Has anyone used Roam mobility while in the USA?

[toban]

I'm planning on visiting Orlando, Disney World next April or May and bringing an unlocked cell phone. I understand you can purchase the Roam sim cards at most retailers, register online, receive a USA phone number, and choose how many days you will be away. It appears Roam has coverage in Florida.

Has anyone used Roam? Any problems?

I plan on taking an old Samsung Galaxy S2 x (T989) phone with me so I'm guessing it will work?

Thanks!

[pippinelkhound]

Check with Roam to see if the phone meets their requirements.

I have an AT&T phone for trips south.

Or just use Wifi

[toban]

pippinelkhound I assume you bought your AT&T phone while in the USA. Do you find it has good signal strength? I've heard AT&T has better coverage compared to T-Mobile. Roam uses T-Mobile towers.

[xlxo]

I use Roam Mobility for a couple of years now when on the West Coast and New York. Love it.

• no coverage in Alaska, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming and Jellystone. Had to get ATT.
• they just revised their data plans. Unlimited once you go past the allocation (they just throttle the speed). You might want to double check this.
• Is your phone unlocked? Otherwise the Liberti hotspot is a better choice.
• Pick up at many Canadian retailers (eg London Drugs), airports, or border crossing duty free shops (on the Canadian site).
• Vancouver company running out of Yaletown
• USA prepaid is for the month... Roam flexibility allows me to buy by the day, weekend, or week.
  http://www.roammobility.com/plans
• Roam Mobility is the ONLY prepaid option that allows you to call a Canadian number. USA sims only allow you to call a USA phone number. Travelling with others using a Canadian SIM? You won't be able to call them unless you are using a Roam SIM.
• Roam Mobility is based on the day for voice calls, not minutes. Go ahead and keep in touch with home. I chatted with the office for hours one day because of an emergency. Thank-you Roam.

[mariajames]

I think the roam mobility shouldn't be used because it can charge you many ...
so I would not prefer to use..

[toban]

Thanks for the help! I thought about purchasing a cheap AT&T phone in the states. Some people told me Roam works great in cities but outlying areas dropped calls. Maybe it depends on which state. Besides Orlando/Disney we may travel to Tampa, Sanford, Winter Garden and the Kennedy Space Centre. It sounds like Roam is the way to go. My phone is unlocked.

I use Roam Mobility for a couple of years now when on the West Coast and New York. Love it.

• no coverage in Alaska, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming and Jellystone. Had to get ATT.
• they just revised their data plans. Unlimited once you go past the allocation (they just throttle the speed). You might want to double check this.
• Is your phone unlocked? Otherwise the Liberti hotspot is a better choice.
• Pick up at many Canadian retailers (eg London Drugs), airports, or border crossing duty free shops (on the Canadian site).
• Vancouver company running out of Yaletown
• USA prepaid is for the month... Roam flexibility allows me to buy by the day, weekend, or week.
  http://www.roammobility.com/plans
• Roam Mobility is the ONLY prepaid option that allows you to call a Canadian number. USA sims only allow you to call a USA phone number. Travelling with others using a Canadian SIM? You won't be able to call them unless you are using a Roam SIM.
• Roam Mobility is based on the day for voice calls, not minutes. Go ahead and keep in touch with home. I chatted with the office for hours one day because of an emergency. Thank-you Roam.

[xlxo]

Check out the coverage map.... Orlando appears to be well covered...
http://www.t-mobile.com/coverage.html

Let us know your experiences when you get back....

[toban]

Thanks! It looks like Orlando has good coverage. My trip is not until late Spring and I will let everyone know my experience

[bhlombardy]

I wouldnt guarantee what US provider service Roam uses... they *may* only partner with one provider, but they may partner with more than one, but prioritize to one network if it's available. Granted, I never heard about ROAM until this thread... and it looks intriguing. (I like the short-term use options)


Here's my experience with roaming in the USA:

IMPORTANT: You MUST have your Canadian Phone UNLOCKED to use any foreign SIM card.
(US based providers, including the one below, claim you dont need to, but their claims are for US based phones, as they get around the unlocking by using compatible SIM card authentications)


-

I use STRAIGHT TALK when I roam in the USA.

