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
Test coverage in the actual flat, on the actual hillside
Pittsburgh's terrain produces genuinely local coverage holes — valley floors, the shadowed side of a ridge, and the older brick housing stock all matter. Stand in the room you would work in, with a friend's phone on a different network, before committing to a 24-month device agreement. Wi-Fi calling closes most of the gap and is worth enabling regardless.
In personWho: YouBefore signing anything long
5
Expect nothing in the tunnels
The Fort Pitt and Squirrel Hill tunnels on I-376, the Liberty Tunnel and the light rail's downtown subway all kill signal. Download before you descend rather than assuming a call will survive the commute.
Mobile appWho: You
6
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

The credit check is the barrier, not the documentation.

Carriers check credit before offering postpaid, and a newcomer with no file gets declined or charged a deposit. Prepaid sidesteps it entirely and usually costs less for the same data.

Source: community-reported

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

Terrain, not distance, decides your signal here.

A city of ridges and river valleys produces coverage differences over a few hundred metres that a flat city never does. The carrier that works for a colleague in Shadyside may be poor in a Troy Hill valley flat. Testing in the actual room is worth more than any coverage map.

Source: community-reported

Device financing survives cancelling the plan.

A phone bought on a carrier instalment plan stays owed even if you leave, and leaving early can accelerate the balance. If your stay is uncertain, buy the handset outright and use a cheap prepaid plan.

Source: FCC — consumer guides

Common mistakes to avoid

Applying for postpaid with no credit file and facing a large deposit.
Bringing a carrier-locked handset from abroad and discovering it on arrival.
Signing a 24-month device agreement before testing coverage in the actual flat.
Cancelling the old carrier before requesting the port, and losing the number.
Assuming fibre is available because it is available two streets over — check the address.

Some of this may be out of date.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