I'm off to New Orleans in May for 8 days and my plan doesn't cover the US. While it's not essential a modest amount of data would be useful, at the right price. I don't need calls I'm with ID and their bolt-on is more than I want to pay.
My phone doesn't take an eSim unfortunately.
All the UK providers who used to include the US in roaming plans (I have Three in mind) now seem to charge £5 a day or more. I'm not prepared to spend that much, as there is abundant free WiFi in the US in my experience.
Any suggestions for a cheapo SIM please? I'd have though 500mb per day would be ample.
(Yes, I wish I wasn't going to the US but there is too much invested to drop out now!)
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Not sim advice - sorry...
I would clear any and all social media and email accounts from your device before you go. These can be reviewed by customs there and used to deny you entry.
If you are willing to change to Three, they have a £10 a month sim which includes roaming in the USA I believe (DYOR), via USwitch. 12 month contract.
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I’ve recently gone high tech and acquired an IPhone.
Someone suggested I try a LEBARA sim only deal via MSE.
You get 5 gb of data for £1 99 for the first 6 months rising to £4.99 thereafter
On a 30day rolling contract.
Don’t know if it covers the US but worth enquiring.
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Yes Zippy, already started purging all the Trump jokes and memes etc from WhatsApp , and I'm thinking twice about bothering to take my laptop.
Lebara looks like it might be a good call, if I can cancel the SIM after a month. Seems they have an 8 days 2Gb bolt in for £3, or 15 day 5Gb for £10.
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>> Yes Zippy, already started purging all the Trump jokes and memes etc from WhatsApp ,
>> and I'm thinking twice about bothering to take my laptop.
I'd take a burner as my only phone.
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>> I'd take a burner as my only phone.
>>
That’s what I do. Then visit the local AT & T and buy a package with data and calls to the UK.
And make sure my camera works and remember how to use it. !
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Yes that's been suggested elsewhere. I may well do it. What a sorry state of affairs...
I have an old Pocophone which would do, maybe I'll take that. I was going to take it as backup, which I tend to do since the time when phone I was dependent on for reaching my initial destination broke en route.
The Lebara plan has legs, £1.50 for a month plus a £5 for 2Gb US roaming plan should do the trick.
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I use a Three pay as you go sim, others at work just buy Airalo or Flexiroam eSIMS. Either will be fine for a week.
You need to be a particular person to be profiled by US border agents and frankly the British tourist does not rank highly on that list. I wouldn't dream of taking a different phone, and if you did get stopped, a completely blank phone is way more suspicious than one with your text messages and porn library on it.
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Thanks. eSim not supported by my phone but useful info for others. I just look ed at Three and it seems I'd have to get a PAYG plus a Go Roam Around The World bolt on which would cost a fair bit (though it's hard to find just how much!)
The Lebara is still looking favourite.
In spare moments I've prepped my second phone with all the apps I'd need, and signed them all in etc. I was taking it as a spare anyway. But it rebooted itself twice during those efforts so I'd class it as a bit unreliable so will keep my main phone in my packing list.
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All of the PAYG bundles over £10 on Three include the Go Roam option.
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Three confused me. I thought you needed Go Roaming around the World for the USA, which was not the same as Go Roam, i.e. would be an additional cost. But now you say it, maybe it isn't.
I think the Lebara would be cheaper (they use Vodaphone) but only a few ££ but maybe I'd prefer Three so I've ordered the SIM only and will look again when I get back to the UK tomorrow. Thanks
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In 2015 when Miss Z did here elective in Aukland, New Zealand for 6 months, I bought her a 3 SIM for their world wide roaming. It was a contract at the time with the same terms as in the UK for minutes, text and data - the first two being unlimited. I would say that at the time it was good value rather than expensive and it proved to be invaluable.
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Yes, I can see that, but I'm only there 8 days, staying in the centre of New Orleans where probably there is abundant free WiFi, and WiFi at our apartment, so I doubt I'll need it much.
I am fully expecting to spend most of the time at the numerous music venues in Bourbon and Frenchman St (plus some recommended dive bars elsewhere close to eh the centre) I've downloaded the offline maps for the much wider area, as I have a Jeep pickup for 3 days and may have a day along the Gulf (of America!!) coast and deeper into Mississippi in which a mobile might give me some reassurance.
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>> and may have a day along the Gulf (of America!!)
>>
...I see you're preparing your social media profile well.... ;-)
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>>and if you did get stopped, a completely blank phone is
>> way more suspicious than one with your text messages and porn library on it.
>>
Just use the "burner" for few days to put some usage on it before you go.
(In 2007 to 2011 when I went to the USA a few times for my employer, they insisted on us taking an absolutely blank laptop and an operating boot disk because laptops were being examined.)
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An interesting and recent change of policy by the EU.
www.theregister.com/2025/04/15/ec_burner_devices/
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And if you accepted the invitation to the chat group for the Houthi attack you might want to wipe that before you go.
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Current advice is that Immigration over there are wise to burner phones and it's now recommended that you have some sensible activity on the phone.
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Simpler to avoid the Godforsaken place. Who needs to travel to the US when we have Europe on our doorstep.
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Well I for one am not going back on principle. Have though about another road trip this time from SF up to Seatle along the coast. Not now. Place appears positivly hostile.
