I’m also looking for something where I can call overseas at a very low rate.[/quote]
The rate to call overseas is a little bit cheaper at least on my pre-paid. Local calls are expensive here even on a plan. (its all expensive) Skype is a beautiful thing. Especially for your parents.[/quote]
You can get prepaid mobile phone numbers and top ups in any 7/11, with 2 photo ids, $300, some form filling. They take between 12 and 24 hours to activate. Top up cards are available at the counter, and they say “OPEN” on them, in English, and come in $300 and $500 values. You need good eyesight and a magnifying glass to read the instructions.
Does anyone know if there is a way to increase the validity period on a FET 3G pre-paid card? Currently it’s 6 months after each refill for me, which might just be a little too short considering it seems I will be working in Taiwan at most 2 times this year. The SIM card doesn’t work in the Netherlands so I cannot buy refill cards in advance and refill from here.
It would be great if there was a way to upgrade to a 1 year validity somehow. In Thailand I somehow managed to do this by doubling my rates, but this possibility was not described anywhere in the manual or website and without my colleague I’d have never known about it.
I bought mine at a weekend market, but i forgot the street. (I think it is Shihcyuan Road, same road as Truman’s motorcycle shop) It is close to the mountain (you would be driving on that road in the direction of the mountain, on the right hand side, sorry, i forget the direction since i dont live in Taiwan now)
For a new phone, you can go to any of the providers on the street.
[quote=“dan2006”]I bought mine at a weekend market, but I forgot the street. (I think it is Shiquan (Shihcyuan) Road, same road as Truman’s motorcycle shop) It is close to the mountain (you would be driving on that road in the direction of the mountain, on the right hand side, sorry, i forget the direction since I don’t live in Taiwan now)
For a new phone, you can go to any of the providers on the street.[/quote]
Thanks, Dan, your advice was appreciated. And I’m sorry for not thanking you sooner.
I heard that you have to have a resident’s ID card in order to purchase a SIM card in Taiwan. I was wondering if there was any way I could get around to using my cell phone and getting a SIM card without having to ask my local Taiwanese friends to borrow their stuff.
[quote=“TheLostSwede”]That only applies to contracts.
If you want a pre-paid SIM card then you just need to kinds of photo ID.[/quote]
Actually, can you further clarify this answer? I didn’t post the question but have wondered the same thing. I visit Taiwan every few years and the last trip which I believe was in 2007 or 2008, I tried to buy a sim card but was told that it was necessary to provide a proof of citizenship or a billing address before such a transaction could proceed. I know in Thailand, all I needed was an unlocked GSM cellphone and I was good to “top off” pre-paid sim cards which could be picked up in just about any 7-Eleven or FamilyMart.
I remember asking locals regarding this issue, and someone explained to me that due to the enormous amount of false calls and scams operating via cellphones, it was a government regulation of sorts to require additional proofs other than just a photo ID. But this was back then, I don’t know if things have changed. I know in a few countries, they restrict pre-paid sim card sales due to scams, threats(I remember reading, people use cellphones as detonators for bombs), etc…
So how difficult is it for someone visiting Taiwan to get a temporary pre-paid sim card?
[quote=“hhc1482”][quote=“TheLostSwede”]That only applies to contracts.
If you want a pre-paid SIM card then you just need to kinds of photo ID.[/quote]
Actually, can you further clarify this answer? I didn’t post the question but have wondered the same thing. I visit Taiwan every few years and the last trip which I believe was in 2007 or 2008, I tried to buy a sim card but was told that it was necessary to provide a proof of citizenship or a billing address before such a transaction could proceed. I know in Thailand, all I needed was an unlocked GSM cellphone and I was good to “top off” pre-paid sim cards which could be picked up in just about any 7-Eleven or FamilyMart.
I remember asking locals regarding this issue, and someone explained to me that due to the enormous amount of false calls and scams operating via cellphones, it was a government regulation of sorts to require additional proofs other than just a photo ID. But this was back then, I don’t know if things have changed. I know in a few countries, they restrict pre-paid sim card sales due to scams, threats(I remember reading, people use cellphones as detonators for bombs), etc…
So how difficult is it for someone visiting Taiwan to get a temporary pre-paid sim card?[/quote]
You can still get them, but not at the 7-11’s anymore. All you need is a passport and I think they want an address too, but you can just put down any hotel’s info. Decide on which carrier you want to go with and head over to any of one of their stores/payment centers. They are all over the place.
No, you need two forms of photo ID, but yes, you need to go to one of the service providers, i.e. Chunghwa Telecom, FarEasTone, Taiwan Mobile or Vibo (3G only) as the other phone shops aren’t selling SIM cards. Carrefour and 7-11 are meant to be virtual operators, but I’m not sure how it works with their SIM cards. Easiest way is to pick up a SIM card at the airport when you arrive, but they’re not always open.
[quote=“kaikai34”]
You can still get them, but not at the 7-11’s anymore. All you need is a passport and I think they want an address too, but you can just put down any hotel’s info. Decide on which carrier you want to go with and head over to any of one of their stores/payment centers. They are all over the place.[/quote]
Sorry but I disagree, it seems counter productive(albeit counter productivity seems like the norm in some places), to just require a passport and a hotel address(anyone can simply make one up).
I remember trying to get ask for a pre-paid service through FarEastOne, the guy at the shop seemed dumbfounded by my request. Especially as I wasn’t a citizen of Taiwan. So I guess all-in-all the best way to get a cellphone is to simply rent one at the airport.(Depending on their availability). I’ve never done it but I’m guessing the rates aren’t very favorable.
