Taiwan Mobile Prepaid - NT180 a month for 1GB

Life Technology
1

Hello everyone, I have to let you know that there is a very cheap option for using data if you have a TW Mobile prepaid sim card (台灣大哥大預付卡). If you already have a phone and the sim card, I learnt the following by going to a myfone TW Mobile store:

-You can buy a 1Gb data pack valid for 30 days for NT180 only at the myfone store.

  • You do have to add it separately to the credit you already have on your phone and it cannot be deducted from any remaining credit.
  • You have to go in the store and buy the 1gb data. Once your 30 days are over, you have to go inside any myfone store and buy another 1gb data pack
  • This is true as of July 2013 and I dont know if Taiwan Mobile will keep this going and for how long.

I do apologise as I am new to Taiwan so I dont know all the facts yet. I just know I had to share this considering the amount of tourists, students and expats living here paying astronomical fees for data. Most of us wouldnt use over 1gb of data if you just use your phone for facebook, email, line, whatsapp and occasional skype. If you want to find out more, the actual pack is called “計量型1Gb”. I would also like to know if other people are on this deal. I think its better value than any of the unlimited data packs that last for a few days considering many of us have access to wifi too.

2

I can comfirm what the OP wrote.

This may be indeed a very good deal for people who can’t get/aren’t interested (in) a 2 year contract-deal.
You can buy the package (prepaid SIM and 1 month 1GB) for 500 NT$
(SIM itself is 345 NT$, including 345 NT$ airtime and the 1GB thus is 155 NT$ instead of 180NT$)

After 6 months you must add 300 NT$ new airtime, otherwise your SIM will be deactivated.

Doing the math, that means for roughly 230 NT$ you have your own number and can surf the internet. However, I have
no idea what might happen if you get over your monthly 1GB (well, after all it is still prepaid rather postpaid)
and (at average 50 NT$ prepaid airtime) you can probably only speak 5 min per month.

In my opinion still a bargain, well at least for tourists coming to Taiwan.

However, regarding Taiwan Mobile, they have a pretty decent deal with their 489 NT$ per month real unlimited data fare,
you can combine them with their diiferent airtime models as well.
You can’t get the newest high-end models with these tariffs, but those medium models can do the job too and some even
have front facing camera for video-chats …
If you don’t need a cellphone, these fares can be discounted for 100NT monthly, so for 299+489-100 discount you pay
688 NT$ per month.

So it is
230 NT$ 1GB, basically just reachable, hardly any free minutes, expensive airfare (since it is prepaid)
or
690 NT$ all-you-can-eat internet plus cheaper airfare (roughly 45 minutes included, depending the network)

Ok, the difference is almost 500 NT$, but you can’t really compare those 2 according to their price.

However, I do agree with the OP.
Their normal flat internet fares are indeed quite high (800 for Taiwan Mobile and 950 for CHT, no idea about FET).
Iphone models were at some time only 699 at Taiwan Mobile (no idea, still going on) and CHT offers 20% off their
950, so this will be 760, but doing that their fares to any Taiwanese landline number (02…) are excluded from their
free package minutes, so this adds up separately (and counted by minutes, not the usual seconds!!)

3

Thank you for your detailed post MoTi. Both are very good deals depending on how much you use data and air time.

4

Taiwan Mobile 3G networks sucks: data is most of the time not working for me after 5pm until late, phone calls are regularly cut. Additionally I noticed that they may have a limited number of cells in Taipei meaning my phone battery never last more than one day (sometimes half a day if I made couple of calls). I was in Europe for the past 3 weeks, same phone, battery last 3 days with same usage.

5

Well, I have been using my Nexus 4, and never had any problems in 2 months now.
In fact, I can surf the web when everyone else with zhong-hua telecom can’t get online.

6

Maybe that depends the area. I noticed some improvement in the data recently but I still have a lot of cut calls.

7

Hey just an update on this service. Im still using Taiwan Mobile prepaid 1gb data for Nt180 a month, here are some other things ive learnt now that ive been here for a while:

  • if you dont use all your 1gb and you top up before the expiry date, it gets carried over to the next month.
  • you dont have to go to a myfone store only to get the top up, there are other means but i dont know how to do them. i just go to a myfone store because its easy enough for me.
  • the remaining phone credit used for texts and calls has a 6 months validity from the time of your latest nt180 top up. so i still have around nt600 left which wont expire until april next year.
  • i honestly believe this is best value if you rarely use your phone for text and calls and you have access to wifi.
8

Does anyone know if the 690NT a month all-you-can-eat/unlimited data MoTi mentioned earlier is still valid? I’ve been on Taiwan Mobile’s site and see a chart for 800NT for all-you-can-eat prepaid internet service with free 100NT worth of calls within the network(at least, I’m guessing that’s what they’re implying with 回饋項目), but nothing about 690NT. I don’t usually make phone calls, seeing as I can use Line and Skype to communicate for free. The being said, I don’t know if I need unlimited data. This is my first time having a smart phone and access to the internet via mobile so I’m not sure how much data I will use. I don’t watch videos or anything like that, I mainly want internet so I can have uninterrupted access to apps like Line, Skype, and GPS when wifi is not available. Would 1GB be enough?

9

Kyrie, may I ask do you also have frequent access to wifi at home or at work?

