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Prepaid SIM discussion (consolidated)

Old Mar 22, 2016, 3:00 am
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
Last edit by: stifle
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
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Prepaid SIM discussion (consolidated)

Old May 13, 2019, 7:30 pm
  #496  
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AIS question - I was locked out of my app account and needed to re-register but I need to be able to receive a SMS with the passcode. If I put the SIM into my phone while in the USA, would the passcode come through?
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Old May 13, 2019, 8:29 pm
  #497  
 
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Originally Posted by LAXlocal
The AIS sim is Data only ,
And it works in the USA too on TMobile if you get the right plan.
i recall being able to make/receive local calls while roaming with my ais sim? slightly pricey though? 6 baht/min or more ($0.20 USD)

Originally Posted by bocastephen
AIS question - I was locked out of my app account and needed to re-register but I need to be able to receive a SMS with the passcode. If I put the SIM into my phone while in the USA, would the passcode come through?
yes. airplanemode-off but on wifi, you can launch app, put in the ais phone number (prefix it with a "0") to request reset code and receive the text. no data subscription needed

if I had a valid data subscription, app auto-logs in on my iphone. With valid data subscription but on wifi, app makes me login manually
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Old May 14, 2019, 6:47 pm
  #498  
 
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I get messages on my AIS account in the USA from AIS and another deal in Thai,
But I never tried having the bank or someone in Thailand send me a message.
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Old May 14, 2019, 8:31 pm
  #499  
 
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I'm going to Japan in July for 2 weeks.

I'm flying into HND, will have 9 nights in Tokyo and 5 nights in Osaka, flying back through KIX.

I want 2 data sims (for 2 phones) and would like calling. What are my best options? Speed, cost, reliability, ease to get?
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Old May 15, 2019, 3:44 pm
  #500  
 
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Japan prepaid data sims are just that, data. If you want calling you'll either need to use VOIP on a data sim like Google Voice, LineOut, or Skype, Bic Travel Sim w/ Brastel VOIP; roaming sim from US/HK/Thailand/China; or rent/buy a sim from Mobal, Softbank, GAC, JCR. There's very few ways around the residency requirement for JP carrier (non-roaming) voice service and most take some time (plus mailing address) to validate.

Cost, reliability, ease would be T-Mobile US free roaming, followed by Google Fi (better speed, pay $10 per GB). I've read Sprint roaming on Softbank is also good but I wouldn't change carriers for this. These can all be setup in the US. Inside Japan, all the JP MVNO prepaid data sims will be subject to throttling and data caps.

Docomo still offers their Travel Sim until Sept, but are cutting off the application deadline and there's no calling.

Roaming SIM like Thai AIS is also a good choice with details upthread. AIS requires a third party website or Thai CC to top up and while I think using AIS is straightforward, I lent a friend my AIS sims and he was a bit stumped on how to load/check-balance (despite e-mailing clear instructions). AIS also roams in other countries.

AIS https://www.ais.co.th/roaming/sim2fly/en/

Rental Sim options:
Mobal https://www.mobal.com/japan-sim-card/
Softbank https://www.softbank-rental.jp/en/re...n/sim_card.php
GAC https://www.globaladvancedcomm.com/simrent.html
JCR https://jcrcorp.com/japan_mobile/jap..._rental_4g_3g/

$10 per GB is reasonable for Japan. AIS, 3HK per GB roaming is less than that. Most prepaid JP MVNO a bit more.
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Old May 15, 2019, 3:48 pm
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AIS SIM2Fly homepage banner states it now roams on Docomo in addition to Softbank.

Can someone report back AIS SIM2Fly on Docomo roaming speeds if they get the chance?
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Old May 15, 2019, 5:17 pm
  #502  
 
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Has anyone tried Japan Rail Pass data SIM? Starting at 8 days of unlimited data for $20. Free delivery within the US.
https://www.japan-rail-pass.com/services/simcard

They do not guarantee speeds but looks like it has good reviews.
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Old May 27, 2019, 11:05 am
  #503  
 
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Originally Posted by bocastephen
OK I found a workaround - the email "fail" from mobiletopup suggested I try ding.com, and by going through Paypal, it worked - the downside, the minimum top-up seems to be THB101. In this case it's not the end of the world because I will be buying the Sim2Fly 4GB top-up for THB299 in early Feb, so I will need the value anyway, but after that trip I will need a different strategy to keep the chip alive because spending US$4 a month to do it long term makes no sense.