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If you feel the need for a North American trip try Canada. Vancouver to Calgary through the Rockies is a stunning trip. Atlantic coast has some great routes as well.
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Well I spent some time setting up and updating my previous phone but tbh it all feels a bit paranoid to me, so I will just take the current one and, as I always now do, take the other as a spare in case of loss/damage.
I think I said upthread that I am too financially committed to this trip to cancel.
As an aside, a friend went on an American cruise late last year. She was surprised by the number of Trump supporters. I suppose it oughtn't be surprising as a majority voted him in but ones does wonder about their thinking.
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I'm sure that you'll have a wonderful time Smokie.
I think the worst is at immigration. You get nutcases here too. It took all my strength today not to lamp someone who was incessantly going on about getting the navy to run down the rubber dinghies and drown the asylum seekers. In an ideal world it would be him in an asylum.
Any like here, you get marvellous people, like the person who was quick witted enough to put him in his place verbally and then got me a soothing cuppa.
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>As an aside, a friend went on an American cruise late last year. She was surprised by the number of Trump supporters. I suppose it oughtn't be surprising as a majority voted him in but ones does wonder about their thinking.
Maybe it says something about the type of person who goes on US cruises.
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We went on an Alaska cruise in 2016. The Americans on the ship wanted to talk about Brexit.
They almost all said they would not vote for Hillary Clinton - she lost the election for the Democrats. There wasn't a lot of enthusiasm for Trump but given it's a two horse race he got the votes over Clinton.
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Have some american friends, No idea why but they hated Hilary, she was very pushy and strident.
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>> There wasn't a lot of enthusiasm for Trump but given it's
>> a two horse race he got the votes over Clinton.
Strictly speaking she got the votes but piled them up in the wrong places and thus lost the election.
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So I floated the idea of 14 nights in a warmer clime in Jan - I was thinking of a cheapy, like Egypt, before we go to Portugal in March - and she "floated" back the idea of a Caribbean cruise - TUI, to keep the cost down a bit, but upgraded this that and the rest.
I've not yet looked into it myself but has anyone been down that way on a boat (or even another way) and if so what did you do re SIM and WiFi? Not forgetting my current phone doesn't take E Sims. I know the boats have WiFi but usually incredibly expensive, and she does like her WhatsApp and Facebook.
No opinions of cruising are necessary thanks :-) We've done it before, and I'd said never again, but the TUI boats are a bit smaller and less city-like than some of the US monsters and I half fancy the idea of some of the places, and the super large balcony I think I'm about to cough up for!!
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Yup, done two TUI carribean cruises. Wifi on board is expensive and useless, Phone data on shore is expensive. (unless you are ashore on a dutch or French Island*). Do you really need data? Can you not cope for 7 / 10 days without 24x7 data? Its not a holiday consdieration surely.
* One cruise we did included Guadelope, now that is worth a trip, get up to the north of the islands to Deshaies
The best cruise we did included Cartagena colombia, Panama, and Costa Rica. Tui no longer do this. One of the cruises we did we had an excursion day on Mustique.
Tui boats are older, smaller, but generally comfortable, good food
In short she can have a caribean cruise, but facebook is going to be spotty. Like it or lump it.
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This year to breaK up our numerous trips to round the UK to dog shows and locations nearby in the Basecamp, I am planning an Inspector Montalbano homage to Scicily in October.
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In Kefalonia at the moment and ye gods it’s hot!
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If you're still there in 10 days you can buy me a Mythos.
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That’s when I go back. Where are you staying? Hope you,ve got decent air con. Heat wave set to stay a while yet.u
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We're staying in Skala on the south coast. We've been visiting on-and-off for nearly 40yrs and spent a month there last summer.
We have aircon but the temps don't really bother us after a couple of days.
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I’ve been visiting Greece for years. Stayed on a lot of the Islands including Kefalonia about six times but I’ve never known it so hot as it is now. Heat wave is across most of Europe at the moment. Some records are going to be broken temperature wise. Athens predicted to reach the mid forties. Truly Scorchio!
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Go and grab some lunch. Looks like you're about to get a bit of rain.
tinyurl.com/y7w7pz4f
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No chance here in Sami. Wouldn’t mind a decent storm though
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Staying in the Pericles in Sami by any chance CGN??
Last time I was there with the late Mrs H was just after they had filmed Captain Corellis Mandolin using Sami as a substitute for Argostoli.
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No but not that far from The Pericles. We have rented a small house on the edge of Sami.
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Dunno what you are moaning about, BBC says its only 32c out there, gonna be hotter than that here in the uk on Monday....
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34C expectedin London on Tuesday. I expect it will pass with barely a mention.
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>> 34C expectedin London on Tuesday. I expect it will pass with barely a mention.
Its headline news already, and it hasnt even happened yet
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Promise of 21C with thundery showers in Settle.
Rubbish… and I missed last weekends 2 day heatwave.
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30+ tomorrow and Tuesday per BBC which will 'plummet' to 21 by mid week.
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30 today here in Saddleworth at mid day. 27 just now.
Love it!
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30.7 outside right now. Sensor's been in shade for a while.
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Peaked at 31.5 in the shade here in Surrey around two hours ago, its now plummeted to 30.9
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US Sim advice - zippy
