Calling/Messaging in LA POE

[Bugs 455]

My fiance will be flying to the US direct from Manila to LA in 2 weeks. She has a smartphone (Sony Xperia), but obviously with no phone plan. We would like to contact each other as soon as she lands. What are our options? I don't know anything about calling cards, SIM cards, etc, etc, so please be detailed lol. We do use Skype and Yahoo Messenger, but the LAX Wifi can be horrendously glitchy.

[apple21 953]

She can use a Philippine sim card and have its international roaming activated before she leaves. She can call you at LAX using that.

[Bugs 455]

How are charges handled for that?

[apple21 953]

How are charges handled for that?

I once asked this at Globe. If I will use Globe's OFW sim card, I need at least 80 pesos worth of prepaid load to make a call at LAX (ex: I will call a T-Mobile number). So she can load as much as she wants. Globe has 100, 300, 500 pesos prepaid card denominations available.

[Bugs 455]

I once asked this at Globe. If I will use Globe's OFW sim card, I need at least 80 pesos worth of prepaid load to make a call at LAX (ex: I will call a T-Mobile number). So she can load as much as she wants. Globe has 100, 300, 500 pesos prepaid card denominations available.

Oh okay, can she make texts with that too, or only voice calls?

[floridaboundcanuk 7]

If her phone is not locked, just walk into T-Mobile the month she is coming, get a $3 a day pay as you go plan on the appropriate simcard and then mail it to her. If not there is always skype or whatsapp or google hangouts.

[apple21 953]

Oh okay, can she make texts with that too, or only voice calls?

Yes she can send text messages too. I don't know how much a text message would cost though (its deductible to her prepaid load).

[Bugs 455]

If her phone is not locked, just walk into T-Mobile the month she is coming, get a $3 a day pay as you go plan on the appropriate simcard and then mail it to her. If not there is always skype or whatsapp or google hangouts.

Well, she is leaving in 2 weeks so mailing a sim card is probably not an option unless I want to pay FedEx $50 to send a $3 card lol.

Edited December 12, 2013 by Leon & Mylen

[HunNee 15]

Well, she is leaving in 2 weeks so mailing a sim card is probably not an option unless I want to pay FedEx $50 to send a $3 card lol.

my fiance is leaving in 2 weeks as well (Dec 27) with LAX as POE.. he has an unlocked phone so am sending him a t-mobile sim card later today that's compatible with his phone.. it's "pay-to-go", so i just loaded it with $50 so he can use it for call and text.. i told him to prepare and bring quarters as well, just in case, the sim card didn't work and so he can call me thru pay phone.. if nothing really works, i'll just be waiting for him outside since am flying to LAX as well that day to meet him there..

[Wyatt Cox 16]

Same suggestion but with Straight Talk - $45 all you can use text talk web.....they have sim cards available as well. FedEx will be necessary, I'm afraid.

[Girl from Celebes 588]

If she has a Skype on her smartphone, it was easy even though it doesn't have a sim card. Try to connect to all wifi spots on the airport which is I believe available at such place like LAX airport. I connected using my BlackBerry and iPad without sim cards when I travelled to a foreign country.

If Changi airport could have such high speed internet connection, LAX should be much better. Also she might be get a sim card pay as you go that probably she can find in a counter corner around the airport.

Edited December 12, 2013 by Girl from Celebes

[Ronn63 41]

I gave my wife a trac phone when I was over for the interview. I loaded it with a $25 card, and away we go!! She texted me as soon as she landed in Detroit. Worked like a charm. It may be a little late in the game for you though. Not a lot of time to get anything to her before she takes off.

[BryNef 4]

I really dont see any options, wifi being so bad at LAX..but,there is a board in the waiting area that will tell you when she will arrive.there is only one place for you to wait and one place for her to exit so its impossible for you to miss her..park in garage 4 and walk across the street to the international terminal...goodluck!!

[Darnell 8,479]

do you want to limit it to a cell phone?

If not - hey ! use the payphones there, but

buy minutes with a pin.

then email her the access # and the pin, she can call you from the payphone there at LAX.

I'll let someone else here suggest which plan to purchase.

[DavenRoxy 1,073]

do you want to limit it to a cell phone?

If not - hey ! use the payphones there, but

buy minutes with a pin.

then email her the access # and the pin, she can call you from the payphone there at LAX.

I'll let someone else here suggest which plan to purchase.

+1 that's what we did. I bought the card, emailed her the access # and the pin, and she called me from a payphone. Not as handy as a cell phone (man, are we spoiled, or what?), but it worked. Think I paid $10 or $15 for the card.