Mobiletopup did say that any Visa card issuer that does not work with, or blocks, 3DS like Chase will prevent the card from being accepted on their site.
Ding.dotcom appears to be more expensive that mobiletopup. 13.4% fees + billing in USD. Roughly 18% more expensive on a 500B topup.
I just topped up my Sim2Fly via mobiletopup using my CapOne MC. As noted above, LinePay doesn't work for USA accounts anymore (I used to use this successfully) and cc payments through the MyAIS app did not work for me.
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Old Aug 18, 2019, 1:36 pm
  #504  
 
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mobiletopup.com no longer working for my capital one MC or my chase Visas. Anyone have any new vectors to top up the MyAIS sims outside of Thailand?
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Old Aug 20, 2019, 12:12 am
  #505  
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Originally Posted by angra
mobiletopup.com no longer working for my capital one MC or my chase Visas. Anyone have any new vectors to top up the MyAIS sims outside of Thailand?
I was just able to top up my SIM2Fly and another AIS SIM using mobiletopup and a Chase Visa.
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Old Aug 20, 2019, 1:21 am
  #506  
 
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Originally Posted by transparent
I was just able to top up my SIM2Fly and another AIS SIM using mobiletopup and a Chase Visa.
Thanks for the report - I guess it's something about me or my card. Chase has never worked for me on mobiletopup.com.
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Old Sep 23, 2019, 1:54 am
  #507  
 
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Read quite a bit of this thread, and I'm being dense, but I'm not quite understanding how the Sim2Fly top up works...let's say I buy an eSIM but I need 14 days of usage...when exactly can I load up my 299Baht top ups? Do I have to wait til the 8 days or 5GB of data are over? Or can I "prebuy" top ups and just enter it into my account? Just want to buy one or two top ups before I leave and "set it and forget it," basically. Thanks
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Old Sep 23, 2019, 5:52 am
  #508  
 
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Originally Posted by magic168
Read quite a bit of this thread, and I'm being dense, but I'm not quite understanding how the Sim2Fly top up works...let's say I buy an eSIM but I need 14 days of usage...when exactly can I load up my 299Baht top ups? Do I have to wait til the 8 days or 5GB of data are over? Or can I "prebuy" top ups and just enter it into my account? Just want to buy one or two top ups before I leave and "set it and forget it," basically. Thanks
(Assuming that esim works the same way as the prepaid sim)

You can reload money onto the card at any time. Each reload just updates the balance and extends the expiry a little (up to a year)

You can leave the balance there until you need it. When you need it, just activate the relevant package (299baht 8day/4GB) via sms shortcode or the app.

When I run out of data faster than 8days, I can activate another 8day/4gb package as long as I have enough balance, new package has proper expiry date (always T+8 days after activation of thstt package)

Last edited by paperwastage; Sep 24, 2019 at 6:23 am
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Old Sep 24, 2019, 5:34 am
  #509  
 
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One thing to ask about the esim is how it can be transferred from phone to phone. If youre going to keep sim2fly active for multiple trips and need to transfer the esim to a new phone, will the reseller be able to help so you can keep the active credit?
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Old Oct 22, 2019, 3:42 am
  #510  
 
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Originally Posted by askmrlee
The best part is that this is an unlimited plan meaning unlimited worldwide calling, data and text for only the $5 add on. I had my doubts due to the lack of details on the plan literature, but I chatted with an international Sprint customer care agent and she confirmed that it's an unlimited plan while in Japan on Softbank.

What data speeds are people getting with the Sprint $5 add on Japan plan? One poster on Howardforums says they did not get above 500kb in Tokyo. That part would suck, but for $5 and unlimited everything else, it may the price we pay.
Does the $5/mo Japan plan add-on for Sprint still exist? https://www.sprint.com/en/shop/servi...rnational.html still lists it. When I click on Add Service while looged into my Sprint account, lots of choices come up but there's no Japan plan at all, for any cost.

I've seen claims like https://www.reddit.com/r/Sprint/comm...ing_plan_2018/ saying high speed data is now included. I started a chart with Sprint CSR and had to wait forever (over 20 minutes). Finally, someone is on but they seem totally clueless just regurgitating marketing BS including stuff about Mexico and Canada. I'm not going there. I'm going to Japan.

In the end, their answers were useless and I was redirected to chat w/an international service rep. Alas, they were closed.
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