BajaNomad - questions about buying a cell phone

questions about buying a cell phone

Spearo - 3-1-2011 at 08:55 PM

I was considering buying a cell phone this trip. Never had one before but I am making the drive to Mulege solo this year. I am kind of clueless about this...

How hard is it to buy a cheap cell phone and minutes to call home?

Any tricks to this?

Gracias

mcfez - 3-1-2011 at 09:03 PM

Maybe you should ask also....is the cell phone coverage on the way down there. :?:

rhintransit - 3-1-2011 at 09:16 PM

very easy to buy and recharge BUT, you will need a CURP card (the national registration number for nationals and for foreigners who request one) to do so, so maybe not so easy. if you don't have one I don't know where/how you do that in Mulege. or how you would do it en route if you want it for the trip down.
maybe someone further north can answer that?

Spearo - 3-1-2011 at 09:36 PM

Cant you just buy an unlocked phone and SIM card? I just want to call the states occasionally.

bent-rim - 3-1-2011 at 10:08 PM

I bought a buddy a cell phone at La Tienda in Mulege about 6 years ago, it came with pre-paid minutes which were doled out at about 15 mins a month, but he was able to buy extra minutes easy enough. He had injured himself on his dirtbike and wanted to let his family know he was ok. I use my ATT phone in Baja, it's about 85 cents a minute.

Amigo Phone by Telcel

tripledigitken - 3-1-2011 at 10:18 PM

I have a Mexican phone which I use when traveling in Baja. I bought it 2 years ago for $24 US. I got it at a liquor store in TJ, but I recommend you buy it at the Telcel store, as I had trouble loading the card with minutes on it the first time. I usually get a 300 peso card and that is more than enough for my use for 2 weeks. Last trip I used it was in October of 2010 and I bought minutes and had no issue with registration as mentioned by another poster. It works great both in Baja and for calling home to the US.

Ken

BAJA.DESERT.RAT - 3-1-2011 at 10:22 PM

hola, you can buy a cheap phone with telcel service for around $ 50.00 U.S. i have one and just buy about 200 pesos worth of minutes at a time. however, i am charged about $ 1.50 U.S. per minute to call the states.

my ATT phone does work calling the states as well but costs me $ 1.00 U.S. per minute.

you should check with the different american phone companies to see if they have a plan they used to call the amigo plan and was much cheaper.

if you're going to be carrying a lap top, sign onto skype as it only costs 2 cents a minute to call the U.S. and most hotels and motels have wifi. however

Marc - 3-1-2011 at 10:24 PM

I am hooked up to AT&T. Just give them a call to tell them to put you on roam in Mexico. No problem. However there are many dead spots south of the border. Reception only in towns.

BAJA.DESERT.RAT - 3-1-2011 at 10:32 PM

CONTINUATION: however, if you call mexico from the states, it's 39 cents a minute.

one benefit of having a mexican cell is if you have an emergency, the mexican equivalent of 911 is " 066 " but if you don't get an english speaking agent, you'll have to hold on until they can get you one which took me over 20 minutes.

there are areas that do not have service.

i hope this helps you in your decision.

BIEN SALUD, DA RAT

Barbarosa - 3-1-2011 at 10:39 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Spearo
I was considering buying a cell phone this trip. Never had one before but I am making the drive to Mulege solo this year. I am kind of clueless about this...

How hard is it to buy a cheap cell phone and minutes to call home?

Any tricks to this?

Gracias

Piece o' cake! In fact, I'm convinced that my cellphone (ATT GoPhone from WalMart) is really marketed to Mexicans in th' US.

It's been awhile since I'd been down there and I didn't know what to expect. A few years ago my wife got a standard ATT contract up here. And I got a cheapo GoPhone for guys like me who don't use the technology.

Just before we headed down there, I checked on both services. Mine was already all set up. No further activation required. My wife (std ATT service) needed some activation.

Thereafter, hers was $.50 / minute. Mine was $.25. And mine worked very well whenever there was a tower. Hers? Not so much. Really. That GoPhone worked great and hers frequently did not.

My GoPhone ($25 every 3 months from which you draw your $.25 per minute) worked great (well, not so much from Catavina <g>. Whenever there was cell service, that GoPhone worked flawlessly.

Just go get one. I doubt you'll be sorry.

mtgoat666 - 3-1-2011 at 10:59 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Spearo
I was considering buying a cell phone this trip. Never had one before but I am making the drive to Mulege solo this year.

well, for 90% of the drive you will have no service, there is only reliable service in or near towns. where you do have cell service, you are within shouting distance of assistance.
so, you don't need a phone for security on road, and if you wanted such, your existing roaming on US phone will do in a pinch.

surfdoc - 3-1-2011 at 11:08 PM

I have both... My AT&T Viva Mexico plan is for my familia
and is NO roaming charges in BCS..

