7 ms·

A wiki for prepaid SIM cards around the world, suitable for iPhone & Android

45 points by skr 16y ago

thehodge 16y ago
This is a cracking resource if your travelling abroad, one thing to mention is that if your travelling to the UK, 02 has a £2 a day for 500meg on both the iPad (microsim) and datastick format, however it usually lasts more than 24 hours as they seem to have a script that runs at midnight cutting anyone off that has been on for 24 hours... if you do it early in the morning you tend to get 36-40 hours out of it..
mustpax 16y ago
The SIM lock is why I have yet to buy an iPhone. I don't mind the mandatory contract and I don't mind having to buy prepaid SIM cards when I travel abroad. But I live in Canada and travel elsewhere quite often; roaming charges are such a blatant rip-off that they render the phone useless when it is most needed. Yes I know I can jailbreak it, but I'm not going to buy a premium product to only be saddled with sysadmining it so i stays up-to-date.
- spicyj 16y ago
  I believe you'll be able to buy the iPhone 4 without a SIM-lock in Canada direct from Apple: http://store.apple.com/ca/browse/home/shop_iphone/family/iphone http://store.apple.com/ca/browse/home/shop_iphone/family/iph... Then you can stick whatever SIM card you want and it'll work. Unfortunately, you'll be stuck with paying a lot at the beginning for the phone. It's also possible that you can get your carrier to unlock it; I know some UK carriers will.
  - semanticist 16y ago
    All UK carriers will - they're obliged to. Not sure how a SIM-locked iPhone is any different to any other phone that's SIM-locked - any pretty much any phone that's subsidised will be locked.
antirez 16y ago
In Italy this is the default (pay as you go). There are maybe something like 1% of mobile phone users using a contract. IMHO the best data provider is WIND: there is a plan where with 9 euro/month (called "Internet NO STOP" http://www.wind.it/it/internetmobile/scheda542.phtml http://www.wind.it/it/internetmobile/scheda542.phtml) you have 1 GB of traffic in GRPS/EDGE/3G/HSUPA, when you consumed the whole Gigabyte you can still surf without being charged but with limited speed of 32 Kb/s. There is another similar option with 19 euro/month where the limit for the fast speed is instead 10 GB.
- crocowhile 16y ago
  You can get 3GB/month for 5Euro with 3 (Tre): http://www.tre.it/public/scheda_opzioni.php?id=22&idOF=184&ref=22_1 http://www.tre.it/public/scheda_opzioni.php?id=22&idOF=1... And you get phone calls at 10cents/minute too and free data roaming when you visit any other country in the world where 3 is also available. That's way better than Wind or any other competitor out there.
ajju 16y ago
Fantastic, added Boost Mobile info for the U.S. Anyone know of a prepaid SIM provider other than Boost who does unlimited data in the U.S.? Boost coverage is too spotty for me.
- mikexstudios 16y ago
  Are you sure that Boost mobile works for iPhone? Their coverage seems to be limited to iDEN and CDMA, neither of which is compatible with iPhone's GSM requirement.
  - ajju 16y ago
    I am using Boost on the Motorola i1 which runs Android. I haven't tried it with the iPhone.
- iamdave 16y ago
  I would recommend T-Mobile. I'm using a Blackberry Curve 8520 using their unlimited data plan, 500minute unlimited text plan. $70.71/month to month/pay as you go plan. The EDGE service is spotty, like Boost but they also have sufficient selection of 3G and Android phones.
  - ajju 16y ago
    I am in a unique situation. I am using a GSM phone with GPS mainly as a location sensor. So, I don't need any voice minutes, just unlimited data, for as low a cost as possible. 3G would be nice, but don't even really need 3G. Other than spotty coverage, Boost fits the bill perfectly. They have unlimited data for 0.35c per day.
- cgomez 16y ago
  Most of the information in the Boost Mobile section is completely wrong. They run on Motorola's iDEN network primarily although some of their recent phones run on Sprint CDMA. Those CDMA phones do support 3G as part of their Power Vision network. CDMA does not use SIM cards, iDEN does but they are by no means GSM. So, no. You can't use an iPhone with it.
_delirium 16y ago
It's not very structured information, but the forums here are somewhat useful to mine for information: http://www.prepaidgsm.net/forum/gsm-3g-prepaid-worldwide/ http://www.prepaidgsm.net/forum/gsm-3g-prepaid-worldwide/
ronaldj 16y ago
Looked at the US page, from ATT: $10.24 / MB for data. Seriously? What year is it?
- breakall 16y ago
  I noticed that too -- in the Philippines, they have two big carriers with will both sell you unlimited data for one day for the equivalent of US$1.

