Best place to get an h2o SIM card?

[AxelTheClever]

For my main phone, I'm on P-Tel (Sprint) at 5 cents/min. This is great, my Android phone is great, but I'd like a "cheap keep-alive" phone on a better network as a "backup" device. What I'd like to do:

1. Get an h2o SIM and $10 in minutes.
2. Put it in my existing unlocked AT&T cheap clamshell phone.
3. Link this phone to my Google Voice number.
4. Add $10 every 90 days, costing me around $3.40/mo to keep the phone alive.

Will this work? Where would be the best place to get a SIM card and $10 refill? The h2owireless website or some third party?

I'm very keen on a cheap-to-keep-alive AT&T network phone, since if I'm on the road and out of Sprint coverage, my calls and texts will still get through. Also, if I'm out camping or something and don't want my Android with me, I can bring my cheap-o phone that I'm not that concerned with breaking or losing.

Thanks.

[drtigerlilly]

I got my sim card from best buy, but buy credit through callingmart.

[cellphonefreak]

I got my sim card from best buy, but buy credit through callingmart.

I don't think BB carries them in the store any more but ebay has the sim cards sometimes.

[drtigerlilly]

they still seem to sell them in best buy's in Florida

[newcronos]

I bought my three H2O SIM cards from eBay

[pinaxxess]

I can ship you one, feel free to PM to iron out details. I can also do refills.

[AxelTheClever]

Thanks everyone! Looks like the going rate on Amazon is around $4.65 with shipping, which is better than the $10 that the h2o website wants. And I can check eBay, or buy from one of you guys.

To be clear, when you start with the minute plan and a $10 refill, you don't have to refill again for 90 days, correct? (I mean, assuming you don't burn through the 71 minutes, but like I said, this is a backup device.)

I probably won't do this until July, since I have a GoPhone that expires then. I'd stick with that, but the keep-alive cost is 2.5x h2o ($25/90 days vs. $10/90 days).

[mommusic]

I bought H20 sims from ebay, one for $8 and one for $4.

When I activated my H20 sim with a new number on the minute plan, I got 50 min ($7) credit and 4 mos of service (Nov until March).

Not sure if that's the norm.

So if you want to try out the sim on the minute plan before adding airtime you can do that.

Then you can buy $10 refill and it should be good for 90 days.

I refilled in March and it is now good until June.

I bought refill at 3% off at callingmart and got two $10 refills for $19.70

You can activate sim right on H20 website and sign up for online account access, where you can look up account info and refill phone.

[keyz16b]

H2O is a great MVNO company but if you want a "cheap-keep-alive" phone than have you considered PagePlus Cellular? They use towers on the Verizon network which I think has the best coverage in the country! Also you can bring your "old" Verizon phone into their network. Their standard plan also starts at $10 but it gets you 100 minutes of talk time (texting, data, etc.) and keeps the phone active for 120 days! And the minutes carry over if you refill before the days expire! If your balance exceeds a $25 value then you pay $0.06 cents a minute!... Callmart also offers discounts on refills. There's so much more to tell... LoL

Anyways, if you were looking at a GSM service then you picked the winner... H2O's standard plans cannot be beat!

[silosnauj]

I have bought many sim cards from ebay, all of them for around 1.00 - 1.99, shipping included!!. So, l would say "ebay" is the cheapest source to buy H2O sims.

[millept]

I have bought many sim cards from ebay, all of them for around 1.00 - 1.99, shipping included!!. So, l would say "ebay" is the cheapest source to buy H2O sims.

+1 I've bought several on eBay for less than $2 each. That gets you 50 minutes ($7 credit), good for 120 days. Then add a $10 card or pop in a new SIM if you don't need to save the phone number. Less than $8/year to keep a phone active with a little talk time if you don't mind changing numbers every 120 days.

[Snackers]

+1 I've bought several on eBay for less than $2 each. That gets you 50 minutes ($7 credit), good for 120 days. Then add a $10 card or pop in a new SIM if you don't need to save the phone number. Less than $8/year to keep a phone active with a little talk time if you don't mind changing numbers every 120 days.

thats exactly what I did. I actually have ported out to another carrier and then ported back to keep my # a couple of times! H2O is great and their customer service isnt as bad as people make it out to be! You can also use att sim card which you can get for $.99!

[AxelTheClever]

H2O is a great MVNO company but if you want a "cheap-keep-alive" phone than have you considered PagePlus Cellular? [...]

Anyways, if you were looking at a GSM service then you picked the winner... H2O's standard plans cannot be beat!

There's the rub. I already have several unlocked GSM phones, including some very nice Nokia e71xes.

PagePlus is great for an occasional-use or low-use phone if you don't want a smartphone, or have an unlocked Verizon smartphone to port over. I gave a P+ phone to a friend and she loves it. But I use PlatinumTel instead, since I could get an Android phone directly from them and surf at 10 cents/MB, which is absurdly cheap for paygo data. In four months I've racked up $25 in data charges.

Yes, it's on Sprint, but by having an additional AT&T network phone, and a Google Voice number that forwards to both, I can have my cake and eat it, too.

[keyz16b]

@AxelTheClever: well if you have several unlocked gsm phones then H2O Wireless is the way to go! Besides i'm sure it'll be nice to have a CDMA phone and GSM phone for those area where either one isn't so great in coverage, heheee.

BTW, I might have to check out PlatinumTel! $0.10 cents/MB is absurdly cheap for paygo data!! WOW!! I'm going to check them out now... THANKS!

What phone are you using? Recommend?? I went to their website and their offer of a free Samsung M800 (Instinct) with their $100 service looks tempting!

[joako]

Do all the SIM cards have an ActFast code printed on them? Or is it perhaps printed on a packet that might or might not come with the SIM card?