Travelchat: unlimited WhatsApp and FB Messenger, 10 EUR/Year

[123456]

UNLIMITED CHAT & EMOJI
TravelChat is an international SIM card that lets you use chat apps, like WhatsApp, in over 85 countries.
For just €10 per year, you can send unlimited messages and emoji with WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Viber, Line and more.

Cost 25 euro, first year messaging included (=10 euro).
Link: https://travelchat.com/

[rfranzq]

Originally Posted by 123456

Cost 25 euro, first year messaging included (=10 euro).
Link: https://travelchat.com/

And they say $25US:

Purchase TravelChat before your next trip. Its price is 25 EUR or 25USD in case you buy it from Amazon.com.

[wolfbln]

Originally Posted by rfranzq

And they say $25US:

The new trade war exchange rate €1 = US$1

It's again based on an Estonian number. Interesting concept.
It competes with ChatSIM, but has a better price model.
As you see from this post https://travelsim.com/please-welcome-travelchat/
it comes from the same folks as TravelSIM, aka oneSimCard, aka XXSim.
TravelSIM and its clones are generally a pretty reliable product.

But there are further inconsistencies in their description: on their Amazon.com offer
https://www.amazon.com/International.../dp/B076Q837KL
they mention:

"Product Details:
- Unlimited chats for one year - then refill for 10 usd for another
- 15mb chats per day"

Well, you can hardly sell "unlimited" chats per year, when you limit them to 15 MB per day. There is nothing like throttled messages....

In the headline on Amazon.com they advertise:
"Europe Italy France Cuba Costa Rica & 90 Others .
Cuba would be a good option as all mobile internet is sold very $$$ there.

But in their pricelist on their website https://travelchat.com/ Cuba is missing
and when you enter Cuba in the coverage search, you will get:
"Cuba - no coverage" .....

[powerlifter]

Why would one pay $25 when you can have WhatsApp, line, Viber for free. You can have it all unlimited no throttling. It does not make any sense to me. Just a way for someone to make money for nothing.

[dg7feq]

Originally Posted by powerlifter

Why would one pay $25 when you can have WhatsApp, line, Viber for free. You can have it all unlimited no throttling. It does not make any sense to me. Just a way for someone to make money for nothing.

which SIM card is free of charge and give you access to messenger services unlimited and worldwide?

[powerlifter]

Originally Posted by dg7feq

which SIM card is free of charge and give you access to messenger services unlimited and worldwide?

I have a t-mobile sim. I have WhatsApp, Skype, and Facetime if I wanted line or Viber I can download it for free. So why would I pay? WhatsApp has always been free for messaging or calls. I have never been charged. Have used it pretty much worldwide. Facetime is free. Skype is just 22Euros a year for my subscription. I am sure line and Viber charge for calls, but I don't use these as I have enough calling options.

[wolfbln]

OK. You have a qualifiying US plan of T-Mobile with unlimited throttled roaming.
This is restricted to US citizens only with a least reasonable credit score and postpaid contracts of T-Mobile US only.

Now, let me answer your question from your 1st post:
"Why would one pay $25 when you can have WhatsApp, line, Viber for free. You can have it all unlimited no throttling. It does not make any sense to me. Just a way for someone to make money for nothing"

May be not everybody in this world is living in the US and having a T-Mobile contract. I guess 99% are not.
BTW it's included in your contract is more correct, it's not free, throttled roaming is part of your monthly plan and fee, whether you use it or not.

Your first post gave the wrong impression that there is an operator giving out a throttled flatrate for free. Obviously, there isn't.
So you have an included feature in your contract that doesn't make sense for you to spend on an additional feature. This, I understand.
But to generalize it to all mobile subscribers as a senseless option, is a bit far fetched.

[powerlifter]

I understand your point that you are trying to make, but I don't understand something. When I am in Europe or the Middle East I put my UK 3 sim card in my phone. I still have Skype, WhatsApp, and facetime. If I want to download Line I can free of cost. I just have to pay for calling a nonline user like with Skype.
Of course, when I use Skype it comes out of my subscription cost.
In Germany where you live you cannot download, Viber, Line, WhatsApp? I understand that Viber and Line charge to make calls. Is the 25 Euros part of a subscription for calls being made by Line and Viber? If so I can see why the charge of 25 Euros.

[wolfbln]

Originally Posted by powerlifter

I understand your point that you are trying to make, but I don't understand something. When I am in Europe or the Middle East I put my UK 3 sim card in my phone. I still have Skype, WhatsApp, and facetime. If I want to download Line I can free of cost. I just have to pay for calling a nonline user like with Skype.
Of course, when I use Skype it comes out of my subscription cost.
In Germany where you live you cannot download, Viber, Line, WhatsApp? I understand that Viber and Line charge to make calls. Is the 25 Euros part of a subscription for calls being made by Line and Viber? If so I can see why the charge of 25 Euros.

Sure, we all love these apps and can download and use them. But they all consume data. And this is where the telcos make their money.
There are some free options in many countries: Netzclub in Germany gives 100 MB per month for free for some ads; Three in the UK has the "Data rewards SIM" with a similar model.

When we are talking about a throttle it's essential to note at what speed. There are some options for messaging. You only need 2G/EDGE speeds as long as you don't send pics. But this is too slow for Skype. You should have a 3G or 4G network esp. if you make a video call.
There is a certain market for slow "flatrates" just to send WhatsApp messages or Twitter posts. There are even presidents who consider Twitter as their favorite way to communicate.
This only consumes very little data, so a small data package or a "social plan" is sufficient. You can find something like this in every country on the market.

But when it comes to international roaming, things get real complicated. In Europe under the new "roam like at home" rules, the surcharges have been scrapped. But for overseas roaming charges have been raised....
So for instance, imagine this scenario: I go to the US with a couple of friends. I don't use data, only apps to communicate with them like WhatsApp which is the most popular in Europe for individuals or Telegram for groups. My own provider will rip me off in the US for every data use - even if T-Mobile US is mostly owned by Deutsche Telekom. In the US you don't get a prepaid plan with very little data for a month or two for less than let's say $30 (including start-up with a SIM card).

So getting a €10 SIM plan (which is little more than $12) valid for a year, that's how they sell it on this side of the Atlantic, just for using messenger apps can be an option for some users in certain circumstances. I don't consider this as a rip-off. We only are amazed how €10 in Europe translate into $25 in the US - based on the current exchange rate, these numbers just don't add up.

[46jimbo]

Wolfbin, the $25 or €25 cost is the initial cost. 15 for the Sim plus 10 credit for the first year. Thereafter, it's 10 dollars (or Euros) per year to renew.

I recently bought the Travelchat Sim and I love the concept. I just got back from a trip to Georgia and Armenia and it was most useful to be in touch with my traveling companions wherever we were, as we sometimes got separated while out in the city. Or chatting with friends back home while riding on a bus. True, you are limited to text only, but once back at the hotel, you can use WiFi for sending pics, etc.

For less than a buck a month, I don't know of a better deal for this kind of service.