The SIM maxroam sent is a Belgian one. Well, in principle, because I can't use it because the logon credentials they sent are bogus. I see from the other posts that maxroam may be undergoing a rough spot. I hope it works out, I don't know when system upgrade turns into, well...

I looked at the ekit SIM, but it doesn't have coverage in West Africa, which I need.

GadgetKen, your information explains why outgoing calls fail. Do you know if they charge for the "balance Check/system" number 1966. I sent an sms to this number to check my balance, and it looks like I was charged for it. I have not made or received any call but my balance has gone down by at least 1 euro.So, I think it's the balance check. I am asuming you knew how much you were charged ny checking via the phone right. Since online billing is not functional yet.


I hope they can pull it off too. It looks like they were caught by surprise by their carrier, and they had to rush to get the sims out.

So of course, we now have maxroam (and probably celtek if it's still operating) now charge for incoming calls, now charge you for outgoing calls even if they're not completed, charge you to check your balance.

It was claimed when they first came out, they would revolutionize roaming.

We also have a deceased O9, a deceased Yakie.

Easy roam back from the dead but still charging an annual fee.

United Mobile which charges a set up fee for all incoming calls, even "free" ones......

I guess the revolution maxroam claimed was coming has expired with hardly a whimper. But I agree, I'm just a cheapskate.

It's difficult to come up with a solution that has reasonable rates in many countries. That's what we want, but it requires a lot of coordination to pull it off.

Although the rates are increasing, I still find them to be reasonable. You can save money by using individual SIMs in each country, but it's also a lot of logistical bother and, unless you use the SIMs frequently, unnecessary expense to keep them alive.

Bossman, looks like I was charged half a Euro each for 2 incomplete AT&T USA phone calls using the direct dial callback method that played a voice error message and 1.01 Euros for a successful T-Mobile USA outgoing callback call using the alternate *182*number# method. Was not charged (at least yet, don't know if some charges are delayed) for the BAL check to 1966 on either T-Mobile or AT&T...your mileage may vary. With any new mobile phone service, I always run tests even though I know I will get charged airtime....I figure it's worth a few dollars or euros to find out whether something works properly and if there are any peculiarities I should know before traveling.
Even though they charge for incomplete calls (I was warned about this before puchasing MaxRoam so it's no surprise) and the dialing method is cumbersome on my mobile phone, the rates will likely be well below either postpaid international roaming calls using a US sim chip or most hotel international landline call charges.
I hope they can work out the bugs with their new Belgian sim chips. In their favor they do answer questions on their online help system promptly, and they did replace their Israeli sim chips with Belgian ones promptly and without charge (more than I can say for my dead Yackie or BuyTel sim chips).

How about e-kit passport? Available on ebay for $20 with $10 credit...free reception in the usual places in Europe but 49¢/minute US outgoing? (Don't know if there's a set up fee for calls)

setup fee is 0,25 per outgoing call. This also applies for incoming calls outside the free zone.

Annual fee on e-kit?

AFIK on mine I am never charged one! HTH

I just knew I was charged for something, but not sure why. It may well be for the direct dial calls that never went through.

Personally, I do not see all of them (Maxroam, UM, Yackie, Celtrek, etc.) surviving. Especially considering the now lower roaming rates in trhe EU. So, their major target market is probably going to be the US. UM has been around for a long and has pretty much always worked. Never had a problem with my +423663 number except for the high cost of reaching or forwarding to it. The UM+ number is quite stable now. Maxroam has been okay too except for the last month or so. Yackie is another story.

If the US carriers can just lower their roaming rates by 50%, I would not even bother with roaming sims. AT&T already offers data packages with okay prices in most countries I am likely to visit.