Cell phones in the US work on different frequencies than in most other parts of the world; therefore, even if you have had a cell phone in your home country, chances are it may not work here. However, some of the newer models of most brands are designed to work on 3 different frequencies (tri-band phones). If you have a tri-band phone, you can bring it here and just replace the SIM card with an American one. In that case, the company will charge you only for their card, and for the service which it provides.

In case you don’t have a tri-band phone, you can purchase one upon your arrival. Prices vary between $30-$500 USD, depending on what type of phone it is, what company you purchase it from, and what rate-plan you choose. Different companies have different promotions at different times, so the best you can do is to check the current promotions of each company once you get here.

Another thing to keep in mind is that you can’t apply for a mobile phone company’s services here without a credit or debit card.

Difference Between a Contract Plan and Prepaid Plan (To-go Plans)

All phone companies in the US offer contract plans – this means, you have to sign a contract with the company in which you state that you will be using their service for at least a year, paying a monthly fee plus the charges for the services according to your rate-plan (we’ll talk about rate-plans.) However, this option is not recommended for newly arrived foreign citizens, because all companies require that you have at least a year of credit history on your credit card, which must be obtained in the United States. In case you still want to sign a contract, you’ll have to pay a one-time fee between $300-$600 (depending on the company) which will be returned to you upon completion of the contract – after one year.

A much better option is to apply for the kind of prepaid plan offered by some of the companies. Prepaid plan means you have to pay a fee (according to your rate-plan) a month in advance, and you can terminate the service any time you like. However, you still need at least a debit card to be able to use this service. The company charges your card automatically, on the same date every month, unless you call to terminate your service. No subscription fee is applied; you only pay the sum of your rate-plan.

Rate-Plans (Examples based on offers for 2006)

A rate plan is the predetermined length of time you can talk for the amount of money you pay. For example, let’s say you pay $40.00 USD a month on a prepaid plan. According to the offer of the company, this means you have 300 minutes to talk, on business days, between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m., and 1000 minutes to talk, free, on weekends, and after 9 p.m. every day. Another example would be: you pay $50 USD and you have 400 minutes on business days, between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m., and unlimited minutes, free, on weekends, and after 9 p.m. every day.

Telephones

If you want to buy your phone from the company whose service you use, you can usually get huge discounts on some of the company’s phones. Some phones are offered only together with the service, and this makes them significantly cheaper than their original price. Once again, these offers vary every month; therefore, if you need a phone, it’s better that you first decide whose service you would like to use, and then purchase the phone, together with the service.

Now that you know a little more about how cell phones here work, you can take a look at some companies. You can always go to their websites, and read more of the information about each company and its rate-plans, individually, but if you want to apply for a service, you’ll have to go to the nearest office of the company; listed below are the addresses of the nearest offices:

T-Mobile
http://www.t-mobile.com/
http://www.t-mobile.com/prepaid/overview.asp /T-Mobile Prepaid/

Nearest Office to Sarah Lawrence:
Getty Square
1 Main Street
Yonkers, NY 10701
914-423-1682
Distance 2.85 miles

Cingular
www.cingular.com
http://onlinestorez.cingular.com/cell-phone-service/gophone/index.jsp/Cingular Prepaid/

Nearest Office to Sarah Lawrence:
2455 Central Park Avenue
Yonkers, NY 10710
(914) 337-2700
3.05 miles

835 Central Park Avenue
Scarsdale, NY 10583
(914) 722-2769
4.02 miles

2152 Bartow Ave
Bronx, NY 10475, USA
(718) 320-7484
4.61 miles

387 E. Fordham Road
Bronx, NY 10458
(718) 563-4184
6.07 miles

Verizon – No prepaid plans
http://www.verizonwireless.com/

Nearest Office to Sarah Lawrence:
Cross County - Store (1 miles)
6 Xavier Drive
Yonkers, NY. 10704
(914) 966-9853

Circuit City- Yonkers - In Store-Circuit City (1 miles)
750 Central Park Ave
Yonkers, NY. 10704
(914) 969-1629

Fordham Road - Store (6 miles)
153 East Fordham Road
Bronx, NY. 10468
(718) 733-2292

Hartsdale - Store (6 miles)
355 N Central Ave
Hartsdale, NY. 10530
(914) 286-4120

Sprint – No prepaid plans
http://www.sprint.com/

Nearest Office to Sarah Lawrence:
42 Gramatan Ave.
Mt. Vernon, NY 10550
(914) 667-3600
2.1 Miles

2350 Central Park Avenue
Yonkers, NY 10710
(914) 961-6457
2.93 miles

92 W. 225th St.
Bronx, NY 10463
(718) 367-4097
5.26 miles

305 East Fordham Rd.
Bronx, NY 10458
(718) 367-5555
5.50 miles