T-Mobile Pay-by-the-day for international visitor

[Aure]

Hi all,

Guy from Sweden asking for a little bit of help!

I'm going to California for work for 10 days starting on monday and I'm trying to figure out the best data-plan for me and I've been looking at the Pay by the day-plan T-Mobile offers.

Pay By The Day Cell Phone Plans | Prepaid Plans | T-Mobile

I have an unlocked international version of Sony Xperia Z1 Compact (D5503) which should support T-mobiles frequenzies.

I hope some of you could help me out here:

1. Is "Pay by the day" the way to go?
2. It states: First 200MB per day at up to 4G speed - does that mean ALL data from the phone?
3. It costs 3USD/day, do I pre-pay let's say 50USD and it then deducts 3USD/day until the 50USD are gone?
4. Any other carrier or plan you would suggest?

I really appreciate this since I know there's alot of different carriers and tecniques that differs within your country.

Have a great day!

Jonas

 

[zorak950]

1. If you're only here for ten days and don't need a ton of data, probably.
2. Yes, presumably excluding tethering, but I don't know their policy on that with the daily plans.
3. I've never used their daily prepaid plans, but if it's anything like the others yes: you deposit money with them and choose your plan and it deducts from there.
4. Not really. Since you're only here ten days it's probably not worth thinking too hard about.

 

[gtt1]

Not sure about your original question, are you planning on calling Sweden? If so maybe you need to find out if the daily plan covers international calls, I suspect it doesn't.

 

[Kevin Phillips]

I am going to be in the states for around 10 days. I was wondering if I can get a sim card for the pay by the day plan at a t-mobile store or if I have to order one online?

 

[zorak950]

You can get one in a store.

 

[gtt1]

Getting a sim card ordered by phone for someone not a resident of the US is virtually impossible I found out. Even with a US banking credit card and my condo address every order I have tried to put through even through telephoning a rep does not go through. They say my card will not accept it. This is BS as I have talked to my card issuer who say this is what happens. The charge goes through and then about 3 seconds later it is reversed by T-Mo.. Now I have only tried when they have had the free sim or for $1.00.

Also the stores are hit and miss some T-Mo corporate I have heard give a free sim if you buy a plan even prepaid but some want $10.00.

An alternative is just go to a Best Buy or Walmart and buy the cheapest T-mo prepaid phone going $19.99 and it includes a sim you can then activate and use. The phone while simple is then a spare.

 

[dpham00]

Online could be a problem, but in store they should sell you one, or give it free.



dpham00, Android Central Moderator
Sent from my Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note 3

 

[zorak950]

Yeah, that's my one big complaint about the process of acquiring a SIM card on T-Mobile: price inconsistency. Normally they're $10, but they go on sale all the time for $1, and some stores will just give them to you for free. There doesn't seem to be any logic or pattern to it.

 

[raino]

I recently activated the $3/day plan (on a pre-UMTS 1700 iPhone 5, if it matters.)

1. If you're ok with 200MB data/day, yes. See #4 as well.
2. Yes. The first 200MB data you get will be high speed (whether music streaming is excluded from this limit, I don't know.) Speed thereafter is throttled. The clock resets at midnight.
3. Yes. If there's activity after midnight, the next day's $3 will be deducted, and this will go on until your balance is used up. Minimum balance that you can add online is $10.
4. If you are here for 10 days, plan to use your phone every day and need data more than talk time, I recommend the $30 plan: 5GB data, 100 minutes, unlimited text. You'd be paying the same amount as you would be on 10 days of continuous usage on the $3 plan, but this gets you way more data.

I haven't looked at the bands in your phone, but if there are no AWS bands--UMTS or LTE-- you may want to 1) find out how good the UMTS 1900 coverage is wherever you're going, and 2) look at some AT&T options like Cricket and Straight Talk.

Not all corporate stores will give you a SIM card for free. The one by me wanted to charge $10 for it. This was a good 6-8 months ago, things may have changed.