Forum Discussion
buy prepaid t mobile card to travel to USA
Voy a viajar a USA (costa oeste) y me han recomendado que compre una sim de prepago, pero para no tener que buscar una tienda cuando llegue a LAX queria saber si podria comprarla de otra forma ; espero su respuesta muchas gracias
Thanks for reaching out! Sounds like we have three questions. How can you buy a T-Mobile SIM card? Will your phone work with a T-Mobile SIM card while you are in the US? Can you use that phone with your original carrier SIM card on our network through roaming?
T-Mobile SIM cards are available to purchase through many retailers. I don't think Walmart and Target are international so Amazon may be the best option. Just make sure you purchase a United States version and not the German version.
Network compatibility can be confusing and changes as technology evolves. Hopefully I can shed a little light on things to make it easier. Cell towers broadcast frequencies and your phone has to have the right antenna to pick up what is broadcast. When your phone picks up the frequency, the software in your phone has to be able to process it to actually send and receive calls and text messages.
- I found the specs for the oppo A54S online and it should be able to pick up 5 of the frequencies that T-Mobile uses.
- What we can't verify is if your phone is capable of VoLTE. If it does have VoLTE, then you can get the T-Mobile SIM card and use your oppo A54S while you travel. If it doesn't, then that phone would not get service with the T-Mobile SIM card.
If your cellphone provider and T-Mobile have a roaming agreement, then it is likely that you will get some kind of service while in the US. It is hard to say what will and won't work because the phone is not built with the US network top of mind. You will most likely be able to send and receive text messages and get some data. If the phone is not VoLTE capable, then calls may not go through at all with either SIM card.
It is a bit of a long answer but hopefully this helps.
but I bought this Oppo phone in Spain; and my daughter also has another Oppo model and another mobile that she has is a motorola and all 3 are listed on the T Mobile page that none are compatible; This all seems surreal to me. Thanks for helping
Spain is a very different region of the world with different carriers that have different implementations for their features. Even in North America, there is a considerable difference in what US carriers use, let alone adding Canada and Mexico into that mix.
gramps28 wrote:
viajero wrote:
but it is not compatible with Tmobile's VoLte standard, which means that if I go to the US with this phone, even with a sim from a Spanish company that has roaming with the US, it will not work for me either? Can I send a private message to shaoran? thank you
If you use it with your sim it may work but it can't be activate with a Tmobile sim.
Es que precisamente compramos este móvil porque nos dijeron que el que teníamos antes no captaba las frecuencias de las empresas de EEUU, lo miramos en una página web y con este móvil decía que sí; entonces ahora no entiendo.
Now I just looked at it with a samsung galaxy A13 and neither
You might want to look over on Swappa for some good deals on devices that are compatible with T-Mobile, if you choose to not buy something from T-Mobile directly. You might be able to sell those incompatible devices on Swappa as well.
syaoran wrote:
You might want to look over on Swappa for some good deals on devices that are compatible with T-Mobile, if you choose to not buy something from T-Mobile directly. You might be able to sell those incompatible devices on Swappa as well.
but we don't want to sell anything, because these are family mobiles, and how can it be that none of them doesn't work for T mobile. I know many friends who have been to the US and have had no problems, and I don't think their motives are that different from ours.
The VoLTE compatibility is a fairly new requirement. With the shutdown of 2G and 3G networks in the US. VoLTE is required now to make and receive calls.
what is volte? what we are interested in knowing is if with these mobiles we can travel to the US and have data and calls without problems; thank you
viajero wrote:
Voy a viajar a USA (costa oeste) y me han recomendado que compre una sim de prepago, pero para no tener que buscar una tienda cuando llegue a LAX queria saber si podria comprarla de otra forma ; espero su respuesta muchas gracias
If it's the 3 questions: "How do you buy a T-Mobile SIM card? Will your phone work with a T-Mobile SIM card while you're in the US? Can you use that phone with the T-Mobile SIM card? from your original carrier on our network through roaming?"For our safety I think that 1 (I could get it as you say) and 2 is taking too high a risk, so it's better not to buy it, because how can I know if my oppo has volte? but if T Mobile says no, I guess that alone already answers. Regarding the 3, I have also found 5 bands/frequencies that I had already located since last year, but what surprised me is that the frequencies have nothing to do with the compatibility of my mobile with a sim from T mobile. What interests me the most is to know if the data will work with a Spanish sim that is not the one I have but from which I have bought a sim that has roaming with the US. Gracias
syaoran wrote:
Voice over LTE. Without compatible VoLTE, you will not be able to make and receive calls with those devices on US networks.
I don't know what LTE means, but what I reiterate that at least we would be interested in knowing the truth is if we can navigate the west coast with data (and with it WhatsApp).If it is necessary that I consult T mobile directly and you can provide me with an email, I can send you an email with the question. Gracias
Try contacting tmobile support using messenger on one of tmobile's social media platforms like Facebook or Twitter. The technical support may have a better answer.
