S.P.A.M. - Mobal phone & SIM card referral conga

Please note there have been no requests for referrals yet, only follow-up commentary on the merits of the Mobal service which was not the intent of this thread. If anyone actually wants a referral please post a reply and PM me and then take your place in line for the next referral. Thank you.

I just bought a Mobal SIM card (http://www.mobalrental.com/gsm/sim.asp) for travel overseas. It's like the phones you've seen advertised in several in-flight magazines (Continental, United, Delta, Northwest or SkyMall) but you can supply your own phone model. Their SIM covers most GSM countries as well as Japan and Korea. Rates are high so this is best for infrequent use or a trip where you are travelling through multiple countries in a short time period.

The key advantage is that you only pay $10 up front for 2 day FexEx shipping for the SIM. There are no monthly fees, no expiration dates, and no charges unless you make calls. The phone number does not expire and is an Isle of Man number (UK calling rates).

They have a refer a friend program which will give the person referring 10% off their calling rates for the life of the SIM (seemingly indefinitely) and the person being referred $10 worth of calling credit. You can get a maximum of 50% discount off the calling rates at which point their rates become quite competitive actually.

To elaborate on some points raised in the follow-up posts here are a few important points to consider with the Mobal phones and SIM card:

1. You can refer up to 5 people and get 50% off their published rates for the life of your SIM or until they discontinue/change the referral program.

2. If you sign up through someone you get $10 call credit. In other words you get the SIM for free.

3. You can buy any of their products (including the SIM chip) for the referral program, not just their phones.

4. Their $49 and $99 phones are SIM-locked so if you plan to use other SIMs do not buy your phone through them.

5. You can roam in Japan and Korea using their SIM but not their $49 or $99 phones. To roam in Japan and Korea you will need a GSM handset that also supports UMTS. Rates can be found on the SIM card page here (http://www.mobalrental.com/gsm/sim.asp) in the drop-down box in the middle of the page.

6. There are many other pre-paid options out there. Check the Travel Tech European SIM sticky here (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=569462). Also check the chart at PrepaidGSM (http://www.prepaidgsm.net/en/int/compare.html) for a break-down of cards that have lower up-front rates but require a higher deposit and have expiring minutes.

7. If you plan to get any of the other pre-paid SIMs mentioned in this thread, some of which have a business model similar to Mobal, make sure they cover the countries you are travelling to (i.e. some do not have roaming coverage in Japan or Korea or other destinations of note). Also be sure you understand how often you have to top off your minutes to keep your account active. Mobal does not require additional deposits at specified intervals to maintain your number.

8. Mobal's referral program page is here (http://www.mobalrental.com/referafriendplan/).

If you want to buy a SIM chip through them, please send me a PM with your email address and I will send you a referral email. Then please put yourself next in line for the conga so we can all benefit a little in turn.

.

No monthly fees, no expiration dates, no charges unless you make calls. The phone number does not expire and is an Isle of Man number so it's UK calling rates.



The rates seem a bit high These are their UK rates
I think $1.25 per minute to call within the UK is high

Phone needed: $49 or $99
Incoming calls: $0.00/min
National calls: $1.25/min
Calls to the USA & Canada: $1.50/min
Calls to the UK: $1.25/min
Calls to other countries: $2.95/min
SMS text messages: $0.80/message

I bought the eKit SIM though Telestial (marketed as the Passport). $49 and it goes in my own unlocked quad-band phone, which of course costs extra if you don't already have one:

http://www.telestial.com/view_product.php?PRODUCT_ID=MSIM-PP01

It includes $10 USD of airtime, there are a great many countries where incoming calls are free, and there is free incoming SMS and $0.49-0.59 per message outgoing SMS.

Other calling rates are comperable to what I've payed as a Virgin UK PAYG customer, though there is a $0.25 per call connection fee with this service.

