Author Topic: Getting a phone in Korea - HELP! (Read 3557 times)

traveloshity · « **on:** July 06, 2011, 05:14:41 PM »

Right, sorry if this has been asked elsewhere but i can't find the answers and am having a tough time trying to get a phone!

My co-worker is being quite unhelpful with it all. She basically told me that people in cell phone shops speak English, and that was that. But after going into several different phone shops, i'm none the wiser. I would like a smart phone, not necessarily an iPhone4 as they are ridiculously expensive, but maybe something like a Galaxy S 1 but the general consensus is that I cannot get a smart phone because i am on an E-2 visa for one year. However, another shop said that they could give me an iPhone 4 but for 73,000 won a month. Some shops said that i can only get a pay as you go phone, but other shops said that i HAVE to get a 2 year contract. The disparity between shops is amazing and without a Korean, it's just really confusing.

SO....

..has anyone gotten a smart phone, not necessarily an iPhone 4, for a decent price being on an 1 year, E-2 visa, and if so where and what is your plan?

Ta!!!

I just want to see if

GuMiho · « **Reply #1 on:** July 06, 2011, 05:17:39 PM »

I don't have a phone here yet, but everything I've heard about getting one from other foreigners is that you really can't get a smart phone for only 1 year, they're only sold with 2 year contracts.

Damien · « **Reply #2 on:** July 06, 2011, 05:23:30 PM »

When I was getting a phone months ago, I went to over 10 shops and none of them had smart phones with one year contracts. If you want a smart phone, you need a two year contract. You can get a two year contract phone with and E-2 visa, but not every store will do it. I had to go to a number of stores, but I ended up getting one. My friend couldn't find one and got a pay as you go phone. He later lost it and my Korean friend helped him get a two year contract with only a few months left on his E-2 visa.

Shop around with a smart Korean and you can find a place.

traveloshity · « **Reply #3 on:** July 06, 2011, 05:33:19 PM »

That's the thing, i didn't mind getting a 2-year contract. But the shop was saying that i can't get the phone because of my visa.

toddc06 · « **Reply #4 on:** July 06, 2011, 05:36:35 PM »

I have a 1 year E-2 visa but a 2 year contract because I got the Galaxy S 1. The package costs about 63,000 won a month for unlimited data and about 200 outgoing minutes and 300 text messages (which aren't necessary when you can download apps for unlimited texting). I got mine from SK in pyeongtaek. I'm not sure why they let me have a 2 year contract on a 1 year visa. If you break the 2 year contract you have to pay a couple hundred bucks to keep the phone. I took my girlfriend with me and she did all the talking and I left with a smartphone.

Cereal · « **Reply #5 on:** July 06, 2011, 08:39:17 PM »

I'm on a 1 year E-2 visa as well. I went to a phone shop with my CT the day I got my ARC. I got a basic phone with a 2 year contract at a flat rate of 32,000W a month for 3 months which has dropped to 12,000W a month for the duration. There were no hassles. A smart phone should be doable, I can't see why not. Of course then again, this is Korea and sometimes things go sideways.

Sticks · « **Reply #6 on:** July 06, 2011, 09:02:28 PM »

KT expat blog.
http://expatblog.kt.com/

Check the right side, list of global stores. I recommend the Gwanghwamun one, very good service. I walked in, they explained everything in English, I reserved for the Galaxy S2 and went back the next week to pick it up. Will be paying about 74,000won/month AFTER the initial 24,000won registration fee is paid off.

Of course this only applies of you're in Gyeonggi-do/Seoul. Or if you're willing to travel.

bobrocket · « **Reply #7 on:** July 06, 2011, 09:16:42 PM »

I pay (iPhone 4) ₩55,000 per month, unlimited data, 300 minutes, 200 txts, 2 year contract. The phone is about ₩450,000 divided over 24 months with the cell company subsidizing the phone. If I brought the phone out right it would of been around ₩850,000, which is the cost to break my contract minus whatever I've paid already.

grajoker · « **Reply #8 on:** July 09, 2011, 01:17:43 PM »

i have sk phone now can i cancell this one without charges and get the kt pack instead?

traveloshity · « **Reply #9 on:** July 12, 2011, 01:18:08 PM »

SO i eventually got a samsung galaxy neo for 35,000 won a month on a 3 year plan.

My advice for anyone getting a phone by themselves would be to not trust anyones first answer. the shops didn't even know themselves how to handle foreginers but you can get a smart phone as people have said, and the price will vary depending on your contract length.

korr · « **Reply #10 on:** July 13, 2011, 10:28:10 AM »

Glad to know you finally did get a phone! If anyone else is reading this for info, I have a Galaxy S-2 on a two-year plan and I pay in monthly installments, so it absolutely is possible to get a decent contract on an E-2. I even got a discount. I'm halfway through my third year though, and the cell phone shop made a big deal out of how long I've been in Korea, so they might have decided I was a safe bet.

teachermc · « **Reply #11 on:** July 13, 2011, 11:44:10 AM »

Congratulations on the successful phone journey. I had one this week as well. I have been in Korea for a few years but avoided getting a phone (in part because of unhelpful coteachers).

