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Prepaid SIM discussion (consolidated)

Old Mar 22, 2016, 3:00 am
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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 Jul 5, 2017, 3:07 am
  #331  
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
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Originally Posted by WorldLux
100MB may be interesting for brief stays but that's not going to help me much given that I use on average at least 2GB per month, but have peaks with 25GB in tethering.
Yeah. I made the same comment when someone gave me a free ice coffee yesterday: "Do you know how much coffee I drink in a month? Do you really think this is going to slake my thirst for the whole of July?!"
These freebies are pathetic.
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Old Jul 5, 2017, 6:52 am
  #332  
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Left
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Originally Posted by jib71
These freebies are pathetic.
agreed. what jerks in japan for giving something so useless away for free. i would not even be able to stream my youtube while on vacation.
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Old Jul 5, 2017, 8:14 am
  #333  
 
Join Date: Jun 2017
Posts: 124
Originally Posted by khkchan
Just make sure fellow flyertalkers see this

https://docomo.prepaid-sim.jp/lp/index.html

Domoco is giving away free tourist SIM.
First of all, it is 'Docomo' not 'Domoco'.

Right now, 100MB data plan is very less. People can consume it within hours.

In UK, you can get unlimited data & 200 minutes @ 5.00/month.
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Old Jul 5, 2017, 11:40 am
  #334  
 
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Originally Posted by TheMadeTraveler
First of all, it is 'Docomo' not 'Domoco'.
The rectangle guy may be responsible for that.
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Old Jul 5, 2017, 11:59 am
  #335  
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 2,298
There's some real value offered beyond "100 MB of data" or a cheap (for JP tourists) basic sim.

I'd get it for domestic SMS validation as it can be problematic to get a prepaid SMS + data sim (non-recurring) as a tourist. It'd be nice to activate that taxi app which requires JP sms validation. 500 MB for 700 yen isn't that bad, either, for Japan prepaid tourist oriented sims. It is also directly from NTT Docomo which should allow very decent LTE speeds, unlike MVNOs.

I typically supplement data with premium wifi code sponsored by Donki. The wifi codes have popped up in business hotels among the promo materials.

Q: Is transmission impossible if my LTE/3G data capacity runs out?
A: You can use an unlimited 128kbps connection for the first 15 days of using the SIM card.

Q: Can I make voice calls or use SMS text messages?
A: Voice is not available. SMS can only be received, not sent.

Q: How fast the data transmission will be?
A: High-speed data transmission
- 682Mpbs maximum (Download)
-50Mbps maximum (Upload)
Slow data transmission: 128Kbps maximum for both download and upload

Q: Can I charge additional data by buying credits?
A: Provided your card is still valid for use, you can purchase high-speed data.

Q: What sizes of data are available?
A: You can purchase in increments of 100MB and 500MB. 100MB: 200 JPY (Excluding tax); 500MB: 700 JPY (Excluding tax).

Q: Is tethering possible?
A: It depends on the devices you use. Please refer to the guide book of your device.

Q: What are the credits I can get for viewing advertisements?
A: By watching advertisements on the page or responding to surveys, you can get credits for high-speed data usage.

Q: If I purchase high-speed data, can I extend the usage period for the service?
A: The SIM card usage period is 15 days from the day of first use. We do not offer extensions.

Q: If I want to apply again within 15 days of starting use of the SIM card, what should I do?
A: We do not accept simultaneous applications; you will have to first cancel your current subscription before applying.
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Old Jul 5, 2017, 4:14 pm
  #336  
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
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Originally Posted by khkchan
Domoco is giving away free tourist SIM.
Read the site multiple times nowhere does it say the SIM is free. Only the 100 MB bucket of high speed data is free with the purchase of the 1000 JPY or 1700 JPY plan.
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Old Jul 6, 2017, 10:34 pm
  #337  
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
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Posts: 3,008
Originally Posted by jphripjah
I don't think a multi-cut SIM is an exclusive feature. Just about all SIM cards can be bought in multiple sizes (regular, mini, nano) assuming that's what they mean.
They only have 1 card, the user can snap out the right size to use on the phone. Every SIM card I have seen in other countries within the last year is like that.