45 points by skr 16y ago

This is a cracking resource if your travelling abroad, one thing to mention is that if your travelling to the UK, 02 has a £2 a day for 500meg on both the iPad (microsim) and datastick format, however it usually lasts more than 24 hours as they seem to have a script that runs at midnight cutting anyone off that has been on for 24 hours... if you do it early in the morning you tend to get 36-40 hours out of it..

mustpax 16y ago

The SIM lock is why I have yet to buy an iPhone. I don't mind the mandatory contract and I don't mind having to buy prepaid SIM cards when I travel abroad. But I live in Canada and travel elsewhere quite often; roaming charges are such a blatant rip-off that they render the phone useless when it is most needed. Yes I know I can jailbreak it, but I'm not going to buy a premium product to only be saddled with sysadmining it so i stays up-to-date.

spicyj 16y ago
I believe you'll be able to buy the iPhone 4 without a SIM-lock in Canada direct from Apple: http://store.apple.com/ca/browse/home/shop_iphone/family/iphone http://store.apple.com/ca/browse/home/shop_iphone/family/iph... Then you can stick whatever SIM card you want and it'll work. Unfortunately, you'll be stuck with paying a lot at the beginning for the phone. It's also possible that you can get your carrier to unlock it; I know some UK carriers will.
- semanticist 16y ago
  All UK carriers will - they're obliged to. Not sure how a SIM-locked iPhone is any different to any other phone that's SIM-locked - any pretty much any phone that's subsidised will be locked.

antirez 16y ago

In Italy this is the default (pay as you go). There are maybe something like 1% of mobile phone users using a contract. IMHO the best data provider is WIND: there is a plan where with 9 euro/month (called "Internet NO STOP" http://www.wind.it/it/internetmobile/scheda542.phtml http://www.wind.it/it/internetmobile/scheda542.phtml) you have 1 GB of traffic in GRPS/EDGE/3G/HSUPA, when you consumed the whole Gigabyte you can still surf without being charged but with limited speed of 32 Kb/s. There is another similar option with 19 euro/month where the limit for the fast speed is instead 10 GB.

crocowhile 16y ago
You can get 3GB/month for 5Euro with 3 (Tre): http://www.tre.it/public/scheda_opzioni.php?id=22&idOF=184&ref=22_1 http://www.tre.it/public/scheda_opzioni.php?id=22&idOF=1... And you get phone calls at 10cents/minute too and free data roaming when you visit any other country in the world where 3 is also available. That's way better than Wind or any other competitor out there.

ajju 16y ago

Fantastic, added Boost Mobile info for the U.S. Anyone know of a prepaid SIM provider other than Boost who does unlimited data in the U.S.? Boost coverage is too spotty for me.

mikexstudios 16y ago
Are you sure that Boost mobile works for iPhone? Their coverage seems to be limited to iDEN and CDMA, neither of which is compatible with iPhone's GSM requirement.
- ajju 16y ago
  I am using Boost on the Motorola i1 which runs Android. I haven't tried it with the iPhone.
iamdave 16y ago
I would recommend T-Mobile. I'm using a Blackberry Curve 8520 using their unlimited data plan, 500minute unlimited text plan. $70.71/month to month/pay as you go plan. The EDGE service is spotty, like Boost but they also have sufficient selection of 3G and Android phones.
- ajju 16y ago
  I am in a unique situation. I am using a GSM phone with GPS mainly as a location sensor. So, I don't need any voice minutes, just unlimited data, for as low a cost as possible. 3G would be nice, but don't even really need 3G. Other than spotty coverage, Boost fits the bill perfectly. They have unlimited data for 0.35c per day.
cgomez 16y ago
Most of the information in the Boost Mobile section is completely wrong. They run on Motorola's iDEN network primarily although some of their recent phones run on Sprint CDMA. Those CDMA phones do support 3G as part of their Power Vision network. CDMA does not use SIM cards, iDEN does but they are by no means GSM. So, no. You can't use an iPhone with it.

_delirium 16y ago

It's not very structured information, but the forums here are somewhat useful to mine for information: http://www.prepaidgsm.net/forum/gsm-3g-prepaid-worldwide/ http://www.prepaidgsm.net/forum/gsm-3g-prepaid-worldwide/

ronaldj 16y ago

Looked at the US page, from ATT: $10.24 / MB for data. Seriously? What year is it?

breakall 16y ago
I noticed that too -- in the Philippines, they have two big carriers with will both sell you unlimited data for one day for the equivalent of US$1.