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Keitai contract period

Drkns

後輩
9 Jun 2004
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Hey all,

I'm going to be getting a keitai for a 3 month stay in Japan this summer. As I've a few friends I'll be wanting to keep in close contact with, I'd like to get a package allowing the sending quite a lot of mails and probably an hour or two of talk time each month.

Now, to my understanding there are three options available:
- Pre-paid;
- Pre-paid rental;
- Contract phone (as your average Japanese person might have).

I would like to go with the contract phone option as I would prefer one of the more recent models. As a friend will be helping me in terms of purchasing and registering the phone (I'll be on a tourist visa and therefore can't do it myself), I'll be going onto the DoCoMo network (convenient for the friend).

However, having searched high and low (-ish), I can't seem to find specific details regarding the minimum period of subscription required by the available contracts. I'll only be there for three months, so would either like a monthly contract that I can cancel at any time or something similar that enables me to cancel the contract at the end of my stay.

Does such a contract exist? Will there be a cancellation fee, and if so, do you know how much?

Any and all help is much appreciated!

Thanks,
Drkns
 
All the times I've 'hand-held' new local English teachers through the keitai application process the minimum contract period has been for 6 months.

So I guess you need to offer to pay your Japanese friend the extra three months. If it's going to help you to 'have a good time' then it's money well spent.

--
 
Finding info is a needle-in-a-haystack proposition.

If you sign up for the 1 year discount (can't imagine why you would), the cancellation charges are laid out at:

http://www.nttdocomo.co.jp/charge/discount/ichinen/notice.html

The rate table is here:

新規申込み受付が終了の料金プラン・割引など | 料金・割引 | NTTドコモ

and I can't find any indication of a cancellation charge so long as you don't sign up for the 1 year discount plan. Not to say there isn't one....just that I can't find it.

Personally, since it's only for three months I'd try to beat down my urge to possess the latest-n-greatest gadgetry (that may or may not be useable outside Japan, be sure to check carefully) and just opt for a prepaid and throw the thing away when I'm done with it. But I'm one of those old-fashioned idiots who think phones are just for talking on.
 
Thanks for all of your responses everyone!

First off, I guess I should clarify that I'll be returning to Japan next summer ('07) and spending over a year there. That may or may not mean that I'll re-use (i.e. re-register) whatever phone I get this summer, depending upon what happens. Also, I'm not bothered about using my Japanese mobile phone in other countries, so that won't complicate matters.

As for a rental phone (Hiroyuki Nagashima), Purupuru have a maximum of 28 days rental - after which you have to return the phone to them through the post or incurr additional charges. I really don't fancy going through three phones (3 month stay). Telecom square will be wanting an up-front deposit of 30,000 Yen (the rental period exceeds one month) as well as the per-day rental cost of the phones being quite high. From what I've read on the JREF forums, Vodafone's network coverage is relatively poor when compared with AU and DoCoMo. I've not had a chance to look into G-phone yet, but just from the way this post is heading - my attempting to find a flaw in every alternative option offered - it's becoming quite apparent that I want to get a normal contract phone.

mr.sumo.snr, the question is indeed is it "going to help [me] to 'have a good time'." I suppose I'll have to seriously weight the options once I know quite where I stand with contract lengths and cancellation fees etc.

I appreciate what you're saying about beating down the urge for the lastest-n-greatest Mike, but it seems it's already too late for that. (Side note: the majority of the pre-paid ones seem to need to be returned so there's no throwing away involved). Thanks for the links - I'll check them out in a minute and get back to you with whatever I discover/conclude.

Edit: I've browsed the pages you linked Mike, but before concluding anything I'm going to consult with the friend who's going to be helping me out and check to make sure there aren't any complications on his end that might restrict which plan I go with. It won't hurt to check the details with a native Japanese speaker either.

Thanks again,
Drkns
 
Since you plan to get another year's use out of the phone later on, my earlier comments about technologically sucking it up for three months are not really applicable.
 
If you get a "contract" most of the time its to subsidise the cost of the phone - longer contract, phone price decreases. With Vodafone its a 10,000 yen fee to break contract.
 
Carlson said:
i didnt read all of the posts but whats wrong with a pre paid phone?
I think Mike mentioned this earlier, and I agree--- I would DEFINITELY go for a pre-paid phone... It all depends on whom you are going to be calling. In my experience, its relatively cheap for local calls, but achingly expensive for both i-mode & overseas calls... & a lot of people in Japan want to call home.

A pre-paid phone keeps you out of a long term contract that might cost you a lot of money to break (this scenario has come up before in the forums), and you never spend more than you can afford on your phone.
 
I used a prepaid phone for a YEAR, theres nothing wrong with them, they do everything a normal phone will (except web use, which is overrated).
 
I'll be using pre-paid phone cards (already have some unused ones from a family member) and the appropriate public phones to make international calls - if it becomes necessary. I have no intention of making them frequently.

