Prepaid Taiwan SIM (大哥大）possible to receive calls/sms when outside Taiwan?

Taiwan Living in Taiwan
1

Hi,

I have a TaiwanMobile SIM card, the number works fine in Taiwan, but as soon as I leave the island the SIM stops working.

I’m not interested in calling, but I would like to be able to receive SMSs, as many services now send you a confirmation SMS, or an SMS with an activation code (banks, e-mail accounts, etc…).

When I’m outside Taiwan I have to revert to my country SIM, but if I lose it or it stops working, I have a 12 hours flight to get a replacement…

At Taiwan Mobile I was told that to get a SIM that works outside Taiwan I need a contract: I have no ARC, so not an option, and I’m fine with a prepaid card anyway.

Does anybody know if other companies sell prepaid SIMs that work (even to receive calls/sms only) outside Taiwan?

2

you could try getting a skype number?

3

Are you an Indonesian? T-Star has a special pre-paid SIM card that automatically convert to Indonesian number elsewhere (where ever Telkomsel could do roaming service).
Ask you local Indonesian store or come to Telkomsel Grapari at Y27 of Taipei City Mall.

Otherwise, sorry, you are out of luck.

4

Give T-Phone over on Zhong Xiao East Road (in Taipei) a visit and see how they can help.

I do not remember having to show them my ARC, just have to tell them when/where I’m going and what kind of plan I need.

5

I’m not Indonesian, so I’m out of luck with TStar. Getting a Skype number is not a bad idea, but I’d rather use a regular SIM to put inside my phone . I’m in Taipei, so I’m going to give the TPhone shop a try. Is it only Taiwan SIM cards that do not work overseas? I seem to remember a SIM card i bought in Thailand worked everywhere to receive sms, I might pick one of those next time I go, what about Hong Kong SIM cards, anybody knows?

6

Do you need a Taiwan phone number? If not, then can get a SIM at a few places in Taipei.

7

@tango42 any country will do, as long as I can top up here or online. Any address I could check?

8

So a SIM purchased in Taiwan and ready to work in the next country. This thread has two shops in Taipei, Tphone and Aerobile. Aerobile seems to have more options for countries.

And this

9

I think it may depend on what kind of plan you are on. I was in China for a year and my boss was traveling to and from Taiwan on a regular basis. She was using her Taiwan phone with Taiwan SIM card and getting on FB (of course she was roaming, but she could afford it).

Right now, I’m on Zhong Hwa and when I arrived in HK airport last week for a transfer, my SIM card worked fine, but it did prompt me that I was roaming.

10

@tango42 thanks! not far from where I am, I’m going to check them out

@ranlee Maybe your boss had a contract, not a prepaid? As far as I understand sim with contract work outside Taiwan too, but prepaid ones do not, as soon as you leave the county thry won’t even connect to a network, like you had no sim in your phone. That’s strange because with a prepaid European sim, for example, I can receive sms all over the world.