TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Chippie info for Jazzgal

Hey Linda...so I realized that I had this guide in my little pocket bag for SXM. All I had to do was text this code once we landed. Didn't have to bother with the store or Mailbox visit, and I was surfing and using data right away. I do have a lot of credit on my TopUp card and also in the phone's balance (#191#) you can also check the data balance, but they expire (*91).

I just texted 3GVP 10D to 3434 and it took $16.75 from the phone's balance and I got 2.5GB

Instructions here (sorry, you will have to rotate to see):

Leona, this is what I tried to do at the airport last December, but even though it took the money from my balance, the data didn't work. Hopefully that was an anomoly. The other thing I had a problem with was adding money to my Top Up card. When I went to the Mailbox they said their machine wasn't working. I then went to Market Garden, used their machine, but it added money to my phone, not my Top Up card. We need money on the card to keep the phone number active between visits. Any insights into that?

Not sure what happened with yours Georgia. Did you make sure to go into the settings and turn data back on? I had it off, and also in airplane mode..so it would only work in wi-fi or as a phone. Used those codes yesterday and it is working. Did you also make sure to re-set your phone? (taking the battery out and re-installing)

Now that I have data reactivated, I am turning the data usage off when I am in wi-fi again...just to save, just in case.

I have added $ to the phone at Maho Market and also at the Mailbox. Honestly, I'm not sure what is left on my TopUp card, or if I've added to it since Sharon's store. In between visits I have my calendar set to extend the expiration for free online. I use to add $1 to the phone every 60 days until I realized I didn't have to do that.

Good luck! Let me know if I can help.

Thank you for these instructions - much appreciated! However, my question is the same as Georgia's. I am not sure I know how to add $$$ to my data account. I top up the phone account every 60 days to keep the number active. I will have to check on line to see if I can add funds online; not sure that's possible.

And I haven't had to remove/replace the battery when adding $$ for wifi.

Georgia - In addition to the code, there is a setting you have to change so the phone knows to look for the Chippie network. And I will need to change the 10D to 30D.

When I was looking around in March, the ONLY place I found a working Top Up machine (for the Top Up card) was Tech Hub in Carrefour by Mark's Place. Both machines at the UTS stores were broken or not working and had been for some time. The people I talked to at The Mailbox were clueless about the Top Up card.

That's where we went also. No idea if there is anyplace else or not, but that's where we went and it worked fine.

Not sure if this is up to date, likely not, but these are the locations listed for the Top Up Machine. As I stated, in March, The Mailbox was useless and both Dutch side locations at the UTS stores were not working.

The Reloadable TopUp Cards are available at:

The Mail Box, Simpson bay

Trendy Cosmetics/Cell Phones, Back Street #68, Philipsburg

UTS Store (in Philipsburg)

UTS Store (in Cole Bay)

Dutch Delight (Princess Juliana Int Airport)

Tech Hub (Le Grand Mache (Bush road at the Roundabout)

Linda, don’t think of your data and cellular as different pots of money. There is no “data account “. Just your phone balance.

Once we got here I turned the phone on and checked the balance. It had $25USD equivalent still. I then entered the text to activate data again. It did so and charged the balance on the phone.

The confirmation text from Chippie said “ welcome , you are now subscribed blah blah ab...Please reset the device (battery out/in) to activate data service. Easy peezy!

I almost did the same thing. It seems by default that it wants to add to the phone directly. You have to choose the top up card and then swipe it and then it goes to the card.

Correct, you need to direct the funds to the Top Up card.

Leona, How do you reset it for free? I've been adding a dollar every other month.

Yes, Eric, I know you have to direct it to the card, but for some reason that day swiping the card didn't work either at the Mailbox or at Market Garden. When I swiped the card, I got an error message.

Not 100% sure it works as I have been adding $1 every 60 days also but there is an option.

CHECK YOUR CHIPPIE

Interesting. Just tried it, but it's only available if it expires within 15 days. I'll try it again within that timeframe. Not that it's a problem to move a dollar from the card to the phone. The problem that I've had is adding money to the card so that I can transfer it.

