Hi there everyone, I will be in Taiwan tomorrow until Friday for a short visit. I’ve read that my best option when it comes to prepaid 3G data SIM is to get one from Taiwan Mobile (DaGeDa?). I’ve read that they have a 1 day, 5 days, and monthly package - is this still accurate? Also, if I want a local number so that people can call me while in Taiwan, which operator would you guys recommend? And is a prepaid MicroSIM available as well from the major operators - I need one for my iPad as well!
And is the APN for Taiwan Mobile still “internet”, with userID/password = guest/guest?
I don’t know about the plans but the APN I’ve been using is twm with u/p both blank.
Update: I stopped by the store since I was nearby and they showed me the options. It is 350nt for 5days unlimited 3.5g data. You buy a 600nt minimum card and if you use it for data, they take off 350nt and activate you for 5 days. So a month is 2100nt which is actually not that bad all things considered. They did not have a monthly plan. Still Seems like a decent deal for travelers.
Even a workable option for people who have just arrived and are waiting on their ARCs to get a contract.
They can also have MicroSIMs but I don’t know if prepaid. You can ask them to cut down a standard SIM worse case and it will work.
WARNING: You MUST have two forms of ID to get this from Taiwan Dageda. Just showing a passport is not sufficient, and they will not accept bankbooks, credit cards or other forms of miscellanea usually accepted abroad in such situations.
I am very irritated with them since I did not bring my US drivers license – duh, I am not going to drive in Taiwan and why would I risk losing it? A passport is supposed to be the gold standard of identification, and surely should be sufficient for a pre-paid card. I mean, they let me in the country with just one form of ID… :fume:
Oh, and NEVER MIND that I had cell service with them for five years and never missed a payment either…they cannot even find me in their database.
This was in the CCIFT’s newsletter today (probably not helpful if you don’t have an ARC):
No more cosigner or deposit for mobile phone services
Chunghwa Telecom and Far EasTone have given up the requirement for foreigners to have cosigner or deposit for their subscription to mobile phone services. To be eligible, foreign nationals should match one of the three following criteria: hold an employment or investment ARC with a validity of at least 12 months; a permanent ARC (APRC) or having subscribed to their services for at least 12 months and enjoying a good credit history.
Got my DaGeDa phone in October with my passport and my health insurance card (without a picture).
Perhaps the missing photo was less a deal since the stuff on the card is written in kanji.
Actually, the young lady at the phone shop also wanted to see either a visa or an “entry-exit permit” in addition to the passport, but since i am not required to have either of those to enter or leave Taiwan, i went to the office of the Ministry of the Exterior (or whatever it may be called in English) and explained the situation with a request for advice. I was told that in my case the evidence of my legal stay in Taiwan is the “admitted” stamp in my passport, and equipped with the friendly staff member’s phone number i returned to the phone store and had the young lady there call the staff at the ministry, and all went smoothly then.
ESID (every situation is different), as the 外国人 say in Japan
