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 an eSIM before flying, or buy prepaid on arrival
A US eSIM activates before you land so you have a working number immediately for rides, deliveries and bank verification codes. No identity registration is required at any point.
OnlineWho: YouDay 1
2
Check your handset is unlocked and band-compatible
Phones bought on contract abroad are frequently locked, and US band combinations trip up some regional models. With 3G shut down there is no fallback network to land on.
OnlineWho: You
3
Start prepaid rather than fighting a credit check
Postpaid runs a credit check. With no US file you will be declined or asked for a deposit. Prepaid has no check and is usually cheaper for the same data allowance.
OnlineWho: You
4
Turn Wireless Emergency Alerts ON and leave them on
In this metro tornado warnings are issued for small polygons and give minutes, not hours. Wireless Emergency Alerts are the primary way you find out at 3am. They are loud and they are supposed to be. Silencing them after one test is the single worst telecom decision you can make in Oklahoma.
Mobile appWho: YouDay 1
5
Buy a NOAA weather radio as the backup
A battery-powered weather radio programmed to your county keeps working when the mobile network is congested or the power is out, and it wakes you for a warning. It costs very little and it is standard household equipment here in a way it is nowhere else in this app.
In personWho: YouWeek 1
6
Prepare for an ice storm as well as a tornado
Freezing rain brings down tree limbs and power lines across whole neighbourhoods and can leave areas without electricity for days. A charged power bank, a car charger and a plan for heating matter more in a December ice storm than in a May tornado, because the tornado is over in minutes and the ice storm is not.
In personWho: You
7
Port rather than cancel if you switch later
Number portability is a legal right and works between carriers and MVNOs. Request the port from the new carrier — never cancel the old service first, or you lose the number.
OnlineWho: You

Documents you’ll need

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

Things most newcomers don’t know

Sirens are the weakest of your three warning systems, not the strongest.

Outdoor warning sirens are engineered to alert people who are outside. Indoors, with the windows shut and the air conditioning running, you may not hear them at all — and they are tested at noon on Saturdays precisely so that a test is never mistaken for a warning. The phone alert and the weather radio are what actually wake you at 3am.

Source: National Weather Service Norman

Local television meteorology here is a public safety institution.

Oklahoma City has the most developed severe-weather broadcast culture anywhere, with stations running wall-to-wall coverage down to individual street level during a warning. It is genuinely useful and genuinely trusted, and following the local meteorologists is one of the fastest ways for a newcomer to build weather literacy — which in this metro is a life skill rather than a hobby.

Source: community-reported

The ice storm is the outage, not the tornado.

A tornado destroys a narrow path completely; an ice storm degrades a whole region at once. Freezing rain loads tree limbs and conductors until they fail, and restoration across a metro this spread out takes days. Household preparation here should be sized for a multi-day winter outage, not only for a spring warning.

Source: Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management

The US has no SIM registration at all.

Most countries in this app require passport registration to activate a SIM. The US requires nothing whatsoever for prepaid — you can buy one in a supermarket and be online in minutes.

Source: FCC — consumer guides

Common mistakes to avoid

Silencing Wireless Emergency Alerts after the first loud test.
Relying on outdoor sirens to wake you indoors at night.
Preparing for tornado season and not for a December ice storm.
Applying for postpaid with no credit file and facing a large deposit.
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.

Make it your personal checklist

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