Mar 22, 2016, 3:00 am
Last edit by: RichardInSF
Japan - Prepaid Data SIM Wikia
1) get a SIM before the trip, activate it when you land. you can find japan-specific prepaid SIMs on ebay/amazon/... .Some countries have providers that offer good roaming rates in other countries(eg Starhub in Singapore, Ais Sim2Fly available globally)
2) preorder it, delivered to your hotel
3) preorder it to airport post office, can pick up when you land
4) preorder it, pickup at some airport counter/store
5) at airport/city, find an store/kiosk/vending machine and buy from them
6) Use an app such as Iijmio, Airalo or Ubigi to buy an e-SIM if your phone supports it
If you are arriving at Haneda international terminal without a SIM: Exit customs, turn right, and continue to the BIC camera store on the left side. Ignore any other places and vending machines that will sell you a SIM. BIC has a good selection at regular camera store prices.
1) get a SIM before the trip, activate it when you land. you can find japan-specific prepaid SIMs on ebay/amazon/... .Some countries have providers that offer good roaming rates in other countries(eg Starhub in Singapore, Ais Sim2Fly available globally)
2) preorder it, delivered to your hotel
3) preorder it to airport post office, can pick up when you land
4) preorder it, pickup at some airport counter/store
5) at airport/city, find an store/kiosk/vending machine and buy from them
6) Use an app such as Iijmio, Airalo or Ubigi to buy an e-SIM if your phone supports it
If you are arriving at Haneda international terminal without a SIM: Exit customs, turn right, and continue to the BIC camera store on the left side. Ignore any other places and vending machines that will sell you a SIM. BIC has a good selection at regular camera store prices.
Prepaid SIM discussion (consolidated)
Oct 18, 2018, 3:33 pm
#421
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: YYZ
Programs: AMEX AC CX UA AA DL
Posts: 3,008
Insert Sim2Fly in the phone and it works. Card purchased from Amazon Japan is already activated, and registered to the seller "Wise Corporation" in my case.
>> I've entered the codes for reactivation
What exactly? If you mean *111*354# then no you should not. If the system is reasonably robust (which is often not the case with this provider AIS), it should not have any ill effect.
>> I've entered the codes for reactivation
What exactly? If you mean *111*354# then no you should not. If the system is reasonably robust (which is often not the case with this provider AIS), it should not have any ill effect.
Oct 18, 2018, 3:42 pm
#422
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 2,304
Do you happen to know if the AIS & Line app have to be on the same phone which has an active AIS sim? Or can I also top up (ie family) AIS sims while they're not inserted in my phone and my current phone also has a non-AIS sim (like if I wanted to add credit to keep it alive while outside one of the covered domestic/roaming countries)?
Oct 18, 2018, 4:46 pm
#423
Join Date: Apr 2009
Posts: 326
Insert Sim2Fly in the phone and it works. Card purchased from Amazon Japan is already activated, and registered to the seller "Wise Corporation" in my case.
>> I've entered the codes for reactivation
What exactly? If you mean *111*354# then no you should not. If the system is reasonably robust (which is often not the case with this provider AIS), it should not have any ill effect.
>> I've entered the codes for reactivation
What exactly? If you mean *111*354# then no you should not. If the system is reasonably robust (which is often not the case with this provider AIS), it should not have any ill effect.
Yes I meant those reactivation codes - I didn't know if there was an initial activation code to use in the dialer after inserting a new SIM.
Thank you for confirming it works just by inserting the new SIM into phone. Yes this was a card from Amazon Japan and purchased for a friend so I wanted to make sure it worked for them right away.
Oct 19, 2018, 5:47 am
#425
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: LAX/TPE
Programs: United 1K, JAL Sapphire, SPG Lifetime Platinum, National Executive Elite, Hertz PC, Avis PC
Posts: 42,222
Are there any short term 1-3 day relatively cheap data packages with Asia roaming to add to the SIM once the initial 8 day package has expired? I need to add about another 1-2 days of data, whether by time or by amount of GB. I see lots of different packages on the AIS app, but it's not clear if they include roaming or are for intra-Thailand use only.
Oct 19, 2018, 9:32 am
#426
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: NUE
Programs: BAEC Silver, FB Gold, HHonors Gold, IHG Platinum, SK Diamond, ITA Volare Club Executive, TK Elite
Posts: 365
You get the 4 GB package for Asia & Australia valid 8 days.
According to the website you get 1 GB for 2 days valid within Asia and Australia. Code *111*356#
Are there any short term 1-3 day relatively cheap data packages with Asia roaming to add to the SIM once the initial 8 day package has expired? I need to add about another 1-2 days of data, whether by time or by amount of GB. I see lots of different packages on the AIS app, but it's not clear if they include roaming or are for intra-Thailand use only.
Oct 19, 2018, 1:09 pm
#427
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: YYZ
Programs: AMEX AC CX UA AA DL
Posts: 3,008
Do you happen to know if the AIS & Line app have to be on the same phone which has an active AIS sim? Or can I also top up (ie family) AIS sims while they're not inserted in my phone and my current phone also has a non-AIS sim (like if I wanted to add credit to keep it alive while outside one of the covered domestic/roaming countries)?
AIS app set up requires SMS to the SIM for the 1 time pass code. If you switch account(AIS phone #) on the app, you'll need that SMS verification again. So yes you can use the app on a single phone to top up different SIMs, but you need to be able to receive SMS on those SIMs, on the same or a different phone.
