BajaNomad - using telcel from ca. to baja ca.

using telcel from ca. to baja ca.

Riom - 10-5-2010 at 10:00 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by TonyC
i'm trying to use up my mins. on my telcel phone by using it to call from north cal. to baja norte. when i dial 011521616, it dials +521521616, extra 521.

Have you tried just dialling 616... as if you were in Mexico? Maybe it assumes you'll do that so adds the +521 to help you.

You'll certainly use up the balance fast that way - US$2 a minute I think to roam in the US on Telcel (outside border areas).

Mulegena - 10-5-2010 at 12:51 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by TonyC
... when i dial 011521616, it dials +521521616, extra 521.

I'm interested in this, too, as I maintain no regular telephone north of the border.

Why are you adding a "1" after the "52"? Have you tried just 011-52-616-xxxx?

Mexicorn - 10-5-2010 at 12:56 PM

Why not purchase a go phone in the US?

Mulegena - 10-5-2010 at 05:37 PM

Yes, I have a pay-as-you-go US phone and Skype. However, TonyC asked how to use his TelCel phone on the other side. I don't know if its possible and am curious. Also, I think he may be dialing incorrectly for international calls, adding an extra "1" after the "-52".

Anyone know?

bajacrawler - 10-5-2010 at 06:38 PM

The 1 between 52 and 686 is for calling cell phones in Baja. When you call a land line in Baja you leave the 1 out.

SiReNiTa - 10-5-2010 at 07:34 PM

I had my telcel in San Diego while visiting up there, all I did was dial the exact number, no additional country code and it seemed to work for me...maybe that has changed or maybe it was because of the area?

Marc - 10-5-2010 at 07:51 PM

Every time I take a phone to Baja something different (wrong) happens. Sometimes I can't receive text and voice is good, sometimes it's the reverse. I start with Telcel and suddenly I am with Movistar and then back again. Frustrating but I manage to get through one way or the other. Better than that suffocating booth at BOLA just a few years ago.
Mainland Mexico seems to have better service. I sent images of Copper Canyon from my phone last year.

jeffg - 10-6-2010 at 10:39 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by TonyC
Oh yeah...I normally give my mins to an amigo when I leave, but forgot when I crossed, and I lose it after Nov. Breaks my heart, cause now I'll have to make a trip down before Nov....wouldn't want to waste it.

Is this a Telcel phone on the Amigo plan? If so you don't really lose the minutes, even though the recording says the time is only good until such and such a date. When you add more time later the expired minutes magically reappear.

jeffg - 10-6-2010 at 01:17 PM

Yeah that's it. Just hang on to your minutes, then next time you buy a card and enter the code the old minutes will come back.

I'm curious, how do you give the minutes to someone else?

Marita-LosOlivos - 10-7-2010 at 11:34 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by jeffg

I'm curious, how do you give the minutes to someone else?

To give your TELCEL minutes to someone else you have send a text message with the phone number of the person with a telcel phone you want to send the money to, and then a space with the amount you want to send. Make sure you have money on your phone or it will not work.

example: 6161234567 100
* you then send the text to the number 7373.

you will get a message back right away saying that the phone # ????? received your money.

Riom - 10-7-2010 at 04:43 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by TonyC
I normally give my mins to an amigo when I leave, but forgot when I crossed, and I lose it after Nov..

You can add money to a Telcel phone from outside Mexico, for example at Babblebug or Prepaidwireless. When I used Babblebug a couple of years ago it was a 100 pesos recharge for $10, which extends the life of the whole balance (previous + 100 pesos) by two months.

Note that if you give your minutes to somebody else it becomes a "gift" (regalo) balance on their phone, which has limited uses (can't be used for internet access etc).

Rob

shari - 10-9-2010 at 08:44 AM

just a note...the 1 after 52 is for calling a cell phone from a land line...and another little detail when passing minutes to another person is that i think you can only send less than 100 pesos of minutes so you would have to gift 99 pesos.