How to call when entering the USA

[Martin_J 0]

Just looking ahead to my fiance arriving in the USA. I'm hoping I can go get her and help her travel back here (from Philippines) but that may not be possible. 

 

I'm looking for advice on the best way for her to be able to contact me by cell phone once she arrives in the USA. We can communicate via FB messenger as long as she can get wifi but I don't want to count on that. I'm thinking along the lines of a sim card that she can pop in her phone and activate herself? Something I can mail to her in advance 

 

Any advice? She has never traveled and is very scared of the long road here. 

[onek 306]

Most airports have wifi. She can connect to wifi can chat with you.

She should be able to use her local phone and make a quick roaming call in the USA. Make sure her international roaming is enabled before she fly.

Another option is to use pay phone at the airport 

[TBoneTX 43,426]

Thread is moved from Off Topic to the Philippines regional forum, for a wider audience.

[payxibka 10,044]

1 hour ago, Martin_J said:

Just looking ahead to my fiance arriving in the USA. I'm hoping I can go get her and help her travel back here (from Philippines) but that may not be possible. 

 

I'm looking for advice on the best way for her to be able to contact me by cell phone once she arrives in the USA. We can communicate via FB messenger as long as she can get wifi but I don't want to count on that. I'm thinking along the lines of a sim card that she can pop in her phone and activate herself? Something I can mail to her in advance 

 

Any advice? She has never traveled and is very scared of the long road here. 

Wifi

[Broccoli Girl 19]

She can use Airport Wifi to contact you through FB Messenger or Whatsapp. Or maybe also have a Philippine prepaid sim with an affordable and temporary roaming package onhand just in case the wifi doesn't work.

[Free Man 115]

You can mail her  Sim card via DHL, it take 3-5 days, once she arrive in the US, the line will be active. Roaming is expensive and very unreliable.  The best and cheapest option would be using WiFi at the airport, but as u said, you don't wanna put your eggs in one basket, mailing her a sim will help.  

[Allovertheworld 355]

Just make sure she has enough money when she arrives, she will find a place with wifi, too many restaurants/coffee shops in the airport not to have them. Plus the airport wifi should be working.  They have wifi just for the purpose you are worried about.

 

You are starting to over think now

[jskibo 588]

Can’t think of any POE airport that would be lacking WiFi

 

Ive been to some pretty small airports in many countries that didn’t lack WiFi either.  

[Martin_J 0]

10 hours ago, Ras Ous said:

You can mail her  Sim card via DHL, it take 3-5 days, once she arrive in the US, the line will be active. Roaming is expensive and very unreliable.  The best and cheapest option would be using WiFi at the airport, but as u said, you don't wanna put your eggs in one basket, mailing her a sim will help.  

I like that idea.

 

I've traveled back and forth 15 times and have had cases where I cannot connect to wifi. I need to help her avoid that feeling of panic. 

[Just Paul 4,591]

We use GoogleFI sims - data is the same rate all over the world.

[Carpe Vinum 2,314]

We used FB Messenger over wifi for all of our communications when travelling separately. We always seemed to get by.

[TVC 244]

You can get a Straight Talk phone at walmart for $30 or so. Then load it with a $35 unlimited plan and you're good to go for 30 days. It will be expensive to ship it to her quickly though. Maybe $200.

 

 

Actually you can even get a free phone with the one month plan purchase on their website.

Edited July 20, 2020 by TVC

[RonnieKris 26]

On 7/19/2020 at 9:19 PM, Martin_J said:

Just looking ahead to my fiance arriving in the USA. I'm hoping I can go get her and help her travel back here (from Philippines) but that may not be possible. 

 

I'm looking for advice on the best way for her to be able to contact me by cell phone once she arrives in the USA. We can communicate via FB messenger as long as she can get wifi but I don't want to count on that. I'm thinking along the lines of a sim card that she can pop in her phone and activate herself? Something I can mail to her in advance 

 

Any advice? She has never traveled and is very scared of the long road here. 

Alot of good advice here. I agree with the wifi comments. Use wifi and FB is the easiest. Also, you can get her a google number and use the google talk app to call via any wifi. Sign up on google talk, then have her download the google talk app. and use the google number on her phone. works great on wifi or cellular.