Buying a cell phone in the US

July 6, 2014 |   By Henry Cheng at UC Berkeley 

Whether you are arriving for the first time, or already here – getting a cellphone and making the right choice on a cellphone plan is an extremely important decision.  If done right – international students can save a lot of time and hassle.

As an international student, I found getting a cellphone in the US an extremely difficult process so I wanted to share my experience so it can save you some time and money.

Typical issues you’d face when trying to get a cellphone service:

1)      First, if you arrive with no local service, it is expensive to make international calls or even just get around 

2)      Secondly if you are here, deciding on which plan to stick with is a challenge

3)      Many US cellphone companies may require a security deposit or good credit standing which at arrival you won’t have

4)      Deciding what is important to you can be challenging, each carrier has its own pros and cons (speed vs. coverage vs. price)

5)      Only a few providers allow for you to use your device from home. You might need to buy a new US phone 

6)      Learning the difference between prepaid and postpaid, individual vs. family plans 

7)      Getting the right SIM card size with cheap international calling capability 

To decide which mobile carrier to choose, I just Google’d “American mobile carriers” to learn but after quickly being overwhelmed I asked my international student office and they were able to help.  

How to avoid these problems: 

A San Francisco based company (www.semtus.com) is now partnering with UC Berkeley international student office to bring some of the best US plans and discounts to international students within a single online store. Along with that, their online store offers all the new phones that are unlocked and can be used with any carrier in the US or worldwide.  

As a UC Berkeley international student, you can get guaranteed lowest rates on a variety of different wireless plans and carriers. Some of the carriers they offer include T-Mobile, AT&T, and Ultra Mobile with the latest iPhones, Galaxy, and other popular devices. 

How to get it? 

If you are interested, you can visit their online store at www.semtus.com or contact the UC Berkeley International Student Office to request a free SIM card.

They will also be present at the campus during the orientation week on Sunday (Aug 17), Monday (Aug 18), and Wednesday (Aug 20) at the student fair and Friday (Aug 22). You can meet their staff and buy your service in person and get some of the best discounts.  


How else can you benefit? 

I also learned that this year they will be introducing a referral program that will allow international students to bring a friend, and for each friend that signs up, you can earn $20 referral fee towards your plan.  

Hope you can take advantage of these new solutions now available to UC Berkeley International Students. 

Welcome to UC Berkeley. 

Henry 

无论你是第一次抵达美国还是已经生活在美国，买一只心仪的手机并且选择一个好的手机套餐服务是非常重要的。如果你有做出正确的选择，作为一名留学生你会省下很多困扰时间。


作为一名国际学生，我发现在美国买手机和办理手续有一系列繁琐的过程，所以我希望分享我的经验并且可以帮助到你省下一些时间与金钱。


当你准备购入手机套餐服务的典型事件：


1）首先，如果你抵达美国时没有当地手机网路服务，如果你要打国际长途，价格是非常昂贵的。

2）其次，选择购买哪个手机套餐也是一件挑战的事情。

3）大部分的美国手机公司都会让你提交保证金，因为我们初来美国还没有长期的当地信用。

4）决定哪个套餐也是具有挑战性的，因为每个公司每个产品套餐都有各自的利弊。

5）只有少数的手机供应商的手机是可以回国使用，除非你买全新原价的解锁手机。

6）需要了解不同的付款方式。如，预付套餐，月付套餐，个人套餐，群组分享套餐。

7）买到正确的手机卡大小与拥有便宜的国际长途通话性能。


该选择哪个手机服务供应商呢，我谷歌查询了“美国手机供应商” 并了解到一些讯息，但是我很快被一系列的问题给难倒了，最终我还是问了学校的国际学生部门寻求帮助。


怎么解决这些问题？

一家在旧金山成立的公司 （www.semtus.com ) 现在和伯克利大学国际学生部开始合作，他们是一家网络公司给国际学生带来最好的手机服务套餐。同时他们的网站上还提供最新解锁版智慧型手机，所以我们可以在全球任何地方使用。



怎么使用该公司产品？

如果你对该公司感兴趣，你可以上他们的网站 www.semtus.com 或者联系伯克利大学国际学生部领取免费sim卡。



你还可以得到什么福利？

我今年还了解到，他们会给予小幅度的回报，如果作为使用者的你，介绍给自己的朋友并且让他们留下自己的联系方式，你就可以获得$20 储值到你购买的套餐服务里。



伯克利大学的新生们希望你们对这些最新的服务方案感兴趣。


欢迎来到伯克利大学

Henry