Red Pocket has great value prepaid mobile plans on America’s largest GSM mobile network.
The Red Pocket sim card offers:
- Great coverage on the USA’s biggest GSM network
- Prepaid service with no contract
- Pre-activated and ready to use
- Comes with credit for your first month service so there’s no more to pay
- Works in any unlocked quad-band mobile phone
This sim card is activated on the unlimited MAX $59.99 plan, which gives you:
- Unlimited calls to landlines and mobile phones in the USA
- Unlimited text messages to phones in the USA
- 2GB of 3G data per month
- Up to 200 minutes of international calls per month (depending on destination), unused minute rollover to the next month
- Your sim card includes credit to pay for your first month
- This sim card comes with a $59.99 refill PIN to cover the cost of your first 30 days of service. To continue using your service after the first 30 days, simply go to Red Pocket’s website and buy a Red Pocket MAX 30 day refill for USD $59.99. Red Pocket’s website accepts PayPal and credit cards issued outside the USA (unlike most other networks in the USA).
Great coverage on the AT&T network
Red Pocket Mobile uses the AT&T network, which has the largest GSM coverage in the USA. Coverage is available across the United States including Alaska and Hawaii and it even works in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.
The AT&T network uses the 850MHz and 1900MHz bands so you will need an unlocked quad-band phone to use this sim card.
Making international calls with the Red Pocket sim card
Your Red Pocket Mobile service includes $2 of international calls. This gives you as many as 200 minutes to some destinations (including landlines in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and the United Kingdom), although this limits you to only eight minutes of calls to mobile phones in these countries.
The following table has Red Pocket’s call rates to the most popular destinations along with the number of minutes you can get with the included $2 international calling credit:
If you need more international calling credit you can buy more by going to goredpocket.com/refill/, clicking REFILL NOW under UNLIMITED ACCOUNTS, clicking REFILL NOW under Activate / Refill International Calling Account and then choosing either a $5 or $10 international calling refill.
Sending international text messages
Your Red Pocket Mobile service includes unlimited text messages to phones within the United States. International text messages cost 10c, however you need to add international calling credit before you can send an international text message. All incoming text messages are free.
You can add international calling credit by going to goredpocket.com/refill/, clicking REFILL NOW under UNLIMITED ACCOUNTS, clicking REFILL NOW under Activate / Refill International Calling Account and then choosing either a $5 or $10 international calling refill.
MMS picture messages are free within the USA and 10c to international mobile phones, however it is very difficult to configure MMS messaging on some mobile phones. Many people with Apple iPhones find it easier to simply use iMessage or another messaging app rather than set their phone up for MMS messaging.
Is there a way to send international text messages without buying international calling credit?
If you want to send text messages outside the USA without buying international calling credit you can install apps on your Apple iPhones and Android phone that allow you to send free or cheap text messages even when your mobile network doesn’t support this service. Some options include:
- iMessage – send free text and picture messages to other iOS5 users (including iPhones, iPads and iPod Touches). (Apple iPhone running iOS5 or higher)
- Kik Messenger – send free text messages to other phones that have the Kik Messenger app installed. (Android, Apple iPhone, BlackBerry, Nokia and Windows Phone)
- Rebtel – send cheap text messages to any phone, however you must have credit in your Rebtel account to cover the cost of any text messages. (Android, Apple iPhone and BlackBerry)
- Skype – send cheap text messages to any phone, however you must have credit in your Skype account to cover the cost of any text messages. (Android, Apple iPhone, BlackBerry and Symbian)
- Viber – send free text messages to other phones that have the Viber app installed. (Android and Apple iPhone)
- What’s App – send free text messages to other phones that have What’s App installed. (Android, Apple iPhone, BlackBerry and Nokia)
Data at 3G speed
This sim card gives you 2GB of data at 3G speed on any phone that supports 3G on the 850MHz and 1900MHz band. This includes Apple iPhones!
2GB is more than enough data for most people, however if you blow through this allowance (watching videos or downloading big files) then any extra data for the rest of the month is charged at an expensive rate of $10 for 10MB. If you're planning on using more than 2GB of data then you should consider either the slower T-Mobile service (with unlimited data) or get a wireless Wi-Fi dongle to provide data access to your phone.
Unlike some mobile phone sim cards, you are able to use the Red Pocket sim in a data-only device such as a USB dongle, a MiFi wireless modem or a tablet computer; however you can’t use it to tether a computer to your mobile phone.
Extending your mobile service
You can extend your mobile service for an additional month by buying more credit from Red Pocket. Go to goredpocket.com/refill/ and click on the REFILL NOW button under UNLIMITED ACCOUNTS. You may choose a One Time Refill if you only need another month service or Monthly Auto-Refill if you will be living in the United States and need a recurring service.
When should I order my Red Pocket USA SIM card?
It is best to order your Red Pocket SIM card between one and four weeks before you travel.
The Red Pocket sim card needs to have credit added to it within 30 days of purchase, otherwise the account will expire and the sim card will become invalid.
If we receive an order placed more than one month before you travel, we will wait until within 30 days of your travel date before posting your sim to avoid having your sim card expire before you get to use it.