Quote:
Originally Posted by RoadRunnerUS
Thank you guys for the quick answer.
Matha531, I am not sure I understand your answer. It is not only buying the card, but also to have a worldwide network to use it. Can you be more specific on the cards you mentioned. Are they coming also with call plans?
General question by a newbie... What are all these networks mentioned at the bottom of the message of Effendi and PhotoJim? It look to me like an advertising, which I am sure it is not!
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These are e-kit cards which has been specializing in the international card market for a while.....basically you buy a card from some company which has agreements with a world wide collection of companies....For years, e-kit had a card with a UK(+44) number which worked in something like 120 countries in the world.....in each case it was based on a roaming agreement so if you used the card in Germany, you wouldn't be on e-kit, you would be on some Germany mobile company say Vodafone DE with which the card has an agreement.
The e-kit cards work exactly the same way as many of the other international cards based on the Isle of Man have worked, there are subtle differences in coverage but as a general rule, they work in all of Western Europe, Central Europe and a good part of Eastern Europe, as well as Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Japan (although you need a phone with Japanese frequqncies and technologies).....
The gist of these cards is as noted: If you are travelling say in Western Europe, people can call you on either the UK(+44) number in which case they pay for whatever their long distance carrier charges for a call to a UK mobile number or on the USA (+1) number in which case they pay for whatever their ld carrier charges for a call to a US number. Note that calls to US (and Canadian) numbers do not distinguish between landlines and mobiles...you don't pay any surcharge to call a US number even if it is amobile....on your end, if you are in the countries these companies list as Zone 1 (the list is on ebay with the card) you pay nothing to receive the call if made on the +44 number and 19¢ (US) per minute if received on the US number...calls within zone 1 cost 49¢/minute (US) with a 35¢ set up fee to landlines and all US and Canadian numbers, and 84¢/minute to mobile throughout most of the zone 1 (their terminology) world. Outside zone 1, rates increase tremendously.
The $9 USA Simple card (with $3 shipping at least to the USA) works very well for a traveller to most of the touristy places in Europe. (After all, for $12 how can you really go wrong?). As noted, there are subtle differences in the rate structure between these cards and the international cards offered by several companies on the Isle of Man but the later cards, as well as the one you referred to, are somewhat more expensive (the one country that comes to mind as one of those providers correctly pointed out is Bulgaria).....but again take a look at the offering on ebay and if you have any questions, post them here and somebody I am sure will try to help you.