I use Line and whatsapp often and i also use google maps app and stream radio from time to time. i dont go thru 1gb a month. However, I also use wifi at home and at the gym and at cafes if they offer it…

I know dageda has good postpaid plans at the moment. u can get a 349 or 549 per month but the contract goes for 30 months and it bumps up 100nt a month more after the first year. you would need to have an ARC atleast for a postpaid contract.

personally, i think nt800 a month for unlimited on prepaid is a bit expensive, but really its under us30 dollars a month, so comparing to a western country its still good. i also know from my experience using taiwan mobile prepaid, reception is not always that good.

10

I have access to wifi both at home and school. I don’t go out very often either.

As far as I know, I’ll only be in Taiwan for a year so the 30 month contract won’t work for me.
Even though I do have an ARC, since I’m only here for a year I’m not sure if they’ll let me do the postpaid, monthly contract.

Is Taiwan Mobile’s prepaid reception just not that good or is their reception just not that good in general? Other people were saying they don’t get good reception most of the time.

11

I use the 180nt prepaid 1gb one. I have wifi where I need to be but still need internet for other times, and I struggle to use even 200mb per month as a result. Internet seems a bit slow however.

You can sign up online at least in the chinese page. Some have used unlimited mobile as their main internet but it doesn’t cut it for me because it’s too slow for most things.

12

I ended up getting a 1 year contract for 169NT a month, it comes with free 1.5GB of internet/data; in the event I end up going over 1.5GB the most I’ll be charged in 899NT. I didn’t sign up for any phone minutes, seeing as I rarely make calls and it’s free to receive calls. I think it’s around 5NT per minute if I do make a call though. Not cheap. I figured since I’m only paying 169NT it wouldn’t be so bad if I were to make quick call or two if I need to.

13

f you are a minor, can you still have a pre-paid phone?I’m asking because my teenager daughter wants one and I don’t want to pay for it. thanks!

14

Thats a good price. So this is with Taiwan Mobile?

Did they require a “foreigner” deposit or were you able to sign up without hassle?

I have Chunghua now and I am paying $750 /month for unlimited (since I don’t have house internet service) but I’m starting to think that I am not using enough data to justify it. 1.5GB I think would be enough. But it seems from what you said that if I went a bit overboard, I would be paying $899 and not the $750 i am now, so not sure what to do

15

Thats a good price. So this is with Taiwan Mobile?

Did they require a “foreigner” deposit or were you able to sign up without hassle?

I have Chunghua now and I am paying $750 /month for unlimited (since I don’t have house internet service) but I’m starting to think that I am not using enough data to justify it. 1.5GB I think would be enough. But it seems from what you said that if I went a bit overboard, I would be paying $899 and not the $750 I am now, so not sure what to do[/quote]

@xjones: I have no idea if minors can have a pre-paid card. I would assume it’s fine since seeing as it’s pre-paid the phone company wouldn’t have to worry about them not paying the bill, but who knows…

Yes, Taiwan Mobile!
I did have to pay a 2900NT deposit, unfortunately…

16

Just signed up for the 1 year contract = 170NT for 1.5GB with DaGeDa. You can also receive and make phone calls and get charged directly. No need to top up. Nobody makes calls anymore anyway…

Btw: No Deposit - no pre payment. I get a montly bill

17

I did a bit of shopping around with the other carriers today.

First up I called my first carrier (Chunghua), I am paying them $750 a month for unlimited. I asked if there was a promotion on lower packages such as 1 or 1.5GB to match their competitors. I was told no, but aparently they have some similar promotion on prepaid. Monthly billing no promotions. I assume that because they are the largest carrier, they are not interested in a price war with the others.

I then walked in VIBO who I keep seeing ads for $188 a month for unlimited. The girl said that it is for a 30 month contract, and the unlimited is only for the first 6 months. Then it becomes $188 for 1.5gb. The cancellation fee is prohibitive though, she said $20nt/day left in the contract.
She said I can sign a one year one but it comes with no free phone. The same cancellation fee applies.

I then went to my second phone carrier FarEasTone. I have 1 year left in a contract with them for voice calls only. They said they are running a promotion of 1GB for $200, so it seems more expensive than the Taiwan Mobile one, and with less data. I confirmed the details with customer service. It is a one year contract. She said if I had to go home 6 months into the contract, the cancellation penalty would be about $500nt so not too crazy. However she said that if I went over my allotment, the max I would pay is $1500 cap + the $200 for the plan, total $1700 for the month. The overage seems quite steep, seeing as I am only paying Chunghua $750 for unlimited now on a reliable carrier.

It appears the best deal is with Taiwan mobile from what was posted here, only $170 and 1.5gb. Does anyone know what the cancellation penalty would be?
Does anyone have any other experiences shopping around?

18

Well I found my own answer. I was told tonight by the girl at Taiwan Mobile that the 1.5gb internet for $169 is a one year contract but to break it will only cost within $300nt.
The phone plan itself is a two year contract and it is $299 a month but for the first year you only pay $165/month. The second year goes to normal price. If you break the contract in the first year, it is a $2000nt penalty, and $1000 if you break it in the second year before it expires. Seems decent enough.

19

1 does one gig mean for radio streaming or you tube streaming? Mostly a talk radio fan. I’m looking at the three day option which I think is all you can eat for around 250. I just would like something to accompany me on my trips instead of ICRT. Or keep the kids busy in the back with a video .

20

How many trips a month?
Because more than one trip at 250nt for 3 days and its not really worth it. You would be better for the monthly plan $169 a month for 1.5gb or the 1gb $180 month prepaid plan with dageda.

The data allowance is for any type of data use on your phone.

I would be careful if you intend to watch a lot of videos as it may exceed 1.5gb on the monthly plan and you would pay overages.
The prepaid one this would not happen as the phone data would simply stop working