1. Laptop or netbook with Skype.
2. A cheap (<$20) disposable mobile phone available from Walmart, Target, Walgreens, CVS or 7-11.

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Vic's travels: http://my.flightmemory.com/vogilvie

If your phones are GSM, then the best iphone provider would be AT&T and the best regular phone providers would be AT&T or TMobile. Iphones here are offered by three companies: AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon, but Verizon and Sprint don't use GSM.

In the past, it's often more expensive here to buy a SIM card than to buy a brand-new pay-as-you-go phone. I know that's not the case elsewhere in the world.

However, I notice that AT&T Wireless now lists a SIM for $5.95, which in the U.S. is a real bargain ... I had to pay $25 for one a few years ago when I had a phone mishap. So perhaps you'll do better than I originally thought. But AT&T doesn't list a micro-SIM on their web site. They do seem to be cheaper now, and I can even see a few offered on Amazon.com, so I'm actually hopeful on this. Not sure who sells the micro SIM for the iphone.

You can definitely buy a regular SIM for your HTC phone if it's a GSM phone. I don't have much experience with Verizon or Sprint, which are our two CDMA carriers.

Thanks for the help,might just buy from Walmart , it sound the cheapest .

It very well may be. The phones usually cost under $40 and come with some prepaid minutes. If you want to check the prices, they are likely listed on the Walmart web site.

One last thought: I used to have a special international phone plan when my brother lived overseas. I don't anymore. I just buy an International phone card from Costco and dial the 800 number and punch in the codes. I don't know what the price per minute is for any of the options above. You may want to add a card to it. I would assume you could then dial the 800-number to access the long distance number.

A caution, I used a prepaid phone but it would only work a specific network so it was not useable in the town I was staying in. I could have phoned the company and had my base location shanged but that is no use at all if you are on the road and in a different location all the time.

Oh, and depending on the phone, even though it was from the same privider company (Tracfone), it may not work on the network of the area you are in. Their system is crazy. A phone should work in any area on any network. They show these wonderful maps of coverage areas but they are meaningless.

It's interesting. I've never heard of this problem in my life (of a cell phone working only locally). If anyone buys a prepaid phone from one of the big companies (Tmobile, AT&T, Verizon, Sprint), it should work anywhere the company has service. Service areas do differ, and I know that AT&T in particular has spotty service in some places, but this is a new one for me. Stick with the big companies, which sell phones at Walmart and you'll be fine.

Tracfone is one of the "biggies". It makes no sense.

And I think Tracfone may use the Sprint network, which is not GSM, but Sprint has fairly wide service, though I am sure there are places it just doesn't reach.

I think Tracfone sells both CDMA and GSM Phones, the CDMA's will work on Sprint or Verizon Networks, and the others on AT&T, & TMobile, so it definitely is possible that Tracfone coverage map shows full coverage, but your particular phone would only work on one of the networks (which might not have had coverage where you were at the time).

Other prepaid MVNO networks:
Boost Mobile & Virgin Mobile-use Sprint Network.
Walmart Family Network uses T Mobile

Metro PCS and Cricket also have prepaid phones and use both their own CDMA network or share with Sprint in some areas.

Complete list of U.S. MVNO's:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_mobile_virtual_network_operators

For the OP: In our experience here in Southern California, Verizon and AT&T seem to have the best coverage (even in some of the more remote areas) so keep that in mind when purchasing a sim card or prepaid phone. We switched from Sprint 2 years ago, because there were just too many dead zones, so I would not recommend any operator that uses the Sprint network.

Tracfone is a prepaid phone and because of that it only works on the network that is in the area you name as your most frequent use. So you can pick any area code. But in my case the phone worked in Casa Grande but not in Coolidge. Coolidge required a different network. Totally ridiculous, I agree. The other prepaids required cards that were ridiculously expensive since most of the time, the phone was not used. My story was a warning to people not familiar with the system.

I just looked up Tracfone, and I still don't buy this story.

sf7307, you won't find out until you have a phone that doesn't work. It doesn't say that on the website.

I don't necessarily agree with cdnnomad, either, but I think there must be more to the story. Mobile phones aren't restricted geographically in the U.S. simply because they are prepaid. They may be restricted if the OP bought a restricted, local plan. But Tracfone offers nationwide service, so this is perplexing.

As I said earlier, if the OP buys a prepaid plan from one of the 5 or 6 big nationwide providers (and keeping Tracfone out of the mix in case there's truth to cdnmomad's story, then he/she will be fine. Prepaid phones work just like regular phones, and they are pretty cheap and cost-effective for people spending a few weeks in the U.S. who want a local number.