FREETEL Prepaid Data SIM for Japan available from December 21

Source: Plus One Marketing.

Plus One Marketing, a Japanese manufacturer founded specialising in mobility hardware under the FREETEL brand, will offer the FREETEL Prepaid Data SIM for Japan* from December 21, 2015. 

Targeted at travellers to Japan, the prepaid SIM enables users to access selected social media applications such as Facebook, Kakao Talk, WeChat, LINE and WhatsApp with no data limits for seven days. In addition, users can easily add value with data recharge coupons.

The documentation comes in Japanese, English, Chinese (Traditional and Simplified), Korean, Arabic, Spanish and French, and the SIM can be bought from Yodobashi Camera and Bic Camera stores.

There are 1GB and 2GB packages, available for seven and 30 days respectively for both micro and nano SIMs.

Interested?

Read the WorkSmart Asia blog posts about:
JAL's Explorer Pass, a domestic travel offer for travellers
Yummy Japan: YouTube introductions to Japanese food, culture and places
The insider guide to Shizuoka

*A Wi-Fi connection may be required for setting up the APN settings for iPhone and iPad.
The available network depends on the LTE/3G coverage of NTT DoCoMo.

Frequency bands supported: 4G/LTE: B1(2,100MHz)/ B19(800MHz)/ B21(1,500MHz)/ B3(1,800MHz), 3G/WCDMA: B1(2,100MHz)/ B6/19(800MHz).

Returns and/or exchanges will not be accepted after the package has been opened. SIM cards cannot be reissued. 

SIM cards can only be used for the limited period shown on the packaging.
After the high-speed allotment limit has been surpassed, the maximum data speeds will be reduced to 150Kbps.

Singtel launches upgrade offer for 2G phone owners

Singtel has launched an offer in conjunction with the announcement that 2G services will be terminated in Singapore by April 2017.

Source: Singtel.

The Alcatel Onetouch 2052x costs S$48 while the Onetouch Pop D3 is priced at S$95. 

Prepaid subscribers receive a bonus of S$70 worth of free talktime and 350MB of data, plus S$30 free talktime when a 2G phone is traded in.

Postpaid subscribers receive 20% off their monthly subscriptions if the subscriptions are for Silver Plan Combo 1 and 2.

The offer is available at all Singtel shops and Singtel Exclusive Retailers from today.

Need context?

Read the WorkSmart Asia blog post about the move from 2G services to focus on 3G and 4G

Digi prepaid customers stand to win smartphones, tablets and cars this May 2015

Source: Digi. Thrane.

As part of its 20th anniversary celebrations, Digi Telecommunication (Digi) is rewarding its prepaid customers with smartphones, tablets and cars throughout the month of May. 

Customers who reload their prepaid credit from 1 to 31 May stand to win prizes including 20 smartphones a day, 200 tablet devices a week and, for two grand prizes, Ford Rangers. To win, customers simply need to reload credit and, if chosen, answer a question to land themselves one of the prizes. Prizes are not limited to one per winner and customers can reload as many times as they want to participate.

“We’re happy to celebrate our 20th year with our customers. This contest is just one of the ways we would like to show our appreciation for our customers’ loyalty by rewarding them with great prizes,” said Christian Thrane, Digi’s CMO. According to Thrane, the Digi prepaid reload and win contest is just one in a series of surprises and rewards for customers this month. 

"Our mission of bringing Internet for All and becoming Malaysia’s best mobile internet provider for the mass market is something we hold on to strongly and we have also invested heavily in our infrastructure to bring the best and most consistent high speed mobile internet network to our customers.” 

The company now covers 87% of populated areas with its 3G network while expanding its 4G LTE footprint to serve 33% of populated areas at the end of Q1 2015. Digi is the fastest growing LTE network in Malaysia today.

Interested?

Watch out for more anniversary promotions on the Digi website.

Telecom Square rolls out Wi-Ho! prepaid SIM for data services

Source: Telecom Square website.

Telecom Square has launched the sales Wi - Ho! Prepaid SIM for overseas visitors to Japan. The service allows visitors to Japan to use the Internet by inserting the SIM into their own devices, and includes three free sessions of telephone interpretation for English, Chinese, or Korean.

Plans are available for 1GB (4,500 yen) and 3GB (6,500 yen), with recharges of 1GB at 1,980 yen. The service allows download speeds of up to 150 Mbps and support is available in English, Chinese, Korean, and Japanese, and lasts for 30 days.

The company also offers a Wi-Fi router for those who have multiple devices.

