BajaNomad

Another Cell Phone Question

kitjv - 3-15-2009 at 12:38 PM

After reading a lot of conflicting info, I need some factual answers. If anyone can help, I would really appreciate it.

Will an unlocked cell phone (purchased in the U.S.) with a sim card purchased in Baja work reliably for calls from Baja to the U.S.?

Since I have never purchased a sim card before, are they prepaid (similar to a phone card)?

Can I purchase a sim card in the U.S. for calling from Baja to the U.S.?

Thank you for your help. If there is other info of which I should be aware, please let me know.

dianaji - 3-15-2009 at 12:46 PM

i would like to know this also...so staying on this thread.

diana

bajaguy - 3-15-2009 at 01:26 PM

We have Movistar cell phones, purchased in Ensenada. We buy time for the phones (not on a monthly billing cycle). We have a plan that lets us call the US for about 20 minutes and costs about 23 pesos......

Check with the Movistar store in Ensenada on the Costero next to Starbucks.

Phone cost about 25/30 dollars each and we load them with 200 pesos worth of time

Riom - 3-15-2009 at 08:42 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by kitjv
Will an unlocked cell phone (purchased in the U.S.) with a sim card purchased in Baja work reliably for calls from Baja to the U.S.?


Yes. Check it is really unlocked, perhaps by trying a friend's SIM from another network, even a non-US network.
Quote:

Since I have never purchased a sim card before, are they prepaid (similar to a phone card)?


Yes. Actually, the first time you buy the sim (a very small chip that goes in the phone), after that you add airtime to the sim via scratch cards or other methods (in other words, you don't get a fresh sim each time it runs out!).

A Telcel sim for is available from some phone dealers and Telcel stores for around 200 pesos with around 50 pesos airtime included (this varies). Get the store to register it for you when you buy it (involves a long call to a callcenter in Spanish). You'll also need to buy your first recharge card.

Try to also get them to switch you to the "por llamada" (per call) tariff which is currently 11.50 pesos per 15 mins or part for calls to the US/Canada (half the cost for domestic Mexico calls). Otherwise it's around $1 a min to the US at the base tariff. No charge for incoming calls when in your home city (but be aware it will cost your US callers more to call a mexico mobile than to call a mexico landline).

The Telcel sims can be used in the US at a rate of over $2/min both incoming and outgoing (so don't!) but it's handy to check the balance in the US if you only visit from time to time.

You need to buy a minimum 100 peso recharge every 2 months to keep the phone fully active. Many places sell scrach-off cards, you call also recharge online from a Bancomer bank account, plus babblebug.com and prepaidwireless.com sell them online (at a poor exchange rate) if you really can't get back to Mexico.

If you recharge for 200 or more pesos, you get bonus airtime added on, but still only 60 days validity. Any money left on the sim when you add more money rolls over.
Quote:

Can I purchase a sim card in the U.S. for calling from Baja to the U.S.?


Mostly no. Well, there are a few places that will sell you Mexican sims in advance of a trip, but they won't have a number on them local to where you are going.

Also, T-mobile prepaid will work in Mexico, but it's roaming so very expensive and not recommended. Same with most US contract sims, may work but too expensive.

Diver - 3-15-2009 at 09:00 PM

Telcel sim cards were $100 Dec. '07 and $150 this January - pesos.

dianaji - 3-15-2009 at 09:06 PM

Where is a convenient place to shop for a MovieStar sim, enroute to/in,La Mision? Perhaps Rosarita offers the best options? Rather not shop in TJ

Woooosh - 3-15-2009 at 09:09 PM

... or go the Nextel Direct-Connect walkie-talkie route- which is what the Tijuaneros do. You'd be surprised how many people have the nextel service.

dianaji - 3-15-2009 at 09:12 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Woooosh
... or go the Nextel Direct-Connect walkie-talkie route- which is what the Tijuaneros do. You'd be surprised how many people have the nextel service.


not sure how that works...can u 'splain'?:?:

BajaNuts - 3-15-2009 at 09:15 PM

just relating my own experience-
got to Ensenada, stopped at a Telcel store on a main road and bought a sim card for my US Nokia phone. Store clerk didn't speak English and I didn't speak enough spanish to ever get the sim card activated and working.

I was in La Paz for a month, so I went to the Telcel store on ? de Febraro and bought the cheapest ($32 usd) mex phone and had the agent activate it and after that I used Amigo scratch-off time cards.

Calls to US used a lot of minutes, so we would use the phone for a quick "hey, you there? get on internet" and then I would go to town and get in the internet using TeamSpeak for unlimited free internet talking.

