Another option is rent a phone for use in your host country. Many companies that sell SIM cards also offer daily or monthly cell phone rentals. This option may not make sense for those students who will be abroad on a long-term basis because cell phone rental companies usually charge per day.
Tip: Once you return from studying abroad, you no longer need your SIM card, and chances are that there is a small amount of credit still loaded on the card. You can donate the remaining balance to JustTextGiving, or if you use an Android device, you can use your credit towards a purchase in the Google Play store.
You are a Russian student who will spend one semester in Germany and one in France. Before you leave you purchase a SIM card that provides prepaid text, talk, and data, and even includes good rates to Russia. You are an international student who will live in the US for at least four years. You are already paying a monthly fee for VOIP service like Skype , and plan to use that as your main source of international communication.
However, you plan to use your cell phone often for domestic calls and texts. Luckily, you already have an unlocked GSM phone from your home country. You shop around and find a data plan with unlimited domestic text, talk and data at a reasonable rate. You are an American who will spend one semester in Tanzania and want to do some traveling as well.
You read that phones and SIMs are difficult to find in Tanzania. This means that you have to get a new simcard from them which is a completely new number. So you have to update all your records, print new business cards, etc. This has just occurred for the second time, they first did it four years ago. So unless you want to change your phone number every four years do not use their service.
I will definitely recommend World SIM. Thanks Nancy. I topup my sim today with 25 euro. And am using worldsim from 2 years. No problem ever i found. This company is smoke and mirrors. Deplorable "service", fake reviews in TrustPilot, the Facebook Page is a joke, and they take users for fools. That "taking" includes inexplicable charges, eroding of credits, that can be interpreted as silent theft.
Mysterious terms of service and constantly changing fees, that make tropical weather patterns, seem stable. This "company" is the epitome of being conned into parting with good money, to receive bad "service" in return.
Run, don't walk. Tip for consumers: Simply don't use their services. Products used: WorldSIM card purchased in Since then, I have put up with the poor service. When asked repeatedly what the charges are fore, it's just met with, "we will get back to you".
Nothing is done. As they say, it's the last straw that breaks the camel's back. Not to mention going through all the negative reviews everywhere, and feeling the need to add to the chorus.
Folks don't need to be conned, with the impunity that WorldSIM displays. I made a purchase of a cellphone from world sim I paid extra for speedy delivery. I have not received anything. I can't get in contact with anyone. They screwed me out of Tip for consumers: Do not purchase from world sim they will take your money and you get nothing in return.
Products used: World Sim took my money and has not filled my order. I have just had to pay 32 pounds to get a new sim card as they have decided to upgrade their system from 3G to 4G and to top it all off they have told me that I will also loose my number. Don't believe the website where they say free day shipping as the online assistant told me this was not possible Very disappointed to loose my number and surely if they are the ones upgrading the sim cards and no longer supporting the old ones they should at least have covered the cost.
Had it not been for the large amount of credit I still had, I would have wasted my time staying with them. Bought a sim and sim free phone, sim did not work was replaced, phone would not work with Brazilian sim card they told me it was the card but the card worked in every other phone I tried it in, customer service kept telling me they would get back to me but never did, returned the phone and sim they received it as signed for delivery.
No refund, reported to trading standards. Tip for consumers: Stay away do not use them unless you want to lose your money. Products used: Bought phone and sim card sent both back they refused refund and to communicate.
So be careful about roaming cellular. After several futile attempts to get my request attended to I received a quick reply from customer service and without delay has the remaining credit from my obsolete Data-Sim moved to the Sim that I use. They monitor sitejabber and I appreciate that action. Regards, Walter. I have two SimCards from WorldSim. They did this always until early last year and now refuse point blank.
No explanation as to why. Very poor attitude. False advertising - make sure you read the fine print. You get a UK phone number and if you can figure out how to get one, you can get a US phone number that expires every 60 days.
Then, when people text you on your US phone number, your reply comes through on the UK number so if they hit reply, they end up getting charged for international texting. Dear Teresa J. You may send it at customerservice worldsim. The sad unfortunate part of it is that I am unable to makes calls domestically or internationally and my credit is been debited daily for services I am definitely not receiving.
Tip for consumers: Very easy and friendly to use. Products used: International roaming Sim Card. I purchase a bundle data for russian federation and no carrier accept the services The chat service is terrible and they was not helpful I claim my money back But no response from worldsim The Support email is also unresponsive Defenetly scam services.
I bought it bona fide, trusting the statement Worldsim makes on its website, namely that "All of these MiFi devices are unlocked so you can use any SIM card inside.
