8 Best Prepaid SIM Card for USA Travel in 2024

If you’re traveling to the U.S., carrying your non-American SIM card may incur a lot of fees and charges from your carrier. This is why customers are recommended to get a prepaid SIM card well in advance of their USA travel, allowing them to save a ton of money on calls as well as data.


At A Glance: Prepaid SIM Card for USA Travel


ProductBrandNamePrice
41X6zadMU+L. SL500CricketCricket Wireless Prepaid Universal SIM Card KitCheck Price on Amazon
Mint MobileMonth Mint Mobile Wireless PlanCheck Price on Amazon
51vN7c8O0zL. SL500AT&TAT&T 3-in-1, Triple Cut Universal SIM CardCheck Price on Amazon
51FKrsH2kBS. SL500GlocalMeGlocalMe G3 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot, Worldwide MIFI Portable Travel WiFi DeviceCheck Price on Amazon
T-MobileT-Mobile Prepaid SIM Card Unlimited Talk, Text, and Data for 30 days (For use in United States)Check Price on Amazon

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So which prepaid SIM card should you get? Well, the options are several, which makes the choices quite confusing. However, we’ve exhaustively gone through a lot of the options to pick out the best prepaid SIM card for USA travel. This list includes some popular names, although we’ve made sure to talk about a couple of underrated offerings as well. So let’s have a look.

Best Prepaid SIM Card for USA Travel

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1. Cricket Wireless Prepaid

One of America’s well known prepaid networks, Cricket Wireless also has its own BYOD (bring your own device) plan for traveling customers, with attractive plans to choose from. To get started, all you have to do is insert the SIM on your phone and follow the onscreen instructions. With Cricket Wireless with paid plans. This plan has no activation fees or additional overages, so what you see is what you pay.

For those unaware, Cricket Wireless uses AT&T’s 4G LTE networks in the U.S., so regardless of where you travel in the country, you should be able to find decent coverage. With Cricket’s International plan customers can place unlimited international calls to around 35 countries, while most of Cricket’s unlimited plans come included with unlimited calling and texting to Canada and Mexico. Since this doesn’t come with any plan, Cricket will let you choose the best plan during the activation process, allowing you to know fully well what you’re buying into. Be sure to check out Cricket Wireless’ prepaid SIM on Amazon.

Buy it now: here

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2. Mint Mobile

This offering by Mint Mobile is recommended to users who plan to have an extended stay in the U.S. for about three months. The SIM comes with 3GB of 4G LTE data per month which can be used across the U.S. Since it has a 90-day validity, users theoretically get 9GB of usable data over the course of 3 months. Mint Mobile also offers a “test drive” feature which includes a 7-day money-back guarantee if you’re not satisfied with the network’s performance.

Since this is a SIM-only offering, customers are free to bring their own device to the network. The SIM is available in Standard, micro or nano formats, although it is recommended to be careful before ascertaining which SIM fits your phone. Mint Mobile also offers some attractive long term plans if you’re looking to extend your stay in the U.S. This is definitely worth checking out as you can get more data for less each month. Options include 3GB, 8GB and 12GB per month with attractive pricing for data-hungry users.

Buy it now: here

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3. AT&T GoPhone

One of the biggest networks in the U.S. also has a prepaid offering for traveling customers. Marketed under the popular GoPhone brand, this SIM card supports 3G, 4G, and 4G LTE devices, with no support for the archaic 2G networks. Further, this is a triple-cut SIM card which makes it compatible with a wide range of smartphones, including those that use nano and micro-SIM cards. This offering doesn’t have an annual contract, which makes it suitable for traveling customers.

The company only offers this prepaid SIM, and it doesn’t include data, voice or texts. This is an ideal choice for customers traveling to the U.S. for a few weeks, as you have the liberty to add data or voice minutes practically anytime. AT&T GoPhone has some attractive plans to choose from, offering something for everyone. This SIM card can also be used on data-only devices like tablets, making this a very versatile offering overall. AT&T mentions that this SIM will work with most iOS, Android, and Windows devices.

Buy it now: here

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4. GlocalMe G3

This is a pretty versatile offering and unlike any SIM card we’ve discussed so far. That’s because this is not just a SIM, but also a portable hotspot device meant for data use around the world, including the U.S. So if you’re looking to travel to the U.S. and want cheap data plans for multiple devices, the GlocalMe G3 is an excellent option to consider. It comes with its own battery along with the ability to charge other devices when they’re running low.

