Topic Wiki

*=More info below
Company  Price  Sim  Talk/SMS  Web  Free Int'l  Signup Bonus  Israeli CC  Real TZBlackerry
Hot99₪49₪Unlimited3GB31 countries49₪/6 months*  Yes*Yes*
Golan99₪49₪UnlimitedUnlimited  53 countries  ₪59 /1st yearYesNoNo
01292₪Unlimited3GB42 countries*44₪/6 months  YesYes29₪
Rami Levy89₪59₪Unlimited1GB  No1₪/3 monthsYesYesNo
PelephoneYes*Yes*Free
Partner129/135₪*0₪*Unlimited  1GB/3GBAdd'l 20₪NoNoNo*39₪
CellcomA lot of $180₪  NoNo75₪

Rule #1- The Israeli cell phone service market is difficult. But cheap.
Rule #2- It is illegal for a company to "lock you in" a contract. ALL plans may be cancelled at any time with no penalty. Though, they do prevent you from opening and closing plans by charging a sim card "fee". This fee must always be paid even if paid for once before, and ranges from 39₪ to 180₪.
Rule #3- For those places that need an Israeli credit card, you may need to get one from an Israeli bank with a passport and income information although YMMV.
Rule #4- It is rarely, if ever, worthwhile to rent a "vacation plan" or prepaid, as the price for a regular unlimted plan for a month is less that a vacation plan for a week. Get a GSM phone that covers 900/1800 bands and save your money
Rule #5- All Israeli plans, whether regular or prepaid, include free incoming calls/texts.

Hot- 99₪ a month - includes unlimited calls, text and data (3 gb, then slow) and unlimited to 32 countries. Free home internet supply included. They currently have an offer if you port a number from a different network, to get the first six months for just 49₪ a month. You can move your package to a 10₪ a month plan, which includes 50 minutes and texts. You can also freeze the line once a year for up to 3 months. Regarding signup- you can use an American CC and fake TZ over the phone as one user has done.

Golan - Service is passable, but can be subpar in certain areas. There are two plans with Golan. There's the 99₪ unlimited talk/text/internet/international calling plan, which also gives you up to 2 virtual foreign numbers. This plan also includes for many countries unlimited global data roaming (6GB high-speed), incoming calls & texts, and calls & texts to Israel. They also offer a ₪29 per day data-roaming plan which gives 100MB a day in these countries. These roaming options can be very useful for foreigners regardless of whether they need Golan for Israel. See their website for details.There's a promo deal to get the 99 plan for ₪59 /month for the 1st year. There's also a ₪10 a month plan, which includes 60 min for domestic/US & CA and landlines in many countries, unlimited SMS and 10 MB of Internet, with add'l mins ₪.18 domestic, ₪.08 to US/CA and landlines in many countries, and data ₪.09 /MB. Its great for those short trips here. SIM should work in an iPad for data; you can also order a car SIM which will allow you to have 2 SIMs which draw from same plan.
[To get the sim in the USA before your trip:  golanusa.net will ship it to you for $14 (more for rush) and the 49 nis for the sim. Golan bills on the 25th of the month.  The days before the first 25th are freeprorated.(So for a trip between the 26th and the 24th of the month, you don't pay the 59 nis or 99 nis plan fee.)]

012mobile - Runs on Partner service, you will get an 054 number (unless you ported). Unlimited - 49₪ for the first 6 months and 92₪ from thereon after for unlimited everything too. Includes 3GB Data and 500 minutes to US/CA (any phone) and 40 other countries (landlines only). 9₪ plan includes 60 minutes, 60 SMS, and 100MB data. Additional domestic minutes/SMS are ₪ .09, Int'l calls to to US/CA (any phone) and 40 other countries (landlines only) are ₪ .25 per min. Add'l data bundles are available starting from ₪ 19 for 1 GB. 5GB Laptop/Tablet (data only) is 98₪.

Pelephone - Online, they accept fake TZ and US CC.

Partner - 129₪ a month for unlimited talk, text, and 1GB. 135₪ for 3GB. Family plans are cheaper.Free sim for online orders. Extra 20₪/mo. for 500 min. int'l calling. Extra 39₪ for Blackberry. May need to give 500₪ deposit that you (may) get back when you cancel the plan.  One can freeze line without charges for up to 3 months when not needed (not sure if allowed more than once per 12 months).