@:-)You should get yourself an unlocked phone 1st, then buy your SIM chip upon arriving in the country. This is good if you are using it inside the country as well as when you want to call back to the USA. To call back to the USA I use my cellular w/SIM Chip (like a local call) & my home phone long-distance (3U) provider's 800 # (for the country I am in) to call back to the US. It saves a ton! I also can make calls inside the country I am in on the cheap. I have had my own phone number in Brasil for 2-3 years, and since I go about 5-6 times a year I buy a $15R's re-fill card (about $6 US) good for 90 days. Should I not be able to make it back in-time to re-new I do have an internet option w/my Brasilian provider & could pay with a credit card on the web, otherwise I buy my new re-fill card at the drugstore...etc.
I did have a European # as well, but since I am only going about once every two years now, I cancelled it. Worked the same way.

buying an unlocked phone here is the way to go in my opinion. I would add that you might also want to buy a sim card for the country you want to visit on ebay. You can get roaming activated sim's at pretty good prices in my experience.

The rate is high, but it can be useful if you're visiting several countries in a few weeks. The card works everywhere yet is always a single UK based phone number. So it's easier for people to reach you. It can also be cheaper than buying 3 or 4 separate cards for all the countries you'll visit.

I agree on all of the above, particularly the bit about only having to leave the one UK number with people.

And, yes, as long as you're in different countries for a significant amount of time, then seperate SIMS for local providers can be worthwhile.

My next trip in particular I'm in Spain for four days, then France for two, Italy for two, then back to France for a day, Gibraltar for a day, another two days in Spain, and finally three in the UK before I return to the States. Usually I'm just in one or two countires for a one to two week stretch.

The rate is high, but it can be useful if you're visiting several countries in a few weeks. The card works everywhere yet is always a single UK based phone number. So it's easier for people to reach you. It can also be cheaper than buying 3 or 4 separate cards for all the countries you'll visit.

If the rate for inside the UK is too high, why would it be better to use this provider for other countries? I don't see the benefit. This company charges $1.25 to call within the UK from a UK based phone. Yes, I know this company has free incoming calls. However, I am quite sure there are other sims in the UK that offer free incoming calls and lower outgoing rates.

I bought this 3 or 4 years ago and still use my number occasionally while roaming. The rates are NOTHING like what is mentioned here for the UK.

I pay £0.20 a minute and £0.60 to the US. Free incoming in the UK. The roaming rates outside the UK are higher than just getting a SIM in whatever country. Most are £1 a minute. some a bit more.

The company is the same company though the name is a bit different on this site. Marketing ploy? Nevertheless, has worked like a charm always, auto bills to my credit card the SIM is free (£2 shipping) and the number is permanent.

http://www.mobell.com/sim/

I pointed out in the original post rates are high and this would be best as an infrequent use option or for a semi-permanent number to leave with people back home. Yes there are other options. Yes you can buy country-specific pre-paid SIMs that can also roam. Yes there are call forwarding services to forward a US or other number to your new pre-paid SIM so you can still be reached.

But back to my original point, if you want to buy a Mobal SIM, help your FTers and yourself out and go through their referral service. With a $10 credit the SIM is free to you and your referrer gets 10% off his rates. I could have gotten the $10 credit for my SIM card and gotten someone 10% off his rates. I'm hoping that next time someone searches for Mobal they'll come on this thread and take advantage of the referral offer and then benefit in turn.

I pointed out in the original post rates are high and this would be best as an infrequent use option or for a semi-permanent number to leave with people back home. Yes there are other options. Yes you can buy country-specific pre-paid SIMs that can also roam. Yes there are call forwarding services to forward a US or other number to your new pre-paid SIM so you can still be reached.

But back to my original point, if you want to buy a Mobal SIM, help your FTers and yourself out and go through their referral service. With a $10 credit the SIM is free to you and your referrer gets 10% off his rates. I could have gotten the $10 credit for my SIM card and gotten someone 10% off his rates. I'm hoping that next time someone searches for Mobal they'll come on this thread and take advantage of the referral offer and then benefit in turn.


