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 1355342 times)

Offline Kabrams1618

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Re: Cell Phones in Israel
« Reply #4840 on: July 25, 2016, 02:37:48 AM »
thanks.  If someone in the us is trying to call me in London, can they call my virtual us number or only the israeli number?

Offline Live N Learn

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Re: Cell Phones in Israel
« Reply #4841 on: July 25, 2016, 02:49:47 AM »
thanks.  If someone in the us is trying to call me in London, can they call my virtual us number or only the israeli number?

Both should work.
".איזהו חכם, הלומד מכל אדם"

Offline Yissroel

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Re: Cell Phones in Israel
« Reply #4842 on: July 25, 2016, 03:29:02 AM »
I think on July 15th they were supposed to change to the 15th.
they changed the billing date to the 15th  AND NO MORE FREE DAYS its prorated
www.cellularisrael.com, Cheapest Cellphone Deals In Israel - Sales and Rentals

Offline ExGingi

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Re: Cell Phones in Israel
« Reply #4843 on: August 01, 2016, 12:22:26 PM »
Just looked at my Golan bill and realized that I had quite a bit of overage for SMS to the US.

I guess I forgot that outgoing SMS to the US are NOT included part of ANY of their plans.

Since a smartphone is not an option, and since WhatsApp is discontinuing support for Nokia phones in December (otherwise a Nokia 208 would have been a viable option) I am looking for a viable alternative to have my son send me SMS from Israel without incurring overages.

So far, I've found one DID provider that gives an Israeli DID that can accept SMS for $2 per month without any additional charges for incoming SMS. I've tried MisparChinam.com, but it doesn't get SMS.

Does anyone have any other good solutions for unlimited SMS from Israel to the US?
I've been waiting over 5 years with bated breath for someone to say that!
-- Dan

Offline David Smith

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Re: Cell Phones in Israel
« Reply #4844 on: August 01, 2016, 12:29:22 PM »
Just looked at my Golan bill and realized that I had quite a bit of overage for SMS to the US.

I guess I forgot that outgoing SMS to the US are NOT included part of ANY of their plans.

Since a smartphone is not an option, and since WhatsApp is discontinuing support for Nokia phones in December (otherwise a Nokia 208 would have been a viable option) I am looking for a viable alternative to have my son send me SMS from Israel without incurring overages.

So far, I've found one DID provider that gives an Israeli DID that can accept SMS for $2 per month without any additional charges for incoming SMS. I've tried MisparChinam.com, but it doesn't get SMS.

Does anyone have any other good solutions for unlimited SMS from Israel to the US?
Do you consider a BlackBerry with WhatsApp a smartphone?
Who do you think you are fooling? You think you are going to pull a quick one on your Creator? Good luck with that.
JTZ

Offline ExGingi

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Re: Cell Phones in Israel
« Reply #4845 on: August 01, 2016, 01:17:57 PM »
Do you consider a BlackBerry with WhatsApp a smartphone?
It's not what I consider, it's what the yeshiva considers.

IINM Blackberry support is also being discontinued for WhatsApp
I've been waiting over 5 years with bated breath for someone to say that!
-- Dan

Offline ExGingi

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Re: Cell Phones in Israel
« Reply #4846 on: August 01, 2016, 01:20:00 PM »
So far, I've found one DID provider that gives an Israeli DID that can accept SMS for $2 per month without any additional charges for incoming SMS. I've tried MisparChinam.com, but it doesn't get SMS.

Just thought I'd give an update on the above.

The site is Zadarama.com, it is based in Bulgaria.

If you want to pay by CC, they ask you to upload scan of your ID. I didn't feel safe with that, so I paid by PayPal (minimum is $5 for either option).

However, it seems that in order to receive SMS, I still need to upload a copy of my ID. I am a little scared to do that. Any suggestions or experience?
I've been waiting over 5 years with bated breath for someone to say that!
-- Dan

Offline SZY

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Re: Cell Phones in Israel
« Reply #4847 on: August 01, 2016, 01:50:08 PM »
Is Golan the cheapest plan for a kosher phone plan?