Freedomhot.com - 2/19/2023 - They have local pickup in lots of major frum areas and delivery too. They accept US CC. Runs on Hot Mobile. Copying and pasting from their website.
All monthly plans include: Unlimited Calls & Texts to Israeli phone numbers Unlimited outgoing calls to USA and Canada and landlines to 33 additional countries.
Unlimited incoming calls and texts from anywhere in the world. Prices include all taxes.
59 Shekels - 70GB LTE Internet Data
79 shekels - 150GB LTE Internet Data
KOSHER - Voice Only - 64 Shekels
One-time SIM card fee: 49 Shekels
Optional: add a virtual USA number for $15 per month

Misc. Info
APN settings

On Hot Mobile you can check how much data was consumed either by downloading the app or by texting גלישה  to phone number 530 from your hot mobile phone,you can as well try calling this number *6733.

Note by Menucha:
Please note: as of 4/1/13, most carriers reduce period of intro rates and at times increased cost for monthly intro. I suggest we leave the above as is, but please keep in mind new changed, which are not negotiable and based on govt agreements. monthly flat rate is still great and same. (post intro)
Also, while reps wont tell you, typically you will get longer intro rate if you activate account on your own on line, and not via rep (phone or store). confirmed with carrier. Enjoy! flat monthly, even without intro rate is still one of the lowest you will come across in the west!

Israeli cellphone rentals:

1) Talkinisrael.com
Phone: +972587564477
Whatsapp: +972536299365
Email: info@talkinisrael.com 
if you should have any problems feel free to send me a pm and I will try to help you the best I can.
Plans for sale here are primarily for long term rentals.(students and the like.)


2) Israel Rent-a-cell SIM card or eSIM with calling and data. Also you can get SIMs for Israel Kosher phones!
Contact at Israelrentacell@gmail.com or WhatsApp 972-55-333-1234
Overnight or standard delivery in USA/delivery in Israel! Pickup locations in Lakewood and Israel.
* Unlimited calls and texts in Israel
* Unlimited calls to USA, Canada and landlines in 35 countries
* Unlimited incoming calls
* 70 GB of data (can add an extra 80GB of data)
* eSIMs available!
* Free voicemail
Student discount available, $29.97 monthly, including tax! Never surprise charges or hidden fees!

3) Cellular Israel - 072-224-3300 or 718-289-0195 Full Service - short term and long term, rent phones, Kosher phones, SIM cards, mifi devices, Waze by the day or month. American Customer Service!
info@cellularisrael.com

4) Simforisrael@gmail.com free delivery to anywhere

5) UnlimitedIsrael (DansDeals Advertiser with many positive reviews on DDMS & DDF) is the leading provider of SIM card & iPhone rentals for Israel in the US.
  • Unlimited calls & texts within Israel
  • Unlimited calling to the US and Canada
  • Lightning Fast 4G Internet Speeds
  • Unlimited 4G data
  • Sim Cards - $5/day
  • iPhones - $45/week
  • Kosher Phone - $4/day
  • Mifi Hotspot - $6/day
Use code SUAVE10 for 10% off any order
« Last edited by shmuelb on August 06, 2023, 12:48:30 PM »

Author Topic: Cell Phones in Israel  (Read 1379971 times)

Offline yochiek93

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Re: Cell Phones in Israel
« Reply #4000 on: May 20, 2015, 09:00:18 AM »
Poidh, unless you're talking about what emkay is saying... The first month you can cancel and not pay
i ported my number so that couldve been the reason

Offline dpeikes

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Re: Cell Phones in Israel
« Reply #4001 on: May 20, 2015, 11:57:46 AM »
Ok folks:
We are going to Israel for 2 weeks in August and I have a Sprint Samsung Galaxy S5 and my wife has a Sprint Samsung Galaxy S5 Sport.  We are looking for voice, text, and data with the ability to call the US and receive calls from the US while we are there without getting charged up the wazoo.
It looks like my best bet is to get our phones unlocked by sprint and sign up for an Israeli carrier for a month and cancel.
Does anyone have any specific experience with this type of situation?
Do my assumptions above sound right?
Who is the best option for an Israeli carrier with what plan? I am thinking Golan but not sure.
What is the best way to get the SIM for a carrier?
Are there any details I am missing?
Are there any "gotchas" I need to look out for?

