Telna Caribbean Experience

[jennifermehl]

We both have iPhone 6 on Verizon Wireless (my plan is paid for by work so I can't have any roaming charges there). These are world phones and are unlocked for use of a SIM card.

We are looking for a simple SIM pre-pay plan that we can use in Mexico, Jamaica and Cayman Islands. (No need to worry about it while we are on the ship).

[squawk1200]

If you are looking for prepaid SIM, look here:

http://www.piranha-mobile.com/

You will find them highly recommended throughout this forum... I do have their SIM and have used it with good experience...

I personally prefer post paid with Telna (http://www.telnamobile.net), as I just use what I pay for and don't have to worry about unused balance...

[DRNewcomb]

Originally Posted by jennifermehl

We both have iPhone 6 on Verizon Wireless (my plan is paid for by work so I can't have any roaming charges there). These are world phones and are unlocked for use of a SIM card.

We are looking for a simple SIM pre-pay plan that we can use in Mexico, Jamaica and Cayman Islands. (No need to worry about it while we are on the ship).

TelnaMobile is not exactly a prepaid SIM. You link it to a credit card; they charge about $20/year to keep the account active then charge usage for calls. They bill your card whenever the balance goes over about $5. I prefer this method over prepaid because I've lost a bit of money on prepaids either when they expired or the company went bust (e.g. Riiing, 09). To me Telna is primarily a backup for calls. Their rates for text and data are not very attractive.

[Bossman]

Same here. I have it mainly for backup,m but have not really used it in about 3 years. I tried to use it in Jamaica in 2012, I was billed for several calls that never rang to my phone. One thing though, I have not been charged the yearly fee recently (the last 3 years or so).

Originally Posted by DRNewcomb

TelnaMobile is not exactly a prepaid SIM. You link it to a credit card; they charge about $20/year to keep the account active then charge usage for calls. They bill your card whenever the balance goes over about $5. I prefer this method over prepaid because I've lost a bit of money on prepaids either when they expired or the company went bust (e.g. Riiing, 09). To me Telna is primarily a backup for calls. Their rates for text and data are not very attractive.

[DRNewcomb]

Originally Posted by Bossman

Same here. I have it mainly for backup,m but have not really used it in about 3 years. I tried to use it in Jamaica in 2012, I was billed for several calls that never rang to my phone. One thing though, I have not been charged the yearly fee recently (the last 3 years or so).

Does anyone else have a Telna SIM that has a SIM application that will initiate a callback between any two numbers? (e.g. landline-landline) Mine has this but when I asked about it they said I was sent a special SIM by mistake.

[andy]

Originally Posted by DRNewcomb

Does anyone else have a Telna SIM that has a SIM application that will initiate a callback between any two numbers? (e.g. landline-landline) Mine has this but when I asked about it they said I was sent a special SIM by mistake.

That sounds potentially useful. Does it work via data connection or USSD?

[DRNewcomb]

Originally Posted by andy

That sounds potentially useful. Does it work via data connection or USSD?

USSD. You enter the 'to' and 'from' phone numbers and press 'Go'. The 'from' phone rings, you answer, it asks you to wait, then rings to the 'to' phone. When I asked Telna about this feature, they were surprised my SIM had it. They told me it was a feature provided for one of their wholesale customers and not intended for retail users like me. I was actually asked not to mention that I had it. I think it might upset their roaming partners if it became common knowledge. While not a critical feature, it can save a few cents per minute if both 'to' and 'from' numbers are landline rate calls. For example, the cost to call the US from Bahamas would be closer to 20¢/min this way, vs near 90¢/min by their cellular roaming. Please don't call them up and ask about this. They might turn it off.

Two other features I like with Telna are the WiFi calling feature based on a standard SIP client and the ability to call a Telna phone via a SIP address.