I just recently went around in circles for a time trying to add funds to my Top Up card and thence to my Chippie account to extend the expiration date of my SXM phone number. Here's what the problem is. First, it is not possible to use a charge card to add money to a Chippie account, but you can extend the expiration date for your phone number for free, here:

http://buychippieonline.com/

Click on "Buy Credit" tab under the Chippie logo, then click on link "Check Phone # Expiration Date." Either enter your phone number to see current expiration date or go direct to the link down the page to extend the expiration date for free!

The expiration date will be extended for only 60 days, so you MUST extend it again prior to that expiration or else you will be locked out from that option. Again, the option will no longer work after 60 days.

Now, suppose you have missed that 60-day deadline, you can transfer funds from Top Up. And that will extend the expiration, even if your Chippie already had a positive balance. (The phone number will expire, they claim, even if you have a positive balance in your Chippie account.) That's the purpose of transferring $1.00 from Top Up to Chippie--even though Chippie already is funded.

However, if you've missed the free option, and if you need to add funds to your Top Up account, it cannot be done with a credit card. You have to send a money order to Top Up in Florida. (They will not accept personal checks.) They will then add funds to your Top Up card and you can use it to extend your expiration date.

As long as you can remember to extend your expiration when you are not on the island, the only reason to use Top Up is when you are on the on the island to add funds to your Chippie account. As I recall, the Top Up machine at the UTS office accepted only cash, though.

Finally, based on how everything else works on our beloved island, does anyone know if phone numbers really do expire? Seems to me with the rebuild following Irma they should have more than enough capacity to hang onto numbers indefinitely, and flush only after 2-3 years of inactivity. So is the so-called expiration date actually enforced? Does anyone have any recent experience?

I dunno and am not taking any chances myself.

Correct, you must be within 15 days of expiration. I have done it two times but since I do not fully trust it, I added $1 from my card also.

Like I said before, Tech Hub was the only place I found a working machine. The people were very helpful when I added funds to the card as I did not know what I was doing.

Another question: how can I print out Leona's sideways cheat sheets?

Save them to your desktop and print from there should work.

Or pick one up at the Mailbox!

I usually highlight a post, paste it to word then hit print. Before printing you could also change the type size too.

Thanks, Leona and Scubaman.

Georgia...something else that I realized (after I lost my phone and had to buy another..lol) You need to make sure that you have followed the data setting instructions on the cheat sheet I sent to establish your APN (access point name). I got a new phone last week and thought it would "just work" with my old $$ and data when I had the SIM transferred. It did not, until I changed the settings and did the PREMIUM piece under APN.

Thanks Leona. I'll play with it when we get there.

Just to confirm the facts cited in my previous post. Last week I followed my own instructions and extended the expiration date on my SXM Chippie phone number for free at this web site:

http://buychippieonline.com/expirationdate.aspx

I did not use my phone to check the expiration date, but did check it at the Chippie web site and it was extended.

I have done that as well but I am not 100% confident on the "free" extension thing always working even though it appears it does.

I just turned on my phone that I use otherwise exclusively in SXM with the Chippie SIM card. It connected to the AT&T network here in the States. I dialed #191# and got a response showing the expiration date had been extended as mentioned above.

I share ruralcarrier's lack of confidence nonetheless. My guess is that dialing #191# is probably more reliable than depending on the web site, but even that might not be 100% reliable. Any reason for any of us to believe CHIPPIE/UTS is any more reliable than GEBE?

I am with you. Over dinner last night we had a cell phone discussion with 3 other locals. Now, he may not be correct but whoever the other carrier is here supposedly does not have an expiring SIM card like Chippie/UTS. At least that is according to a local taxi driver. I put $ on my top up card so I am good for a long time as long as they stay in business.

I just checked the website and it indicated an expiration date of 12/28/2019 while calling #191# indicates 1/10/2010. Go figure.