The entire "cell phone thing" in Vietnam (and I am sure other Asian countries) is far superior to the USA (in my opinion). I can go to practically any corner and get a SIM card for 5 USD and put it in a phone. I don't have to give my name or an ID or join some plan. I just give them the phone, they put a sim in and it works.
I can get a cell phone within a few blocks of basically anywhere I am.
The carriers make money selling calls and data: not phones.
And while I'm talking about this kind of thing... I can go anywhere and get "free" wifi: even at Circle K. Ya. They have free wi-fi at the Circle K. I can sit at a coffee shop, get a 3 dollar coffee, and work all day. Restaurants are the same.
Admittedly, the internet speeds to the USA are not that great. However, internal to Vietnam, they are really good.
You need to show ID in France, and a lot of stores will not have iPhone 4 sims. And they are a pain in the ass, because or the awful bureaucracy in France, it can take a while to get served.
In Australia you also need to show ID, but it is very quick. Although expensive.
UK was the best, and for £15 all you can eat data.
It works badly. If you want any kind of post-paid plan you typically are forced to purchase a phone with a carrier lock. Some pre-paid plans will let you purchase SIMs and "bring your own phone" (Wal-Mart's "Straight Talk" being the largest that I'm aware of-- they're an AT&T MVNO).
The average US cell phone user has no idea that phones and service aren't one-in-the-same.
Last weekend I went to an AT&T store and got a 'post-paid plan'. I just asked for a SIM and they gave it to me. No one forced me to purchase a carrier locked phone.
I studied one semester as an exchange student in the US, and it seems like everyone there is attached to a plan, prepaid contracts are not popular, actually they aren't a good deal. I got a prepaid simcard and it was really expensive they even charged me .25 dlls per every received text, I'm not sure if every company is that expensive, but I guess they are.
yes, they are. oh, and sending would cost you .25 as well, unless, of course, you purchase 'unlimited' texts for $20/month, then, you see, they're 'free'. texting is insane and I have to remind people not to text me on a regular basis.
The USA has these things, don't they? They're just not popular options. BoostMobile, AT&T's "GoPhones", Verizon PrePaid, etc. You can either get a cheap phone, or bring your own phone, without a contract. Is it that different?
You can prepay, for example on T-Mobile. The sim card is $1, and while you won't get by on $10, if you stay in the city $30 gets you all you need. Definitely still cheaper in China and Europe.
The USA does not have cheap pre-paid sims with data. I visited Singapore. Got a $50 credit pre-paid sim. Got 1gig of data for $7 a week, taken from the pre-paid sim.
As far as I can see there are no pay as you go data plans in the US. Only subscription plans. If there are I'd like to know of them
AT&T sells a plan with 5GB/month for $50/month[1] (pay-ahead, not prepay). It is a monthly subscription with no commitment - cancel it at any time. I walked into a AT&T store and the lady behind the counter gave me a free SIM (list price $5.95). I bought the $15/month for 250MB data plan since I was just experimenting.
I found out that AT&T has annoying restrictions based on the IMEI number - for a IMEI that maps to a computer, they will only offer you the $50/month plan. For a IMEI that maps to a tablet, they will allow you to to buy the $15/month plan. FWIIW, they require you to enter a IMEA number, not the number of the device you are using the SIM in. ;-)
I am currently running my phone on a T-Mobile on a $30/month pre-paid plan[2] with unlimited (for some definition of "unlimited") data and 100 minutes of talk. Unfortunately, they have poor coverage in about half the area I frequent... I end up roaming on AT&T and don't get data coverage there.
Both those options are essentially the same as your Singapore plan.
Jesus, a 2-year commitment to a shitty voice plan just to get a 3G data sim?
I'm visiting New Zealand now. The first thing I did when I got off the plane was purchase a 3G prepaid (2GB) USB dongle for $70, and I can top it up if I need to and move the sim card to a phone if I want to. I didn't have to sign or agree to purchase anything extra.
I can do this in Australia, too. What the hell, USA?
Note that the plan you really want is the "Tablets and Gaming Devices". The "Computers, Netbooks, Aircards, Others" plan is a rip-off except for the $50/month 5GB plan, which is the same as the "Tablet" plan. On the "Computers" lower data rate plans, it is $15 per day, $30 per week. Data is data, so they are just ripping you off.
AT&T DataConnect Pass plans
* No Long-Term Contract
* Plans are active for 30 days or until depleted.
* Plans automatically renew every 30 days for domestic data plans, unless you cancel.
I use T-Mobile's prepaid with my unlocked Android phone. I get 100 minutes voice per month and unlimited data for only $30. They certainly don't advertise it, but you can buy a prepaid SIM card from their website for only a couple bucks and then sign up for this plan. I go over my minutes frequently and pay $.10 per minute for the rest of the month at that point, but it still comes out far cheaper than any regular plan.
I have done the same thing, using a Galaxy Nexus. It's a brilliant combo - I got a brand new cutting edge phone for $350, and I'll spend only $360 this year for unlimited data and text on this T-Mobile plan (with no contract, to boot).
It's such a good deal that even with carrier penalties for breaking contract it is still much cheaper over the course of a year.
FWIW, T-Mobile has recently withdrawn this plan, it is no longer available for new or switching customers. Cheapest "unlimited*" prepaid data plan is now $50 a month.
Oh! Sorry, looks like I'm wrong. I do see it being offered on their website, but it's for new activations only - that would explain why I was under the impression it's no longer offered after not seeing it in the prepaid plan switcher in my account.
I've done that with my last two phones -- currently i'm using a Samsung Galaxy Mini I bought off Ebay jailbroken for 100.00, with a t-mobile pay-as-you-go sim card in it. I don't miss data at all since I can get wifi plenty of places.
Much like another poster, I walked into the AT&T store and asked for a prepaid SIM. I handed over $10 in cash and got a SIM card with $10 credit on it. By logging in to their website, I was able to allocate the $10 between voice, texts, and data. When that's used up, you can go and add more money to the card. All in all, it was pretty damn convenient.
Where I live, Verizon and AT&T are the only carriers with service, and both of them are more or less dedicated to the phone/contract ball and chain. To my knowledge it is not even possible to buy a retail, unlocked CDMA phone (for Verizon).
In India, they give you the sim for free (or a nominal price). And for around 10 USD a month, you can have unlimited text/voice plans. Data speeds suck, though.
india was headed down that route, and then some idiots in power got obsessed with the fact that terrorists could be using anonymous cellphones to communicate. it's far more of a hassle to get a sim card there now :(
I can get a cell phone within a few blocks of basically anywhere I am.
The carriers make money selling calls and data: not phones.
And while I'm talking about this kind of thing... I can go anywhere and get "free" wifi: even at Circle K. Ya. They have free wi-fi at the Circle K. I can sit at a coffee shop, get a 3 dollar coffee, and work all day. Restaurants are the same.
Admittedly, the internet speeds to the USA are not that great. However, internal to Vietnam, they are really good.