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

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 DPS portal and rental applications all send SMS codes. No identity registration is required at any point.
Mobile appWho: YouDay 1
2
Check your handset is unlocked and band-compatible
Phones bought on contract abroad are frequently carrier-locked, and some regional models miss US band combinations. With 3G shut down there is no fallback. Run your exact model through the carrier's compatibility tool before relying on it.
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 network.
OnlineWho: You
4
Consider an MVNO on the same towers
Mint, Visible, US Mobile and Google Fi resell capacity on AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon. Coverage is identical; what you give up is priority during congestion and lighter support. AT&T is headquartered in Dallas and its coverage here is unsurprisingly strong.
Mobile appWho: You
5
Get fibre if the address supports it
The northern Metroplex has some of the best fibre availability in the United States — AT&T Fiber, Frontier and municipal builds cover large parts of Plano, Frisco, Richardson and north Dallas. Check the exact address; older inner-city blocks are often cable-only.
OnlineWho: You
6
Port rather than cancel if you switch later
Number portability is a legal right and works between carriers and MVNOs. Always request the port from the new carrier. Cancelling first releases the number and you will not get it back.
OnlineWho: You

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

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 on top. The US requires nothing at all for prepaid — you can buy one with cash and never give a name. Arriving from the Gulf, India or Southeast Asia, the total absence of paperwork reads like an oversight. It is not, and it makes this the fastest thing you will do all month.

Source: community-reported

The credit check is the barrier, not the documentation.

Carriers screen credit before offering postpaid, 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 can move to postpaid later once you have history. Start prepaid regardless of what the salesperson suggests.

Source: community-reported

In a driving metro, coverage on your commute matters more than coverage at home.

The Metroplex sprawls from Denton to Waxahachie and a forty-minute commute is normal. Carrier performance varies noticeably on the outer loops and along the rural stretches between suburbs. If you are choosing between a plan and a suburb, check the coverage map against your actual route rather than the city as a whole.

Source: community-reported

Fibre availability in the northern suburbs is genuinely exceptional by US standards.

Plano, Frisco, Richardson and Allen have been fibre build-out priorities for two decades, so symmetric gigabit at a competitive price is normal there while parts of older inner Dallas remain cable-only with slow uploads. If your work depends on video calls or large uploads, this is a reason to weight a suburb — and it is checkable by address in two minutes.

Source: FCC — National Broadband Map

Common mistakes to avoid

Bringing a carrier-locked handset and discovering it after landing.
Applying for postpaid with no credit file and facing a large deposit.
Relying on a foreign number for bank, DPS and rental-application SMS verification.
Choosing a suburb without checking mobile coverage along the commute.
Cancelling the old carrier before requesting the port, and losing the number.

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