Do Not Buy OneSimCard, when they say rates are subject to change, they mean it!

OneSimCard, such a highly praised product on the Internet. Here's the breakdown:
The good:

• They offer competitive roaming rates
• They're an "online store" in the US, so no sales tax
• Their default SIM card will work in (almost) any unlocked SIM phone (regular SIM, micro & nano SIM)
• They have a VOIP app with *competitive* overseas calling rates
• Only requires an email address and credit card, unlike some destination countries that have serious ID requirements to activate even a pre-paid SIM
• Their customer support is also available via their website, and turnaround time is short for getting a reply with an email notification
• The account stays active for two years as of most recent top-up, meaning if you travel every one or two years, you can still leave it in your drawer the rest of the time and top up when you need it.

The bad:

• You're perpetually roaming with their SIM card, so if you're at home, you still would use your current mobile carrier, and if you're overseas, you'd probably get a pre-paid SIM with a local Wireless Service Provider (WSP). This also means that there are no monthly plans, no loyalty offers, it's a "take it or leave it"
• $30 USD is expensive in my opinion for a SIM card, considering I can get a pre-paid SIM card free in many countries as long as I add some credit (usually around $5). On the flip side, there can be discounts applied to this purchase (a web search will yield promo codes). Best discount year-round is an option if you manage to have a .mil email address.
• Your extra number (Canada or US) comes from a VOIP exchange (for Canada it's Fibernetics), and I don't think it's portable. There's no option to port a number to OneSimCard (that I could find, at the time of writing), meaning either way, if you want family to reach you when you're overseas, it'll have to be with an unfamiliar number.
• Their VOIP app looks like Android 2.x and requires a hard menu button to exit the app, features are very limited, certainly no material design! Plus you can login on the same account on multiple phones, but it'll only be able to call on one of them.

The Ugly:

• Not so good a VOIP option - using their VOIP app requires having a second local phone number on the account. The SIM card includes one Estonian number, and they give one complementary US number (or Canadian number if the user address in the account is in Canada, with no option to choose) for one month, but then it's $20 per year to maintain it, or an extra $5 on top of that if it expires and the user sets up a new extra number. For someone who just wants to use OneSimCard for VOIP, this is definitely something to factor in the equation.
• Rates are subject to change and they mean it! That's what this blog post is about.

I recently purchased a OneSimCard for the purpose of calling Uganda via VOIP. I called their support line twice and expressed my intentions. They never told me about the requirement for the extra number just to use their VOIP app. At the time that I called them (March 2015), it was 15c to landline, 16c to mobile to call Uganda. Since I was only interested in calling mobile, my decision was based on the 16c per minute. I also calculated how many minutes it'd take to recover the acquisition of the SIM card. The gentleman on the phone explained that rates are subject to change at any time without notice. He also said that because they own their own VOIP servers, that rates are more likely to go down with time than up. Now in April, I buy and try the OneSimCard service, only to find out that their rates to call Uganda via VOIP is 25c per minute (both landline and mobile). Their app which looks like Android 2.x doesn't even show call duration.

Here are some per minute rates to call Uganda at the time of writing:

• OneSimCard: 25c (both landline & mobile)
• RebTel: 27.8c (30 days), 24.9c (7 days) on their promo packs
• Skype: 13.3 or 13.7c (requires monthly subscription, part of monthly packs)
• MagicJack: 50c (plus there's most likely a recurring fee to use their overseas calling feature)
• Google Voice: 25c (both landline & mobile)

Now if OneSimCard's rates are the same as Google's rates, this is frightening. As I have lost credibility in OneSimCard, I suspect their prices might be dictated by Google.

I gave them one last chance to redeem themselves prior to posting this. I called them asking for a refund. They said because the SIM card had been used, I cannot return it, nor could they refund my outstanding credit on the account. If their rates improve, I might top up, but it'd have to improve drastically from 25c per minute to Uganda for me to justify activating a second phone number on the account (20 for the year plus 5 for activation).

Bottom line is don't buy a OneSimCard. If you want to be reachable overseas with a North American number, a voip-only solution is cheaper. If you're concerned about roaming for a few days abroad, ask your current provider about travel packs. If your phone isn't unlocked, unlock it online for $10-30 (you'd pay $30 for the OneSimCard anyway, which requires an unlocked phone). If you're shopping for a phone, consider getting a dual SIM phone, that way you can still get your texts (likely free depending on your carrier) while roaming, and use the other SIM card slot for a local prepaid service. Everyone's rates are subject to change without notice, but OneSimCard has shown that this can be exploited without remorse!