Data can be added or topped up directly using the G3 and its touchscreen display, which makes this a relatively smoother process. Each device comes with 8GB of high-speed data that can be used in the U.S. in addition to 1GB of global data. The company claims that customers can see download speeds of up to 150Mbps and 50Mbps upload speeds around the U.S. The 5,350 mAh battery ensures the device keeps running for up to 15 hours, making this one of the best data devices for USA travel. The device also comes with two SIM card slots, allowing you to use it as an unlocked Wi-Fi hotspot.

Buy it now: here

5. T-Mobile Prepaid SIM Card

This is yet another attractive prepaid offering from one of the most popular carriers in the U.S. However, unlike most other offerings, this prepaid SIM comes included with unlimited talk, text as well as data for a period of 30 days. You can choose to top up with the plan you desire after the expiration period. T-Mobile recommends getting this activated within 90 days of its purchase, failing which the network will be automatically activated on the 90th day. Customers who buy the SIM card now have until the 31st of December, 2019 to activate it.

Keeping this in mind, it is recommended to get this SIM card well in advance of your trip, as activation can sometimes take up to 24 hours. T-Mobile offers this prepaid SIM in a triple cut format, making it compatible with pretty much every smartphone in existence today. This SIM card will only work in the U.S.

Buy it now: here

6. Lycamobile Prepaid SIM Card

Lycamobile also offers attractive prepaid plans for customers traveling to the U.S. The company’s off-contract prepaid SIM comes included with 15GB of 4G LTE data valid for 30 days. The SIM also comes with unlimited international calling and texting to around 75+ countries. Lycamobile will also include a bonus credit for new activations, which can be used towards future top-ups.

Activating this SIM card is as easy as dialing 622 and entering your zip code, which takes out the pain from the SIM activation process. Although the carrier claims you will see 4G LTE data around the U.S., it’s likely that some areas may only show 3G networks depending on the coverage there. This SIM can only be used with unlocked phones and will not work outside the USA. Be sure to have a closer look at this offering on Amazon.

Buy it now: here

7. SimOptions

This is without a doubt one of the best options for customers traveling from Europe to the U.S., although SimOptions offers free worldwide delivery of its SIM cards. In terms of options, you have multiple choices here, including data only offerings or packages that include calls and texts as well. One of the most attractive plans from SimOptions in the U.S.  does not include calls or texts.

The company also offers SIM cards with longer validity, like 12 months or two years with 12 or 24GB of data. While customers may not see 4G LTE data in all parts of the U.S., the company promises that users will find high-speed speed internet all over the USA with this prepaid SIM. What makes this one of the best choices for traveling customers is the fact that there are no roaming charges or hidden charges to surprise you later. SimOptions will definitely have to be the first choice if you’re looking for a prepaid SIM card for USA travel.

8. Roam Mobility USA Travel SIM Card

Roam Mobility’s SIM-only offering costs significantly less than other SIM cards, but that’s because it doesn’t come included with data, voice or texts. However, the company claims that you can get double the 4G LTE data if you top up with an eligible plan by October 31, 2019. This SIM will work all over the U.S. including Hawaii as well as Puerto Rico. What makes Roam Mobile’s offering attractive is the fact that it allows users to choose the plan they want with daily or monthly plans to choose from.

All of its plans are available off contract, giving you the freedom to switch to another network when you want to. Much like the prepaid SIM cards we talked about above, this one too is available in a triple cut format, including a standard, micro, as well as nano SIM cutouts depending on the smartphone you have. Customers can choose when to activate the SIM and even schedule the start of their daily/monthly plans as preferred, offering extensive liberty with regards to activation.

ProductBrandNamePrice
41X6zadMU+L. SL500CricketCricket Wireless Prepaid Universal SIM Card KitCheck Price on Amazon
Mint MobileMonth Mint Mobile Wireless PlanCheck Price on Amazon
51vN7c8O0zL. SL500AT&TAT&T 3-in-1, Triple Cut Universal SIM CardCheck Price on Amazon
51FKrsH2kBS. SL500GlocalMeGlocalMe G3 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot, Worldwide MIFI Portable Travel WiFi DeviceCheck Price on Amazon
T-MobileT-Mobile Prepaid SIM Card Unlimited Talk, Text, and Data for 30 days (For use in United States)Check Price on Amazon

* If you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. For more details, please visit our Privacy policy page.

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