US cellular service (as I understand it as of post date)

[dukla2000]

Visiting the USA and trying to get a temporary prepaid SIM has been quite some experience.

...

All you need to do is run down to some local store and purchase a prepaid SIM kit and throw it into the phone. Though some require you to call into activate, or use some sort of internet connection.

Some of the authorized branded stores will activate for you on the spot.

Yup - worked fine for T-Mobile.

The main point of my post was to advise to AVOID Boost.

Despite a long session online chat followed by a visit to their store they were unable to activate a Boost SIM (that had been bought from Target with 15Gb preloaded data). Rather than replacing their own product that would not work, their advice was to buy yet another Boost SIM and give that a go! I might be dumb once but I do try learn from my mistakes: my post is to try help others learn from my mistake. (I am still $30 out of pocket thanks to boost!) For amusement I attach a photo I took of part of the online chat that opines about phones built in China as evidence of my experience that Boost talk out of the wrong orifice - both the Xioami and PinePhone later ran the T-Mobile SIM just fine.