[colinbartlett]

In major cities, it's quite easy and becoming even more common to find prepaid SIMs available at small shops on every block. Here in New York, prepaid carries such as H2O and Simple have long been accessible and in-demand due to large tourist and immigrant populations who might not have established credit.

These sorts of plans are gradually spilling over into the tech community, as those with the means to purchase their phones up front for full price, see the value of a contract-less plan.