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KeepGo International Data SIM and Hotspot Review

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Need to stay connected when abroad without having to worry about expensive roaming fees from your mobile phone provider?

Traveling to a few countries and feeling overwhelmed with all the local SIM options and local plans?

Fortunately, tackling this problem is more possible than ever these days. Keepgo is just one of the newest of the bunch to offer an “international SIM” option for travelers.

The idea with an international SIM is having one SIM card with data access around the world, with one rate and no worries about extra fees or overage charges.

keepgo

KeepGo offers a pair of options for their globetrotting customers.  The first is a data SIM card for unlocked phones, and the second is a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot.  Both offer coverage in 64 countries in the Americas, Europe and Asia and data credit that doesn’t expire for a full year.  They’ll also ship the SIM card or hotspot to more than 30 countries around the world for free.

We decided to try out both of their options (data SIM for an unlocked phone, and a mobile hotspot) in different parts of the world and put them to the test.

KeepGo SIM (by Joel in Europe)

Keepgo SIM

When we first discussed reviewing KeepGo, one question kept coming up. “Who needs this when SIM cards are easily purchased and inexpensive in most countries?”

The answer was “me” – and anyone else planning to country-hop through several places for a few days or a week at a time.  So, how did it do?

The first thing to know is that this is a data-only SIM card. The second is you’ll need to have an unlocked phone to use it.  Since it’s data only, it won’t give you a number if you want to make calls to a local friend, but works fine if you want to call home on Skype.

And for that, it worked exactly as advertised. Over a month of testing, I used it in two different Android phones (Asus Zenfone 2 and Samsung Galaxy S4) and in three countries (France, Italy, and Croatia). The data connection was problem-free in all situations, including tethering to my laptop.

The Setup

The SIM card was delivered to my hotel in France on schedule, waiting for me when I arrived. The package contained a small users guide and a credit card-sized SIM card holder. In addition to the nano-SIM, there were a number of adapters and empty slots to use in phones needing a micro or standard SIM.

Installation was simple, although it did require digging into the phone settings to create an Access Point Name (APN). Essentially, you need to create a bridge from your phone to KeepGo that connects via whatever cell network you’re able to access.

The creation of the APN is simple and KeepGo provides detailed instructions in the aforementioned Users Guide.

The slick KeepGo SIM card case
The slick KeepGo SIM card case has spots for Micro, Nano, and standard SIM cards.

The Bottom Line

While cheaper local SIM cards can be had, dealing with potential roaming issues when heading through multiple countries wasn’t a problem with the KeepGo.

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KeepGo Mobile Hotpot (by Dustin in USA)

Keepgo hotspot

Instead of country hopping like Joel, I was heading down to a conference in the USA for a couple of weeks.  KeepGo shipped the hotspot to me in Canada well before I departed on my journey south, so I unpacked it, charged it up, and tossed it in my carry-on.

The KeepGo hotspot itself is a small unit about the size of a mobile phone. When powered on, it allows you to connect to it like a Wi-Fi hotspot in your home, office, or coffee shop.  The difference with this is that you can take it with you wherever you go.

For this trip, I wanted to be able to receive calls and text messages on my phone with my Canadian phone number, but didn’t want to deal with outrageous data roaming fees from my provider ($80 for 500MB!).  So I turned off mobile data on my phone, and connected to the KeepGo mobile Wi-Fi hotspot for data instead.

It’s also worth mentioning that if you don’t have an unlocked phone, then the mobile hotspot is the best option for you. The SIM option above will only work with an unlocked phone.

The Setup

There’s not a lot to the little white hotspot itself. There’s a power button, a few lights for information, a charging plug (micro-USB), and a little sticker showing the hotspot SSID and password you’ll need to plug into your devices to connect.

I would get 3-6 hours of power when using the hotspot, with the shorter amount in areas with less coverage, and it charged back up in 1-2 hours.

The charging cable, as well as plugs for North America and Europe were included in the package. You could use any micro-USB cable and charger, though, so there’s no need to carry too many adapters. See what I did there?

