Mobile Internet in America is available not only for locals, but also for tourists. To get connected, you need to buy an American SIM card and activate it. A SIM card is a plastic physical card that is installed in the smartphone to provide the possibility of calling, chatting. This article contains all the current and verified information about SIM cards, mobile Internet in the USA. There are step-by-step instructions on how to buy and connect in 2023.  

Most popular mobile operators

Many SIM cards are available there. Some are free, some are not, and some come with a monthly fee. We have put together the best SIM cards that visitors can use in the United States. There are 3 giants in USA: 

1. AT&T Company;

One of the largest American communications companies. It is the biggest provider of both local and long-distance phone service in the United States. And the second largest provider of wireless services (about 77 million users due to research) in the United States. A special SIM card option is issued for this operator. It is designed to activate the US smartphones that are locked to the company AT&T.

The pros:

• A possibility of unlimited calling (USA, Canada, Mexico).
• Local USA number for a cheap price, free WI-FI options per month.
• Fast updating and transferring data on the new SIM card. 

The cons:

• Only Apple smartphones support this feature.
• It’s hard to get it online. Courier services usually refuse to deliver local American cards. You will have to buy and install it by yourself. 

2. T-Mobile; 

Is a group of companies operating in the field of mobile communications, which are owned by the German telecommunications. This provider is known worldwide and supplies SIM cards for most European countries and America. The cards are usually available for purchase at special sales offices in shopping malls, at company representative offices, at stores selling home appliances and primarily cell phones, or at the post office.

The pros:

• The cost of the tariff plan includes American taxes and fees.
• Each month the card holder receives 100 GB of high-speed data.
• The card holder receives a free Netflix basic account.

The cons:

• When users purchase a SIM card, the owner should register its ownership. If the card is registered but not used, penalties may accrue, depending on your plan.
  

3. Verizon;

This is the largest phone company in the USA. In the second half of 2016 it became known that the size of the user base reached the mark of million. One of the main points of the company is to sell smartphone models with its logo on the products of the world famous manufacturers. Thus, smartphones, USB modems and other gadgets produced by the company are cheaper compared to identical devices. 

The pros:

• Best performance (JD Power study).
• Excellent overall coverage.
• Highest speeds with 5G UWB.
• New unlimited plan from $30 per month.

The cons:

• It’s hard to get it online or via your tour operator or consultant.
• There has been a slight increase in prices from Verizon SIM cards in 2023. So, before you buy, check out the company’s current rates. 

eSIM option for the USA

What is a digital card? It is a kind of digital version of the classic physical SIM card for data transfer. The smartphone has no card slot. All information is embedded in the motherboard – as a virtual number or encryption code. Via this way you can use the possibility of your operator’s cellular data plan and keep all the information inside. 

If you want to change your phone number or call someone abroad with eSIM Internet, do not buy one more SIM. Thanks to the settings in iOS, users of virtual cards can do this with an international hi-tech plan. To buy virtual phone number for sms on an Iphone you just need to call the operator, choose the tariff plan, install eSIM and get a QR-code with the instruction to activate the card. It’s also the way to manage your traffic. 

Depending on the purpose of your visit, you can pick up a tariff plan from the operator and choose the best sim cards for USA. More traffic SIM cards are required for those who want to be online all the time. Before you install the SIM card option, study the official websites of the company and all sorts of information about discounts and bonuses of SIM cards that apply only to the United States.