SIM Cards for Iphone

[Hanoi IG]

OK, my iphone travels well but in Vietnam I like to have a local number so my friends can contact me and so I don't rack up a huge bill.

Most of my data usage while traveling is on wifi, though I sometimes need(or like) to check something out while I am wandering around.

I can buy SIM cards in various countries but have no idea how much they would be. Might I not be better off just buying some data and leaving it at that?

In Vietnam I can just use an old phone I have for calls and texts or could borrow a data phone from a friend. It's the other countries where I might want data. Anyone ever do such a thing whilst travelling?

 

[dukerau]

I almost always buy a SIM card for data and local calls when I'm visiting another country. They're usually cheap, but it's good to know what package you need to buy and how much it should cost so you don't get hosed at a reseller. I prefer to go straight to the network provider's stores (i.e., an AT&T store in the US). It looks like in Vietnam it's quite cheap, though I have no personal experience.

http://toomanyadapters.com/buying-sim-card-vietnam/

Very important caveat - your phone must be unlocked to be able to use another carrier's SIM card. If you have a Verizon iPhone, I believe they are all unlocked. If you bought full price from Apple, it should be unlocked. If you got your iPhone from any other carrier, you'll need to contact the carrier to get it unlocked. I know with AT&T they will only unlock if you have fully "paid" for your phone, whether by completing the series of Next payments or fulfilling the 2 year term if you got a subsidized contract phone.

 

[Hanoi IG]

Thanks. I actually knew that and it is unlocked. Not sure if I might not be as well off just buying the data package 800MB=$120 and $0.15/MB thereafter. I checked one of those online SIM sellers and it seems not worth the $$.

 

[dukerau]

800MB for $120 + $0.15/MB?! That is ludicrous.

I think you'll probably spend < $20 for all your needs if you buy a SIM card at the airport when you land. If you're tempted to buy the $120 data package just to avoid the hassle of buying a SIM card upon arrival, look into buying a Vietnam SIM online. I did this recently when I went to Ireland and it worked flawlessly. I bought a Tesco Ireland SIM on eBay a few weeks before, and it was shipped to me in the US. I popped the SIM in when I landed in Dublin and had cellular service the whole time there. Total cost: ~$25.

This might work for you, but if you're going to be in Vietnam more than 7 days, you'll have to add funds to it. Not sure that process/cost:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Travel-Sim-Vietnam-Vinaphone-3G-Prepaid-Data-Card-3GB-7-Days-Roaming-Cost-Saving-/322231898867

 

[Hanoi IG]

I know for calls/text 100,000 VND lasted a month or so last time I was there. I kind of like having data. The rest of the trip includes Japan, Singapore, Thailand, HK and Myanmar. If I have to buy a different card in each country the data package would be fine for just $120 and there are no overages as they charge $0.15 per MB

For Vietnam, I used to just bring this old phone but no data. Thinking a local data SIM will be fine Thanks for the input.

 

[dukerau]

I know for calls/text 100,000 VND lasted a month or so last time I was there. I kind of like having data. The rest of the trip includes Japan, Singapore, Thailand, HK and Myanmar. If I have to buy a different card in each country the data package would be fine for just $120 and there are no overages as they charge $0.15 per MB

To each his own. Not sure what you mean by "no overages" though. If you go over 800MB, which is fairly easy to do, the overage cost is $0.15/MB, which is $150/GB. Buying a local SIM would likely be >90% cheaper.

 

[Hanoi IG]

What I mean is the same fee as for 800MB holds throughout. On some plans if you go even a tiny bit over there is a huge surcharge. what I'm thinking is I would need a different SIM card in each country so for Japan, Singapore, Thailand, Myanmar and Hong Kong is 5 X whatever it costs, not to mention reloading if necessary and having leftover unused but prepaid.

I checked out some of those "universal" SIMs but they cost $20-30 or so plus data charges which in some countries like Myanmar are $15(!)MB I don't really make phone calls except in Vietnam where I do need a local number for my friends to call.

There is a discount in a few countries at $75/1000MB but if I'm spending over 100 already why not just do the $120?

 

[Matt]

I used to do the data packages for ATT but always felt attached to looking at usage and worried when doing things like GPS on remote drives or streaming a video. I got a Project Fi phone and while it isn't perfect (doesn't always connect to the country immediately, has some weird charges for odd cell carriers etc) it is pretty amazing.

$10 a gig in the US, $10 a gig overseas, no overage charges.. buy 1 gig and use 2 you pay $10 more.. I used it to tether from the balcony on my South American cruise and could get stuff done in the middle of the ocean.

 

[Hanoi IG]

I used to do the data packages for ATT but always felt attached to looking at usage and worried when doing things like GPS on remote drives or streaming a video. I got a Project Fi phone and while it isn't perfect (doesn't always connect to the country immediately, has some weird charges for odd cell carriers etc) it is pretty amazing.

$10 a gig in the US, $10 a gig overseas, no overage charges.. buy 1 gig and use 2 you pay $10 more.. I used it to tether from the balcony on my South American cruise and could get stuff done in the middle of the ocean.

Thanks I could look into it. I don't stream videos and we don't drive in Asia and we don't work so maybe just for my occasional GPS or quick look online I may not need it. I do emails and the like on wifi as all our hotels have pretty good service.

 

[Matt]

Thanks I could look into it. I don't stream videos and we don't drive in Asia and we don't work so maybe just for my occasional GPS or quick look online I may not need it. I do emails and the like on wifi as all our hotels have pretty good service.

Well.. if you don't need it, it still works better than buying a block of data for the small transactions.. other trips we've only used a few MB and there's no worry about wastage.

