Bermuda Digicel

[Czar]

I'm posting this because I was unable to find accurate information before I left (at least I couldn't with the searches I did).

Just returned from Bermuda where my ATT SIM would have sot me close to $2.00/min, so I got a prepaid Digicel card - It's $10 for the card, so for the $30 package, you get $20 in call time. Outgoing minutes to the US are $0.75, and incoming was $0.25. Text messages were $0.25. I was unable to get through on Skype from anywhere, which is why I bought the SIM and why I ended up having to buy a new phone (because I had a locked iPhone and I didn't think I'd need my old but trusty Nokia 1100!).

Anyway, service worked great, and it was 1/2 the cost of calls from the hotel or on my iPhone.

Good luck in your travels.

[DRNewcomb]

CBW rates from Bermuda are about 20c/min. That would lower the rate for calls to the US to about 45c/min from the mobile. Did you have access to the Internet and/or a landline that could receive a callback?

[Czar]

Originally Posted by DRNewcomb

CBW rates from Bermuda are about 20c/min. That would lower the rate for calls to the US to about 45c/min from the mobile. Did you have access to the Internet and/or a landline that could receive a callback?

Unfortunately not - I was really surprised that the hotel (Fairmont Southampton) had no wireless Internet - they did have ethernet (although I had no crod with me), and the charge was $5 for each connection, $0.20/minute.

I'd loaded Fring on my phone with Skype and spent an hour walking around downtown Hamilton before giving up and buying the Digicel. I figured my wife calling me on Skype @ $0.12/minute and me paying $0.25/minute was not that bad for mobility. I was able to text her for $0.25 to call me.

[DRNewcomb]

Originally Posted by Czar

Unfortunately not - I was really surprised that the hotel (Fairmont Southampton) had no wireless Internet - they did have ethernet (although I had no crod with me), and the charge was $5 for each connection, $0.20/minute.

%$#?!?!?!$$$$$$£¥¢€£¥¢€£¥¢€!!
Well I always carry a cord but I'd never have used it at those rates. How much was a glass of water??!! Last time I was in Bermuda was '79. It was expensive then. I wouldn't want to think about it now.

I'd loaded Fring on my phone with Skype and spent an hour walking around downtown Hamilton before giving up and buying the Digicel. I figured my wife calling me on Skype @ $0.12/minute and me paying $0.25/minute was not that bad for mobility. I was able to text her for $0.25 to call me.

Boingo Mobile lists exactly one hotspot in Bermuda: The airport.

I checked both 09's and Celtrek's rates in Bermuda: not good. I think you probably got the best deal on the island.

[Czar]

Originally Posted by DRNewcomb

Boingo Mobile lists exactly one hotspot in Bermuda: The airport.

Interestingly enough, there is "free wifi" in some spots in the downtown area, but I was unable to connect at all either through my web browser of Fring. In the airport, I did connect to the free wifi, and after I downloaded all of my email, I tried to use Fring - right away, my Internet connection stopped working and I was unable to reconnect!

[DRNewcomb]

Originally Posted by Czar

Interestingly enough, there is "free wifi" in some spots in the downtown area, but I was unable to connect at all either through my web browser of Fring. In the airport, I did connect to the free wifi, and after I downloaded all of my email, I tried to use Fring - right away, my Internet connection stopped working and I was unable to reconnect!

May be based on the port the application uses. Common ones like 80, 25 & 110 are OK but the VOIP ports are not?

[GadgetKen]

Originally Posted by DRNewcomb

May be based on the port the application uses. Common ones like 80, 25 & 110 are OK but the VOIP ports are not?

Suspect that is the case. There was an article in the Royal Gazette that they would be offering free internet in the airport. Suppose VOIP tunneling could be used to circumvent that, but in the airport, probably a quicker and easier solution is just to use a Bermuda prepaid calling card at a payphone (plus the voice quality is probably better and you have a nice picture card souvenir).
Have a Digicel Bermuda prepaid sim card. Note that these can be kept alive by using credit card internet refill (go through the Jamaica rather than Bermuda Digicel website and click on WebFlex); only BD$10 has to be added every 60 days. Digicel refill vouchers from other countries in other currencies can also be loaded and convert to the proper currency (I did this in Union Island in the Grenadines).
Can be used at decent rates on any Digicel network in the Caribbean, although call-back prepaid sims can sometimes be cheaper in some countries (excluding Bermuda, where local prepaid sims are cheaper than United Mobile call back sim or US postpaid regular sim chip roaming).

[Czar]

Originally Posted by GadgetKen

Suspect that is the case. There was an article in the Royal Gazette that they would be offering free internet in the airport. Suppose VOIP tunneling could be used to circumvent that, but in the airport, probably a quicker and easier solution is just to use a Bermuda prepaid calling card at a payphone (plus the voice quality is probably better and you have a nice picture card souvenir).
Have a Digicel Bermuda prepaid sim card. Note that these can be kept alive by using credit card internet refill (go through the Jamaica rather than Bermuda Digicel website and click on WebFlex); only BD$10 has to be added every 60 days. Digicel refill vouchers from other countries in other currencies can also be loaded and convert to the proper currency (I did this in Union Island in the Grenadines).
Can be used at decent rates on any Digicel network in the Caribbean, although call-back prepaid sims can sometimes be cheaper in some countries (excluding Bermuda, where local prepaid sims are cheaper than United Mobile call back sim or US postpaid regular sim chip roaming).

Very interesting to know. Do you think Jamaica is the cheapest way to fill? I'd definitely be interested in keeping it alive for future trips.

[GadgetKen]

Originally Posted by Czar

Very interesting to know. Do you think Jamaica is the cheapest way to fill? I'd definitely be interested in keeping it alive for future trips.

Yes, Webflex is cheapest from USA but system is sometimes glitchy (not working when I just tried this link)

https://webflex.digicelgroup.com/

This link usually is more reliable:

http://payment.digicelgroup.com/webflex/

Since BMD=USD, this is only US$10 for a BMD$10 card (plus credit card foreign currency coversion surcharge of 1 to 5 percent; not all credit cards have this surcharge).

Two other USA alternatives are Telestial:

http://www.telestial.com/view_airtim...T_ID=LSIM-BM01

Or Ezetop:

https://www.ezetop.com/us/en/default.aspx

Likely others I'm not aware of...

Of course if you're in a Caribbean country with Digicel coverage, you can buy vouchers anywhere you see the red Digicel logo (if at a Digicel official dealer outside Bermuda, remember to tell them to key in your Digicel number as "1 441" (not 441) on their sales computer).

Or you can just sell the sim card on the forum, and buy a new one on your next trip to Bermuda.

[Czar]

THanks for all of that information. I think I may keep it to reduce hassle and know ahead of time what my number is so people can call.