Telcel Amigo Plan

I have Verizon in the states. I can never get thru to the US despite what Verizon claims. So I decided to try a 'Baja' phone.

Paid $80.00 US and got a Nokia phone. It came with 300 pesos worth of minutes. As best I can tell it costs me $1.30 per minute to call the US.

Yesterday I bought a 300 peso recharge card and when I did the input into the phone I got 600 pesos worth of credit.

The wifey and I played golf at Bajamar and I returned clients calls between shots while watching the pelicans diving for food and the waves crashing the shore and sipping on a Sangre de Maria.
Viva Telcel!!

Where did you buy a 300 peso card

at a telcel office.? I've never seen them at any of the stores only 200's. When is the special over, do you know? k

But will my verizon phone

work in Bajahahahahaha

Keri, technically I made my purchase at an authorized licensed reseller and the great thing about the deal I got was that for a few bucks more you can go right next door and get a tasty pastrami. I prefer swiss.

Thanks EGL for the tip

By the way my favorite is the rueben. Oh man ,you have made me hungry.That might be my lunch today, . Yep lunch and a phone card. perfect. k
Hose A is this a special or an all the time thing?

[Edited on 11-14-2004 by Keri]

[Edited on 11-14-2004 by Keri]

The phone card has a scratch off number. You then dial *333 and follow the prompts telling you to enter the #. You can also check how much credit you have left. As for the type of phone? You just need a Telcel account. They offer various types of phones and services. The one I got for the $80.00 is a Model 1100 Nokia. Real small. Very handy. The minutes do expire so you may not want to load up unless you will down there using it. I did notice this AM when I turned on my phone that it is showing Cingular on the screen, Telcel has agreement with them,so I could use up any minutes I had roaming here in San Diego county. We are headed for the Baja 1000 so I will get a chance to use phone in some other areas to reach out and touch someone!

Baja phone

In the old days when Verizon was La Cellular then Airtouch I had an A side (US LA #) and a B side (San Diego# for Baja) on my phone and would simply switch back and forth when south of the border. I never had any problems connecting. The last year or two I saw the ability to connect deteriorate significantly. As stated by some one previously, Verizon does not have a STRONG relationship in Mexico with any provider (despite what they claim).
I have contemplated Nextel as they have FREE direct connect into Baja Norte but no service past Ensenada which would not serve me well. I am trying this method out for now. In March of 05 it will be time to re-up with Verizon or move on (Now that you can take your number with you, I have had the same one since 1981, I WILL be moving on). I hope to find a set up where I can again have one phone that I can easily use on both sides of the border. I am leaning towards Cingular because of the Telcel agreement. I will spend the next months evaluating any and all options. ,Telcel also has agreements with T Mobile,A T & T and Cincinatti Bell, according to there web site. It also appears that I will be able to use this phone on our upcoming trip to Costa Rica.


http://www.telcel.com/gsm/international/worldmap_i.htm

EGL....am I understanding that you bought a separate phone for your Telcel service? I have a Nokia and it handles both AT&T here and Telcel when I'm down there. It just takes a few menu selections to toggle between the two services.

Works like a champ.....but no pastrami next door to where I bought it.

Well wonderful

I had my Reuben and was so happy I forgot my phone card. Oh well tomorrow's another day. jeje,k

Quote:

Originally posted by Hose A Jeans: Could you give a little more detail on the toggle thing. With 6 Nokia and 1 Sony in the house , I have not found any way to switch back and forth. I have in the past month sold 2 of the Nokia's and given 1 away but I would still like to know what I am missing.

Jeans

Yes I bought a phone.

My plan is to change from Verizon to a provider who has an agreement in Baja. If I cancel my Verizon now there is a $200.00 cancellation fee, so I am waiting for the re-up in early 05.

Do you have a seperate phone number and account with Telcel? Then you re-set the NAM to whichever? Or is your set-up thru AT&T with a roaming agreement with Telcel? I need to go to Telcel office and see if my current Verizon phone can be set up for toggle. That would be great. Which store did you go to for yours?

How do you like AT&T service?

Keri

I am hoping to get down Wednesday afternoon for a sandwich and a phone card! Might have to try the Reuben.

I have Cellular One (home in El Centro) and use a old bag phone which I can get to Yuma etc from San Felipe without roaming much of the time. I has the capabilities of having dual numbers. I just got my wife a phone on the same service plan - a Nokia - and the sales clerk told me she has one like it and has the second number programend with Telcel on the pay as you go plan. We've been traveling for the last couple weeks, so havent added the Telcel but plan to when we return to San Felipe. I think that anymore most phones have the ability to be on two systems (but not at once)

Dontcha hate cancellation fees? I have two separate services and they are both prepaid. I don't talk much

Digital Planet is just past at La Espadana (new computer...where's the tilde?), in the Sam's Club center. The only problem I had was that Telcel is very slow in setting up the service initially so I had to go to La Espanada and have a great meal and wait.

Quote:

Dontcha hate cancellation fees? I have two separate services and they are both prepaid. I don't talk much .....so I had to go to La Espanada and have a great meal and wait.

HoseA

I hope you still have the phone for Aaron with all those sales.

Telecel Amigo Plan

If the report of $1.30 per minute to use Telecel in Baja...and then only in the large cities...is true I don't understand why anyone would buy it.

An Iridium Sat Phone will give you world wide calling from anywhere to anywhere for $1.29 per minute...cheaper if you buy the right sims card.

We use ours from Alfonsina's all the time and love it. I have buddy who calls his wife from the South Pole where he runs the electric and heat plant.

Iridium even has free voice mail and text messageing...again from anywhere on earth!

The only big drawback of the Sat Phone is the long string of numbers you gotta dial to get it from the USA if you're calling from a land line....not true if you're using another Sat phone....and the initial cost for the telephone which ranges from $600 to $1800 depending on bells and whisltes etc.

Maybe....manana...we'll have decent and cheap cell phone service in the boonies of Baja....the only good part of the place...but I wouldn't build a take out Pizza Store in anticipation of it.

Thank Goodness that most change takes whatever is announced times 100 in Baja...that's what we love about the place.

misinformation or my bad math?

I purchased a Telcel phone. It came with 300 pesos worth of time/minutes/calls.

I spoke on the phone for 20 minutes 21 seconds over several calls. At that time I had 13.75 pesos worth of credit remaining. Peso is 11 x1. 286 pesos for 20 minutes = 1.30 minute? Telcel must use creative accounting when amigo's use their phones?

I will go into Telcel store next time down and check out the options relative to frequently called numbers and charges. I only really need the phone for calling the USA. I need to stay in touch with customers while I am hanging out at the family beach house.

Sat phones are great. I have rented them on numerous occasions over the years. The prices for calls have dropped. I recall paying (glady) $2.50 a minute to call clients from the beach at Coyote 6-7 years back. In March we went to San Ignacio and San Pedro de Martir and beyond and I paid $39.00 a week to rent and $1.80 per minute for Sat phone. It was fun taking a customers order at 9,000 feet while sipping a cold adult beverage amongst the Aspen trees in Baja!

Refurbished 9505 Sat Phones are $1,100.00. New $1,599.00.

I will continue to rent Sat phones when the need is there. In the interim I will (gladly) pay $1.30 a minute to stay in contact while enjoying the sights and sounds of the big cities of Baja on my $80.00 (with $300 pesos talk) Nokia.

The important thing to remember is ANY excuse to get to Baja!!