It worked for my situation. I still have the Mex cell phone but my Mex phone number deactivated after 3 months of no activity. When I return I can go to the telcel store and get a new number for as long as I'm there.

Probably not the best solution, but it's what I did not knowing what else to do.............

On our first trip, our US cell phones worked on calls to local places but could not call out of area. Would probably work if all you wanted was a "911" or "066" type emergency back up using your us cell phone.

Maybe our US cell phones would have worked if we had called the cell carrier and activated international calling...........dunno.

On the few calls we made on our US cell phones in La Paz while on vacation, it was $4.00 a minute. BE CAREFULL!

kitjv - 3-16-2009 at 12:48 PM

Thank you, everyone, for your suggestions. Sounds like either a Mexican sim card in my cell phone or purchasing an inexpensive cell in Baja would be the most viable options.

Let me pose a follow-up question. We plan to be in the Los Barriles area for one month. I plan to purchase a phone card (as I have done on other trips) as well as bring my laptop computer. So the use of a cell phone would be strictly for emergency use on the drive down & back. So hopefully it will never get used. With that in mind, what would you recommend as the best cell phone option?

Thanks again for all your help.

Diver - 3-16-2009 at 12:57 PM

If you get a Telcel phone in Barriles, get the sim card with barriles as the home base.
This will make local calls very cheap and LD a little less.

Riom - 3-16-2009 at 09:16 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by kitjv
So the use of a cell phone would be strictly for emergency use on the drive down & back. So hopefully it will never get used. With that in mind, what would you recommend as the best cell phone option?


What cell phone service do you have in the US? If it is a contract GSM service from AT&T/Cingular or T-Mobile you will have roaming coverage on BOTH Mexican networks, giving you better coverage than either local network. Be sure to call your US provider and ensure international roaming is on. This assumes cost per minute is unimportant (since you don't plan to use it).

You should also get Mexico roaming with some US prepaids like T-Mobile and AT&T's Go Phone (which is 99c/min on top of normal charges). Actually the latter is fairly competitive with Telcel Amigo's base rates, for calls to the US.

So, if your US service does roam, and you are SURE that not too many people will call you (as the roaming charges are on inbound calls also) that would be all you need. Simple and no commitment.

If you're going to use it routinely in Mexico on multiple trips (or need a local phone number for delivery people etc to call you), you're better off getting a local phone - I would go for Telcel for slightly better coverage but there's not much between them. Buy it in the area where you make most calls (so that sort of rules out having it on the first trip down). To keep the Mexican sim active is 600+ pesos per year and a hassle, so you'll have to compare this with just roaming costs if your use is really infrequent.

kitjv - 3-16-2009 at 09:44 PM

Riom, thank you for the good advice.

EnseNADAslim - 3-18-2009 at 12:28 AM

Check with Verizon. We know some friends that have a plan with verizon that they make local calls in Ensenada, and they can also use the phone in the US. They love the service as they go back and forth all the time.

kitjv - 3-18-2009 at 07:54 AM

Yeah, my understanding is that Verizon using CDMA technology in their cell phone (i.e. requires no sim card). Apparently Baja uses the same technology. So the phones can be used on both sides of the border. But the downside is that Verizon charges $.99/minute + applicable Mexican surcharges. Someone else might confirm this.

Nevertheless, this might be a good option for me if I plan to use the phone for emergencies only.

Another question: When I look at cell companies coverage maps of Baja, they all look rather sparse. Can I safely assume that other than near the proximity of towns, cell coverage is non-existent along HWY 1 from the border to Los Cabos? Thanks.

yes

BajaVida - 3-19-2009 at 08:27 PM

kitjv - 3-19-2009 at 09:24 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by kitjv
But the downside is that Verizon charges $.99/minute + applicable Mexican surcharges.


I might correct myself here. Verizon charges only the $.99/minute roaming fee. There are no applicable MX surcharges.

BigWooo - 3-20-2009 at 10:46 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Riom

You need to buy a minimum 100 peso recharge every 2 months to keep the phone fully active. Many places sell scrach-off cards, you call also recharge online from a Bancomer bank account, plus babblebug.com and prepaidwireless.com sell them online (at a poor exchange rate) if you really can't get back to Mexico.


I bought a Nokia (Telcel) phone in Mexico City last year. Last time I used it was September in BCS so I'm sure the minutes have expired.

When I get back into Mexico will I just need to dial 333 to recharge off the amigo card, or is there some other step I'll need to take to recharge it since it's been inactive for so long?

Also, my cell number is a Mexico City area code, but now I'll be using it more in BCS. Can I change the area code with a new sim card?

Thanks.