snic

That's what they told me when I asked them whether the validity period begins on the shipping date or the activation date. However, they shipped it two days ago (7/31) and I activated it today (8/2) - but the expiration date is 11/1, which is actually 90 days from tomorrow (8/3). So it looks like that they pad in a few extra days to account for shipping. Since the validity period is now 90 days instead of 1 year, it makes sense that they do it this way now.

Anyway, the installation process (Moto X 2014) was a breeze, and switching between networks using the app seems to work flawlessly. So far, so good!

glennaa11

They told me that the 90 days starts when you scan the barcode.

If you let the account lapse (don't add value before the 90 days is up) can you reactivate the chip later? I have a couple of trips coming up in Sept and Nov but then I would be out of the country again until May. So it doesn't make sense for me to add any value or time until May

draver

I asked this question in May of this year and received this reply on May 19th.



"Hi draver,


Yes, after your plan expires you can use the same microchip(old sim sticker) to purchase extra data. Yes, you won't have to start all over again.


Thank you"


This was from their support link on the site I had been trading emails with. Jess was the signing rep.


So, other than losing unused data, the plan is still viable down the road a bit.






64981:509558

glennaa11

thanks for the response.

Jess gave me the same answer. :-)

unmesh

My Flexiroam was delivered today. Trying to decide on whether to attach it to my AT&T SIM (to be able to use AT&T WiFi Calling overseas without switching physical SIMs) or to my FreedomPop Global SIM so that I have two carrier choices while in Europe.

(China/India/Spain trip coming up including transit through Singapore and Abu Dhabi airports)

Updated:

Flexiroam worked fine everywhere as did FreedomPop Global in Europe

island82

Same SIM config as you, but since I have a dual sim phone, I attach Flexirom on my AT&T and use it for where FreedomPop is not supported which is outside of Europe.

SwissTraveller78

You can switch off this message. Go to Status, Switch to Flexiroam x, Flexiroam X-Kit, About, X-Kit Notification. There you can switch off the message.

Boogie711

Thank you!

Since I made this post, I've since switched to iPhone, where Flexiroam is even simpler and easier to use, and there is no persistent notification. But good to know!

SwissTraveller78

You even don’t need the Flexiroam app. Once everything is set up, you can remove the App and switch between your SIM and Felxiroam by just using the normal SIM Manager.... At least in Android. I don't know how it is in iPhone.

glennaa11

Just installed my SIM thing and got everything set up. You really need to make sure you follow the instructions exactly when you switch back to the home SIM. I thought this thing had totally screwed up my phone until I went back and tried again.

snic

I used Flexiroam on a recent trip to 4 countries in Europe (Germany, Belgium, Italy and Sweden). It worked almost flawlessly in each one of them. I had a connection almost everywhere (often 4G in larger cities) except in remote rural areas. The only technical problem I had was in one town in Italy where there was service but for some reason I couldn't connect to the internet (there was an exclamation point next to the signal strength icon - odd). Otherwise, it worked beautifully, and switching between my native SIM card and Flexiroam was very easy.

I used about 700 MB of data in a 2 week trip, and used it freely for Google maps navigation, checking email, etc (but of course not downloading music or large files). I did try to connect to wifi whenever I could, which minimized data usage. However, a few times I did have to use my phone as a hotspot for my traveling companions. That worked quite well except once, when I got a message on the phone saying it wasn't allowed (maybe by the cellular service provider? not sure why).

There are just two drawbacks to Flexiroam. One is that it doesn't provide phone or SMS service. I used a VOIP service (Talkatone) to do that over the data or wifi connection, but that worked only intermittently - sometimes my phone calls had excellent connections; others were poor quality, and most often I just couldn't connect at all. If anyone knows of a better/more reliable VOIP service for Android, please share!

The other drawback (for me, anyway) is that Flexiroam didn't immediately credit me the 100 MB of free data one is supposed to get for using a referral link. Emails to tech support were ignored, and I finally had to complain on Twitter (twice!) before they did something about it.

In all, especially if I can find a reliable VOIP provider, I think I'll probably use Flexiroam again for my international trips because it's relatively inexpensive and very easy to use.

glennaa11

I also used it in Europe for the first time this month. Overall it worked pretty well. Initially I had some trouble switching to Flexiroam from my home SIM. But once I got it working it was pretty seamless. In two weeks I used about 600MB. The first day it seemed to go down pretty fast so I started switching mobile data off when I wasn't using it and that seemed to really help. And of course using wifi wherever possible makes a difference too.

I was in Vienna, Prague and Berlin. I primarily was using it for maps and social media. Uploaded a few photos to FB.

Will certainly use most of the rest of my data on an upcoming trip to SE Asia. It's a shame Cambodia isn't covered so I'll need to get a prepaid SIM for my week there.

moa999

I've now logged about 10 countries using Flexiroam.

I have a dual-SIM android and have my home Australian carrier in SIM1 (So i can still get incoming SMS) and the Flexiroam in SIM2 on a dead prepaid SIM (so it does work on expired SIMs).
My Australian mobile number is generally forwarded to a VOIP DID.

I find it works better by manually selecting an operator when arriving in a new country (particularly a 4G one if it exists).

With a few minor exceptions (Max 30Mb), data usage has been spot on with what my phone records.

I've had the SIM almost since launch initially under the 12-mth plan and gained 4Gb from promotions and subsequently have renewed twice on the 90day/1Gb plan.
When I use that I might drop back to the new country specific plans and activate when I travel.

Definitely recommended for freuqent travellers, although in Europe the new roaming regulations probably make a local SIM a cheaper option.

greycap7

Is this the defacto method to use when travelling abroad? I looked into Project Fi, but the costs associated with that are significant since I don't have a Project Fi phone.

gosha83

I read about Flexiroam on here and ordered two stickers (one for me and one for the wife) for our trip to Germany, Italy and Russia that lasted one month.

The pros: definitely a super easy way to stay connected. Your phone automatically switches to the right provider once you land in the new country and you just go. The speeds were mostly good and we had 4G in most places.

The cons: not being able to make/receive calls and texts was annoying, especially in countries where getting a text is required to get on free wifi (Russia + Italy). The inability to do this made us blow through our 1GB data allocation way quicker than needed.

Note: making calls is not impossible as I just used Skype's call-out feature and that worked fine most of the time, though it definitely bit into the data allowance.

Final verdict: this is not the most cost-effective way to stay connected. Local SIMs will probably still be cheaper in many countries. But if you don't want to waste time and have to deal with a collection of sim cards during your trip, Flexiroam is the best solution I know of.