I need to use the device locally, and Worldsim's data SIM is useless for this. It all works well, but what is really unpleasant is that the warning you are almost out of credit is only sent to you when you have just a few cents left. Sending an SMS starts at 25c, but again, can cost much more. While GoSIM has global coverage for calls and texts, data service is more limited.
Call and text rates are too expensive to use more than now and then, as is casual data. As a result, GoSIM is hard to recommend for longer or multiple trips, or customers who plan to call or text frequently.
You buy the SIM with some initial credit, then add more via the website or app. A US-based phone number is included, with others available to purchase. Casual call, text, and data rates vary by country. Several data packages are available for use by region or globally. Each one is valid for either a given length of time or a certain amount of data.
We wrote up a full review of the service here. These data packs last for nine months or until used up. Casual data rates start at 10c per MB, but pricing differs per country. Receiving an SMS is free. The company also sells mobile hotspots, and includes 30 days of free WhatsApp use each time you top up your credit. A call-forwarding service is also available. Charging for incoming calls is becoming more unusual, and makes KnowRoaming less appealing for customers who expect to receive more than the occasional phone call.
As there are no bundles that reduce the cost of calls and texts, you really need to check the prices in the app or on the site before arriving somewhere new. Given the wide price variation per country, you may need to be prepared to find an alternate solution in some cases. As the name suggests, international data-only SIMs only provide cellular data, with standard calling and SMS service not included. You can make calls to physical phones via any VoIP service like Google Voice , Skype, FaceTime, and Viber, however, and some of those services let you send and receive texts as well.
If you only care about having internet service when you travel, KeepGo is one of several international SIM card companies that focus solely on mobile data.
Data stays active as long as you top up at least once a year. KeepGo does a good job of keeping its options simple and easy to understand. Costs with the World SIM are relatively high unless you buy the larger data packs.
On the upside, unused data stays available for a year, or indefinitely if you keep topping up. GigSky, just like KeepGo, only focuses on data: no voice calls or texts. While you can still buy the physical GigSky SIM card for the moment, its pricing and coverage are worse and there are no global data plans available. GigSky has a global data package that works everywhere it provides service, along with regional packages that give service in Europe, Middle East and Africa, Asia Pacific, or North America.
There are also country-specific packs for the United States. GigSky also offers a corporate plan, which allows companies to maintain several accounts, keep track of data allowances and usage, and enforce company internet policy. The key thing, of course, is whether you can use the service at all. As with Gigsky and KeepGo, Surfroam only provides data connections.
Service is available for users of any mobile device or hotspot, including those with eSIM support. This flexibility is appealing for those traveling long-term, or skipping between different parts of the world.
Each country has a single per-megabyte rate, starting at 0. Details for each country are on the pricing page. After that, you just use the credit as you travel, and top up online as needed. Surfroam has impressive coverage around the world, and its pricing model is flexible and easy to understand. Not much, but a little. Get our regular email updates with the latest travel tech news, tips, and articles. We'll also send over our free page guide, packed with useful hints and advice to get you started!
No spam ever, and you can leave any time. Our privacy policy explains how we handle your personal information. Please check your email for a message from us. You'll need to click the button in that email to confirm your details. The well-established company has free incoming calls and texts, and a wide range of package options with particularly good rates in many European countries.
Have you used an international SIM card when traveling? Would you recommend it? A roaming writer and tech enthusiast, Patricia has been wandering the globe for odd years. She only vaguely remembers life before the Internet, but will forever long for the days in which mobile phone batteries lasted for over a week.
However, for the people that an international SIM card suits the travelling style and needs of, then yes, definitely. Skip the lines and skip the painful errand days in a foreign city. Buy one of the best international SIM cards you can and have yourself connected before you even touchdown on the landing. But we do it because we love it — we love providing epic and free content. We love the knowledge that our content keeps you adventuring.
That means that if you book your accommodation, buy your gear, or sort your insurance through our link, we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Again, thank you! Very useful! My main concern is regarding how long do the sim cards remain active if you are not buying credit regularly. I usually travel at least once or twice to congresses per year, but I wonder if some of these cards would stop working after a long time inactive.
Is that information available for the cards discussed here? Heya, absolutely you can find that info! Good question though! You guys should definitely include DENT, a block chain based international E-Sim card, that offers flexibel data exchange. You can sell your unused data and always find the cheapest offer worldwide and cross boarder operational. Dude — hectic!
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Just ask India or Israel. Table of Contents Show. Buy an eSIM! Basically you with an international SIM card. Why yes, I am conducting some serious business! Photo: Pressmaster Shutterstock. Learn More Now! View on OneSim. View on TravelSim. View on GoSim. View on WorldSIM.
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