Smart World Travel WiFi Review
It has been more than 8 months since my last useful travel blog post. And I surely like to make your time worthwhile with this "after hiatus" entry.
Last June, I got an awesome opportunity to visit Israel, The Holy Land. As for any travel agent, internet connection is a must in our every out of the country trips. I swore to myself I would never use Globe's postpaid roaming services again (after a series of ridiculous charges last 2015). So whenever I'm out of the country, I would either rent a pocket wifi at my country destination, or buy a local sim.
I was on a familiarization trip in Israel, and our itinerary is super packed. So to not be a cause of delay, I opted to rent a pocket wifi from here. That's where Smart World Travel Wifi enters.
Booking the smart travel wifi is easy peasy. You just have to fill in info on their website, pay for it via credit card at checkout, verify your order via email and you're all set. What's good about it, is a courier will deliver/pick up the item for free if you reside in Metro Manila. The device will be delivered 1-2 days before your indicated trip departure. You must present a valid id and present it to the courier upon delivery. That's it, you're ready to go.
What's not so good about it is that, you are required to pay a PHP 4,000 refundable deposit too. So in my case, since I rented it for 7 days, my credit card was charged 7,567.46 (including a Debit Card /Credit Card Transaction Fee: Php 137.46). That's 490 x 7, + 4,000.
Unlike with my previous experience in renting pocket wifi abroad. (I've used pocket wifi rental in Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan). A refundable deposit is not directly charge to your credit card. It's only a floating amount. You will only be charged for it if you do not return the device. So your card will only get charged for the days you will rent the pocket wifi.
And that's where Smart not being transparent in their FAQ's section. You'll have the assumption that the credit is somehow quick.
They say that they will credit back the deposit once receipt of the device in good condition. 5-7 working days to credit should be sufficient. From my experience, they credited back the amount after 3 weeks.
Overall, I can say that it is still reliable. The signal though is still dependent on each countries partner telecom company. But in Israel, the Smart Travel Wifi got better signal and connection compared to our bus' wifi and even with the hotel's. I just hope that they include partnership with Jordan and Egypt soon, since most Holy Land Pilgrimage tours include these countries.
Smart Travel Wifi is in partnership with Sky Roam. The only difference is that Smart Travel Wifi provides free pick up and delivery, while with Sky Roam you'll pay Php 150 for courier service.
Overall, I am satisfied with Smart Travel Wifi. I just think that the refundable deposit should not be charged to the card right away, it should just be a floating amount.
But nonetheless, it made my trip to Israel a memorable and productive one. I was able to be instantly connected to my loved ones, clients, colleagues and my staff in the Philippines.
Last June, I got an awesome opportunity to visit Israel, The Holy Land. As for any travel agent, internet connection is a must in our every out of the country trips. I swore to myself I would never use Globe's postpaid roaming services again (after a series of ridiculous charges last 2015). So whenever I'm out of the country, I would either rent a pocket wifi at my country destination, or buy a local sim.
I was on a familiarization trip in Israel, and our itinerary is super packed. So to not be a cause of delay, I opted to rent a pocket wifi from here. That's where Smart World Travel Wifi enters.
Booking the smart travel wifi is easy peasy. You just have to fill in info on their website, pay for it via credit card at checkout, verify your order via email and you're all set. What's good about it, is a courier will deliver/pick up the item for free if you reside in Metro Manila. The device will be delivered 1-2 days before your indicated trip departure. You must present a valid id and present it to the courier upon delivery. That's it, you're ready to go.
What's not so good about it is that, you are required to pay a PHP 4,000 refundable deposit too. So in my case, since I rented it for 7 days, my credit card was charged 7,567.46 (including a Debit Card /Credit Card Transaction Fee: Php 137.46). That's 490 x 7, + 4,000.
Unlike with my previous experience in renting pocket wifi abroad. (I've used pocket wifi rental in Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan). A refundable deposit is not directly charge to your credit card. It's only a floating amount. You will only be charged for it if you do not return the device. So your card will only get charged for the days you will rent the pocket wifi.
And that's where Smart not being transparent in their FAQ's section. You'll have the assumption that the credit is somehow quick.
They say that they will credit back the deposit once receipt of the device in good condition. 5-7 working days to credit should be sufficient. From my experience, they credited back the amount after 3 weeks.
Overall, I can say that it is still reliable. The signal though is still dependent on each countries partner telecom company. But in Israel, the Smart Travel Wifi got better signal and connection compared to our bus' wifi and even with the hotel's. I just hope that they include partnership with Jordan and Egypt soon, since most Holy Land Pilgrimage tours include these countries.
Smart Travel Wifi is in partnership with Sky Roam. The only difference is that Smart Travel Wifi provides free pick up and delivery, while with Sky Roam you'll pay Php 150 for courier service.
Overall, I am satisfied with Smart Travel Wifi. I just think that the refundable deposit should not be charged to the card right away, it should just be a floating amount.
But nonetheless, it made my trip to Israel a memorable and productive one. I was able to be instantly connected to my loved ones, clients, colleagues and my staff in the Philippines.
.jpg)
0 comments:
Post a Comment