Prepaid SIM - keeping the number while abroad

Life Technology
1

Hello, I am coming to Taiwan with my family for 5 weeks. I am going to get a prepaid for foreigners for this trip, but I was wondering if there is any advantage in having a SIM card with wife name (we live abroad but she has Taiwanese ID card) that I can possibly recharge from abroad with a minimum amount to keep it alive, supposed that there is a pay-per-use plan.
This would be useful because to subscribe to many services you need a taiwanese phone, and every time we come there we have a new number. What do you suggest? Thanks

2

You need to change your thread title.
First thought was you needed a prepaid SIM to be kept alive, like you were intubated or something.

Chunghwa Telecom offers a SIM card for NT$199/month. Signed contract, like 12mos minimum.
Maybe 1Gb/month. You can check details when you arrive.
You keep card/cell # and then use it when you’re back home for any services that send text SMS, which you will be able to receive in your home (country) for free.
That’s about U$6/month to keep a number.

There are other plans at the airport that give you like unlimited data download.
You’ll see when you arrive. Get those for your 5-week stay.

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3

Good morning,
I find myself in the same boat.
Would someone know if there’s a cheaper option than the afore mentioned 199 NTD/month to keep your TW phone number alive until one comes back to TW?

Thanks & happy labor day.

4

Taiwan mobile. 100NTD for 6 months

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5

Thank you very much. I’ll stop by there today.

Do you know if I can pay the 100 NTD from abroad (wire transfer out of one’s TW bank account), or do I need somebody here to drop by and pay cash at the shop every 6 months?

Thanks

6

Can use a credit card online :slight_smile: Just make sure to sign into the Chinese version not the English version as english app only lets you pay at 7/11 or bank transfer. (They think foreigners can’t get credit cards.)

However… I haven’t tried with a foreign card.

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7

OK. Not sure how to do that, will ask at the shop and/or the bank tomorrow.

First though, I’ll need to see to getting my number transfered from my current tourist e-sim setup (which is set to expire in a few days from now), to a prepaid sim of the kind you mentioned bove. Hope that’s possible, and hope the prepaid one can also be/remain to be an e-sim, … let’s see.

8

Mine is an e-sim.

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