Offline Mutty

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Re: Cell Phones in Israel
« Reply #4002 on: May 20, 2015, 01:28:28 PM »
Ok folks:
We are going to Israel for 2 weeks in August and I have a Sprint Samsung Galaxy S5 and my wife has a Sprint Samsung Galaxy S5 Sport.  We are looking for voice, text, and data with the ability to call the US and receive calls from the US while we are there without getting charged up the wazoo.
It looks like my best bet is to get our phones unlocked by sprint and sign up for an Israeli carrier for a month and cancel.
Does anyone have any specific experience with this type of situation?
Do my assumptions above sound right?
Who is the best option for an Israeli carrier with what plan? I am thinking Golan but not sure.
What is the best way to get the SIM for a carrier?
Are there any details I am missing?
Are there any "gotchas" I need to look out for?

I have almost the same question. I have two Iphone 4s's that are supposed to be unlocked and I'm using 2 Iphone 6's right now. I'd prefer getting the 6's unlocked since they have all our info. One thing to add. Can we somehow get our regular phone numbers to go to the unlocked phones, and email and text, or is that a fortune.
“You see things; you say, 'Why?' But I dream things that never were; and I say 'Why not?”

Offline cozmohoot

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Re: Cell Phones in Israel
« Reply #4003 on: May 20, 2015, 01:35:57 PM »
What carrier are you with? Sprint, Verizon?
You can forward ur number to the local number golan gives which would allow you to get your calls. Texts won't forward once a new sim is in the phone

Offline Mutty

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Re: Cell Phones in Israel
« Reply #4004 on: May 20, 2015, 01:44:24 PM »
What carrier are you with? Sprint, Verizon?
You can forward ur number to the local number golan gives which would allow you to get your calls. Texts won't forward once a new sim is in the phone
ATT
“You see things; you say, 'Why?' But I dream things that never were; and I say 'Why not?”

Offline yitrap

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Re: Cell Phones in Israel
« Reply #4005 on: May 20, 2015, 02:36:08 PM »
Ok folks:
We are going to Israel for 2 weeks in August and I have a Sprint Samsung Galaxy S5 and my wife has a Sprint Samsung Galaxy S5 Sport.  We are looking for voice, text, and data with the ability to call the US and receive calls from the US while we are there without getting charged up the wazoo.
It looks like my best bet is to get our phones unlocked by sprint and sign up for an Israeli carrier for a month and cancel.
Does anyone have any specific experience with this type of situation?
Do my assumptions above sound right?
Who is the best option for an Israeli carrier with what plan? I am thinking Golan but not sure.
What is the best way to get the SIM for a carrier?
Are there any details I am missing?
Are there any "gotchas" I need to look out for?
Sounds right.
I would go with Golan
In the US I can't help you, you can get a plan once you land but that means you can't forward your calls
(unless you forward to google voice before you leave and then forward google voice to the american number you get)
If you cancel within the first month you generally don't get charged for the plan just the sim, the month cycles on the 25th

Offline dpeikes

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Re: Cell Phones in Israel
« Reply #4006 on: May 20, 2015, 04:30:16 PM »
Sounds right.
I would go with Golan
In the US I can't help you, you can get a plan once you land but that means you can't forward your calls
(unless you forward to google voice before you leave and then forward google voice to the american number you get)
If you cancel within the first month you generally don't get charged for the plan just the sim, the month cycles on the 25th

Good thing we leave for back for the US on the 25th

Offline tjak

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Cell Phones in Israel
« Reply #4007 on: May 20, 2015, 04:31:41 PM »
Good thing we leave for back for the US on the 25th
Make sure to cancel by the 24th.

Offline yitrap

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Re: Cell Phones in Israel
« Reply #4008 on: May 20, 2015, 04:32:06 PM »
Good thing we leave for back for the US on the 25th
Call a few days in advance generally they offer to only cancel the line on the 25th, the only thing is they cancel 24th at 11:59 IIRC so you may be without a phone for a bit.

