Prepaid cellphone in Hong Kong?
 

I am going to HK next month (for a few weeks) and am considering a cell phone to help with emergency calls (ie. if I get lost and cannot find a taxi I will call my relative). I randomly came across this smartone cell company. I am looking at their rates and find:
$68 preloaded HKD SIM card with incredible rates ($0.15/local min, $0.8 for local SMS)

I already have an unlocked quadband phone. Am I set to go and get a fully usable HK phone for $10CAD? I am just curious to any hidden fees.

Yup, you can get them even cheaper too, as low as $28 HKD for a card.

There are IDD ones too, if you will be calling Canada more than HK you can get one of these instead. All calls (to Canada and HK) will be $0.25 HKD per minute. Very useful for visiting HK.

yup. HK phone plans are dirt cheap.

once you arrive there, go to PEOPLES (or China Mobile) and get a prepaid sim card. load up $100 HKD and you should be okay for about 2 weeks.

it's only 0.25HKD per minute for local calls and calls to Canada. I use it just like a normal cellphone.

for unused minutes, you have 180 days until your credit and phone number expires. to reload, you can go to any convenient store.

*#139# to reload
*#130# to check balance

it is very very expensive to use your fido phone in HK. it's $2/min + roaming + airtime, $0.75/sms, $30/mb for data!!!

have fun!

Not sure if this fits in to your plan but when I first visited HK I just picked up a cell in the airport and it came with minutes. been through HK about 5 times since then and havent run out of time yet.

You can even save a few bucks off the sticker price buying from a sleazy vendor in Sum Sui Po ;)

Awesome, this shall make my trip a little more easier! Thanks.

now you know why some people complain about Vancouver/Canada's horrendous rates =.=
I miss my video calling :(

Can't really compare. The salary mean is $10,000HKD which is roughly $1,330CDN a month which working 8 hours day (which does not happen in HK) that's just above minimum wage for Canada.

Even compared to countries with similar (or even higher) mean salaries, Canada's rates look terrible. The most absurd example of this IMO, is that in Canada you have to pay $50 to NOT get a phone when starting a plan. What the fuck is that?

HAHAH...I was gonna post the same as well.

Theres a PEOPLES store inside this mall where I live close by.
I use the same as well...load up $100 HK and charges $0.25 HKD local/and Canada.

IMO, PEOPLES reception is very clear...I havent experienced any interrupted connection. Easy to load more money if necessary and something simple if you need to make emergency calls or quick calls.

If I recall correctly, you can get the Peoples prepaid SIM at 7-11 as well. I believe that's where my folks get theirs when they head to HK. Their rates are pretty low (I think 5c HK/min during off peak and 12c during peak hours?)

As for Canda's crap rates, I think it has most to do with population density of our country. There's a whole lot of empty space between major urban areas where the carriers still provide cell service for. Towers cost money, and most likely, the profit from subscribers in the urban areas go to subsidize the infrastructure in the rural areas where they provide service. I'm sure if we had Canada's entire population squeezed into Vancouver Island, I bet our rates would be dirt cheap too.

get off the airplane, go the the MTR place (arrival area right at the middle)get one of those octopus card then walk across to 7-11 and get a prepaid card. BAM, done. and then u can take the bus to the city.

We need octopus cards rather than the new polymer bills here in Canada for major cities.

dont they charge calls as roaming if they are not made within tri city??
my sister went to whistler only to find that she was billed 70 bucks for using her phone.

Whether you get charged for roaming would depend on your plan. You should check your providers maps for roaming areas. I think the general rule of thumb is if you see the roaming sign (usually a triagle next to the carriers name) or a different carrier displayed on your phone, then you're likely going to be hit with roaming charges. Back in the day when I used to be with Fido, I do remember certain parts of the Sea to Sky Highway and Whistler were roaming. Not sure if it's the same now or not.

As for the part you bolded, sure roaming rates MAY cover a portion of the cost but I'm willing to be there's hundreds (if not thousands) of towers out there that are under utilized and probably never generate enough revenue to cover their cost. We, as urban subscribers ultimately end up subsidizing these towers.

I manage to get PEOPLE mobile. I had the clerk help me activate a $48 card. I only plan to use it in emergency circumstances or meeting up with people

The best all day plan is from CSL. It's $0.10 per minute all day. Others are only cheap during off-peak.

*sigh* I miss HK for their cheap phone plans.

if you are just there for 1 visit, don't bother getting the octopus card, its not like its any cheaper just more convenient, you will never get the 50$HKD deposit back. Unless you are willing to sacrifice 50$ to experience what the whole north america is missing out on.

You get the $50 deposit back, unless you return it in less than 3 months. In that case, you get $43 back.

It's not hard to save $7 HKD by using it - MTR fees are always cheaper when using Octopus.

There's no reason not to get an octopus card no matter how many days you are in HK.

bumping an old thread
I'll be going to HK in a few weeks and I was just wondering which cell phone company has the best rates for data for prepaid cards??

I priced out several in another thread in this forum, do a search