Yikes. That's not what I wanted to hear.

I'm leaving for Charlotte, NC, from Paris in two days and would like to have a SIM card waiting. But I guess I won't risk using Telestial.

I can buy a T-Mobile SIM from any company store after I arrive, but their rates are listed to be more than double that of the "SIMple Call SIM Card" that Telestial has advertised for $39.

Here's my gripe: Why is it easier to communicate in Africa than it is in the US and Europe? I can go to Ghana, buy a SIM card for $3 with $3 of credit, and immediately start surfing the web from my phone via GPRS for 6 cents per 100k. In France, the SFR card costs 30 Euros with negligible credit and you can't use GPRS under any circumstances.

I have not yet used a SIM card in the US, but it looks like I'm in for the worst ride of anywhere I've been yet. Are there any reliable options which aren't excessively expensive? (T-Mobile is $1.50 plus 35 cents/min per call to France.)