Offline dpeikes

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Re: Cell Phones in Israel
« Reply #4009 on: May 20, 2015, 04:56:56 PM »
So it looks like the 99₪ plan from Golan is my best option.
Can anyone confirm that this will allow me to make calls to US without any additional charge?
Has anyone used it before?
Do I just call sprint to have them unlock my phone?
How do I get the SIM from Golan?  Do I just have it delivered to my relatives house in Israel?
Should I use an Israeli address on the account?
Do they start the clock for charging me once I activate or once I order?
Should I use a passport # or a TZ#? Does it make a difference what I put down for the number?
What else do I need to know?


Offline sky121

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Re: Cell Phones in Israel
« Reply #4010 on: May 20, 2015, 05:12:48 PM »
So it looks like the 99₪ plan from Golan is my best option.
Can anyone confirm that this will allow me to make calls to US without any additional charge?
Has anyone used it before?
Do I just call sprint to have them unlock my phone?
How do I get the SIM from Golan?  Do I just have it delivered to my relatives house in Israel?
Should I use an Israeli address on the account?
Do they start the clock for charging me once I activate or once I order?
Should I use a passport # or a TZ#? Does it make a difference what I put down for the number?
What else do I need to know?
Yes it allows you unlimited minutes to the US.
And yes you need your phone unlocked.
You can order the SIM to family.
"Not all who wander are lost"

Offline dpeikes

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Re: Cell Phones in Israel
« Reply #4011 on: May 20, 2015, 05:16:53 PM »
Yes it allows you unlimited minutes to the US.
And yes you need your phone unlocked.
You can order the SIM to family.
Thanks!

Offline yitrap

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Re: Cell Phones in Israel
« Reply #4012 on: May 20, 2015, 05:20:19 PM »
Should I use a passport # or a TZ#? Does it make a difference what I put down for the number?
What else do I need to know?
It doesn't make a difference just remember which one you did cause you need it to access your account.
APN settings....
internet.golantelecom.net.il

Offline moeg

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Re: Cell Phones in Israel
« Reply #4013 on: May 21, 2015, 06:41:08 AM »
So it looks like the 99₪ plan from Golan is my best option.
Can anyone confirm that this will allow me to make calls to US without any additional charge?
Has anyone used it before?
Do I just call sprint to have them unlock my phone?
How do I get the SIM from Golan?  Do I just have it delivered to my relatives house in Israel?
Should I use an Israeli address on the account?
Do they start the clock for charging me once I activate or once I order?
Should I use a passport # or a TZ#? Does it make a difference what I put down for the number?
What else do I need to know?
There is a new website that ships golan sims to the U.S. Try it out, let us all know how it goes.
golanusa.net

Offline Emkay

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Re: Cell Phones in Israel
« Reply #4014 on: May 21, 2015, 06:46:45 AM »
There is a new website that ships golan sims to the U.S. Try it out, let us all know how it goes.
golanusa.net
nice idea, at shipping starting at $15 im sure many will bite

Offline Emkay

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Re: Cell Phones in Israel
« Reply #4015 on: May 21, 2015, 06:47:49 AM »
i can use my golan phone in america to place calls to america and Israel?

Offline yitrap

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Re: Cell Phones in Israel
« Reply #4016 on: May 21, 2015, 07:00:20 AM »
i can use my golan phone in america to place calls to america and Israel?
You can but it will cost.

https://golantelecom.co.il/web/roamingTariffs.php

Offline Emkay

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Re: Cell Phones in Israel
« Reply #4017 on: May 21, 2015, 07:03:11 AM »
You can but it will cost.

https://golantelecom.co.il/web/roamingTariffs.php
Didn't seem like that from the link he just posted

Offline yitrap

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Re: Cell Phones in Israel
« Reply #4018 on: May 21, 2015, 07:05:01 AM »
Didn't seem like that from the link he just posted
You're right didn't even look but they're wrong, Pesach time they were still charging

Offline moeg

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Re: Cell Phones in Israel
« Reply #4019 on: May 21, 2015, 07:20:44 AM »
i can use my golan phone in america to place calls to america and Israel?
From US to the US will cost a few (i think 7.5) shek a minute.
From US to israel with the callback will cost .99 shek per minute.