US SIM cards and phone plans for international students and new arrivals
Getting a US number without a Social Security number, what a plan really costs in your state after wireless taxes, and which network covers your campus or town. Built from carrier terms, FCC coverage filings and Tax Foundation data.
Welcome, and congratulations on whatever brought you here: the admission letter, the job offer, the visa that finally came through. Getting a phone working is one of the first errands, and it is easier than the forums make it sound. No Social Security number is needed for a prepaid line, and the plan prices you see advertised are national. What changes from state to state is the tax added on top and which network actually reaches your town.
Phone plans by state
What lands here first
A carrier matrix for activating a line without a Social Security number, then one page per state: what wireless taxes add to the advertised price, which networks actually cover that state, and which universities publish their own advice.
- 1Getting a US phone plan without an SSN: carriers, deposits and accepted ID
- 2California, New York and Texas
- 3Massachusetts and Illinois
Each page goes live only once its sources check out, and every arrival is dated in the rule changes log. If you need one of these sooner, write to [email protected] and we will move it up.