Also I have a 299 Peso phone I purchased in Vizcaino for local call.. as said I put 200P on the card and no prob!!!!!!!!!

BajaWarrior - 3-2-2011 at 05:28 AM

GoPhone from AT&T is .25 cents a minute in Baja with a daily charge (one time a day when you use it) of $1.20. Works everywhere TelCel does, pay as you go.

Each call ends with the cost of the call and balance on your account. Upon sign up the phone was only $15 and came with $15 worth of minutes.

......making the drive to Mulege solo

mcfez - 3-2-2011 at 06:10 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Marc
I am hooked up to AT&T. Just give them a call to tell them to put you on roam in Mexico. No problem. However there are many dead spots south of the border. Reception only in towns.

Point I was making, thanks Marc.

Cell phone for "help" services may not be much use when one is out there with the donkies and road runners. Some folks actually think there's cell service 100% of the land.....and I want to make sure that Spearo understands that is not true.

I advise her to carry the following list of item, this list comes off the AA Roadside Web site. Some stuff on this list (such as Vise Grips) she may not know what to do with...but a passing by helper would!

Some of the basic items include:

* 12-foot jumper cables
* Four 15-minute roadside flares
* Two quarts of oil
* Gallon of antifreeze
* First aid kit (including an assortment of bandages, gauze, adhesive tape, antiseptic cream, instant ice and heat compresses, scissors and aspirin)
* Blanket
* Extra fuses
* Flashlight and extra batteries
* Flat head screwdrivers
* Phillips head screwdrivers
* Pliers
* Vise Grips
* Adjustable wrench
* Tire inflator (such as a Fix-A-Flat)
* Tire pressure gauge
* Rags
* Roll of paper towels
* Roll of duct tape
* Spray bottle with washer fluid
* Pocketknife
* Pen and paper
* Help sign
* Granola or energy bars
* Bottled water

I always keep something like a BIG set of scissors in my open storage area of the truck door when traveling. One never knows when a bad guy needs a little surprise. Even an old fashion can opener on your key chain...works wonders for protection.

[Edited on 3-2-2011 by mcfez]

tripledigitken - 3-2-2011 at 08:03 AM

Verizon USA phones do not do well in Baja on roam, despite what Verizon will tell you. I tried several times to use mine and only got spotty reception in Ensenada and La Paz.

[Edited on 3-2-2011 by tripledigitken]

shari - 3-2-2011 at 08:08 AM

you can buy a telcel phone...i love my little Nokia for 400 pesos and I got 100 peos of free minutes. Get the people at the Tel Cel store to not only activate it...but ask them nicely to register it for you...you dont need a CURP and can register with your passport number...then ask them sweetly to put your phone in english too...you can buy a card with minutes where you scratch with a coin to see the number...you call *333 and press option 2 for putting minutes on your phone...really not too difficult....keep your receipt for the phone for future reference.

Spearo - 3-2-2011 at 08:16 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by mcfez

Quote:

Thanks for the advice. I carry a full tool box as well as spare parts, coolant, oil, compressor, baseball bat...

I also happen to be 6'2", 185 and male.

mcfez - 3-2-2011 at 08:21 AM

Quote:

I also happen to be 6'2", 185 and male.

BIGGER set of scissors then :lol:

vandy - 3-2-2011 at 08:58 AM

Hi Spearo...I get my friends cell phones down here from Movistar. As Shari said, the Nokias go for around $400 pesos, and they can be recharged at any Tienda Popular (and lots of other stores). Just show your phone number to the clerk and give them some pesos, and you'll get a text showing that you have time.

I use Movistar because it's the one that works best down here at the hot springs. I'm sure Telcel is just as good.

Mexican calls run about a peso per minute. To the US runs about a dollar a minute. Carrying charge is about $100 pesos per month, and they will text you with 2 for 1 recharge days, so actually it's really cheap.

Also, either Movistar never got into the registration crap or they just don't care. I've never shown an ID for my phones.

Be sure to go through all the options on your phone to change it to English for texting, or your messages end up really weird...OK, maybe weirder than usual

Pescador - 3-2-2011 at 09:17 AM

Movistar has the best rates for calling back to the states in Baja Sur, but the coverage is not as good as Telcel. So if you want the best coverage in the most areas saving a dollar or two is not a smart option. Shari gave you the best advice of how to get this all done.

Hook - 3-2-2011 at 10:26 AM

BajaWarrior, you need to give ATT a call. We were able to do away with that per day charge. We're still only paying .25/minute on our go phone.

BajaWarrior - 3-3-2011 at 06:32 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Hook
BajaWarrior, you need to give ATT a call. We were able to do away with that per day charge. We're still only paying .25/minute on our go phone.

I just switched from a North America plan to the GoPhone so it's new for me but we feel it's a great deal as we are only part timers in Baja.

How do I go about asking them to remove the daily rate? I thought that was more of a TelCel charge.

BW

[Edited on 3-4-2011 by BajaWarrior]