BLAUWORLD v SOLOMO

[snaimon]

Any opinions - especially from our German friends?

Background:

Will be traveling to DE and FR this summer (~ 2 weeks each country) and wishing to call US. Will NOT have free access to landline in DE (long story but EITHER outbound 800 calls are blocked or not free). Will not have computer. Will have 3 mobile phones and 3 people in party.

PREVIOUSLY, to call US I have used the following methods:

1. ATT and MCI toll free #s to call from mobiles
2. SUNSIM and local German # to access Enjoyprepaid (8 ecents + ~5 US cents)
3. United Mobile 423
4. Calling from payphone with ATT, MCI or other calling service (Onesuite, Enjoyprepaid).

Those options would all still be in play but are somewhat cumbersome (lots of dialing). Have a SIMYO and SUNSIM DE card. Also, have a TRAVELSIM and UM+ cards which can be used, especially in FR. I am not sure if there is a landline phone available in FR at place we are staying. In FR we would use the SUNSIM, TRAVELSIM and UM+ cards. Sorry, just not worth it to pick up FR cards. I have plenty of PREPAID funds paid into calling card services ATT, MCI or other calling service (Onesuite, Enjoyprepaid).

I only have 2 German SIMs and would prefer to have a 3rd but it is not essential. The SIMYO, SUNSIM and UM+ cards will definitely need refills if they are to be used extensively.

There are several offers for BLAUWORLD cards on Ebay US and DE. I am debating whether I should purchase one of those. At 9 ecents per minute DIRECT to US + a 15 ecent connection fee per call, the rate is not bad.

Another possibility for DE is a T-MO card with NON-STOP; wife has a tendency to make long, very long calls while in Germany, catching up with friends. I give her the SUNSIM phone @ 8 ecents per minute for those calls.

Of course the German market is ALWAYS changing, so what I decide now may be incorrect for the July trip.

Question:

What to do?

1. Nothing (least INITIAL cost option)
2. Blauworld
3. Solomo
4. Sunsim # 2
5. T-mobile
6. Other

Thanks,

Stan

[inquisitor]

I'd chose solomo SIMs, since they're cheap to call each other (€ 0.05/min), German landlines (€ 0.08/min) and the US (€ 0.09/min) and the data price is also low (€ 0.24/MB).
Further solomo would be relatively cheap in France, too (€ 0.29/min from France to US).
Another advantage of solomo is that you can top up by credit card.

[Motel75]

I'd go for 01051mobile -- cheaper international calls than Solomo (5 cents to the US with no connect charge), while data costs marginally more (29 c/MB in 3 cent increments); calling German landlines costs 9 cents. You can top up with credit card, too. The SIM costs 7 EUR less than Solomo, too. However, while receiving calls in France is very cheap (13 cents/min) it is not particularly cheap to call the US from France with it. Even so, I'd use a calling card from a payphone there.

[snaimon]

Danke. Thanks.

Guessing I will need at least a German mailing address to order a starter set of either brand, solomo or 01051mobile.

I may also need a German credit card. I had an issue with SIMYO. I ordered a starter set several years ago with a US VISA card. I even reloaded with it a few times. Late last year I needed to update the expiration date on the card; no go. Even called customer service to no avail. The US VISA would not work. Fortunately, my US based AMEX card did work.

Seems both 01051mobile and solomo (like sunsim) do not have the ability to use and E- refill cards; blauworld does allow that option.

There are no solomo or 01051mobile cards available on Ebay us or de at this time.

My issue/question is NOT critical, as the trip is in mid-July. I just happened to see some blauworld cards available. I'll keep looking and thinking.

Thanks again. Any other comments are welcome.

Stan

[dg7feq]

Originally Posted by Motel75

I'd go for 01051mobile -- cheaper international calls than Solomo (5 cents to the US with no connect charge), while data costs marginally more (29 c/MB in 3 cent increments); calling German landlines costs 9 cents. You can top up with credit card, too. The SIM costs 7 EUR less than Solomo, too. However, while receiving calls in France is very cheap (13 cents/min) it is not particularly cheap to call the US from France with it. Even so, I'd use a calling card from a payphone there.

