Roaming SIM Cards: The Full Story

No matter how you look at it, roaming will cost you more than your domestic mobile service. Purchasing a roaming plan (or international plan) from your current carrier is unlikely to be the best way to save money, either. For most travelers, then, only two options remain: purchasing a local SIM within your country of travel (see previous blogs for details), or purchasing a roaming SIM card. Today we will take a look at this second options, and hope to clarify what exactly a roaming SIM card is, and how to go about deciding if this is the product for you.

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Just plug keywords like “roaming-", "global-", or "travel SIM” into an online search engine and you’re bound to be overwhelmed. Simply put, there are A LOT of roaming SIM cards on the market. So, how are they different?

First, what is a roaming SIM card?

A roaming SIM card is typically a small plastic card you place in your device while you travel. All cellphones now have an existing SIM in them which allows users to connect to mobile networks. The idea is that you swap out your existing SIM for the new one while you plan to be roaming. The standard requirement to use any roaming SIM card is to have an unlocked device. Most mobile phones come “locked” to your mobile carrier, but can be “unlocked” by simply giving them a call and requesting so (there is usually an associated fee). If you’re traveling to Japan or South Korea, the majority of roaming SIMs also require that your phone be 3G compatible.

Roaming SIM cards typically use a callback service versus a direct dial service. Direct dial service is how your standard mobile works: dial the number and you are automatically connected. Callback services require you dial the number as above but the call will be cut off after a couple rings. You will then, within a few seconds, receive a call and will answer this call in order to be connected to the person you intended to reach. This happens because you are being connected through the SIM card company’s centre in order to ensure that you’re only activating their partner networks and thereby receiving their reduced rates. The primary complaint of such service is the mild inconvenience of the callback, as well as the potentially reduced call quality.

How are the various roaming SIM cards different?

The existing SIMs on the market can be grouped into 2 general categories: continent-specific (e.g, North America or Europe) or global. There are also travel SIMs which are country-specific. Some of the more specific SIMs can get you better rates, but they do not give you the freedom of having only one card for service worldwide. Below we have listed some of the cards currently on the market in each of these categories.

• Worldwide/Global: TravelSIM, iRoam, OneSIM, Telestial (or Go SIM), World SIM, Know Roaming, Cellular Abroad, Mobal.

• Europe (usually direct call service): eKit SIM Card, Euro Cards by OneSIM and Telestial

• North America (usually direct call service): Canadian Class Card by MyPhone2Go, Roam Mobility, Telgo, Similicious, US card by Telestial.

For the sake of space, we will continue with comparing only the global cards, though you can click on any SIM above if you wish to do further research.

On the surface, most of the global SIMs appear quite similar. Each SIM boasts how extensive their coverage is, as well as how exceptional their service is. They all have established flat rates for incoming/outgoing calls, incoming/outgoing texts and data per MB. Furthermore, most travel SIMs (excluding Mobal) are prepaid: you add balance to your account prior to use so that you don’t end up with an unexpected bill,

To discover where SIMs truly differ requires some further digging. We have summarized some of the major points in the following table (click for link to full-sized image).

So how about rates?

With most roaming SIM cards, rates are calculated based on where you are calling from and calling to. Each website we visited provided simple rate calculators. Since readers’ country of travel, as well as home country are likely to vary greatly, we will not include a list of rates here. What we have done is run comparisons of the cost of roaming both in China and the UK and found that 4 out the 8 SIMs had consistently better rates. A brief note on each is found below. Readers are encouraged to visit the links to each SIM provided earlier in this blog and plug in their intended countries of travel and home countries to determine the exact rates they can expect. The 4 SIMs which stand out are:

• OneSIM: the only company to offer alternatives to standard voice and text (in the form of extra Apps) which translated to savings of $0.27/minute, $0.25/text. They also offer bundles of talk, text, and data which at times rendered it’s rates 3-20x cheaper than it’s competitors.

• Travel SIM: which had low rates across the board (for calls, SMS and data), and also offered free incoming calls in both the UK and China which had a significant impact on its cost rating.

• Know Roaming: also offers very competitive rates across the board. Rates for Know Roaming and Travel SIM appeared quite similar in this quick comparison.

• Mobal: a unique product in itself. It is not prepaid, but for users willing to pay a monthly rate of $50, Mobal offers unlimited texting and data and a flat rate of $0.30 for all calls. As above, users should beware of using this SIM in countries not in the list of 110 global destinations as rates are exorbitant.

One final thing to mention in regards to rates is that friends and family should also aware that they may be charged international rates when calling or texting your roaming SIM if your phone number is foreign to them (e.g., UK number for American friends). Some companies provide alternative means of contact for family members to help them save (e.g., with the OneSIM, contacts can send you SMS via email which is free for them, or use Skype or Viber to call for free). Additionally, some companies give you the alternative of purchasing temporary local numbers, so a Canadian travelling to China could purchase a Canadian number so their contacts can call you on the local number while abroad.

Concluding remarks

Roaming SIM cards are becoming increasingly popular. The rates offered by such products are appealing as they are often much less than those offered by domestic mobile carriers. Though these SIMs have appealing rates and features, not all are created equal. We have recommended 4 products based on their available features and rates. It is important to note that, with the exception of the OneSIM card which we highly recommend as a superior product, we have not personally tested any of these SIM cards. Reading product reviews, FAQ sections, and fine print sections of the websites provided above will provide even further information that readers can use to choose a service.

If you have any further questions or comments regarding this topic, please do not hesitate to do so in the box below, or contact MyPhone2Go directly here. As always, we are committed to help travelers find the mobile solution that fits them best.

#roaming #internationalroaming #SIM #mobile #travel