Before you start

An unlocked handset, or an eSIM-capable one
A US address for postpaid, but not for prepaid
A payment method — prepaid accepts foreign cards, postpaid usually does not
A charged battery before any drive out of town

Step-by-step

1
Activate a US eSIM before you fly, or buy prepaid on landing
An eSIM bought before departure means you land with a working US number, which matters because banks, the DMV and rental applications all send SMS codes. No identity registration is required at any point in the US.
Mobile appWho: YouDay 1
2
Check your handset is unlocked and band-compatible
Handsets bought on contract abroad are frequently carrier-locked, and some regional models miss US band combinations. With 3G shut down there is no fallback network — and in Alaska the fallback would have been the most useful one.
OnlineWho: You
3
Start prepaid rather than fighting a credit check
Postpaid runs a credit check and a newcomer with no file is declined or asked for a deposit of several hundred dollars. Prepaid has no check, no contract and is usually cheaper for the same data on the same towers.
OnlineWho: You
4
Compare an Alaskan carrier against the nationals before committing
Alaska has its own mobile operators alongside the national brands, and the coverage maps differ meaningfully outside Anchorage. If your life will include the Kenai Peninsula, the Mat-Su or the Glenn Highway, check the specific map for the roads you will actually drive rather than the national brand you already know.
OnlineWho: You
5
Turn satellite messaging on and learn how it works
Modern handsets can send an emergency message via satellite with no cellular coverage, and in Alaska that is not a novelty feature. Find it in the settings, read how to point the phone, and if you hike, ski or drive remote roads regularly, consider a dedicated satellite messenger. It is the single most Alaskan piece of phone advice there is.
Mobile appWho: You
6
Leave emergency alerts on, and check home broadband before you sign a lease
Federal Wireless Emergency Alerts carry winter storm, avalanche and — this being a subduction zone — tsunami and earthquake warnings. For anyone working from home, check what actually reaches the exact address on the FCC's National Broadband Map before signing, because Anchorage's older neighbourhoods are uneven.
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Documents you’ll need

Passport for postpaid; nothing at all for prepaid
US address for postpaid and for home internet
A payment card — prepaid usually accepts foreign cards, postpaid rarely does

Things most newcomers don’t know

Coverage in Anchorage tells you nothing about coverage forty miles away.

The city has good service from several operators. Turnagain Arm, the upper Glenn Highway and most of the Kenai have long stretches with none, and the great majority of Alaska has no terrestrial coverage at all. People calibrate on their first week in town and then drive to Girdwood assuming they can call. Check the map for the specific road, tell someone your plan, and carry a way to get a message out.

Source: community-reported

The US has no SIM registration of any kind.

Most countries in this app require passport registration to activate a SIM and several require biometrics. The US requires nothing at all for prepaid — you can buy one with cash and never give a name. Arriving from India, Nigeria or the Gulf, the total absence of paperwork reads like an oversight. It is deliberate.

Source: community-reported

Wireless Emergency Alerts here include tsunami warnings, and you should not switch them off.

Southcentral Alaska is one of the most seismically active places on earth — the Alaska Earthquake Center's live counter runs to tens of thousands of events a year statewide, and the 1964 Good Friday earthquake reshaped this coastline. Alerts carry earthquake, tsunami, avalanche and winter storm warnings. The habit of muting notifications is one to break in your first week.

Source: Alaska Earthquake Center

The credit check is the barrier to postpaid, not the paperwork.

Carriers screen credit before offering a postpaid plan, and a newcomer with no file is declined or charged a deposit of a few hundred dollars. Nobody at the counter explains that prepaid avoids the check entirely, runs on the same towers, costs less, and converts to postpaid later once you have history.

Source: community-reported

Common mistakes to avoid

Driving Turnagain Arm or the Glenn Highway assuming you will have a signal.
Choosing a carrier on its national reputation without checking its Alaskan coverage map.
Switching off Wireless Emergency Alerts in a tsunami and avalanche zone.
Bringing a carrier-locked handset and discovering it after landing.
Relying on a foreign number for bank and DMV SMS verification.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.