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 1355425 times)

Offline Shevach

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Re: Cell Phones in Israel
« Reply #5580 on: September 23, 2019, 04:23:52 PM »
Try 100000009 for tz
If that doesnt work on PM for another one
This comes up...

Online Yehudaa

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Re: Cell Phones in Israel
« Reply #5581 on: September 23, 2019, 04:37:57 PM »
This comes up...

So try this instead.
As a general rule, when you need a TZ number, use your Meuhedet number, Bituach Leumi number, or make one up, as per the wiki on this thread.

Offline Shevach

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Re: Cell Phones in Israel
« Reply #5582 on: September 23, 2019, 04:40:38 PM »
So try this instead.
Thanks I got It already

Offline ExGingi

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Re: Cell Phones in Israel
« Reply #5583 on: September 24, 2019, 06:01:19 PM »
Israeli cell phone market is in Turmoil. Cellcom is facing a strike against it, while Pelephone is also facing labor actions. Meanwhile Chaim Saban decided to default on seller financing he got in order to purchase his stake in Partner and forfeit his pledged shares. This creates a foreign ownership problem that will require an exemption.
I've been waiting over 5 years with bated breath for someone to say that!
-- Dan

Offline mark da man

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Re: Cell Phones in Israel
« Reply #5584 on: September 25, 2019, 04:07:43 AM »
Israeli cell phone market is in Turmoil. Cellcom is facing a strike against it, while Pelephone is also facing labor actions. Meanwhile Chaim Saban decided to default on seller financing he got in order to purchase his stake in Partner and forfeit his pledged shares. This creates a foreign ownership problem that will require an exemption.
and...

Offline jose34

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Re: Cell Phones in Israel
« Reply #5585 on: September 25, 2019, 07:04:17 AM »
Anyone else has this problem or knows why it may happen.
I have a Golan plan I am grandfathered in from and around every month by "premium services" get blocked and I have to go to Golan.com and put in my credit card again. Happens every month.

Offline ExGingi

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Re: Cell Phones in Israel
« Reply #5586 on: September 25, 2019, 08:37:17 AM »
Golan's customer service is beyond terrible.
I've been waiting over 5 years with bated breath for someone to say that!
-- Dan

Offline grodnoking

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Re: Cell Phones in Israel
« Reply #5587 on: September 25, 2019, 08:48:58 AM »
Golan's customer service is beyond terrible.
Never could get an English speaking rep. Youd have to speak to someone in hebrew to get put on a list so in 2 days someone who can speak a little more english will call you back. And if you miss the call you have to do it again.
One day I switched to hotmobile. 30 minutes after I switched (they knew because I ported the number out) I get a call from golan trying to get me back. I ask
"Do you speak English", and get back a "of course I speak English! Why would I not speak english?! We can make deal. How much jiga do you use? Do you need calling liartzot habrit?..."
I'm not who you think I am.

Offline ExGingi

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Re: Cell Phones in Israel
« Reply #5588 on: September 25, 2019, 01:43:17 PM »
Never could get an English speaking rep. Youd have to speak to someone in hebrew to get put on a list so in 2 days someone who can speak a little more english will call you back. And if you miss the call you have to do it again.
One day I switched to hotmobile. 30 minutes after I switched (they knew because I ported the number out) I get a call from golan trying to get me back. I ask
"Do you speak English", and get back a "of course I speak English! Why would I not speak english?! We can make deal. How much jiga do you use? Do you need calling liartzot habrit?..."

Language is never a problem for me, I switch to whichever way I think I might get better service.

A couple of months ago I asked Golan to freeze all my lines (i.e. temporarily disconnect and not charge). It took them a while to do it, with BS about identity etc, but eventually they did it. When I travelled to Israel on short notice for 2.5 days, I didn't have time to get them to unfreeze a line, as it can only be done by customer service that operates until 6pm, and not by tech support. When I called customer service I was told their systems were down and was promised a callback, was also told that they would be open until 9pm. Needless to say they didn't call, and when I called after 6pm I was told that only tech support answers calls, and I would need to call the next day before 6pm. I ended up using GoogleFi over data for this trip.

When DW was going on short notice, I emailed customer service requesting reactivation of a line. When I got no response I called them, and they ask me to leave a callback number. By the time they called back, DW was already there and using GoogleFi data SIM which I put in her phone (it was important for me to change the SIM for her) so I told them not to reactivate the line. This morning I get a response to my email from two weeks ago telling me that the line I requested to be reactivated (unfrozen) is now active...