Though I planned to go through KT, given that they have English customer service number and an expat blog, but none of the KT shops I went to would give me an installment plan for a phone. They called a bunch of people and had me wait forever and eventually just said it was not possible. This was even after showing them the expat blog, which states that foreigners under a variety of visas can get an installment plan for a smartphone.

The last store I went to sold for KT and SK and were able to get me a plan with SK when KT did not work out. So, I can also verify that installment plans for smartphones are possible for foreigners, though I cannot verify what each individual representative will decide.

Korea simply does not have the service infrastructure for a new English-speaking teacher to walk into their local phone shop (마트, hospital, etc.) and communicate.

notanartist · « **Reply #12 on:** July 13, 2011, 03:17:14 PM »

I got my phone (Samsung Galaxy S2) through mobileboo.com. You fill out the information online, fax or email your documents (you must have your arc), and they ship the phone to you. They have customer service in English, and from what I can tell, it's a native speaker. My phone arrived two days after I sent my documents. It's your typical 2 year, unlimited data, 300 minutes, 300 texts for about 75,000 won a month. Mobileboo was great, and I didn't have to go to several phone shops before finding one that could help me.

teachermc · « **Reply #13 on:** July 13, 2011, 04:45:11 PM »

Quote from: notanartist on July 13, 2011, 03:17:14 PM

I got my phone (Samsung Galaxy S2) through mobileboo.com. You fill out the information online, fax or email your documents (you must have your arc), and they ship the phone to you. They have customer service in English, and from what I can tell, it's a native speaker. My phone arrived two days after I sent my documents. It's your typical 2 year, unlimited data, 300 minutes, 300 texts for about 75,000 won a month. Mobileboo was great, and I didn't have to go to several phone shops before finding one that could help me.

Wow, this is some great information.

I hate how the waygook cycle in Korea is that you find out about easier ways of going about your days way too late. In this case, just two days...

I had looked into the Arrival Store but I wanted a smartphone. The deal through Mobileboo is through SK (the same carrier that ended up accepting my waygookness) so maybe this is a clear indication that SK will work with foreigners.

Sticks · « **Reply #14 on:** July 13, 2011, 09:38:00 PM »

ALL the carriers are happy to take up foreigners, it just depends on the store you go to. I would say 90% of the smaller stores you see scattered around everywhere will just turn you away because:
1. You're a foreigner.
2. You're a foreigner.
3. Thought process in Korean: "OMG how do I process a foreigner? NVM can't be bothered."
4. You're a foreigner.

You have to sign up in one of the bigger stores or stores with somewhat-English-speaking staff.

@teachermc:
Did you go to a KT global store? Because they're specifically there to cater to foreigners. If you're nowhere near Seoul then that's understandable.

kukine · « **Reply #15 on:** July 13, 2011, 10:29:38 PM »

This mobileboo site sounds promising. Do they really let you sign a 2 year contract, no questions asked?

Fanwarrior · « **Reply #16 on:** July 14, 2011, 11:55:44 AM »

Quote from: Sticks on July 13, 2011, 09:38:00 PM

ALL the carriers are happy to take up foreigners, it just depends on the store you go to. I would say 90% of the smaller stores you see scattered around everywhere will just turn you away because:
1. You're a foreigner.
2. You're a foreigner.
3. Thought process in Korean: "OMG how do I process a foreigner? NVM can't be bothered."
4. You're a foreigner.

You have to sign up in one of the bigger stores or stores with somewhat-English-speaking staff.

@teachermc:
Did you go to a KT global store? Because they're specifically there to cater to foreigners. If you're nowhere near Seoul then that's understandable.

This is mostly because the smaller shops are not actually owned by the companies, they're franchises that can do whatever they want. Handling a foreigner is slightly more paperwork I believe (or different paperwork) but technically they can do it. In some areas people have mentioned a local franchise that actually gets phones for them, I believe someone mentioned one in Anyang that does this. There are no global stores there, but a lot of foreigners so one shop just decided to start doing business with them.

notanartist · « **Reply #17 on:** July 14, 2011, 01:29:03 PM »

No questions asked. You can get a 2 year contract with a 1 year visa. It is expensive to cancel your contract early, though, so you might want to weigh your options if you plan on being here only one year. You get about 600,000 off the price of the phone with the contract, but if you cancel, the discount no longer applies and you have to pay full price for the phone.

Quote from: kukine on July 13, 2011, 10:29:38 PM

This mobileboo site sounds promising. Do they really let you sign a 2 year contract, no questions asked?

katith · « **Reply #18 on:** July 14, 2011, 06:20:55 PM »

I got my phone through the global centre (the one in Gwanghwamun) and they were super helpful. Your selection is more limited, but the rates they were offering seemed to be better and more suitable than the ones the LG shop (even though the SGC goes through LG). I have a 2 year contract, but it's going to work out to be about 60k to cancel after a year.

Speciation_Everywhere · « **Reply #19 on:** July 15, 2011, 01:26:14 PM »

Hello, what if you brought a smartphone over? Can you pop in a SIM card and go month to month?

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Author Topic: Getting a phone in Korea - HELP! (Read 3557 times)

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