SIM Cards for New York City and the USA
Being in a busy place like New York without the ability to use your phone can make someone feel a little lost at sea. Fortunately, several U.S. phone providers are offering an array of options for travelers who don’t want to feel completely cut off. Whether you want to find an inexpensive way to use your smartphone on your trip or you want to use a global cell, there is a plan that will work for you!
There are a variety of plans, so you can decide what is best for you depending on what kind of usage you feel you need during your travels. All of the plans listed are for providers that sell SIM-only service that allows you to use your own phone. Phones must be unlocked to use a new SIM card for the USA.
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T-MOBILE TOURIST PLAN 
For a flat rate of $30, this plan lets you live like a local for 3 weeks! Just bring your unlocked phone with you and you get a SIM card with all the features you would need as if you were at home! This is a great deal!
How to purchase: Pick up the kit at a T-Mobile store when you arrive in the U.S. If you prefer to order it online, it is a bit more complicated because Tourist Kits must be shipped to a U.S. address. You can check with your hotel to use their address, but it is much easier to find a T-Mobile store as they are all over the city. Find a location by visiting their website. (en Francais) (Espanol) Deutsch)
Tourist Plan:
- $30 (for 21 days):
- Unlimited data, with up to 2GB at 4G LTE speed
- Unlimited domestic and international texting to 140+ countries & destinations
- 1,000 minutes of domestic talk within the U.S.
STRAIGHT TALK
Network: AT&T (does not included international SMS)
Straight Talk’s “Bringing Your Own Phone” plan (BYOP) is perfect for travelers who plan to bring their own phone. (Espanol) Straight Talk can support most brands of phones, including iPhones and Androids. Compatible phones include: GSM Unlocked phones, AT&T Compatible phones, T-Mobile Compatible phones, Sprint Compatible Phones, and some other CDMA Technology Compatible phones. (You can see if your phone is compatible here).
How to purchase: Online or at any Walmart store (find a Walmart near you)
- $30/month – 1500 minutes, unlimited text, 100MB of data. All plans, including this one, include unlimited calls to 411 as well.
- $45/month – unlimited talk, unlimited text, 5GB of data. Once your data allotment is up, you’ll have unlimited data at 2G speeds.
- $55/month – unlimited talk, unlimited text, 10GB of data (unlimited 2G speeds).
- $60/month – unlimited talk, unlimited text, and unlimited data with 5GB highspeed. This plan includes unlimited International calling to Mexico, India, Canada, and “select International landline destinations”.
Global Service Add-On: If you need to call internationally, for $10 you can add-on Global Service and you will be able to call anywhere in the world (Check their website for rates to countries).
ULTRA MOBILE
Network: T-Mobile (includes unlimited international SMS)
This is a plan for someone who wants to stay very connected. Maybe you want to call your loved ones from the top of the Empire State building, browse the internet to find a great restaurant in the East Village or text your friends from the Brooklyn Bridge! The Ultra Mobile plans offer very extensive coverage via their pre-paid SIM cards. Most of their plans include International Talk minutes to any of the 73 countries in their Ultra Zero network. (Check out their website to see a full list of countries and any restrictions.) (Espanol)
Note: Make sure you check in advance that your phone is supported by this SIM card.
