There is plenty of competition in the Global SIM card market place and some of these SIM cards are better than others. When you are making a purchase you need to do your due diligence. Here are some things you should do before purchasing a Global SIM card to make sure that you make the right purchase for your situation.

See what other people are saying about them online- People talk about their experiences and when they are bad experiences people will talk louder. Online search engines make it easy to find out what people are saying about Global SIM card brands- i.e. if you type in to Google “onesimcard review” you will find out what people are saying about the OneSIMCard Global SIM card.

Check out their customer service before you purchase- You should also check out how good the customer service is for a company before making a purchase. Ring them up and see how they act on the phone. If they don’t have a phone number, send them an email and see how long it takes to get a response.

Remember that the cheapest isn’t necessarily always your best option-Pretty much all Global SIM card companies can save you money. Some are cheaper than others but you need to remember that the cheapest SIM card provider may not be the best SIM card provider. If you buy a cheap SIM card and it breaks down then you may not be able to get it fixed through crappy customer service.

Global SIM cards are becoming the must have accessory for the international traveler. Make sure you take the advice that I have shared above in order to improve your satisfaction.

Check out my reviews Global SIM Cards here.

You need to make sure that you:

Economise what you pack- Don’t pack toiletries. Buy them when you get to your travel destination. If you are only going for a day or two, don’t check luggage. Pack everything in your carry on. Don’t wear a belt on the plane and make sure you wear easy to slip on and off shoes when you go through security checkpoints.

Get an International SIM card- If you travel overseas, make sure you carry with you an international SIM card. People will be able to contact you on the one number no matter where you are but you will only have to pay a fraction of what you would normally spend with your home phone using global roaming.

Book travel and accommodation online- Another option you may want to consider is booking and paying for your travel and accommodation online. There are many reputable sites that you could use to book your airfares, accommodation and even car rental for a fraction of the price that you would pay through a travel agent.

Business travel is growing again but it need not be painful. Follow the tips that i have mentioned above and it will make your life much easier and much less stressful.

Check out the links below.

Australian Mobile Carriers- Check out their Roaming Charges.

Optus International Roaming Rates

Telstra International Roaming Rates

Vodafone International Roaming Rates

Three International Roaming Rates

Rates with an International SIM Card

TravelSIM International Call Rates

Telestial Passport SIM Card

Please click here for more information.

Here is a comparison of the rates that you would pay in the UK if you were using a SIM card from each of the carriers above. These comparisons are for calls to and from Australia.

Telstra
Cost to make a call- $2.74 per minute
Cost to receive a call- $0.70 per minute

Optus
Cost to make a call- $3.50 per minute
Cost to receive a call- $1.45 per minute

Three
Cost to make a call- $4 per minute
Cost to receive a call- $2 per minute

Vodafone
Cost to make a call- $3.35 per minute
Cost to receive a call- $1.17 per minute

TavelSIM
Cost to make a call- $0.77 per minute
Cost to receive a call- Free!

Telestial Passport SIM
Cost to make a call- $0.63 per minute to landlines, $1 per minute to mobiles
Cost to receive a call- Free!

The figures speak for themselves. Get yourself an International SIM card and you will save a fortune.

Check out my review of International SIM cards here and get one before you travel.

*Rates are correct as at 23/05/09

It is supportined in over 150 countries with around 54 of these countries allowing you to receive incoming calls for free (you receive SMS for free in all countries!)

It has an interpreter service for 150 languages which you can access 24/7 and it gives you the ability to earn frequent flyer points as you are using it.

You are given a European mobile number so you can be called anywhere in the world and you are given the opportunity to take a second number from the USA or Canada for people to call you on.

You can top up credit on your phone from the handset or from the internet should you desire. There is also the option of automatic top up.

I have heard good things about the OneSIM card International SIM card- you could do worse.

To read more about the OneSIM Card International SIM Card and other International SIM cards, check out my reviews by clicking here.

If you know anybody who is going overseas or on an international trip of any kind, they need to know about TravelSIM. Basically you can use your mobile phone with their SIM card and you get very cheap roaming calls. Best of all, in most countries it is free to receive a call. It’s way easy to use. Just plug the SIM card in and go. No sign up, no contracts, no minimum commitments or any of those usual traps.

But the main reason for the mail is that I just wanted to send you a quick note to let you know about their amazing new affiliate program that is so unbelievable that you really need to check it out for yourself. Visit the TravelSIM website and click on the Affiliate Program link in the footer at the bottom of every page.TravelSIM

You earn 20% commission on direct sales.
Plus! this is gold, every time one of your customers tops up credit (it’s prepaid) you get 5% airtime!! How awesome is that?! No stock. No training. No outlays. No door knocking. No phone calls. Too easy!

But wait there’s more…. They actually allow up to 7 sub levels of affiliates.

Get this, you tell one of your mates, who’s the entrepreneurial type and wants to get in on the act.
NO issues with “back-dooring”, just send him an email like this and whamo, when he signs up he comes under your program. He still earns exactly the same, but now you get a bonus every time he refers someone on.

Do the math! This is huge. You might only know of one person traveling OS, but who do they know? It’s the whole 6 degrees of separation thingy. You could be up-line from someone who owns webjet or something and you’ll get 25000 hits a day on your new business. 0.1% strike rate. That’s $450 per day. Over $150k per year. Ok, maybe I am dreaming, but you have to agree this has got serious legs.

Check it out.
TravelSIM (don’t forget to click the Affiliate Program link at the bottom of each page)
Let me know what you think.

TravelSIM

That’s a pretty impressive improvement to help you with udgeting for travel.

It’s cheap with the convenience of being able to change your flights if need be.

It has a great frequent flyer program.

And, most importantly, The Lounge means you can wait for your flights in comfort.