I don’t mind using a pay phone once in a while but I remember one incident in particular when I was in Taoyuan, by some park and this lady kept tugging at my hand while I tried to make a phone call, I suspect she was a prostitute. I could barely understand her and was definitely in no mood for such services. But I guess that’s a story for another time.
Well, I guess the guy in the shop didn’t speak English, hence why it’s easier at the counters at the airport. You don’t have to rent a phone, they’ll happily sell you a pre-paid SIM card.
It’s not very hard to get them, I help my friends here every year when they come over for Computex and it really just is a matter of having to forms of photo ID and walking in to one of the stores. Finding someone that speaks good enough English is a different matter…
[quote=“TheLostSwede”]Well, I guess the guy in the shop didn’t speak English, hence why it’s easier at the counters at the airport. You don’t have to rent a phone, they’ll happily sell you a pre-paid SIM card.
It’s not very hard to get them, I help my friends here every year when they come over for Computex and it really just is a matter of having to forms of photo ID and walking in to one of the stores. Finding someone that speaks good enough English is a different matter…[/quote]
I speak Mandarin, but yeah I guess communication can be a hurdle. So when you say 2 photo IDs, it can be basically a passport and a driver’s license(from visitor’s place of origin)? Sorry to beat a dead topic to the ground like this, I just wanted to make sure. I’m thinking about doing a month long trip to Taiwan…
[quote=“hhc1482”][quote=“TheLostSwede”]Well, I guess the guy in the shop didn’t speak English, hence why it’s easier at the counters at the airport. You don’t have to rent a phone, they’ll happily sell you a pre-paid SIM card.
It’s not very hard to get them, I help my friends here every year when they come over for Computex and it really just is a matter of having to forms of photo ID and walking in to one of the stores. Finding someone that speaks good enough English is a different matter…[/quote]
I speak Mandarin, but yeah I guess communication can be a hurdle. So when you say 2 photo IDs, it can be basically a passport and a driver’s license(from visitor’s place of origin)? Sorry to beat a dead topic to the ground like this, I just wanted to make sure. I’m thinking about doing a month long trip to Taiwan…[/quote]
Yes, I did this last November at Carrefour. It can be a frustrating process though.
I did this @ 7-11 3 weeks ago. The biggest hurdle is that I gave him another cell # as my local # and I think this was against the rules but he was able to get the ibon machine to take it. He said I could just give him my hotel # but I wasn’t at a hotel. In retrospect, if I had just walked in with the business card of any hotel and told him to use that, I probably would have saved 15 minutes.
I don’t think you’ll have a problem but I did find the whole paperwork thing annoying rather than just plunking down some cash on the counter and walking away with the SIM card. It did take a day for it to be activated. They have to fax in some paperwork and who knows if anyone really looks at it or maybe someone watches a clock for 18 hours and then clicks the “activate” button.
I just finished purchasing magic jack upon the recommendation on this site by others (Thanks Craig!) but I will still need a local cell phone to use to call my local Taiwanese friends etc. I currently have an Iphone 3GS and Love it and do not want to use another phone. My question though is do I have to buy a brand new Iphone in Taiwan under a new plan there? It is quite expensive
Or can I bring my Iphone 3GS with me and cancel my current AT&T service and bring the Iphone into a local carrier’s store and have them turn it on via their service? Or maybe even them giving me some type of prepaid minutes for my Iphone? thanks in advance for your help!
I remember reading a tutorial for Americans explaining all about what a SIM card was and why you shouldn’t be scared of it. Sounds like it might be helpful here
Your phone has a SIM card slot, into which you can put a local SIM card which you get from a local carrier. This is what enables your phone to use the carrier’s service, just as your current AT&T SIM card lets you use the AT&T network. The SIM card may have been preinstalled so you may not have seen it, but if you’re able to make calls now, it’s definitely in there!
Local carriers offer both prepaid and postpaid plans. You certainly don’t need to get a new phone just because you have a new plan. However, you may need to get the phone unlocked by AT&T first before you can use another carrier’s SIM card. I believe AT&T are quite OK about this - there may be a nominal charge though.
Don’t forget to bring the little needle/pin thing to remove the SIM card holder from the phone.
[quote=“Joesox”]I remember reading a tutorial for Americans explaining all about what a SIM card was and why you shouldn’t be scared of it. Sounds like it might be helpful here
Your phone has a SIM card slot, into which you can put a local SIM card which you get from a local carrier. This is what enables your phone to use the carrier’s service, just as your current AT&T SIM card lets you use the AT&T network. The SIM card may have been preinstalled so you may not have seen it, but if you’re able to make calls now, it’s definitely in there!
Local carriers offer both prepaid and postpaid plans. You certainly don’t need to get a new phone just because you have a new plan. However, you may need to get the phone unlocked by AT&T first before you can use another carrier’s SIM card. I believe AT&T are quite OK about this - there may be a nominal charge though.
Don’t forget to bring the little needle/pin thing to remove the SIM card holder from the phone.[/quote]
Thanks for your answer! I work for AT&T corporate and from my knowledge the whole debate over the Iphone here is that AT&T will not let you use the Iphone on another carrier and will not allow the “unlocking of it” So I might have answered my own question. I believe what I have to do is “jailbreak” it like everyone does in the states if they want to use Tmobile rather than AT&T. I will dig deeper. Thanks again !