As noted by another poster, the sim card from the other company is also free AND the rate to call domestically in the UK is about 1/3 the price. Where do you think mobal is getting the money to give you the 10 percent. After all, isn't the real goal to save money yourself, rather than letting someone else make money off you?

I saw that link. They're really good rates actually and they seem to have pretty good coverage. The main difference appears to be that they have no roaming coverage while you're in Japan or Korea which poses a slight problem for me and perhaps other travellers.

See this page (http://www.mobell.com/sim/tariffs/gsm.asp) for countries that this SIM roams in.

Actually I'm really tempted to pick up one of these Mobell SIMs for the next time I'm in the UK vs. getting another pre-paid SIM at the airport..

If the rate for inside the UK is too high, why would it be better to use this provider for other countries? I don't see the benefit. This company charges $1.25 to call within the UK from a UK based phone. Yes, I know this company has free incoming calls. However, I am quite sure there are other sims in the UK that offer free incoming calls and lower outgoing rates.I wasn't aware of the UK card you mention. Let's exclude calls from the UK since there may be a better option.

If you're travelling for a few weeks and visiting 3 or 4 different countries, you normally have to buy several cards, each with some minimum cost. You pay that minimum price for each even if you don't use up the cards. They also expire.

So add it up. The total may be more than just paying the Mobal rates. It's not pre-paid. It's pay as you go. It depends on how much calling you'll do. If you just want to be reachable and want a phone for certain situations, then Mobal is not a bad option. There's also some convenience. (a) 1 number in all countries (b) no time spent buying sim cards (c) basically works everywhere and forever.

Mobal has been discussed before. The point here is really to offer referrals so new customers get $10 and old customers get 10%.

I pointed out in the original post rates are high and this would be best as an infrequent use option or for a semi-permanent number to leave with people back home. Yes there are other options. Yes you can buy country-specific pre-paid SIMs that can also roam. Yes there are call forwarding services to forward a US or other number to your new pre-paid SIM so you can still be reached.

But back to my original point, if you want to buy a Mobal SIM, help your FTers and yourself out and go through their referral service. With a $10 credit the SIM is free to you and your referrer gets 10% off his rates. I could have gotten the $10 credit for my SIM card and gotten someone 10% off his rates. I'm hoping that next time someone searches for Mobal they'll come on this thread and take advantage of the referral offer and then benefit in turn.

10% off $1.25 doesn't come close to £0.20. (the roaming rates seem to be better on yours due to 2 for 1 pound to $ but that can change). I realize the point was to refer people, but prices should still be checked as the benefit can be worth more than the referral depending on one's usage pattern.

Noted, it is a GSM card for tri band. No Japan or Korea, correct. I had not noticed that. BUT, in fairness, I don't see it offered (except in the rates) on your link either. Specifically the two phones they sell are NOT compatible. And all their FAQs about the sim card mention 3 bands not the system from Japan or Korea.

...
If you're travelling for a few weeks and visiting 3 or 4 different countries, you normally have to buy several cards, each with some minimum cost. You pay that minimum price for each even if you don't use up the cards. They also expire.

So add it up. The total may be more than just paying the Mobal rates. It's not pre-paid. It's pay as you go. It depends on how much calling you'll do. If you just want to be reachable and want a phone for certain situations, then Mobal is not a bad option. There's also some convenience. (a) 1 number in all countries (b) no time spent buying sim cards (c) basically works everywhere and forever.
...


This is definitely true for many many countries. It's just easier to pay the high rate and not lose numbers and unused time on various sims, not to mention losing the sims themselves.

Another important note about these worldwide SIMs over local ones..... I got into big trouble with my Virgin UK account when I went to France and ran short on time because I didn't know that the roaming network rates there would be so much higher than UK rates. I also expected to be able to top-up at overseas locations (and it turned out that there weren't any). Both my own fault for not doing my homework properly.