Data speeds were often super fast (LTE)… at least in the main cities.  In the USA, KeepGo uses T-Mobile (see a list of all of their partners worldwide.) This meant coverage could become pretty limited when leaving more densely-populated areas.

After leaving Portland, Oregon and heading east, my speeds dropped down to Edge, then GPRS.  When driving through South Dakota and Wyoming, coverage was nil and I was left with offline Google Maps. It’s worth considering where you might be traveling in the USA when looking at the KeepGo.

The Bottom Line

The KeepGo Hotspot is a great option if you’re traveling as a group, have more than a couple of devices yourself, or don’t have an unlocked phone.  It does mean that you’ll have another device to carry, and another gadget to keep charged up though.

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Is the KeepGo Convenience Worth the Extra Cost?

While it’s true that you can buy a much cheaper local SIM card in most places, for some people, it’s just not an efficient use of the time or resources.  This is especially true if you’re only visiting a country for a short time.

The data is valid for an entire year, which is a nice benefit if you take frequent short trips and you don’t use a lot of data. If you don’t have an unlocked phone and local SIM cards aren’t an option at all, the KeepGo hotspot could save you a lot of money on roaming fees.

There is a cost to the convenience, but KeepGo is a decent option in the international SIM card scene for sure.

Note: we compared several other international SIM and hotspot options here.

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10 Comments

  1. Always nice to read thorough reviews on your site. I like your professionalism 😉

    1. Dustin Main Dustin Main says:

      Thanks Lisa! Really appreciate it 🙂

  2. ordered and thank you.

    Despite a huge amount of effort and support I (and 3 referred friends) have not had the success we hoped for with knowroaming outside the USA.

    I hope this works

  3. the keepgo hotspot I ordered only works when it’s near my neighbors Internet. Anywhere else it will not work at all we are in remote Thailand and that’s why I purchased a keepgo. So it’s pretty much useless.
    At least it’s not heavy.

    1. Dustin Main Dustin Main says:

      Sorry you haven’t had a great experience Mary.

      Like all international SIM card options (and SIM cards for internet in general), they rely on mobile towers to access internet (just like a mobile phone). So being in rural areas anywhere in the world you’re likely to struggle. Just like I did on the road trip in the USA.

      You can have a look at the provider that KeepGo uses in Thailand, see if there is another local provider that has coverage in the remote area you’re in, and try that instead. Our Thai SIM guide might be able to help a bit.

  4. Hi Dustin. Thinking of buying Keepgo SIM for trip to Buenos Aires, Arg. Rio de Janeiro Braz. Will also be cruising up the Amazon to Manaus . Will Keepgo SIM work while on cruise ship? Your site is very informative.
    Cheers
    Gaz NZ.

    1. Dave Dean Dave Dean says:

      KeepGo offers coverage in Brazil and Argentina, but like most other international SIM cards, it relies on local cell companies for service. If there’s coverage along the Amazon with a major Brazilian cell company, you’ll likely get it with KeepGo as well, and you’ll almost certainly have it in Manaus. If you need more certainly than that, it’d be worth dropping KeepGo a line and seeing what they have to say.

  5. Used and keep using this service for about an year in South America. Bought the 3G package, which comes to about 0.03$/M – the cheapest I could find. Works very well, just note that in order to function there needs to be 3G network, which is not always the case. In remote areas often there was usable network, but not 3G. So for emergency calls it’s still better having a regular plan in addition to the data only KeepGo. I had a KnowRoaming card in my second (old) phone for that purpose, until I lost it. Also worth noting is the importance of carefully going through the phone’s settings to make sure only certain apps have access to the data – not all are so obvious.

  6. Avatar Richard Riley says:

    Thanks for the review.

    My experience with keepgo mobile hotspot was not ideal. We traveled from US to UK and then into the middle region of the UK. Coverage was non existent. After some trouble shooting and “refreshing the line” still no internet connection. I sent mine back. I had also purchased additional GB which keepgo will not refund.

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