Offline Yissroel

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Re: Cell Phones in Israel
« Reply #4848 on: August 03, 2016, 04:44:57 AM »
Is Golan the cheapest plan for a kosher phone plan?
yes, Hot is also not bad just another 12 shekel (sim free)
www.cellularisrael.com, Cheapest Cellphone Deals In Israel - Sales and Rentals

Offline Live N Learn

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Re: Cell Phones in Israel
« Reply #4849 on: August 03, 2016, 05:39:28 AM »
Is Golan the cheapest plan for a kosher phone plan?

Golan is the only one offering a international number for free, but if you don't need it the go with another company.
".איזהו חכם, הלומד מכל אדם"

Offline Yissroel

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Re: Cell Phones in Israel
« Reply #4850 on: August 03, 2016, 07:01:49 AM »
Golan is the only one offering a international number for free, but if you don't need it the go with another company.
תלמלד מכל אדם  for over a year golan doesn't give a free number for over a year. and you can get an international number to any company
www.cellularisrael.com, Cheapest Cellphone Deals In Israel - Sales and Rentals

Offline Live N Learn

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Re: Cell Phones in Israel
« Reply #4851 on: August 03, 2016, 12:56:15 PM »
תלמלד מכל אדם  for over a year golan doesn't give a free number for over a year. and you can get an international number to any company

Golan offers it officially, with the more expensive plan. CMIIR the others are added seperately and aren't unlimited. So the only reason I would go to Golan is if you need an international number, if not other companies are much better, and even cheaper if you do 2 lines.
".איזהו חכם, הלומד מכל אדם"

Offline Yissroel

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Re: Cell Phones in Israel
« Reply #4852 on: August 03, 2016, 02:10:51 PM »
Golan offers it officially, with the more expensive plan. CMIIR the others are added seperately and aren't unlimited. So the only reason I would go to Golan is if you need an international number, if not other companies are much better, and even cheaper if you do 2 lines.
other offer unlimited also, and if for what ever reason you want to port out to another provider you can keep your virtual number. plus for a small fee you can port you current usa number
www.cellularisrael.com, Cheapest Cellphone Deals In Israel - Sales and Rentals

Offline Live N Learn

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Re: Cell Phones in Israel
« Reply #4853 on: August 04, 2016, 02:33:23 AM »
".איזהו חכם, הלומד מכל אדם"

Offline Yissroel

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Re: Cell Phones in Israel
« Reply #4854 on: August 04, 2016, 04:38:34 AM »
www.cellularisrael.com, Cheapest Cellphone Deals In Israel - Sales and Rentals

Offline Live N Learn

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Re: Cell Phones in Israel
« Reply #4855 on: August 04, 2016, 07:54:52 AM »
cellular israel

I was talking about cellphone carriers.
".איזהו חכם, הלומד מכל אדם"

Offline Yissroel

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Re: Cell Phones in Israel
« Reply #4856 on: August 04, 2016, 07:56:36 AM »
I was talking about cellphone carriers.
true
whats the difference for the customer
www.cellularisrael.com, Cheapest Cellphone Deals In Israel - Sales and Rentals

Offline Eliyohu

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Re: Cell Phones in Israel
« Reply #4857 on: August 04, 2016, 09:42:23 AM »
Whats my cheapest option for an  android that i can purchase in USA that will work on Golan without any serious workarounds?

Offline sammy n

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Re: Cell Phones in Israel
« Reply #4858 on: August 04, 2016, 10:12:46 AM »
Whats my cheapest option for an  android that i can purchase in USA that will work on Golan without any serious workarounds?
Anything unlocked.

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Re: Cell Phones in Israel
« Reply #4859 on: August 04, 2016, 10:17:06 AM »
Anything unlocked.
From experience, it doesnt work with just any unlocked device.
Any specific device that you know works currently?