I at least thought that I'd be able to use my credit card to top-up as a worst case scenario. Well, much to my chagrin, Virgin wouldn't let me top-up on a non-UK credit card which left me with no option in France but to do without my phone or buy a local provider SIM.

10% off $1.25 doesn't come close to £0.20. (the roaming rates seem to be better on yours due to 2 for 1 pound to $ but that can change). I realize the point was to refer people, but prices should still be checked as the benefit can be worth more than the referral depending on one's usage pattern.

Mobal advertises that if you have 5 referrals they will give you 50% off your rates (i.e. the 10% is stackable) "for life". Clearly if this conga actually works we should all just be getting one referral each, however if you then have a family member or friend sign up with you that's another 10-20% and so forth.

BUT, in fairness, I don't see it offered (except in the rates) on your link either. Specifically the two phones they sell are NOT compatible. And all their FAQs about the sim card mention 3 bands not the system from Japan or Korea.

I've sent Mobal an email inquiring about 3G roaming using their SIM chip. If you have a handset that provides UMTS coverage you should be able to roam with a 3G enabled SIM chip which this seems to be since it offers rates dialing out from both Japan and Korea.

Unfortunately given these protracted and completely divergent follow-ups I'm doubtful this referral thread will ever get off the ground.

I pointed out in the original post rates are high and this would be best as an infrequent use option or for a semi-permanent number to leave with people back home. Yes there are other options. Yes you can buy country-specific pre-paid SIMs that can also roam. Yes there are call forwarding services to forward a US or other number to your new pre-paid SIM so you can still be reached.

But back to my original point, if you want to buy a Mobal SIM, help your FTers and yourself out and go through their referral service. With a $10 credit the SIM is free to you and your referrer gets 10% off his rates. I could have gotten the $10 credit for my SIM card and gotten someone 10% off his rates. I'm hoping that next time someone searches for Mobal they'll come on this thread and take advantage of the referral offer and then benefit in turn.

10% off $1.25 doesn't come close to £0.20. (the roaming rates seem to be better on yours due to 2 for 1 pound to $ but that can change). I realize the point was to refer people, but prices should still be checked as the benefit can be worth more than the referral depending on one's usage pattern.

Noted, it is a GSM card for tri band. No Japan or Korea, correct. I had not noticed that. BUT, in fairness, I don't see it offered (except in the rates) on your link either. Specifically the two phones they sell are NOT compatible. And all their FAQs about the sim card mention 3 bands not the system from Japan or Korea. They only mention rentals as available for Korea and Japan. Also worth noting is from their FAQ:
"All of our phones are shipped locked so SIM’s that are not supplied by Mobal will not work in them."

...
If you're travelling for a few weeks and visiting 3 or 4 different countries, you normally have to buy several cards, each with some minimum cost. You pay that minimum price for each even if you don't use up the cards. They also expire.

So add it up. The total may be more than just paying the Mobal rates. It's not pre-paid. It's pay as you go. It depends on how much calling you'll do. If you just want to be reachable and want a phone for certain situations, then Mobal is not a bad option. There's also some convenience. (a) 1 number in all countries (b) no time spent buying sim cards (c) basically works everywhere and forever.
...


This is definitely true for many many countries. It's just easier to pay the high rate and not lose numbers and unused time on various sims, not to mention losing the sims themselves.


P.S. and forgive me, I went back and read the OP again. Accumulating 50% discount off referrals makes it pretty good for everything -except- the UK.
--- could you please link the referral conditions as I don't see them on the web, only a form to fill out with the referrals but no conditions.

I don't know if this is the page you saw already:
http://www.mobalrental.com/referafriendplan/

Get half-price calls by telling your friends!

"Hi I'm Kate,

And I'm here to tell you about our amazing refer-a-friend program.

Get an amazing 10% discount for each friend who orders a Mobal World Phone! To get the maximum discount — half-price calls for life, based on today's rates — all you need to do is get 5 friends to order! Kate

Plus, your friends will get $10 free call credit if they order, so don't forget to tell them!"

