http://www.freeglobalsim.com/

http://www.storytelecom.com/roaming/

It seems that they sell Manx-based SIMs for 25 pounds with 25 pounds of initiaial credit :).
Moreover, Storytelecom has 30/6 debiting - couldn't find info for Freeglobalsim.

Does anyone know how much SMS really is using freeglobalsim? Their rate calculator seem to come up with $0.00 for SMS for all the combinations I tried (France->France, France->USA, Spain->Spain, UK->UK), and that's way too good to be true. (Are they related to the other globalsim at globalsim.net? Or a brand new provider?) Otherwise, looks like a good deal.

Storytelecom's website is all screwed up when viewed by Firefox.

Interesting but look what is written on the website of free globalsim:

Due to high demand there is a current delay of 21 days on orders placed until the 1st September 2006.

https://secure.vault5.com/freeglobalsim-com/order.asp[B][B]

Freeglobalsim I not available for sale until further notice. :thumbdown: Will check with them about SMS charges.

Yes, I noticed that. But I think it's a little bit more fair than Yackie's attitude to the placed orders :P

For sure!

I think that yackie is not yes a choice due to the problems mentioned and due to the lack of free incoming.

Α question: Do Manx sims send sms directly via the phone or do you need a special code or whatever;

There are several companies in the same group as Story, with a number of callthrough and calling card products, and with resellers who have several affiliates themselves. The SIMs were launched about a month ago, though foreshadowed with a few rumours planted by affiliates.

It amuses me they've gone for these SIMs as I discussed Isle of Man numbers with one affiliate several months ago, and global roaming SIMs in January last year, so I reckon they might be a bit slow off the mark. An email a few weeks ago thanks me for my good wishes and irony [well, he did describe it as a new product he had just launched].

On another forum, people have remarked about the top-up conditions - two or three required per year apparently, but I haven't checked if this applies to them all ...

I don't think if lack of free incoming calls in Yackie is the worst thing about - don't forget that you receive a landline number forwarded to the Yackie SIM instead...
This becomes a real problem, indeed, if we consider that topping up and balance checking doesn't work in Yackie at the moment. If there are free incoming calls in some countries, then you can, without "burning" the credit, receive calls and (at least theoretically) use a callback service like CBW, Enlinea, Call2 or whatever to make outgoing calls.

I think that sending SMSes never requires a special code. Hop may be an exception (menu based sending) - please correct me Hop users if I am wrong.

For those interested I e-mailed Globalsim, due to the Yackie fiasco I decided to order from them especially because they have free incoming calls in Mexico and I am traveling there in 2 weeks and they give you the sim for free basically. Anyway, I got this back from them about an hour ago.


Dear XXXXX,

If you place an order today or tomorrow, we are able to process this for you as we have just received a batch of sim cards in, in the past half an hour.


Kind Regards,



So, if you order today or so you can get a sim, I just ordered mine, so I will post a report when I get it.

Not a bad offer. And their outgoing rates are not too bad in most cases.

For example Mexico to USA is $0.26. UK to USA is $0.23


The SMS charges are even more than the call/min cost in a number of cases that I tried. It just varies. For example FR-FR is $0.46, FR-US is $0.36, US-UK is $0.61 UK-UK is $0.57.

Yeah, the SMS rates are the only bummer. I guess you cant have it all. It seems like most cards have concentrated on the Euro market, its been difficult for me to find a good card for central and south america.

Yackie seems to have quite a few Central and S. America countriesat reasonable rates. But, as per the email in the other thread, they are no longer shipping sims till further notice...They are actually giving refunds to those that have ordered!

Yeah, thats why I originally signed up with them, and with the US number is was to good to pass up. We will have to see if/when they ship more sims. I am also looking at the geodessa sim which has mexico and colombia under test. I need to have good rates in mexico and I am going to Colombia after the first of this year. It seems the cards that have Colombia all are very generally expensive. I guess Ill have to wait and see.

Looks like they're both CallKey rebrands : for US destination, you find CallKey Office in call types...

All CallKey rebrands have different rates, but all of them seem to be billing 30/6.

I was thinking of buying an IoM to replace my wive's UM, so I just ordered a "Free Global SIM" for they have quite good rates (some even better than my old 0044 V1, which was also a CallKey rebrand).

I'll tell you when it comes and how it works. (I should be in Poland and Hungary in September and October.)

