I have recently travelled to the United States and I needed a local number as roaming would have been an expensive option.
I was set to purchase a T-Mobile tourist plan that I had heard of from Tech Talk with Alan Perry (very good show by the way). So I googled before, and yes the plan still existed. However, at the T-mobile store they could not find the plan in the internal system, so they could not sell it to me. At my insistence they googled it and yes they found the tourist plan but now it was offered by Ultra Mobile (which initially I'd understood it had just been acquired by T-Mobile, but it does not seem to be the case).
As the Ultra Mobile location was not convenient to go to at that time I went back home 'defeated'. Next day I rode the bike - yes, I rode the bike, loaned by the host, in the U.S. :) - to the store that sold Ultra Mobile SIM cards.
There I found something even better: Lycamobile ($36 price with tax, including $10 activation fee, 2GB, unlimited calls, valid for 30 day).
And by unlimited I mean unlimited calls to 75 countries (most of them includes mobile).
I could not believe it and I had to ask a few times if it is true and I understand correctly what they say.
I shed a few tears, I had never thought I would talk internationally so cheaply mobile to mobile.
The not so distant period, when I would not answer the phone as the incoming calls would count against my during the week quota calls, it is still fresh in my memory. I had to somehow plan my calls during the week-end and after 6 PM and before 7 AM during the week when I had more minutes (1,000 vs. some 100 or 200). That was a very stressful mobile phone experience :).
Could Lycamobile be the best choice for travellers?
I had been in the U.S. for two months so it was convenient for me as for the second month I paid only $19.95 (1 GB data this time as I had realized it was enough and I understand they do not just cut off the internet after you have used up all data, it is just at a much lower speed).