The AIS SIM is global roaming. Even though the one I bought came with Asian plan, I can still receive SMS in Canada and got verification code for log-in.
If you are not switching AIS login phone number on the app, you can use the app to top up from anywhere with internet connection.
Oh almost forgot. You can actually add multiple AIS numbers to the app. So once it's been set up you can top up different SIMs using the app on 1 phone. No verification SMS required.
Last edited by beep88; Oct 19, 2018 at 1:21 pm
Oct 19, 2018, 2:17 pm
#428
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 2,304
I top up on the AIS app installed on my regular phone. My AIS SIMs are in other travel phones.
AIS app set up requires SMS to the SIM for the 1 time pass code. If you switch account(AIS phone #) on the app, you'll need that SMS verification again. So yes you can use the app on a single phone to top up different SIMs, but you need to be able to receive SMS on those SIMs, on the same or a different phone.
The AIS SIM is global roaming. Even though the one I bought came with Asian plan, I can still receive SMS in Canada and got verification code for log-in.
If you are not switching AIS login phone number on the app, you can use the app to top up from anywhere with internet connection.
Oh almost forgot. You can actually add multiple AIS numbers to the app. So once it's been set up you can top up different SIMs using the app on 1 phone. No verification SMS required.
AIS app set up requires SMS to the SIM for the 1 time pass code. If you switch account(AIS phone #) on the app, you'll need that SMS verification again. So yes you can use the app on a single phone to top up different SIMs, but you need to be able to receive SMS on those SIMs, on the same or a different phone.
The AIS SIM is global roaming. Even though the one I bought came with Asian plan, I can still receive SMS in Canada and got verification code for log-in.
If you are not switching AIS login phone number on the app, you can use the app to top up from anywhere with internet connection.
Oh almost forgot. You can actually add multiple AIS numbers to the app. So once it's been set up you can top up different SIMs using the app on 1 phone. No verification SMS required.
Side observation: AIS Sim2Fly wouldn't be a good choice for keeping alive on a standalone iPad/current android tablet with data only LTE as they don't receive sms or have dialers to add data packages. Bring an unlocked phone if setting up while traveling or buy a few sims to cover the trip duration if needed.
Oct 19, 2018, 2:45 pm
#429
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: NYC
Posts: 557
Docomo also added docomo wifi access to the Docomo Japan Visitor Sim. https://wow-j.com/en/sim_wifi/spec/#a-about
Additionally, the 0001docomo SSID uses the SIM to authenticate, so you don't need to key in passwords when you roam between hotspots. Access to that Wi-Fi network alone is worth the price of admission IMO, especially with the $10 discount.
Oct 20, 2018, 3:37 pm
#430
Join Date: Sep 2018
Posts: 17
When I tried to set up the myAIS account, it went to some part of the process that asked me to select a "post paid" number and then said I had to be registered or something to be able to do that. Is there a specific way I should be setting up the account or a set-up guide I could follow? I went to create an account with the mobile number and one time password it provided and it only went through the 2nd step I think before saying I couldn't continue.
Oct 21, 2018, 4:09 am
#431
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: YYZ
Programs: Aeroplan, Flying Blue Gold, Accor Silver, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 662
Hi Onoade,
Did you ever get your Bmobile card to work? If so, what was the cause and solution? More for the benefit of others on this thread who may run into a similar situation.
thanks.
Did you ever get your Bmobile card to work? If so, what was the cause and solution? More for the benefit of others on this thread who may run into a similar situation.
thanks.
Oct 21, 2018, 4:41 am
#432
Join Date: Sep 2018
Posts: 17
Sadly, no. I returned it to Amazon for a refund. We're not sure what the issue was - the activation instructions on the website, which were presumably up to date, gave us the same issues. Perhaps it was expired?
I got an IIJ one instead which works very well.
I got an IIJ one instead which works very well.
Oct 21, 2018, 8:19 am
#433
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: LAX/TPE
Programs: United 1K, JAL Sapphire, SPG Lifetime Platinum, National Executive Elite, Hertz PC, Avis PC
Posts: 42,222
When I tried to set up the myAIS account, it went to some part of the process that asked me to select a "post paid" number and then said I had to be registered or something to be able to do that. Is there a specific way I should be setting up the account or a set-up guide I could follow? I went to create an account with the mobile number and one time password it provided and it only went through the 2nd step I think before saying I couldn't continue.
From there I used Line Pay via the top-up link to add THB100, then another THB20, and redeemed a 2 day, 1GB data extension which seemed to also update the SIM expiry date to January 2019. I assume going forward, with each top up of THB10 in the future, the SIM expiry will get pushed out further in the future until I need to make a larger top-up and re-activate a roaming data plan for the next trip.
Oct 21, 2018, 1:54 pm
#434
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: YYZ
Programs: Aeroplan, Flying Blue Gold, Accor Silver, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 662
Oct 21, 2018, 9:12 pm
#435
Join Date: Sep 2018
Posts: 17
Thanks for the tips on myAIS! Got it to work by logging in (rather than creating an account) and using the OTP.
However, LINE pay is now declining all my cards or transactions "for my safety" so I guess this wasn't destined to work out! Perhaps I'll be able to pick another one up somewhere.
However, LINE pay is now declining all my cards or transactions "for my safety" so I guess this wasn't destined to work out! Perhaps I'll be able to pick another one up somewhere.