Ordered less than 12 hours ago, just received the following e-mail :

Globalsim?
SIM Dispatch Notice - Invoice:
Your Globalsim? has now been dispatched.
Please allow 5 working days for delivery.
Thank you for ordering from Globalsim?.

:clap: :clap: :clap:

I wonder what the credit validity of the Global sim is. I saw the following on the website and was wondering if the credit is not used up in 180 days it's lost.

"When you top-up the credit on your Globalsim? you have 180 days to use it"

I was taking a look at this sim just in case I need to get one. My yackie number has not been able to receive incoming calls over the last 2 days. Tech. support has been working on it since then.

I actually sent an email to them last night about the question above and here is the response. So, a topup is needed, not neccesarily a chargeble use every 6 months.

-----------------------------------------------------------
Dear Sir/Madame

If you do not topup within the 180 day limit the card is de-activated and the credit is lost, in that case you will need to call us to re-activated the card again. Thus meaning you need to top it up again.

As long as you top up once every 6 months the card will remain active.


Yours Thankfully,

Bossman I think all Manx sims require something like topping up every six-nine months. They do not extend just by making a call or sending an sms as is the case with other sims.
Correct me if I am wrong...

Okay. I see...I was not aware of that. It may not be too bad. Dependig on what the minimum topup denomination is. I did not see the topup denominations mentioned on the website. Hopefully it's not $50 :D

The problem is that they do not say that explicitly so that your are aware!

And also generally top ups are more than 20 $....

so is mine...
welcome onboard ;-)

Chris

What about outgoing calls;

Outgoing and SMS work with no problems. But the incoming landline numbers are totally dead. The support is much more talkative than before and sends regular email updates.

Chris

Yes. Outgoiong works fine. The callback comes in. So does SMS. I think there is an issue with the DID numbers. My number is now showing up on their website as available...very strange. I am not sure, but may be the somehow all the numbers got deactivated or so.

It also true that tech. support has been sending updates about their progress. Good thing I was not somehere out of the country depending on this card as my only means to receive calls. I realized it was not working on Thursday and brought it to their attention right away.

Lucky you ;)
My girlfriend is still travelling the US. Fortunately we mostly communicate via SMS.
By the way: no SMS was charged at all so far.

Chris

BTW, they only accept UK issued credit cards at the moment.

I used to my american credit card to order it fine, do you mean for top ups or???

On another note, I confirmed that Free Global Sim is 30/6 billing for those who care.

I tried just now and it just went through and received my confirmation right away. Only change was that I made sure my contact name matches the name on my credit card. May have just been a glitch. Even though I was informed they may only acepted UK issued CC's as in the email below.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Sir/Madame

Currently I believe we only accept UK cards, we will how ever be getting world wide payment shortly.

We can possibly arrange a bank payment if you require a card, but I cannot confirm this till monday

I e-mailed them about this but I am assuming that if you can order the sim with an american crdit card you can buy top ups also with it. I am expecting mine tomorrow and will post a review once i get it.

It does not make any sense. Why would they only accept Uk issued cards for a global sim;

Absolutely!. And, that's why I tried again. Even after receiving that email from them. In their address fields all the countries were listed there. There are probably some sellers that only accept paypal though. Which is better than just accepting one country's credit card.

money69. I am sure we can topup with an american credit card since we can purchase with one. It's should probably be the same system/application that handles the transactions.

BTW, the minimum topup is 10 pounds. Which is reasonable.

Had to go this route since it's very likely yackie may not be be functioning 100% by the time a take my trip next month. I already have a local voicestick number. So, I will just forward to this sim (which has free incoming in the 3 countries I will be visiting) at 15 cents/min.

I just received my dispatch notice too. I orderded yesterday.

BTW, my Yackie sim is still not working. No correspondence from them since Friday either.

I chatted with Yackie Support this afternoon.
They are still working on it but they didnt tell me what's wrong.

She promised me to send a email and make a test call when its done.

Chris

Why not? Don't forget that this SIM might be just a "global SIM for UK customers only" :P. IMHO the word "global" in the "global SIM" phrase does not necessarily mean that the SIM is globally available, but rather that the SIM works moreless :) worldwide (and with possibly good rates). Mobal is an example - no doubt it's a global SIM but on its website it can be purchased only from USA, Canada, Puerto Rico and Guam....