Just one warning: At the moment Credit Card topup does not work. I tried to load my card and i got a email that i should use bank transfer instead of (which worked fine, though).

Chris

[Motel75]

Originally Posted by dg7feq

Just one warning: At the moment Credit Card topup does not work.
Chris

Hmmm, worked fine for me (with auto topup) a month ago. I'll keep watching the situation -- my balance is about to drop under 5 EUR, which should trigger a new topup.

One advantage of Blauworld is that the cards are usually available at Saturn (and, I think, Media Markt) and some other electronics retailers. Saturn and Media Markt are in all big cities. (Think of Best Buy and Circuit City -- and think of them being owned by the same company and only pretending to compete with each other. That's how it is.)

[babble]

The German market is very dynamic. T-Mobile has just announced that it will introduce a new tariff on Easter Monday for prepaid customers.

The new "daily flatrate tariff" will cost 99 cents per day and include all calls to German landlines and T-Mobile numbers.

This might be perfect for holiday makers who stay in Germany for one or two weeks. If you are staying for longer, the constar prepaid flatrates are cheaper, but you need internet access (internet cafe?) to switch the flatrates on and off.

[inquisitor]

Originally Posted by snaimon

Guessing I will need at least a German mailing address to order a starter set of either brand, solomo or 01051mobile.

At least solomo do ship abroad, allthough the US are not listed in the drop down menu of the order form. Anyway I would contact them and ask them (https://www.solomo.de/?function=showContact), since I recently read on a German board, that they shipped to unlisted countries, too (I think it was Ireland).

Originally Posted by snaimon

I may also need a German credit card.

Ask them for that, too. But I think you'll quickly find out if foreign CCs are accepted, as you'll make use of it already while ordering the SIM.

Originally Posted by snaimon

Seems both 01051mobile and solomo (like sunsim) do not have the ability to use and E- refill cards; blauworld does allow that option.

Right. Blauworld accepts E-Plus' "Free & Easy Cash" vouchers, which are sold everywhere in Germany, e.g. at every gas station.

Originally Posted by snaimon

There are no solomo or 01051mobile cards available on Ebay us or de at this time. .

I believe both sell only directly to customers and there's no wholesale of blank SIMs. If you ever find SIMs of those providers on eBay they are surely registered in someone's name.

[snaimon]

Originally Posted by inquisitor

I believe both sell only directly to customers and there's no wholesale of blank SIMs. If you ever find SIMs of those providers on eBay they are surely registered in someone's name.

I am unclear as to what advantage or disadvantage being "registered in someone's name" means.

Some SIMs like TMO are listed as aktiviert so you can telephone right away. You can usually buy top up vouchers all over the place. No issue. Sellers on Ebay extol the benefits of these pre-registered cards.

HOWEVER, when a SIM like sunsim, solomo, 1015tmobile REQUIRE online registration, I would imagine being registered to someone ELSE will prevent the use of a credit card to refill the account. The account is registered to say HANS MEYER and when the provider tries to bill my new credit card against HANS MEYER and his address, the S is going to hit the F and my credit card transaction is going to fail. Blauworld FAQ says you cannot buy for a friend as a gift and NO FOREIGN ADDRESSES for the online purchase. Must be different if you walk in to SATURN.

BTW, Circuit City and Best Buy are not (yet) owned by the same company, although one does see that in other areas (Sears, K-Mart).

Thanks again for all the comments.

There was a blauworld SIM for sale starting at 1 Euro with a small credit. Not clear if that could be sent to US and at what price; seller did not answer me. There are several others for the market price.

Perhaps as suggested earlier by babble, the German market is very dynamic and it might be better to wait a bit to decide.

Stan

[andy]

01051 told me that they accept a foreign credit card, for delivery at a German address. I have a Sunsim, by the same means, which arrived there (family) a day and a half after order.

For a longer visit in the summer, I'm tempted by Simyo's Flat tariff, but they mentioned bank transfer. Is Simyo available in shops at all, or only online?