Flexiroam Vs. BNESIM – International SIM Card

Staying connected is more important than ever, and that includes traveling. People fear being without their mobile phone while they’re still safe at home, so losing access to phone service and the internet while abroad is enough to make any traveler panic.

So how do you take the comfort of immediate access to information and everyone in your contacts list with you on those long journeys to foreign lands? Many people buy new SIM cards (either local to the country they’re visiting or global for world travel). But there are also ways to augment your current SIM card with companies like Flexiroam. But which route should you choose?
Should you go to BNESIM for a global SIM card or try converting your current SIM with Flexiroam? Here we’ve placed the two products side by side for a comparison of their most important aspects.

The physical product

The mechanical difference between the two options is that BNESIM offers a whole new SIM card for your phone, whereas Flexiroam attaches to your current SIM and converts it. Note that the Flexiroam microchip may have issues with certain SIM cards, particularly ones that have been manually cut. And of the two companies, BNESIM is the only one that works for a device with a mini SIM.

The data

Flexiroam offers access to local data packages at low costs (for example 1GB in the UK for 30 days for fifteen dollars) but you must first purchase one of their starter packs, the cheapest of which is between thirty and fifty dollars for 1 GB.
BNESIM gives you local data deals too. The process of purchasing data through them is much more straightforward, the quality of the data is better and the rates are lower. For example, you can get 1GB in the UK for five euros. It’s quite a big difference in terms of price, but what really makes the difference is the expiration: BNESIM SIM card and data credit do not expire, ever.
In fact, data expiration dates are another discrepancy between the two choices. Flexiroam does have expiration dates on their data packages. The more expensive ones are valid for up to a full year, while some of the cheaper ones are only good for a week or two. BNESIM has no expiration dates on their data. The only requirement to keep old data active is that you top off your account every six months.
Let’s talk about top-up. Buying 1GB extra with Flexiroam costs 29.99 USD – 25.78 Euro (35% more expensive) and the data credit is valid for 90 days. The lite version, costing 21.99 USD, has the same price as BNESIM but expires in 15 days.
It might look like Flexiroam and BNESIM are offering similar rates when it comes to top-ups but, as stated above, the huge difference is made by the expiration of the credit: BNESIM credit does not expire and it can be used for the next trip.
Moreover, the GB sold by Flexiroam is valid in 53 countries while the BNESIM Internet Home Countries are 64.

The network

With Flexiroam you can roam worry-free in just over 100 countries. You do have to use their app to switch between your home network and the Flexiroam X network, though, which should only be a hassle if your home is in the European Union and your travels find you dipping in and out of the E.U.
BNESIM has a larger area of coverage, working in 170 different countries. Any major travel destinations are likely to be covered by both companies, but if you’re travelling to a lesser-known corner of the world, you may have better luck with BNESIM.

Pricing

The brass tacks of most travellers’ decisions: cost. Which way to go if you’re travelling on a budget?
The average American uses about 3 GB of data per month while they’re at home, smothered in Wifi. When abroad, data usage is going to go up. So be sure to think realistically about how much data you’ll need for your trip.
Both companies offer the physical product for free (Flexiroam includes the microchip with all their starter packs and BNESIM’s actual SIM cards are currently free with the purchase of any amount of data). And neither company hits you with data roaming charges. The price difference is all in the data.
And it’s a pretty big difference, too. Flexiroam is routinely twice as expensive or more. 5 GB from BNESIM will run you about 52 dollars, while the same from Flexiroam is about 130 dollars, and that’s a sale price. BNESIM’s data packages also come in more sizes. With them, you can choose a package up to 12 GB. To purchase that amount from Flexiroam you’d have to purchase an “Xtra Data” package on top of the starter package. 12 GB through Flexiroam is going to add up to more than 200 dollars in combined packages. That’s more than three times the cost for the same data through BNESIM.
BNESIM also offers free calls and texts between people who use their SIM cards. So if you’re travelling in a group, you can all save a significant amount of money by going through BNESIM.

The verdict

Both BNESIM and Flexiroam will allow you to roam hassle-free while you travel, but in almost all cases, BNESIM is the cheaper option.
Even taking into account Flexiroam’s local data packages, you’re still more likely to find the same amount of data from BNESIM for half the cost.
There’s no benefit to overpaying for data while you travel. So if your phone’s unlocked and ready to venture around the globe, your first choice should be BNESIM.