How to purchase There are dozens of retailers in New York City that sell Ultra Mobile SIM cards. Search for locations on the Ultra Store Locator Tool
Features – all plans come with:
- Discounted Calling To 160+ Countries
- Call Me Free Numbers Available to 45 Countries
- Voicemail Service
- Global MMS
- INTL Direct Dial
Plans (Each plan listed is for 30 days of use)
- $19 Plan & SIM Kit *Best Value 100MB of 4G LTE Data, Unlimited Calling to USA & 60+ Intl Destinations
Unlimited Domestic and Global Text, $1.25 Call Anywhere Credit, $5 One-Time Intl Rollover Roaming Credit
- $24 Plan & SIM Kit 500MB of 4G LTE Data, Unlimited Calling to USA & 30+ Intl Destinations, Unlimited Domestic and Global Text, $7 Call Anywhere Credit, $10 One-Time Intl Rollover Roaming Credit
- $29 Plan & SIM Kit *Most Popular 2G of high speed data- 1GB of 4G LTE and 1GB of 3G data with DataXtra, Unlimited Calling to USA & 60+ Intl Destinations, Unlimited Domestic and Global Text, $2.50 Call Anywhere Credit, $10 One-Time Intl Rollover Roaming Credit
- $39 Plan and SIM Kit *Extreme Value 4G of high speed data- 2GB of 4G LTE and 2GB of 3G data with DataXtra, Unlimited Talk to 60+ Destinations, $2.50 Call Anywhere Credit, Includes Unlimited Talk to the USA & Global SMS, $10 One-Time Intl Rollover Roaming Credit
- $34 Plan and SIM Kit 4G of high speed data- 2GB of 4G LTE and 2GB of 3G data with DataXtra, Unlimited Talk to 60+ Destinations, Includes Unlimited Talk to the USA & Global SMS, $10 One-Time Intl Rollover Roaming Credit
- $45 Plan & SIM Kit 7G of high speed data- 4GB of 4G LTE and 3GB of 3G data with DataXtra, Unlimited Talk to 60+ Destinations, Includes Unlimited Talk to the USA & Global SMS, $15 One-Time Intl Rollover Roaming Credit
- $49 Plan & SIM Kit 4G of high speed data- 2GB of 4G LTE and 2GB of 3G data with DataXtra, Unlimited Talk to 30+ Destinations, $20 Call Anywhere Credit, $15 One-Time Intl Rollover Roaming Credit, Includes Unlimited Talk to the USA & Global SMS
H2O WIRELESS 
Network: AT&T
Because H2O Wireless is supported by AT& T’s network it is a good option for iPhone users in particular. (AT&T’s network supports higher speeds for iPhones). They offer some very low cost options and some that are a little pricier, but you can pick the plan that seems right for your intended phone usage.
How to purchase: Available at a number of retailers. For a list, check out H2O Wireless website.
Plans: (all good for 30 days)
- $30/month – Unlimited talk, unlimited text, 3GB of data. After the data cap, you’ll have unlimited 2G speeds.
- $40/month – Unlimited talk, unlimited text, 8GB of data. After the data cap, you’ll have unlimited 2G speeds.
- $50/month – Unlimited talk, unlimited text, 10GB of data. After the data cap, you’ll have unlimited 2G speeds.
- $60/month – Unlimited talk, unlimited text, 12GB of data. After the data cap, you’ll have unlimited 2G speeds.
BLACK WIRELESS
Network: AT&T
Black Wireless can be used with any unlocked GSM phone and uses AT&T’s network, so it is another good option for iPhone users! While most of the Black Wireless plans do not include international phone minutes, unlimited international calling minutes (to over 100 countries in their network) can be added to any plan for $10. Check out the Black Wireless website to see a list of countries that are covered.
How to purchase: Go to the Black Wireless website to select your plan. Your SIM card will be mailed to you after you complete the online registration, so you won’t need to take time out of your trip to go pick up a SIM card once you hit NYC.
Plans: (Each plan listed is for 30 days of use).
- $30 Plan– Unlimited U.S. talk, $5 international call credit, unlimited U.S. text, 100 free international texts (to send) and unlimited international texts (to receive) and 500MB of data.
- $40 Plan– Unlimited U.S. talk, $10 international call credit, unlimited U.S. text, 100 free international texts (to send) and unlimited international texts (to receive) and 1GB of data
- $50 Plan– Unlimited U.S. talk, unlimited international talk to over 100 in-network countries, unlimited U.S. and international texting and 2GB of data
- $60 Plan-Unlimited U.S. talk, $5 international call credit, unlimited U.S. texts, 100 free international texts (to send) and unlimited international texts (to receive) and UNLIMITED DATA. (Again, great for those who plan on heavy data usage).
AIR VOICE
Network: AT&T
Another plan that uses AT&T’s network, AirVoice offers some low cost plans that support many kinds of phones. Like many of the other SIM card options, this needs to be activated online at their website.
