BajaNomad

Best Telcel calling plan?

unbob - 10-16-2013 at 09:18 PM

Just wondering what the current cheapest calling plan for Telcel is called - both for calling local Baja numbers and USA landline or cell phones.

AFAIK, I'm still on the 'Amigo Combinado 20' plan which may no longer be offered to new customers - please correct me if I'm wrong.

Like everyone, I'd like to be assured I'm calling for lowest possible cost when using my Telcel phone.

TIA amigos

dasubergeek - 10-18-2013 at 01:47 PM

Depending how much you use your Telcel, Amigo Óptimo or Amigo Plus are your best bet. If you're on a monthly plan, you get better rates in the border cities (by about 5%) than further south.

johnalex - 11-7-2013 at 12:53 PM

I have a TelCel prepay plan.
How long do the minutes last before expiring?
We rented our house out so will not be down much this year.

MitchMan - 11-7-2013 at 05:30 PM

I've got a pre pay plan. Don't know if it is the best, but it works for me. Calls from my La Paz Mexican Telcel cell phone to the USA is $11.43 pesos for a block of 10 minutes. *333 calls to get update on prepaid pesos balance is $1.14 pesos per minute. Don't remember what the cost for local (within La Paz) cell to cell phone calls are in La Paz, I think about $3.00 pesos per minute.

Any time I call while not in La Paz, all the rates are significantly higher than calling while within La Paz.

Using a combination of Skype and calls on my Telcel phone, I manage to keep my communication costs under control.

Udo - 11-7-2013 at 06:38 PM

Useful information Mitch!

dasubergeek - 11-8-2013 at 11:12 AM

The minutes last 2 months before expiring. You can keep them 'alive' by adding any amount, which you can do online or at any number of Latino-owned cell phone stores in the U.S.

With Amigo Óptimo, calls to any number in Mexico, the U.S. or Canada (except Hawaii, Alaska and the Caribbean) cost $3.98 per minute. If you recharge $50 or more in a month, those calls are $2.98 per minute; if you recharge $150 or more, those calls are $1.98; if you recharge $200 or more, those calls are $0.98 per minute. You also get 3 (Mexican landline or Telcel) numbers that get the first five minutes free and 9 (Mexican landline or Telcel) numbers that get $0.98 per minute fees regardless of your recharge amount.

SMS to the U.S. are $1.79 to send, free to receive; SMS to Mexico are $0.88 to send, free to receive, except your 3 "free" numbers get unlimited free texts.

CortezBlue - 11-8-2013 at 12:40 PM

AT&T Viva Mexico Plan

johnalex - 11-8-2013 at 12:55 PM

Good info Das.

Also, calls within your carrier, TelCel to TelCel or MoviStar to MoviStar are free.

ccorbridge - 11-8-2013 at 06:36 PM

great info! thanks

pauldavidmena - 11-9-2013 at 03:33 PM

Before I visited Mexico in July, I purchased a pre-paid Telcel SIM card from MexicanSIMCard.com. I decided on 50 minutes of voice and 1.5 GB of data and paid somewhere between $50 and $60. In the space of a week, I used about half of the data allotment (mostly to get on the internet when wireless wasn't available) but only a minute or two of the voice. I'm thinking I could do better price-wise, but given the quality of service (4G data not only in Todos Santos but also in the sticks of Las Tunas and San Pedrito) I was very sastisfied.

dasubergeek - 11-10-2013 at 07:10 AM

On the usual Amigo plans, you just send a text to 5050 when you want Internet. Here's the list of codes; I usually use bajo7 for $59 which gets me 200 MB valid for 7 days. It just deducts from your balance.

http://www.telcel.com/portal/personas/amigo/detalles/paquete...