Birdie still ok?

[HK_Katherine]

@HK_Katherine did you have to enable Roaming Voice Services to just receive SMS? Or enable anything else? I don't really need the voice services but just receiving SMS for verification purposes. Thanks

I did have both voice and data roaming enabled. So I don't know if it would have worked without. Actually - I do. They disabled my voice roaming when I didn't pay a roaming bill (it was extortioate, I was disputing it) but my texts kept coming through.

So I would disable voice roaming if I were you. The charges to answer those spam calls are ludicrous. Just one or two second call to identify it's spam and hang up - 10-20HKD. Disgusting. I will be checking alternatives to Birdie at some point because of this.

[Football16]

I signed up for Birdie recently for overseas banking purposes and the need to register my new HK mobile number.

Worked great the first time as it requires the e-Sim.

Last week I tried to download the mobile security key and needed the verification code.

The 5 codes (as I hit Send Again) didn't start arriving until 4 hours later when 3 hit my phone and 7 hours later when the next 2 codes (all expired arrived).

My iPhone XR is compatible for dual sims and I have the settings correct for notifications from Birdie.

Before I give it a second shot am I missing something as to why there'd be a delay like that?

[HK_Katherine]

I tried to use a Birdie day pass in Macau recently. Absolutely USELESS. Did not work at all. And their voice roaming charges are astronomical. I have now turned off roaming and it forces people to send me an email or whatsapp and I call them back on skype. If anyone has any suggestions for SIM with low cost in HK and decent roaming, let me know. I currently use my Thai AIS SIM for data roaming outside of HK. Cheaper and better than Birdie.

[bdw]

I tried to use a Birdie day pass in Macau recently. Absolutely USELESS. Did not work at all. And their voice roaming charges are astronomical. I have now turned off roaming and it forces people to send me an email or whatsapp and I call them back on skype. If anyone has any suggestions for SIM with low cost in HK and decent roaming, let me know. I currently use my Thai AIS SIM for data roaming outside of HK. Cheaper and better than Birdie.

Sorry to ask the obvious, but you did purchase a day pass for Macau beforehand right? Otherwise not sure what your issue was. I was in Japan recently and Birdie worked fine. HK$12/day and I even stuck the SIM in a 10000mah portable wifi router so that my family of 4 could all share the sim when out and about in Japan for the price of only one.

[HK_Katherine]

Sorry to ask the obvious, but you did purchase a day pass for Macau beforehand right? Otherwise not sure what your issue was. I was in Japan recently and Birdie worked fine. HK$12/day and I even stuck the SIM in a 10000mah portable wifi router so that my family of 4 could all share the sim when out and about in Japan for the price of only one.

Yep. Had a day pass available and it was used for the 100kb or so of data that snuck through. Not enough to open a web page but enough to get charged. I complained to them and they said I should have rebooted my phone (which I did try actually). My AIS operates without rebooting flawlessly (so far) but only has 10 day packages.... not single day ones.

[timonoj]

I tried to use a Birdie day pass in Macau recently. Absolutely USELESS. Did not work at all. And their voice roaming charges are astronomical. I have now turned off roaming and it forces people to send me an email or whatsapp and I call them back on skype. If anyone has any suggestions for SIM with low cost in HK and decent roaming, let me know. I currently use my Thai AIS SIM for data roaming outside of HK. Cheaper and better than Birdie.

I use SoSim these days. Their roaming packages are kinda cheap, at least until I find a proper local sim if I'm going to stay for longer than a weekend. HK$12 per day for most Asian countries, but only gives you 500MB. Plenty for traveling and finding your way around things if not using video.

[Football16]

I tried to use a Birdie day pass in Macau recently. Absolutely USELESS. Did not work at all. And their voice roaming charges are astronomical. I have now turned off roaming and it forces people to send me an email or whatsapp and I call them back on skype. If anyone has any suggestions for SIM with low cost in HK and decent roaming, let me know. I currently use my Thai AIS SIM for data roaming outside of HK. Cheaper and better than Birdie.

If you can do it the Whatsapp and Skype way, great.

As I took a new HK mobile number, I'm not getting spams and calls I don't want/need.

I fixed the SMS delay as my phone which I thought was configured right, wasn't. To be sure it works, I had been pulling out my SIM but now no longer need to do that.

Had to activate roaming for calls and put up HKD $500 to get it and my bill in Canada via Telus was HKD$1344 with multiple calls. Paid that out and reactivated again as I need to take one more call from HK that they'll only place to my registered HK mobile.

Now waiting for the final call then I can go back to normal.

My sense is that the long calls drove it way up as I'm sure Telus is ripping off its visitors.