I ported one of my Golan lines to Zadarma.com, while there's a lot not to like about Zadarma, once the issues are worked out, I have an Israeli virtual mobile number, on which I receive Israeli SMS (took a while until I could get this resolved), but not SMS originating from outside Israel, free incoming calls, and free virtual PBX which allows me to make free calls between extensions using the Zadarma.com app. For outgoing calls to the US I use GV, for outgoing calls to Israel I use one of Delmont's VOIP services.
I've been waiting over 5 years with bated breath for someone to say that!
-- Dan

Offline chinagel

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Re: Cell Phones in Israel
« Reply #5589 on: September 25, 2019, 02:29:40 PM »
What's cheapest basic phone option with an american number for sukkos?

Offline mark da man

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Re: Cell Phones in Israel
« Reply #5590 on: September 25, 2019, 02:33:33 PM »
What's cheapest basic phone option with an american number for sukkos?
cellularisrael.com kosher plan

Offline chinagel

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Re: Cell Phones in Israel
« Reply #5591 on: September 25, 2019, 02:54:24 PM »
cellularisrael.com kosher plan
Need pickup in brooklyn or free delivery...

Offline US

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Re: Cell Phones in Israel
« Reply #5592 on: September 27, 2019, 07:07:01 AM »
Need pickup in brooklyn or free delivery...
Hoffy’s in BP has great rates.

Online Danlover111

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Re: Cell Phones in Israel
« Reply #5593 on: November 15, 2019, 03:21:04 AM »
A Friend was charged 1900 shek for going over his minutes (300)5.80 for every min.!!
its a plan from cellcom so they have his passport info...
they don't want to negotiate  it.
is it worth disputing with amex? or they will make an ikuv yitziya?

Online Danlover111

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Re: Cell Phones in Israel
« Reply #5594 on: November 15, 2019, 03:24:25 AM »
A Friend was charged 1900 shek for going over his minutes (300)5.80 for every min.!!
its a plan from cellcom so they have his passport info...
they don't want to negotiate  it.
is it worth disputing with amex? or they will make an ikuv yitziya?
cellcom told him if he disputes it they will bring him to court...

Offline myi

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Re: Cell Phones in Israel
« Reply #5595 on: November 15, 2019, 04:49:53 AM »
A Friend was charged 1900 shek for going over his minutes (300)5.80 for every min.!!
its a plan from cellcom so they have his passport info...
they don't want to negotiate  it.
is it worth disputing with amex? or they will make an ikuv yitziya?
Lesson never give your passport, only your license, or say I have my license and here's the numbers( make one up.)
 Yes a friend of mine had the same issue and disputed it with chase. He got his money back.
 He explained how he did make the phone calls or he said he didn't, don't remember.
 He did say how the Israeli company is out to get the tourist and allow them to continue talking on the phone even after being charged X amount of money, and they don't care.
 They won't send a text warning you went over, nor put a block or offer a service to block over the amount so you don't have to pay and worry about going over, the company is quite sly and they know that an average tourist will go over by a lot.
 Just use some basic reasoning to explain why it's not supposed to be charged and dispute it.
 Good luck.
 Btw was this a regular phone plan? If yes why didn't that use GV?
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Online Danlover111

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Re: Cell Phones in Israel
« Reply #5596 on: November 15, 2019, 04:59:25 AM »
Lesson never give your passport, only your license, or say I have my license and here's the numbers( make one up.)
 Yes a friend of mine had the same issue and disputed it with chase. He got his money back.
 He explained how he did make the phone calls or he said he didn't, don't remember.
 He did say how the Israeli company is out to get the tourist and allow them to continue talking on the phone even after being charged X amount of money, and they don't care.
 They won't send a text warning you went over, nor put a block or offer a service to block over the amount so you don't have to pay and worry about going over, the company is quite sly and they know that an average tourist will go over by a lot.
 Just use some basic reasoning to explain why it's not supposed to be charged and dispute it.
 Good luck.
 Btw was this a regular phone plan? If yes why didn't that use GV?
yes a plan hes has all year
will he have trouble leaving the country if he diputes it?
Thanks

Offline mark da man

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Re: Cell Phones in Israel
« Reply #5597 on: November 15, 2019, 05:01:08 AM »
A Friend was charged 1900 shek for going over his minutes (300)5.80 for every min.!!
its a plan from cellcom so they have his passport info...
they don't want to negotiate  it.
is it worth disputing with amex? or they will make an ikuv yitziya?
Crazy, had that also, i moved to Cellularisrael CID, pay a little more each month but headache-free

Offline myi

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Re: Cell Phones in Israel
« Reply #5598 on: November 15, 2019, 05:03:37 AM »
yes a plan hes has all year
will he have trouble leaving the country if he diputes it?
Thanks
Is he planning on heading home soon? You gatta use GV! That's the only thing I used. With my 29 shekal plan.
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Offline mark da man

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Re: Cell Phones in Israel
« Reply #5599 on: November 15, 2019, 05:06:32 AM »
Is he planning on heading home soon? You gatta use GV! That's the only thing I used. With my 29 shekal plan.
for a few hundred shekels they are not gonna stop you. It's a whole  procedure...