This offer applies to today's rates. This price reduction cannot be used in conjunction with any other price reduction. We reserve the right to stop or change the Refer-a-friend scheme at anytime. Any payments or discounts already earned under a previous refer-a-friend plan cannot be exchanged for the current refer-a-friend plan offer.

This offer applies to today's rates. This price reduction cannot be used in conjunction with any other price reduction. We reserve the right to stop or change the Refer-a-friend scheme at anytime. Any payments or discounts already earned under a previous refer-a-friend plan cannot be exchanged for the current refer-a-friend plan offer.

So, they can drop your friend program at anytime and start a different program, making your discount invalid.

I can't see getting friends to spend more money so you can get some of their money.

So, they can drop your friend program at anytime and start a different program, making your discount invalid. I don't see how that clause is different from any other program. They always reserve the right to change or end the program.
I can't see getting friends to spend more money so you can get some of their money.Mobal is not for everyone, but if your friend will benefit then it works out. Besides, you may get voluntary referrals here.

To expand on my last post, Mobal replied that roaming is possible in Japan and South Korea using their SIM chip when used in a UMTS enabled phone.

..still hoping for one of those voluntary referrals! ;)

I'm headed for Japan soon and will likely end up using my Mobal SIM card a couple of times, but not enough to merit renting a separate phone or getting a prepaid phone. If someone is looking to sign up for Mobal send me a PM and I'll forward you a referral link so I can get 10% off the $1.95/minute Japan rate and you can get $10 calling credit.

http://www.mobalrental.com/referafriendplan/

IMHO, if you travel a lot it is better to use forwarding functionality on Skype or similar services. I.e. you have one SkypeIn number , for example in US or UK, that you forward to whatever local SIM card you buy when you get to your destination country.

IMHO, if you travel a lot it is better to use forwarding functionality on Skype or similar services. I.e. you have one SkypeIn number , for example in US or UK, that you forward to whatever local SIM card you buy when you get to your destination country.

You can't buy local SIM cards or prepaid phones in Japan as a non-resident.

On my last trip to Tokyo using the Mobal SIM with a UMTS capable phone has worked out pretty well. I ended up spending under $20 for calls while the cheapest rentals I've found start somewhere in the $60+ range. In Tokyo at least, you roam on JP DoCoMo.

It's pretty easy when you have alot of traveler friends :)

I brought the international cell phone (http://www.mobalrental.com/gsm/handsets.asp) option, but I think they have refer a friend on just the mobal sim aswell.

J

If I didn't mention this earlier, I can also offer referrals. ;)

Is this referral program still going on or did it expire?

I sent a private message. I can refer you if you provide your name and email address. You'll get a $10 credit, and I'll get a % discount.

Thanks!

I sent a private message. I can refer you if you provide your name and email address. You'll get a $10 credit, and I'll get a % discount.

Thanks!

What's the point of getting a discount on an outrageous rate?
It would be far better to buy something else.

What's the point of getting a discount on an outrageous rate?
It would be far better to buy something else.This and the alternatives were discussed earlier in various threads, and I don't intend to start another debate.

My short answer is you're paying for the convenience of having a permanent UK number that never expires and works everywhere with no maintenance fees. It can be cheaper in the long run for certain individuals. It's not for everyone.

I'm planning on reusing my Mobal card for my next Japan trip. I'll again pose the question to those who don't see a benefit to this company: Where in Japan can you buy a pre-paid SIM for use with your 3G phone?

This and the alternatives were discussed earlier in various threads, and I don't intend to start another debate.

My short answer is you're paying for the convenience of having a permanent UK number that never expires and works everywhere with no maintenance fees. It can be cheaper in the long run for certain individuals. It's not for everyone.

Again...this isn't really different from plans that don't charge $1.25 per minute.

Re: the Japan question. I don't know. I only go to Japan on business.