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Prepaid SIM card for New York: where to buy in 2024?
Planning on going to New York? Then you have to know as much information about the SIM card New York as possible to enjoy your trip!
New York is surely one of the most outstanding cities to visit with a prepaid SIM card USA. People can think of many things they can do there, but there’s something important missing here. How will travelers stay in contact? That’s why we will talk about the prepaid SIM card for New York. It is one of the best alternatives to having mobile internet when traveling abroad.
Once you know everything we are going to tell you about prepaid SIM cards, you will have the opportunity to stay connected as much as you can. We will also take the chance to introduce you to the virtual SIM cards for your trip to New York that you can use on your latest-generation compatible cell phone.
Unlimited data virtual SIM for New York
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Where can I buy a data SIM card for New York?
You may not be considering buying a SIM card if you only plan to visit New York, but this city has a population of 8 million people, making finding a secure public WiFi connection problematic. You will undoubtedly need to have your means of communication on hand during your visit, and one solution to this is the prepaid SIM card for New York. Besides, other options, such as roaming or Pocket WiFi, can be quite expensive.
From now on, we want to mention that you have many alternatives to buy them even before you arrive at your destination. So, we will help you find an option that fits your needs and stay in this city that never sleeps.
By now, it will be more evident to you how necessary a data SIM card for New York is. For this and any other destination in the world, you have mainly two ways to buy this type of SIM card which are:
- Through an online store: Nowadays, there are many online stores where you can get a SIM card.
- In a physical store: Many mobile operators offer the possibility to buy a SIM card in their stores, spread all over the city.
- If your phone works with virtual SIMs, also known as eSIMs, you can buy one almost immediately through virtual stores like the one Holafly offers.
Buy Before your travel starts
As you can imagine, if you decide to buy your Prepaid SIM Card for New York through online stores, you can do it before your trip to the city starts. Also, you’ll do all the processes from the comfort of your computer with a couple of clicks. Nowadays, many remote providers offer these SIM cards for tourists for almost any global destination. Some even include packages covering entire continents, such as North America and South America or Europe. But, of course, this represents a higher cost.
Given the sea of possibilities, Information such as the duration of your data plan, payment methods, or delivery times can lead you to purchase with one provider or another. For the latter, in case you have a compatible phone, you can save cost and not have to wait for a shipment if you opt for the Virtual SIM card that some providers like Holafly offer to their customers.
Pros of buying a data plan for abroad before traveling
To continue with the idea, if you purchase your prepaid SIM card for New York or the virtual SIM card for the same destination, you will have benefits like the ones we give you below:
- You are connected as soon as you arrive in the city.
Since you can purchase and activate them before arriving in New York, your prepaid SIM Card will allow you to communicate from the moment you arrive. You can check directions or let your friends know you’re coming.
- Save time.
Going from the moment you arrive to looking for a physical store to buy your Local SIM card will surely take you time and effort that you could dedicate to other tasks.
- Save Money.
The online SIM card stores in New York are focused on tourists instead of local operators. For this reason, they have data packages for short or long periods, so you won’t have to pay extra to stay connected in the city.
Buy your tourist SIM card in New York.
As we mentioned at the beginning of this article, the other way to buy your tourist SIM card for New York is through the local stores of the operators that work in the USA. Some of them are AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile. We anticipate that, in numerous instances, it is easier to buy them as a US citizen than as a tourist but you can still take a look at them and make your decision.
AT&T
AT&T is one of the largest phone franchises in the USA. And, of course, their prepaid SIM cards are available in stores around the city and some airports. Among their options, they offer packages ranging from 5GB to be used in a month to unlimited data packages. Their plans include 5G speeds in the city in addition to unlimited calls and messages. Finally, their Prepaid SIM Card allows you to share data from your mobile device.
Verizon
Another alternative you can find is Verizon. They have a system called “Bring your own device,” in which they will ask you for information about your device to verify compatibility in order to know if they can provide you with a Prepaid SIM card. This process can be a bit cumbersome for tourists. But in case you are successful they have plans available from 15GB of usage per month to unlimited data packages with calls and messages included as well.
T-Mobile
Another of the telecommunications giants in New York is T-Mobile, their Prepaid SIM Card can be found in physical stores. In case you have trouble locating one on their website, they will help you get to the nearest one. Again their plans range from 10GB to be used in a month to unlimited data plans. You will be connected to the 5G network whenever it is available, and you can use your mobile device to share data. However, this will be at a reduced speed.
