Travel Sim

[JohnM]

This press release was circulated at work yesterday (the news room decided they weren't going to do anything with it because it was so obvisouly a plug rather than news, but thought the staff might be interested). Have any of you had any experience of this product? I think that some of the claims might be a bit over the top, the web site claims they can save me £82 on calls in a week... but I don't think I've ever spent more than £30 in a week so they'll have to go some!

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Briefing Sheet – SIM4travel

May 2005

Travel SIM cuts mobile call charges when abroad by 85%

 

More than 15 million Brits take their mobile phones away on holidays each year, but more than half do not turn them on in fear of the costs associated when using them abroad.

 

Recent reports indicate that mobile charges while abroad can cost up to 10 times as much as in the UK.

 

SIM4travel is the revolutionary new service that reduces mobile charges while abroad by up to 85%. It was launched in response to the excessive charges levied on mobile users abroad.

 

SIM4travel – what is it?

• A travel SIM card that works in 110 countries and can save users up to £1.80 per minute compared to major domestic network operators.
• The easy to use pay-as-you-go SIM and accompanying number is used in place of a regular SIM while travelling, essentially providing users with a ‘travel’ number for life.
• It allows users to receive calls free of charge in more than 60 countries.
• Local calls made while abroad are made at local rates.
• Calling and texting the UK and other countries is considerably cheaper.

 

SIM4travel – how does it work and save you money?

• SIM4travel works by employing patented technology that allows users to make and receive calls in 110 countries without paying ‘roaming’ charges.
• Roaming charges are a result of revenue sharing agreements in place between domestic and overseas mobile operators – this is known as the international operator tariff (IOT).
• SIM4travel’s technology bypasses these IOT charges and consequently passes on the savings to its users.

 

SIM4travel – how much can you save?

• Users can save up to 85%. Examples of savings on a trip to Spain follow:

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[JohnM]

Ermm, judging by the number of views and lack of responses, I guess nobody has tried it, so maybe I need to be that guinea pig.  I'll do some more calculations when my next bill arrives and work out whether it will save me anything!

 

[Baz]

John, thanks for the information. It appears to be a very good deal for regular travellers who want to use their UK mobiles whilst abroad and for receiving free calls. But the initial outlay of £29.95 for occassional users may make it not worth considering.

I think it is important to read all the small print as I have noted that in order not to loose your credit the phone must be used a least once every 3 months even if not overseas. Also the sim card will cease in 9 months if not used. However, for regular travellers the above points are not important and once you have calculated your potential useage a decision can be made. I do not like sim4travel calculator as it is entirely confusing and does not show how they reached their estimated call useage.

Baz

[Richard-R]

A better deal if you make and recieve a lot of mobile calls is to buy a sim card in the counrty you are visiting and than leave a message on your regular mobile answer phone, giving your new number and the dates it will be operation.

[Ecossais]

I’ve had a quick look at their website and I think I’d be inclined to treat some of their claims with caution.  I’m on the 200 minute tariff on the O2 network which includes O2’s “International Traveller Service” (cheaper calls abroad).

 

According to sim4travel’s website I’m charged 94p per minute by O2 to receive a call in France (Vs their free).  The actual cost according to the O2 website is 28ppm.  (You don’t pay to receive calls if you use a French SIM in France.)

 

According to sim4travel’s website I’m charged 85p per minute to call a French number when in France (Vs their 27ppm).  The actual cost according to the O2 website is 58ppm.

 

According to sim4travel’s website I’m charged 85p per minute to call UK (Vs their 48ppm).  The actual cost according to the O2 website is 58ppm.

 

According to sim4travel’s website their text messages are dearer than O2 – that’s true!

 

I’d suggest that if you’re tempted by their headline claims, you have a closer look at the detail as Baz mentions.  For example there’s a 20p setup fee per call, calls from UK landlines to their network are more expensive than to any UK network mobile, text messages are more expensive, top ups are a minimum of €30, the SIM is £30, will having another number be inconvenient?

 

I’m not saying it’s not a good offer - everyone’s mobile usage is different, just try and work out if you’d be better off with your existing UK network (with an international usage scheme), a French SIM or a Sim4Travel – or Email!