Introduction: Due to the unsatisfactory performance of the campus network near the college entrance examination, many students have plans to buy a data card. This article uses the three major telecom operators as examples to explain the routines and choices of common data cards.
- What is a data card: Essentially, a data card is still a SIM card, known for its large data allowance and low monthly fees.
- Why do we need a data card: Regular cards mostly have long contracts and fixed locations, making it difficult to change plans easily. The monthly fees for these plans are also high, especially during the 5G era when 4G prices have increased and speeds have decreased. On the other hand, data cards often offer over 100GB of data with monthly fees below 50, and can be canceled at any time.
- Basic principles of data cards: As the three major telecom operators are in a semi-state-owned status (self-financing), they have to adopt certain strategies due to long-term losses, such as lengthy terms and hidden discounts. In order to meet requirements in the short term, some regional subsidiaries in economically underdeveloped areas may cooperate with local distributors to offer discounted plans and attract customers. Note: 99% of the so-called 19 or 29 monthly fee data cards require an upfront payment and then monthly refunds, achieving long-term low monthly fees. The telecom operators aim to generate short-term revenue! However, compared to the fees of 5 yuan for 1GB or 40 yuan for 10GB, these data cards are still very cost-effective.
- Distinguishing data cards from IoT cards! Some users have reported being deceived by IoT cards! Here, we must pay attention. Products like the "9999GB super data card" or USB portable WiFi are usually IoT cards, which are used for industrial devices and generally have very slow speeds, ranging from a few hundred KB to 1MB. These cards cannot be used by individuals and are very likely to be blocked after a period of time. The distributors of these cards are not official telecom operators and may disappear at any time.
- Things to consider when purchasing a data card:
- About fancy numbers: Most data cards cannot choose the phone number because these cards mostly come from previous buyers in different regions. Therefore, there are limited fancy numbers available, and it is not possible to have both a good number and a discounted plan. This leads to the second issue:
- About number binding: As an important identifier in the information age, a phone number is almost as important as an ID card. In the case of previous owners who are not aware of the importance of personal information, most of their social media, life services, and various website accounts will remain linked to the number. This requires us to manually unlink them one by one. The author once bought a data card from Ningxia and successfully accessed the previous owner's WeChat and Taobao accounts through verification and social engineering. Of course, those accounts have been canceled now. Some platforms do not support cancellation, so we can only continue using the previous number. There is even a chance of receiving debt collection calls from the previous owner's debtors. Therefore, we must be cautious and careful.
- About location: Due to the reasons mentioned earlier, the location of a data card is mostly random, such as Qinghai, Ningxia, etc. When someone calls, they may see the address as "China Ningxia" and may mistake it for a scam call. Of course, this also has the advantage of not revealing the actual location, each with its own benefits.
- About signal: What really affects the experience is not just the phone's baseband, but also the distribution of base stations by the three major telecom operators in the area. Therefore, before purchasing, you can check which operator has the best signal in your area and choose accordingly.
- About secondary cards: Some users plan to use the data card as their main card after purchasing it, so the previous card plan is no longer necessary. In this case, you can apply for an 8 yuan plan to keep the number active and continue using it.
- About cancellation: Each telecom operator allows a maximum of 5 phone cards, so cancellation should be done carefully. Most data cards can be canceled online from a different location, but it is important to carefully read the terms and conditions.
- Practical operations:
- Due to the lack of discounts in offline stores, we often have to look for various distribution channels on the internet, such as answers on Zhihu, Taobao stores, WeChat mini-programs, etc. Here, we use a Zhihu promotion as an example:
As you can see, it is indeed very cost-effective, but there are a few details to note:
First, the card needs to be precharged with a large amount of money for activation. Second, additional data is provided in the form of data packages, and the way to obtain these packages may vary depending on the promotion. Third, out of the 155GB, there is a portion of directed data that cannot be used with other apps. Fourth, the fees for exceeding the data limit are very expensive, so be careful.
Remember to provide real name and detailed delivery address. There will be a dedicated courier to activate the card offline, precharge it, and make sure to answer the phone!
- Hidden terms: After obtaining the card, the app of the telecom operator may not show all the features immediately. This is due to system delays and the way the operator calculates usage. It may take until the beginning of the month to have access to the full data allowance, and for the following days, it will be calculated based on a percentage. From the second month onwards, it will be normal.
Afterword: Carefully observe the terms and conditions and avoid impulsive consumption.