Iridium satellite prepaid cards

200 Minute Canada/Alaska Prepaid Cards - 225 Satellite Prepaid SIM - 500 Minutes - 1000 Minutes - 3000 Minutes

Why would you want to buy Iridium satellite prepaid cards and not Iridium satellite phone postpaid or monthly satellite phone services? Are there more benefits to purchasing prepaid cards for your Iridium phone than going on a monthly rate plan with or without a contract? Before you choose your Iridium service plan, take a quick look at our free satellite phone service article outlining the differences between going prepaid and post paid with Iridium Satellite. With regional satellite phone SIM cards for Africa, Canada/Alaska and North America, going prepaid just might be the way to go.

Iridium satellite prepaid cards

Being an Iridium and GlobalStar satellite phone sales representative for so many years, I was able to view various usage patterns with the Iridium service. I would say that when it comes to Iridium prepaid cards, the 500 minute sim card is truly the most popular option for Iridium users.

Is the 500 minute prepaid card popular because it is the best solution and has the lowest Iridium airtime? By far the answer is no. You see, the reason why the Iridium satellite 500 minute prepaid phone card is so popular is due to the fact that once you take a look at the Iridium 75 minute prepaid card and the Iridium 225 minute prepaid card, you will see that you really don’t have much of an option as those 2 prepaid cards have such a short expiration period.

The 75 minute prepaid cards expires 30 days from the day it’s activated and most Iridium satellite phone service providers or companies in Canada or the United States send out their Iridium prepaid sim cards activated and ready to go for free. For those Iridium satellite clients living in areas where FedEx, UPS or Purolator takes at least 4 business days to delivery their packages, they are looking at losing a few days on the Iridium phone card.

The Iridium 225 minute prepaid cards normally expires 3 months from the day sent out based on which service provider chosen. Most satellite phone users are looking for a cost-effective solution with say around 200 minutes good for 12 months/one year.

The next option is the 500 minute prepaid card which carries an expiration of 12 months. The problem with the 500 minute prepaid card is the fact that most Iridium users will not use 500 minutes, not even close, and will end up having to pay for constant Iridium prepaid card extensions. Iridium prepaid cards cost around $620 USD or $800 CDN depending on your Iridium service provider or satellite phone dealer.

Corporate clients looking for a reliable remote voice solution should always go with the Iridium post-paid/monthly rate plans as there may be times where satellite phone users will need to use more minutes for emergency situations.

With Iridium prepaid cards, once the minutes have expired, that’s it. With Iridium monthly plans, you will have the peace of mind knowing that the satellite phone will not expire.

Compared to prepaid cards, monthly plans are usually more costly as you will need to pay a monthly Iridium service fee just to keep the satellite phone active. However, I still do believe the Iridium monthly plans are the way to go.

Iridium satellite prepaid cards are suitable for individuals who know or have a good idea of how many minutes they will use and within what period.

For satellite phone users who just need to have service in Canada, then Iridium Canada Alaska prepaid card is the most cost-effective. This Iridium prepaid card for Canada and Alaska usually has an expiration period of 6 months. This 6 months Iridium Canada and Alaska prepaid card can be recharged at anytime prior to the prepaid card’s expiration date.

The disadvantage of Iridium prepaid sim cards is that once they expire, then any used minutes are lost and the clients lose their money. So, if you forget to extend or recharge your prepaid sim card, you will lose your Iridium prepaid minutes.

Find out from your satellite phone company if they offer free prepaid card expiration alerts. This option could save you quite a bit of money in the long run.

Out of all the satellite prepaid card plans, the most popular seem to be the 500 minute global card and the Canada Alaska prepaid card with 200 airtime minutes, expiring in 6 months. The 500 minute prepaid card usually lasts 12 months from satellite activation.