RetireJapan

coffeespoon wrote: ↑Tue Aug 23, 2022 3:11 pm

Teflon wrote: ↑Fri Aug 19, 2022 11:47 pm [ The only caveat is that I'm not sure the SIM card can be registered on the Japanese phone network. I was visiting my family in the States for Thanksgiving last year and had the eBay seller send it to my parents' house. I was also sure to bring along my old unlocked Samsung Galaxy S8 to install the SIM and set it up while there.


Anyway, I've been very happy with Ultra Mobile so far and highly recommend it!

Thanks, Teflon and TJKansai for your information!
(1) Ok, so I know someone who is in the States for a visit, and he says he can bring back the SIM card for Ultra Mobile for me. I could purchase an unlocked phone here in Japan and try to install the SIM here when my friend comes back...? (But I did read your caveat, so I understand the risks).

(2) I guess another option is for my really good friend (close, so I feel like I can ask her for more "complicated" favors) to purchase an unlocked phone, as well as the Ultra Mobile SIM card, set it up for me, and then send it by post to me in Japan (if that is allowed). --- or ask my friend mentioned in (1) to do this for me.
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I have one more question: As far as setting up the phone, do you need to have an American phone service on the phone? I wonder if my friend can set that up for me (or if I need to be here in person to own the service). Also, I don't have to submit my ID anywhere? Sorry for my ignorance.

Thanks for reading.

Teflon wrote: ↑Fri Aug 19, 2022 11:47 pm

coffeespoon wrote: ↑Fri Aug 19, 2022 12:58 pm Hello! I know this post is a little old, but I have some questions and observations. Recently, the investment firm I use in the US emailed to say they are getting rid of the option to get the "codes" by email... and I am a little stressed about this, as I don't know what to do. They don't send the codes internationally.

I tried going to the truphone website, but then I get a message saying they no longer sell prepaid SIMS. Do you (or anyone) have any ideas about where I can get a prepaid SIM card in the US that will allow me to receive these authentification codes in Japan? (I know close to nothing about this).

Also, what I really want to know is when you say "assuming you have a US address you can send things to", do you mean an address that is associated with me? Do I have to provide that I actually live at the address? OR can it be ANY US address where things can be sent to.

Sorry for not updating on my Truphone experience. It ended up being a dud because it did not support overseas "short SMS" which is the type of SMS that banks and other companies send.

Fortunately, I did find a SIM card that works for me to receive short SMS from US banks while in Japan and it's only $3/month to maintain the account. The company is called Ultra Mobile and the plan is called PayGo. They sell kits at Best Buy but people also sell them on eBay so it's very convenient. I used this seller: https://www.ebay.com/itm/284346097281?epid=23039768111

You don't really need to worry about having a US address since eBay sellers send everywhere. When you activate the SIM online, you can choose whatever area code you like without regard to your actual physical location, so that's nice. The only caveat is that I'm not sure the SIM card can be registered on the Japanese phone network. I was visiting my family in the States for Thanksgiving last year and had the eBay seller send it to my parents' house. I was also sure to bring along my old unlocked Samsung Galaxy S8 to install the SIM and set it up while there.

The installation was very straight forward and the phone worked fine for calls, data, and short SMS. Aside from being cheap and supporting short SMS, the key selling point about this provider is that it supports a feature called "Wifi Calling & Text". This allows you to use the phone overseas as though you are still on the US network! In fact, here in Japan, I just keep my phone on airplane mode with wifi enabled and completely bypass the Japanese phone network. I can still receive short SMS messages, long SMS messages, and phone calls from the US as though I were physically there. So this is perfect for my needs.

Anyway, I've been very happy with Ultra Mobile so far and highly recommend it!

coffeespoon wrote: ↑Fri Sep 16, 2022 6:36 am Hello!!
Today I received my iphone from the US.... I went ahead and added the US phone number on my profile for the financial institution to see if I can really get messages from them on this phone.... and guess what? It really works!!! Thank you so much for your information!

Two followup questions --

#1 you said that for you, airplane mode works, but when I had mine on airplane mode, I didn't receive the message. But when I turned off the "airplane mode", I got the message. Does it really matter?

#2 for Ultra Mobile, it seems like "auto renew" for the billing seems the easiest -- but they only have the choices for $5, $10, and $20 available (but not $3). But if you go to "Recharge Paygo Wallet" on their website, it is only $3. So do you manually recharge $3 every month in order to keep your phone number?

Once again, I really really appreciate you sharing information about Ultra Mobile! I am so lucky I found this post!

Teflon wrote: ↑Fri Sep 16, 2022 7:23 am

coffeespoon wrote: ↑Fri Sep 16, 2022 6:36 am Hello!!
Today I received my iphone from the US.... I went ahead and added the US phone number on my profile for the financial institution to see if I can really get messages from them on this phone.... and guess what? It really works!!! Thank you so much for your information!

Two followup questions --

#1 you said that for you, airplane mode works, but when I had mine on airplane mode, I didn't receive the message. But when I turned off the "airplane mode", I got the message. Does it really matter?

#2 for Ultra Mobile, it seems like "auto renew" for the billing seems the easiest -- but they only have the choices for $5, $10, and $20 available (but not $3). But if you go to "Recharge Paygo Wallet" on their website, it is only $3. So do you manually recharge $3 every month in order to keep your phone number?

Once again, I really really appreciate you sharing information about Ultra Mobile! I am so lucky I found this post!

Hey there! Glad you were able to get your phone all setup. The reason that I use the wifi calling feature is because the coverage seems to be spotty in my area on whatever network it uses in Japan. Also, I like being able to call people in the States directly without incurring the long-distance/roaming surcharges. Most people these days use a chat app for calls so it's a moot point but I have some family members who still receive calls only on landline phones.

The Ultra Mobile auto-renew setting is convenient but a little gimmicky. Not sure why they do that. I don't mind the extra two dollars because at the end of the year I'll have $24 in my account which I can then use to buy a data plan for a month when I visit the US. So it seems to work out okay in that respect.