- Starter kit is $60 ... which includes 4 SIM cards (for various types of phones and coverage) and also includes their $45 plan.
- The plan is 30-days of absolutely unlimited Talk/Text/Data (Data speed is 4G/LTE but gets throttled in speed after 3gb... but seriously, will you use 3Gb?)

STRAIGHT TALK PROs:

- The BEST coverage I've been able to find for no-contract/BYOD (Bring your own device) service SIM. I travel through central Maine regularly, and they cover very rural areas.
- They prioritize on AT&T network, but if I'm not mistaken will jump to another network where AT&T isnt available.
- 4G/LTE coverage (where LTE is available)
- Available at Any Walmart store in the US (if you cant find a walmart in the US, walk about 50 feet, and look again)
- You can top up online, or with a card you can also by at Walmart
- You can get a $30 plan if you prefer, but the data is considerably less.

CONS:
- International talk and text (ie: to Canada) is not included, but you CAN add international for $10
- 30-day cycle... so if you're only in need for a few days you might be paying more than you should. However, if you're going to be using it for more than 12 days... its the same cost as Roam and the coverage and speeds are quite a bit better.


As I said, I had never heard about ROAM until this thread. But I'll be experimenting with it in a couple of weeks when I go to Boston over our Thanksgiving break. Their coverage map shows a great deal of "dead" or 2G-only spots in most of Maine where I'll be driving, but once in NH and MA it should be fine.

I like the notion of ROAM's $3.95/day option. After the SIM card ($20) and $4 per day ($12) that I'll be using it... plus HST, it will be about $10 cheaper than Straight Talk.

So, for this upcoming trip, I'm going to opt to NOT re-activate my Straight Talk plan, and try out this Roam, in the interest of science.

I'll let you know how I make out.

[bhlombardy]

I'm planning on visiting Orlando, Disney World next April or May and bringing an unlocked cell phone. ... an old Samsung Galaxy S2 x (T989) phone with me so I'm guessing it will work?

If it's unlocked, as you mention, you should be good as golden to put ANY North American provider's SIM in your phone and have it work with that provider.

[bhlombardy]

So I went to Staples and picked up a Roam SIM... ($19.96, as advertised)

When I got home and registered (they call it activated, but it has no plan or phone # assigned to it),
I've come to find out that it's not 4G/LTE compatible UNLESS you spend an extra $2 to "upgrade" it.

sure it's a one-time fee per SIM, but still... it's a cash-grab.

[xlxo]

If it's unlocked, as you mention, you should be good as golden to put ANY North American provider's SIM in your phone and have it work with that provider.

Not quite.... some SIMs do not support data. Different phone carriers may use different frequencies for 4G/LTE.

[xlxo]

When I got home and registered (they call it activated, but it has no plan or phone # assigned to it),
I've come to find out that it's not 4G/LTE compatible UNLESS you spend an extra $2 to "upgrade" it.

sure it's a one-time fee per SIM, but still... it's a cash-grab.

Yah, a lot changed in July....
http://www.roammobility.com/4g-lte-network

When I last used Roam last year, I had 4G coverage just fine. Not sure what changed in July. I'm going on a trip in a few weeks, and will upgrade if I find problems.

[toban]

I contacted AT&T (chat support) and they said my Samsung Galaxy S2x (SGH-T989D) will not work on their network. So I'm either going with Roam using the above phone or purchasing a cheap prepaid phone at Straight Talk or AT&T to use. Any other ideas please let me know.

[xlxo]

To clarify... which carrier is your Samsung Galaxy S2x (SGH-T989D) from? Wind?