How much does a SIM card for traveling to New York cost?
As you may notice, the SIM card options using local carriers offer data plans more focused on long-term stays than occasional customers. Data packages using one of the major carriers cost from $30 for basic plans to $60 or more for unlimited data plans, all for use within 30 days, so you will be paying more if your stay is shorter.
When opting for online stores before your trip, the costs range from $25 for 5-day data packages to $40 or more for 30-day data packages. In this catalog of online options, if your mobile is compatible with the virtual SIM card, you can opt for the Holafly eSIM card for New York, which will work in all USA, starting at $19, and its unlimited data packages for different periods of stay.
Virtual SIM card for New York: a great alternative
What is eSIM card? these are improved versions of the physical SIM cards we know. We gave you a little teaser and mentioned the eSIM New York as an excellent option, but we haven’t explained why.
Their main feature is that they are entirely digital, so you don’t need to buy a physical chip to activate them because it is embedded in your mobile. Being completely virtual, you can buy them at any time and anywhere on the planet and receive the information for activation just minutes after making your purchase.
If you still want to know more about them, we will discuss their advantages and disadvantages below.
Advantages and disadvantages of virtual SIM cards
Advantages
User-friendly and intuitive.
As simple as it sounds, purchasing and activating your virtual SIM Card for New York can take just a few clicks. You can buy them through online stores such as Holafly, after which you will receive a QR code in your email to activate your data plan.
Don’t pay more for shipping.
It is common for Virtual SIM cards to have reduced costs compared to their physical chip predecessors. This is because the service does not include the chip’s cost, and you will not have to pay for shipping to your address. The necessary information will be sent to your email address.
Customer service at all times
If you choose Holafly as your remote provider, you can access their customer service 24 hours a day, in different languages, and through multiple communication channels.
Coverage in multiple countries
As mentioned above, you can buy them anywhere worldwide, but Holafly also offers its virtual SIM cards for almost any destination. If your visit to New York takes you to other North American cities, you can opt for eSIM with coverage throughout the continent.
Access to renovation with top-ups
You can easily repurchase a data package for the same destination to extend your service. This is automatically activated on the eSIM you have installed on your phone. This applies to unlimited data plans such as New York’s to extend the days of use. Remember that you have 1 GB per day for hotspot.
Disadvantages
Compatibility and availability on mobile phones.
The main reason why this technology is not compatible with all mobile devices is because of its novelty, so if your phone is not the latest generation or does not have eSIM compatibility, you will not be able to consider this service as one of your options. That’s why we recommend checking that your cell phone support eSIMs, before acquiring one,
How much does the virtual SIM card cost?
Let’s see which one are the plans offered by Holafly to people who want to get a virtual SIM card with them:
| Days of Use | Mobile Data | Price (USD) |
| 5 Days | Unlimited data | $21 |
| 7 days | Unlimited data | $29 |
| 10 Days | Unlimited data | $37 |
| 15 Days | Unlimited data | $51 |
| 20 Days | Unlimited data | $62 |
| 30 Days | Unlimited data | $75 |
| 60 Days | Unlimited data | $107 |
| 90 Days | Unlimited data | $139 |
Frequent questions about the best SIM card for New York
It will mostly depend on which SIM card you decide to buy, but mostly you must contact your provider’s customer service. In the case of Holafly’s eSIM card, you will have customer support 24/7.
It will surely depend. As we said, there are two main ways of getting one, being online and physical stores are the most used among people.
Nowadays, AT&T, T-Mobile, as well as Verizon are the main mobile operators working in New York.
It will help you to stay communicated with other people with ease, as well as it will help you to save some money too!
Each service to have mobile internet in New York will have a different price. However, we can tell you that the most expensive is international roaming and renting Pocket wifis. On the other hand, acquiring a physical or virtual SIM card tends to be much more economical. Finally, public wifi is free, yet it is an unstable and insecure option.
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I first started my content creation journey as a freelancer in 2019, before connecting with Holafly in 2021. At Holafly, my travel and tech interests come together in one place as I craft high-quality articles about the eSIM and related markets. My content aims to help travelers stay connected, wherever they are.