I expect to be making a fair few local (mobile -> land line, and mobile -> mobile) calls, though. It actually seems like it will be less hassle - for me - and quite possibly a better deal if I go with a contract phone (provided I can terminate the contract without a cancellation fee). Thus, it obviously hinges on that single factor.

Pros
- Can keep the phone and thus don't need to worry about returning it;
- Have the option of using it again next summer;
- Can choose a phone model I like - within reason;
- Don't have to worry about topping up the phone's credits;
- May be a better deal in terms of costs (minus that of purchasing the phone itself).
 
No no no, a prepaid PHONE, not a card. You buy a kit which comes with credit, either 3000 or 5000 yen. You have 60 days to use this. After that you have to recharge the phone by buying more credit, either over the phone or internet, or by going to a convenience store. Rinse and repeat. When you buy a kit, you own the phone.

No contract, no hassles.
 
Ewok85 said:
No no no, a prepaid PHONE, not a card. You buy a kit which comes with credit, either 3000 or 5000 yen. You have 60 days to use this. After that you have to recharge the phone by buying more credit, either over the phone or internet, or by going to a convenience store. Rinse and repeat. When you buy a kit, you own the phone.

No contract, no hassles.

I didn't misunderstand you Ewok - I was merely stating that I *already* have cards that I can use for international calls and am therefore only thinking about local call rates for mobile to mobile and mobile to land line calls.

As for prepaid (as opposed to rental) phones, I'll have to look into that since I've only searched using 'rental' thus far. Thanks for the recommendation 👍.
 
The prepaid phone rates are usually Y100/minute though...it gets quite pricey if you will be using the phone quite often. Received calls are free though!
 
The concept of a pre-paid phone is pretty simple (though it caught on in the UK and other places well before it did in the states)... just like a pre-paid calling card, you pay for the minutes on your phone before you use them. You own the phone, you pay for minutes, you use the minutes, you buy new minutes... as Ewok said, rinse & repeat as necissary...
 
Okay, its finally crunch time. I have to decide whether I want to get a contract phone or a pre-paid phone in the next few days, since my friend is already in the process of arranging the details for the contract phone on my behalf.

So, under the assumption that there is a contract that can be cancelled after three months without a cancellation charge, and ignoring the hassle involved in getting the phone and/or signing up, I have one clear and simple question:
In terms of cost, which is the better choice? Contract or pre-paid?

I suspect the maximum number of minutes spent each month would be no more than 100, although there might be as many as 100 mails each month as well.

Thanks for all your help,
Drkns
 
Drkns said:
Okay, its finally crunch time. I have to decide whether I want to get a contract phone or a pre-paid phone in the next few days, since my friend is already in the process of arranging the details for the contract phone on my behalf.
If your friend is getting you the phone, then I am guessing that the phone will not be in your name (usually for the phone to be in your own name you would have had to already had a gaijin registration card when you got the phone), your bills will be his/her responsibility should you default on them.

I would keep this in mind, and despite the fact that you seem to be leaning away from a pre-paid phone, take it from someone who has been on the business end of a large keitai bill, that you can never default on a payment you've already made.
 
Go prepaid, I used prepaid for a year and it can be much cheaper than a contract and alot less hassle. (Plus the phones are really cool now, back in my day they were really basic).

yukio_michael said:
take it from someone who has been on the business end of a large keitai bill, that you can never default on a payment you've already made.

My record is 441,700 yen, can you beat that? 😌
 
Ewok85 said:
My record is 441,700 yen, can you beat that? 😌
Seriously!? Omg, I don't think I ever got over the 60,000 yen mark! Who did you call, --everyone--!?ツ I guess I feel a little better then!
 
Not my personal bill, but my roomates, first month as well! Used his phone to access the internet and downloaded a stupid amount only 6 hours.

Makes me laugh everytime my 7,000en bill comes in every month :D
 
Ewok85 said:
Not my personal bill, but my roomates, first month as well! Used his phone to access the internet and downloaded a stupid amount only 6 hours.
Makes me laugh everytime my 7,000en bill comes in every month :D
I don't know why it is--- I'm not familiar with the European WCDMA phones, but doing anything online with a phone in Japan is like throwing yen into a garbage can.
 
Yup, and I was impressed with the speed he did it with :p Ironically, if he had merely walked down the road to the internet cafe, that much time would have cost 3000yen at best!
 
441,700 Yen?!
I am SO not using the internet on my phone!

As for defaulting on a payment... I've got enough money to ensure that I won't be running out any time soon (probably don't appreciate just how much it's going to cost to feed, clothe, and transport myself while in Japan on my own for the first time), although it's a waste to spend more than necessary on something trivial. Ne? :)

Thanks so much for all your help guys (and girls, maybe?). I really appreciate it.

Stay tuned to find out the final decision when I return a few months from now! 🙂

Drkns
 
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