As opposed to you order the wrong size and you are screwed (some-what) - the situation with all other visitor data SIM card in Japan.


"I am unable to select a SIM card size when applying.

Since we offer Multi-cut SIM cards, you can cut yours to the respective size even if you do not select a specific size when applying."

Originally Posted by msb0b
Read the site multiple times nowhere does it say the SIM is free. Only the 100 MB bucket of high speed data is free with the purchase of the 1000 JPY or 1700 JPY plan.
Well you must choose a plan, 1000 or 1700 yen. So the SIM is "free". You pay for the plan, which could be one with unlimited slow speed data for 1000 yen.

Last edited by beep88; Jul 6, 2017 at 10:50 pm
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Old Jul 16, 2017, 12:52 pm
  #338  
 
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Hi, I'm arriving into Narita T2 on wednesday, I thought I'd just get a 2gb Japan Travel Sim from one of the vending machines.

I'm only going to be in Tokyo apart from one night in Hakone.

Whereabouts are the machines, and is this an decent enough option?
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Old Jul 16, 2017, 2:43 pm
  #339  
 
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Originally Posted by aceman
Hi, I'm arriving into Narita T2 on wednesday, ...
Whereabouts are the machines, and is this an decent enough option?
If you're quick enough, you could still order one online and pick it up at the airport post office. That's what I've done the couple of times. EConnect could still deliver within that time frame. BMobile can't send it by WED.

If the machines don't have what you're looking for, Big Camera may be an option. Obviously, buying on arrival have the disadvantage of you not knowing what is going to be available.
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Old Jul 19, 2017, 5:39 pm
  #340  
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
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Just to say, arrived in T2 last night, and went to a SIM card stall.

they had a few options but the simplest for me was 4000 jpy for 7 days unlimited data. Unari-Kun sim is what it's called. Seemed to be the best deal, especially for me since I expect to be fairly data intensive.
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Old Oct 3, 2017, 5:05 pm
  #341  
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Just curious if anyone has either bought or seen this SIM card for Japan while in Taiwan. It would be much more convenient (and appears to be cheaper) to buy this SIM while still in TW before leaving for Japan to save one extra task before getting on the train into the city.

https://www.iij.ad.jp/en/news/pressr...df/JTSTW_E.pdf

https://t.iijmio.jp/en/

I've been to TW multiple times since this announcement, but never saw one of these SIM cards, but I didn't know where to look for it before.
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Old Jan 27, 2018, 4:10 pm
  #342  
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 291
I'll be going from Taiwan to Japan in a few weeks.

The IIJ SIM from 7/11 in TW seems convenient but it sounds like the Unari-Kun at 4,000yen for unlimited data is the better deal. Even better than b-mobile (depending on how much data you need).

Any opinions?
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Old Jan 27, 2018, 7:59 pm
  #343  
 
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Between Seas
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Originally Posted by GiantCow
I'll be going from Taiwan to Japan in a few weeks.

The IIJ SIM from 7/11 in TW seems convenient but it sounds like the Unari-Kun at 4,000yen for unlimited data is the better deal. Even better than b-mobile (depending on how much data you need).

Any opinions?
Is that the same IIJMIO i.e. 'Japan Travel SIM' that you can buy at Japanese airport shops and department stores? From what I can understand, it seems there are 2 other 'Unlimited' 7-day SIMS for JPY4,000: https://www.mobile.jalabc.com/sim.html

But I wonder if these are all soft-capped at 1GB/day, with slower 3G speeds beyond that.
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Old Jan 28, 2018, 9:53 am
  #344  
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 3,345
Originally Posted by GiantCow
I'll be going from Taiwan to Japan in a few weeks.

The IIJ SIM from 7/11 in TW seems convenient but it sounds like the Unari-Kun at 4,000yen for unlimited data is the better deal. Even better than b-mobile (depending on how much data you need).

Any opinions?
https://livejapan.com/en/in-narita/spot-lj0006081/item/

The image has fine print about fair use... Dunno what level/amount

Bmobile worked for me (as much high speed data as I'm willing to pay, at a cheap enough rate of 500/GB overage)
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Old Jan 28, 2018, 1:03 pm
  #345  
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 291
Ah thanks for that photo. Ended up just going with bmobile.
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