Best Prepaid SIM Card for HK
Nov 13, 2007, 9:02 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2001
Location: CMH/DAY
Programs: NW Gold/SPG Plat/Hilton Gold
Posts: 557
Best Prepaid SIM Card for HK
What is the best prepaid SIM card to purchase? Please advise experiences with the various cards and carriers? Has anything changed with respect to foreigners purchasing these cards?
Nov 13, 2007, 9:15 pm
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: HKG
Programs: Priority Club Plat
Posts: 12,311
There's no restriction who buys these cards.
Services are similar among carriers. I use PCCW, others like People's. Main thing you need to decide is whether you're going to call local (HK) more, or international.
Both PCCW and Peoples have two main kinds of SIMs. One is very cheap local (as low as 5-6 HK cents per minute), but expensive international. The other is 25 HK cents per minute, but has reduced or free international "IDD" rates.
Services are similar among carriers. I use PCCW, others like People's. Main thing you need to decide is whether you're going to call local (HK) more, or international.
Both PCCW and Peoples have two main kinds of SIMs. One is very cheap local (as low as 5-6 HK cents per minute), but expensive international. The other is 25 HK cents per minute, but has reduced or free international "IDD" rates.
Nov 15, 2007, 10:46 pm
#3
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Macau, Hong Kong, Shanghai
Posts: 648
There's no restriction who buys these cards.
Services are similar among carriers. I use PCCW, others like People's. Main thing you need to decide is whether you're going to call local (HK) more, or international.
Both PCCW and Peoples have two main kinds of SIMs. One is very cheap local (as low as 5-6 HK cents per minute), but expensive international. The other is 25 HK cents per minute, but has reduced or free international "IDD" rates.
Services are similar among carriers. I use PCCW, others like People's. Main thing you need to decide is whether you're going to call local (HK) more, or international.
Both PCCW and Peoples have two main kinds of SIMs. One is very cheap local (as low as 5-6 HK cents per minute), but expensive international. The other is 25 HK cents per minute, but has reduced or free international "IDD" rates.
Nov 16, 2007, 12:57 am
#4
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Here, There & Everywhere
Programs: OZ Diamond, Miles & Smiles *G, PC Amb
Posts: 659
If you want to call a lot IDD then Smartones paygo might be an option. They charge local airtime at 0.15 HK$ and IDD to Europe(landlines only) and China, US (also mobile) at 0.50 But they have a monthly fee of 62 HK$ (Very hidden on their website). It is a prepaid card, no contract.
Nov 16, 2007, 5:17 am
#5
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Macau, Hong Kong, Shanghai
Posts: 648
The 1966 flatrate from Three costs an extra 48 HK$ on top of the 50$ monthly rate, which is still a bargain if you call a lot overseas. But I'd rather not use the mobile so extensively anyway.
Nov 16, 2007, 6:58 am
#6
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: New York
Programs: Marriott Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium, Delta Skymiles Platinum
Posts: 650
I travel to HK 2-3 times per year. I have a 3 prepaid sim card. It's great. No contract. No monthly fee. Just the cost of calls, which is amazingly cheap. My only problem is I can't use up enough money, but I have to keep re-charging before it expires.
Nov 19, 2007, 3:58 am
#9
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: New York
Programs: AA, UA, CO
Posts: 39
I think the best prepaid SIM is People's IDD Talk, which others have mentioned. It gives you HKD0.25/min calls to basically the developed world. As others have said, 7-11 has 'em.
http://www.peoples.com.hk/p_prepaid_...efault_iso.jsp
http://www.peoples.com.hk/p_prepaid_...efault_iso.jsp
Nov 23, 2007, 1:08 pm
#11
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 1999
Location: Seat 1A, Juice pretty much everywhere, Mucci des Coins Exotiques
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Upscale hotels like the MO or IC have business centers that take of it for you and it doesn't cost much. They seem to have longer expiration dates too. The MO is basically an MVNO.
Nov 24, 2007, 10:42 am
#12
Moderator: Luxury Hotels and FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Palo Alto, California,USA
Posts: 17,853
The 7-11 at the airport didn't have People's, did have PCCW. It was like HK$62 for the 25 cent/minute IDD plan, and the package includes a $10 discount on the next recharge (which I am not going to be needing on my 2 night stay!).
Seems to work fine, expiration date appears to be 6 months from date of purchase.
Seems to work fine, expiration date appears to be 6 months from date of purchase.
Nov 25, 2007, 1:19 pm
#13
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2001
Location: CMH/DAY
Programs: NW Gold/SPG Plat/Hilton Gold
Posts: 557
The 7-11 at the airport didn't have People's, did have PCCW. It was like HK$62 for the 25 cent/minute IDD plan, and the package includes a $10 discount on the next recharge (which I am not going to be needing on my 2 night stay!).
Seems to work fine, expiration date appears to be 6 months from date of purchase.
Seems to work fine, expiration date appears to be 6 months from date of purchase.
I am very happy with Peoples as it seems everywhere I look at my phone there has been a full signal. Voice quality has been excellent and no dropped calls.
Nov 27, 2007, 1:12 pm
#14
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Salt Lake City, Los Angeles
Posts: 478
there's tons of prepaid sim cards and you can buy them @ 7-11 when you get to the airport.
Last year I used Three.
http://dualband.three.com.hk/website...21100&lang=eng
They have a bunch of SIM cards which you can choose from depending on your travel patterns...I used to the orange and green ones...I think one allows roaming and one is for HK only.
Last year I used Three.
http://dualband.three.com.hk/website...21100&lang=eng
They have a bunch of SIM cards which you can choose from depending on your travel patterns...I used to the orange and green ones...I think one allows roaming and one is for HK only.
Jan 15, 2009, 1:23 pm
#15
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 1999
Posts: 12,097
My understanding is that CSL is the only company that will give you HSDPA access for the iPhone 3G on a prepaid card (at HK$50 for 1 day, HK$178 for 5 and a higher fee for a month).
People (China Mobile) only has GPRS, while PCCW doesn't list any data services (other than pay-as-you-go Wi-Fi) for prepaid.
Thanks for the pointer on the 7-Eleven in the arrivals hall!
People (China Mobile) only has GPRS, while PCCW doesn't list any data services (other than pay-as-you-go Wi-Fi) for prepaid.
Thanks for the pointer on the 7-Eleven in the arrivals hall!