Australian businesses can use uChoose for corporate rewards

Source: uChoose website.

i2c, a provider of card processing and emerging financial services solutions, and Corporate Prepaid Solutions (CPS), a prepaid programme manager, have launched the first of several corporate prepaid programmes with the uChoose corporate rewards gift card in Australia. 

The uChoose card, powered by i2c’s global processing platform, is a turnkey solution for companies that wish to offer a Visa-branded gift card. Companies can customise the card to align with their brands. The card can be used anywhere Visa is accepted, offering recipients the freedom to spend their gifts at millions of merchant locations worldwide.

“UChoose offers companies across Australia the ability to choose prepaid gift cards that fit their brands and budgets. As our processor, i2c played an important role in enabling us to build a solution that offers simplified program setups and card ordering, quick turnaround times and reliable global acceptance,” says Kristy Allen, GM, Operations at CPS.

Air China offering 50% lower excess baggage fees to North America if prepaid

Air China has become the first domestic carrier to introduce prepaid excess baggage fee services on routes to North America. Passengers on Air China-operated flights between North America and Beijing whose checked baggage exceeds the allowance can pay in advance for their excess baggage through Air China's ticketing offices worldwide or via the Air China Members Services Center hotline. 

Prepaid excess baggage fees will cost 50% less than those that passengers usually have to pay when checking in at the airport, amounting to RMB 650/piece, or equivalent in local currency. 

The prepaid excess baggage fee service is applicable to Air China's direct flights between Beijing and seven North American cities including Los Angeles, New York, Washington, San Francisco, Houston, Hawaii and Vancouver. The baggage cannot exceed 158cm in the sum of its length, width and height and must not exceed 23kg in weight. Each passenger can pay in advance for up to two pieces of excess baggage on each flight. 

Passengers can pay for the service 24 hours before flight departure through Air China's ticketing offices worldwide or via the Air China Members Services Center hotline. Passengers need only show proof of their payment to Air China's staff at check-in at the airport to have their excess baggage checked in.

Other services that Air China has introduced recently include self-service check-in, baggage through check-in and boarding gate standby, all of which enhance travel experiences for passengers.

NTT offers traveller's SIM with 100MB a day for 14 days in Japan

Source: OCN website.

NTT Communications (NTT Com), the ICT solutions and international communications business within the NTT Group, has introduced a prepaid LTE data service, the OCN mobile ONE Prepaid SIM for Visitor. The service allows business travellers visiting Japan to enjoy up to 100MB of data per day for 14 days.

The package has a list price of JPY3,500 excluding tax, and offers maximum download speeds of 150 Mbps (uploads at 50 Mbps) nationwide. Speeds fall after the 100 MB limit every day to 200 Kbps till midnight of that day.

Source: NTT.

A website is available in English and Japanese, with Chinese supported from July. The manual is available in Chinese (traditional and simplified), English, Korean, Japanese and Thai, and a helpdesk supports Chinese, English, Korean and Japanese.

The SIM card can be purchased outside of Japan and picked up upon arrival in Japan at one of several airport post offices (Narita, Haneda, Kansai, Chubu Centrair, New-Chitose, Fukuoka, Kagoshima or Naha) or at selected hotels.

Those already in Japan can buy the prepaid SIM card from a vending machine at Narita Excel Hotel Tokyu or at an XCom Global counter at Narita, Haneda, Kansai or Chubu Centrair airports.

Sales in Hong Kong and Taiwan are planned in the coming months in partnership with Kadokawa. Additional purchase points, including vending machines, travel agents and hotels, are expected to be added.

As a further convenience, including access to unrestricted data, travellers are encouraged to download the app for the Japan Connected-free Wi-Fi service which is provided by NTT-BP, an NTT Group company. The service provides access to about 19,000 free Wi-Fi hotspots around Japan, including at major airports, stations and shops. 

Prepaid MasterCards of solid silver, gold and platinum launched

Source: Pure + Solid.

Pure and Solid has taken six years of development to produce payment cards for international monetary transactions made from precious metals. 

The Pure + Solid Prepaid MasterCard cards made of platinum (Pt999), gold (18k) or silver (Ag925), and are not restricted to a specific level of income or funds nor to minimum spend requirements. There is a minimum amount of US$100, GBP100 or€100 to be loaded onto the card, however.

While the cards are targeted at the luxury market, they could potentially be deployed as corporate cards, or in situations where expenditure above a specific amount should not be exceeded.

Pure and Solid says the cards can be used for electronic payments. All cards are delivered to customers with a certificate of authenticity within four to ten weeks of ordering and are valid for 60 months. Every card also comes with a Priority Pass to the VIP lounges of world's largest independent airport lounge access programme.

The Pure + Solid Platinum MasterCard is available for €28,690. View the card fees and limits here.