eKit 'SIMple Calling' US/Canada SIM w/ pretty low rates?

[RTuesday]

Originally Posted by bylo

Looks like they're reselling this: SIMple Calling USA SIM Card

It seems both eKit and telestial have some sort of deal with Simple Calling. The ekit page is at ekit, Mobile Info.

The way the ekit page, the telestial page, and the ebay page each have different rates would be a concern. Either each can set their own rates or some are out of date or incomplete.

From the Telestial page, there's also this:

Note: Your SIMple Calling US SIM card service is automatically deactivated 1 week after your last call or text message; however the remaining credit is not expired until 9 months after your last call or text message. To reactivate your service, simply follow the initial activation instructions.

Sounds like a real pain to have to keep re-activating it, or keep making calls if you are within the US so that you can receive them.

Having said that, looks a useful card for me if I go to Canada this summer - gives me some T-Mobile US coverage (I already have a 7-11 speakout fo AT&T) and acceptable rates for Canada (although data would be nice). Apart from the re-activation stuff (which is a killer, if I understand it correctly) it could even replace my Speakout sim at a similar running cost (I hardly use Speakout - just a car emergency and travel phone).

The ebay page has the best price, but is probably the least likely to be accurate.

[RTuesday]

To add a couple of things (can't edit the above message because of the silly 10-minute time limit):

It's interesting that it has call forwarding to any number, even international.

To do this it uses the same codes that Callkey cards like GT-sim used to have, so maybe there is a connection there, or at least the same software? Callkey had an office in Houston a while back.

It's unclear how forwarding would interact with the automatic dis-activation after one week. Not much point in forwarding from an inactive sim.

Note also the following in the Telestial instructions, which make it MUCH less interesting as a card for a foreign tourist visiting the US: "There are currently restrictions in place on receiving international text messages while in
the USA. You can send international text messages however you cannot receive them".

BTW, the Telestial pages say the incoming number for the SIM is in the Los Angeles area.

[RTuesday]

Ignore my above messages. I'm out of practice looking at this stuff (don't travel much now!).

It's all the same card. Telestial own simplecalling.com (as stated). The rates are the same, since the ebay page hides the extra first minute cost in the "50c connection fee" footnote.

I'll go back to sleep now..

[adam917]

Originally Posted by RTuesday

Ignore my above messages. I'm out of practice looking at this stuff (don't travel much now!).

It's all the same card. Telestial own simplecalling.com (as stated). The rates are the same, since the ebay page hides the extra first minute cost in the "50c connection fee" footnote.

I'll go back to sleep now..

So I must've been lied to when I enquired the seller about this on eBay. How can the activation info quoted in this thread even make sense if you can still do SMS from the SIM?! That has to be some kind of mis-print.