The point is that you don't worry about going over or under since they bill to the penny at $10 per gig.

 

[Hanoi IG]

Project fi? I'll have to Google it. Why on a cruise though. We had(reasonably good) wifi on our Viking Ocean cruise so I used my tablet while at sea. Could be useful in ports though, especially on our World Cruise starting in December 2017.

 

[DornierDo28]

OK, my iphone travels well but in Vietnam I like to have a local number so my friends can contact me and so I don't rack up a huge bill.

Most of my data usage while traveling is on wifi, though I sometimes need(or like) to check something out while I am wandering around.

I can buy SIM cards in various countries but have no idea how much they would be. Might I not be better off just buying some data and leaving it at that?

In Vietnam I can just use an old phone I have for calls and texts or could borrow a data phone from a friend. It's the other countries where I might want data. Anyone ever do such a thing whilst travelling?

It's the only remotely sensible way to do things. Or just use a mifi. If you travel a lot in Hutchinson Whampoa regions, it's worth getting a 3 Feel At Home package too. Transcontinental data roaming is exorbitant even if you just check email or order an uber.

 

[mtnAVman]

I just returned from my Honeymoon in Italy, with 1st class tickets on Delta from miles, and I did quite a bit of research as to what to do for cell and data service while there. I came across Flexirom. It is a data only service. The data can be purchased and you can also accrue data though different steps that have, like sharing the service on your social sites. They will occasionally post coupon codes for free data. I think I had 500MB of free Data before leaving. Do You pay fee for one year, which is $9.99, and you get a 100 MB of data for signing up. You can use their app to make VOIP calls, and you can even purchase a local number by the month. During our 19 day trip we had no issues with the service, It was very stable. I was wanting more data then Voice service because I knew I would be driving and would need maps for directions. Their SIM is most unusual in that it is a sticker with a chip that attaches to the you current SIM and you just use software to switch services. So there is no need in keeping up with separate SIM's. This was the cheapest service that I could find for data. I'm not sure if they are in Vietnam but it would be worth checking to see.

This is my referral link. If you use it you will get an extra 100 MB. I assume I am not breaking any forum rules by posting this, but if so moderator please let me know and I will remove it.

http://www.flexiroamx.com/referG78H6M

 

[smittytabb]

I just returned from my Honeymoon in Italy, with 1st class tickets on Delta from miles, and I did quite a bit of research as to what to do for cell and data service while there. I came across Flexirom. It is a data only service. The data can be purchased and you can also accrue data though different steps that have, like sharing the service on your social sites. They will occasionally post coupon codes for free data. I think I had 500MB of free Data before leaving. Do You pay fee for one year, which is $9.99, and you get a 100 MB of data for signing up. You can use their app to make VOIP calls, and you can even purchase a local number by the month. During our 19 day trip we had no issues with the service, It was very stable. I was wanting more data then Voice service because I knew I would be driving and would need maps for directions. Their SIM is most unusual in that it is a sticker with a chip that attaches to the you current SIM and you just use software to switch services. So there is no need in keeping up with separate SIM's. This was the cheapest service that I could find for data. I'm not sure if they are in Vietnam but it would be worth checking to see.

This is my referral link. If you use it you will get an extra 100 MB. I assume I am not breaking any forum rules by posting this, but if so moderator please let me know and I will remove it.

This is fine to post, but the link with referral should be over in the conga line. Just start one if there isn't one already. If there is it needs to go. Thanks

 

[DornierDo28]

I just returned from my Honeymoon in Italy, with 1st class tickets on Delta from miles, and I did quite a bit of research as to what to do for cell and data service while there. I came across Flexirom [snip] This was the cheapest service that I could find for data. I'm not sure if they are in Vietnam but it would be worth checking to see.

This is my referral link [snip]

It's a cool concept but no idea where you got the idea that was cheapest at $9.99/year + $29.99/GiB data. There are several cheap operators in Italy and after you get the SIM (€10 if someone doesn't have a spare) TIM are only €5 for 2 GiB...

In Vietnam things are even cheaper. You can get a Tourist SIM for $5 then a package with 2.5 GiB data is 30,000 VND which is roughly $1.30.

 

[mtnAVman]

It's a cool concept but no idea where you got the idea that was cheapest at $9.99/year + $29.99/GiB data. There are several cheap operators in Italy and after you get the SIM (€10 if someone doesn't have a spare) TIM are only €5 for 2 GiB...

In Vietnam things are even cheaper. You can get a Tourist SIM for $5 then a package with 2.5 GiB data is 30,000 VND which is roughly $1.30.

I guess I was not looking in the correct places. Where did you find your info? Of course I'm all about saving money, which is why I on this forum, so anything I learn for future trips is valuable info. All the places that I looked were well more than $30 per GB. What I was finding was the cost of a SIM with voice and two GB of data was going to be near $70. When I signed up I paid $29 for 2GB of data with Flexiraom, and had an extra 500mb of free data. They must have changed the price structure a bit.

 

[DornierDo28]

I guess I was not looking in the correct places. Where did you find your info? Of course I'm all about saving money, which is why I on this forum, so anything I learn for future trips is valuable info. All the places that I looked were well more than $30 per GB. What I was finding was the cost of a SIM with voice and two GB of data was going to be near $70. When I signed up I paid $29 for 2GB of data with Flexiraom, and had an extra 500mb of free data. They must have changed the price structure a bit.

Just use regular local MVNOs in each country. As I mentioned earlier, anywhere outside the global West it's much cheaper and even then it's still usually best apart from a few countries where Three wins out. Which operators in Italy did you find for such exorbitant rates?