under AT&T Wireless.
Net10 offers all calls (incoming and outgoing) for US$ 0.10.
Additional Services and Costs:
Messaging:
- SMS (Incoming and Outgoing) – $0.05
- MMS (Incoming and Outgoing) - $0.25
Voicemail: Same rate as local voice calls
Data Calls: Data service not available
International Calls: International prepaid phone calls available, see here
International Roaming: International roaming service not available
Debiting Method: 60/60
Refills, Credits and Validity:
- $30, 300 minutes, valid for 60 days
- $60, 600 minutes, valid for 120 days
- $100, 1000 minutes, valid for 180 days
**Net10 Phones – Customers need to buy one of Net10 mobile phones in order to use their services. They are a GSM provider but you cannot use another GSM phone. They also have special firmware on the phone that goes hand-in-hand with the prepaid SIM card.
The sixth virtual prepaid phone operator available in the United States of America is AirVoice Wireless. The prepaid phone card name for AirVoice Wireless is called “GSM pay as you go.” The activation fee for this prepaid phone card is available upon request. GSM pay as you go cards are valid for 90 days after their activation. The net frequency for AirVoice Wireless is MVNO on GSM 850/1900. The logo for this prepaid phone card is AirVoice with 310 38 as its net code. AirVoice Wireless is under AT&T Wireless.
GSM pay as you go offers all calls (incoming and outgoing) for US$ 0.10.
**There is a daily fee of $0.20 that will be applied to the first call or SMS made or received each day according to the central time zone (only on days used). If there is no usage for that day then no charges will apply.
Additional Services and Costs:
Messaging:
- National SMS (Incoming and Outgoing) – $ 0.10
- International SMS – Not available
- MMS – Tot available
Voicemail: Same rate as local voice calls
Data Calls: Data service not available
Long Distance Calls: Nationwide, US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Guam and Mariana Islands – Same rate as local voice calls
International Calls:
- Canada and Mexico (Land line) – $0.35per minute
- Mexico (Mobile) – $0.60 per minute
- All Other Countries – dial 611 to get all other rates per country
International Roaming: International roaming service not available
Debiting Method: 60/60
Refills, Credit and Validity:
- $ 10/10, valid for 90 days
- $ 20/21, valid for 120 days
- $ 30/32, valid for 150 days
- $ 50/55, valid for 180 days
- $ 100/120, valid for 365 days
The seventh virtual prepaid phone operator available in the United States of America is TracFone Wireless. The prepaid phone card name for TracFone Wireless is called “Tracfone.” The activation fee for this prepaid phone card is $ 19.99 with a Nokia 1100 phone and 10 minute airtime. TracFone cards are only valid for 60 days upon its activation. The net frequency available for TracFone Wireless is MVNO on GSM 850/1900. The logo for this prepaid phone card is TracFone with a net code of 310 38. TracFone Wireless is under AT&T Wireless.
TracFone offers:
- $9.99 with 30 included minutes (all incoming and outgoing calls); valid for 45 days
- $19.99 with 60 included minutes (all incoming and outgoing calls); valid for 90 days
- $29.99 with 120 included minutes (all incoming and outgoing calls); valid for 90 days
- $39.99 with 200 included minutes (all incoming and outgoing calls); valid for 90 days
- $129.99 with 400 included minutes (all incoming and outgoing calls); valid for 365 days
**There is a special refill card called “Double Minutes” for $ 49.99: it gives 0 minutes and 0 days of service but it gives double minutes for all future cards with the exception of the 800 minute, 365 day card.
Additional Services and Costs:
Messaging: **SMS are available, rates depend on the prepaid phone
- Nokia 1100, 2600, 3390 and Motorola V170, C155 – 0.3 units for outgoing messages, free incoming messages
- Nokia 5100, 1221, 2285, 2126 and Motorola C343, V60, 120 – 0.5 units for outgoing and incoming messages
Data Calls: Data service not available
Long Distance Calls: Same rate as local voice calls
International Calls: International prepaid phone calls available, see here
National Roaming Calls: Double rate as national call rates
International Roaming: International roaming service not available
Debiting Method: **TracFone charges in units
- 1 unit = 1 minute for local and long distance calls on net
- 2 units = 1 minute for national roaming calls
**TracFone Phones – Customers need to buy one of TracFone mobile phones in order to use their services. They are a GSM provider but you cannot use another GSM phone. They also have special firmware on the phone that goes hand-in-hand with the prepaid SIM card.