After twenty or more hours flight to the U.S., you’re very tired. But you still have so much to do after you land, not just catch up on sleep or get over jetlag.
One of the first things you need to do, if you don’t live in a big city, is ask someone to drive you to a nearby shopping mall to get some basic living necessities. Aside from a toothbrush and some shampoo, you need to get a cell phone. The process of purchasing mobile phones and having your mobile phone set up in the U.S. is very different from that in China. So I am going to give you a little insight here to help you quickly get an idea of the process.
First, most international students who visit the U.S. purchase prepaid mobile phones or a mobile plan. Some of the largest mobile services providers in the U.S. include T-mobile, AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint. For details of the mobile plans and services, please see their official websites.
Most mobile service providers in the U.S. offer free or cheaper mobile devices. For example, a new iPhone 5 only costs $199. However, customers need to sign a 2-year contract with the service provider and within the 2-year period, customers are not allowed to terminate their services with the provider they chose or transfer to another provider. Because providers require that customers have credit records in the U.S. — and most international students do not have them — international students must pay a $500 deposit in order to sign any type of contract. The deposit will be returned one year later. You could create a family plan with your classmates or other friends. This will enable you to pay at a lower price per month rather than paying for an individual plan. Usually, if you use a smart phone under AT&T’s family plan, you will be charged about $40 to $50 per month, and an individual plan will charge you about $60 to $70 per month. In addition to the various individual and family plans, there are other options for international students, such as prepaid plans, which do not require a contract.
The most convenient prepaid card is sold with a phone and a “pay as you go” plan that does not have a monthly charge, yet does not include data package. This prepaid card is sold in large supermarkets and you do not need to provide your personal information to purchase it. Some mobile phones could be as cheap as $20 and you might need to purchase recharge cards in the future. Once the balance on your account is insufficient, the services will automatically pause until you recharge your prepaid card. The transition period for recharge isn’t too long, and the number might be invalidated unless you recharge within a certain time period. A weakness of this prepaid service is that the cost is relatively expensive.
As international students, you might prefer prepaid plans. These plans are often less expensive. However, you need to bring your photo IDs (passports, I20) and credit cards to the counter of one of the telecom companies. Sometimes, some companies will go to your college and you could go through the process at school. Please keep in mind that not every company provides this kind of prepaid service, and the monthly cost might vary a lot. According to my experience, T-Mobile provides this service and only charges about $30 per month. You also need to purchase your own mobile device, for example, a cheap phone at $20. Or you can get a fancier, more expensive smart phone or bring your own phone from China. Perhaps bringing a phone from China is the most convenient, but please ensure that the phone is compatible for use in the U.S.
If you have friends or relatives based in the U.S., you have another option of joining their family plan.
For more detailed information about cell phones and mobile services, you may also inquire with your upper classmates who already have cell phones at school. They will answer your questions and try their best to help you.
Meanwhile, these websites below should be useful.
T-mobile:
http://www.t-mobile.com/
http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/plans/cell-phone-plans-overview.aspx
AT&T:
http://www.att.com/
http://www.att.com/shop/wireless.html
Verizon:
http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/index.html
http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/store/controller?item=planFirst&action=viewPlanOverview
Sprint:
http://www.sprint.com/
http://shop.sprint.com/mysprint/shop/plan/plan_wall.jsp?INTNAV=ATG:HE:Plans
