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kassonswildride
Newbie
Posts: 5
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All good info here - I have an att iphone- unlocked and will be in Baja for 3 months. I have clients in the US that I need to connect with
occasionally. Trying to decide between ATT's Mexico plan or getting a Mexican SIM card for the iphone. ATT says they can suspend my acct for $10/mo
and then my clients phone calls will go to voicemail which I can retrieve through google voice or skype. But maybe it would be less of a hassle to use
their Mexico plan? Anyone have any experience or advice??
I've heard a little chatter about with the new laws in baja that they aren't selling the throw away phones anymore. Are they still selling the SIM
cards??
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dasubergeek
Senior Nomad
Posts: 694
Registered: 8-17-2013
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They were just selling the throwaway phone as recently as last month—it was being trumpeted at Sanborns in Tijuana.
It depends. If your clients need to call a US number, you can set up your US phone to forward to a Mexican number and eat the cost of the
international forwarding, or you can go with the Mexico plan. If your clients are willing to dial a Mexican number (remember that all cell phones in
Mexico have a 1 in front, so 011-52-1-XXX-XX-XX), then you can just get a Mexican phone.
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chavycha
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Posts: 373
Registered: 1-20-2014
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We used mexicosimcard.com to get a couple telcel Sims before we left. Quick delivery and good service. A few dollars more expensive but well worth
the peace of mind to have it taken care of beforehand.
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CatCrazyJulie
Junior Nomad
Posts: 57
Registered: 10-7-2006
Location: Morro Bay, CA
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Hi - We're heading to Baja next week, and I had begun researching renting satellite communications, since cell and internet is still down in so many
places, including Cabo Pulmo, our final destination. (Pulmo's cell tower is okay, but evidently the relay from SJdC isn't working yet.)
This thread answered some of my old questions about cell phones in Baja (have been down the Verizon route). In Cabo Pulmo, we know that Telcel would
be the only functioning cell service. Since we anticipate making many trips to Baja in the future, and will want to be able to communicate by phone
with other people in Baja, it would be handy to have a Baja phone number. From an earlier post above, it sounds like there are advantages to having
that phone number have the Cabo Pulmo (Los Cabos?) area code. So in order to make this happen, do I need to purchase a Telcel phone from a store
somewhere within the Los Cabos area code? Given hurricane Odile, I'd imagine there's some uncertainty now about where to do to do this/which stores
are up and running? It would be great if it was possible to buy a phone in La Paz or Los Barriles, since these are going to be stopping points for
us, and I think the bridge is still down to SJdC.
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DaGreen
Junior Nomad
Posts: 29
Registered: 9-25-2003
Location: La Ventana
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I just bought a new phone at Telcel in LaPaz last week. They asked which area code I would like to have, all are available, Tijuana, La Paz, Cabo,
etc. Safe Travels.
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bajalearner
Senior Nomad
Posts: 670
Registered: 8-24-2010
Location: Tijuana
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Mood: in search of more
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| Quote: | Originally posted by willyAirstream
Google voice is free from anywhere in the country where you start your account, so set it up in the usa before you leave. Calls within mex are cheaper
than telcel, but getting a telcel burner is good to have with you while travelling. |
So set it up in the US and one can call from MX to the US for free?
Or set it up in MX to call free to the US?
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Udo
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6346
Registered: 4-26-2008
Location: Black Hills, SD/Ensenada/San Felipe
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I gotta throw in my two centavos:
About two years ago I bought one of the TELCEL cheepo phones...300 pesos/300 minutes.
BTW even though the phone is purchased with a Spanish menu and screen, one can go to the settings menu and change it to all English.
After about a year and a half of that phone, I got tired of it and decided to buy a US phone made by HTC. It turns out all HTC (ATT) phones use the
same SIM card.
So I swapped the old SIM card from my old phone, and plugged into my new HTC smartphone...and it worked great!
Now I have a new smart phone with e-mail, contacts, camera, you tube, Facebook, Nomads, etc. The SKU# of the phone I bought is 65232, and I think the
model number is 99-HLZ104.
I bought the phone and the case ($115.00) through Amazon.
BTW...I can make calls to Mexico from the US and to the US from Mexico. How much does it cost for air time?
I don't know. I set up an on-line account and put in 100 pesos very two months. For this year, your air time is good for only two months, then the
phone gets deactivated, but you don't lose your previous minutes.
But starting January 1st, 2015, the new telecom plan for Mexico allows for one to keep the minutes without expiration date.
Udo
Youth is wasted on the young!
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CatCrazyJulie
Junior Nomad
Posts: 57
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Location: Morro Bay, CA
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Udo - This sounds very promising! Question: was your original cheapo telcel phone a HTC? Do you think the model of your telcel phone had anything to
do with the success of the sim card swap?
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AKgringo
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6025
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Location: Anchorage, AK (no mas!)
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For $28 I bought an ATT Go Phone at a Walmart in Anchorage. It has far more capability than I will need or use, and it is has service in Canada as
well as Mexico! I selected the area code for the Northern CA town that I will spend most of the winter so I m good for the entire west coast
adventure for twenty to thirty dollars a month if I just use it as a phone.
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Udo
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6346
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Location: Black Hills, SD/Ensenada/San Felipe
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I think that most of the cheepo phone sold by Telcel are HTC.
Note: When I was getting ready to buy my smart phone, I asked of the manufacturer that if the sim card did not work, can I return it?
They said: don't worry...most SIM cards fit just about all American phones.
| Quote: | Originally posted by CatCrazyJulie
Udo - This sounds very promising! Question: was your original cheapo telcel phone a HTC? Do you think the model of your telcel phone had anything to
do with the success of the sim card swap? |
Udo
Youth is wasted on the young!
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mojo_norte
Senior Nomad
Posts: 725
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So does your Sim card expire if you don't use it or add time for 6 months?
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AKgringo
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6025
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Mojo Norte
Mojo, I am not sure whose post you were referring to. With my ATT Go Phone a $25 card gives me 90 days to use 250 minutes in the US, or 100 in
mexico.
A hundred dollars for a year of service is OK by me, or you could toss the $28 phone at the end of the trip, or buy a new sim $? if you need it in
the future.
G.L.
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mojo_norte
Senior Nomad
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Registered: 2-14-2006
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no , actually meant will my Telcel prepaid phone that I haven't used since last April still work when I go down in December or will I have to buy a
new Sim ?
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Udo
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6346
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Location: Black Hills, SD/Ensenada/San Felipe
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No, it does not.
| Quote: | Originally posted by mojo_norte
So does your Sim card expire if you don't use it or add time for 6 months? |
Udo
Youth is wasted on the young!
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Udo
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6346
Registered: 4-26-2008
Location: Black Hills, SD/Ensenada/San Felipe
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In your case, I would advise taking a few minutes and go into a TELCEL store and buy 50 Pesos worth of time.
You should be good to go.
| Quote: | Originally posted by mojo_norte
no , actually meant will my Telcel prepaid phone that I haven't used since last April still work when I go down in December or will I have to buy a
new Sim ? |
Udo
Youth is wasted on the young!
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mrfatboy
Nomad
Posts: 478
Registered: 4-17-2008
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Udo
No, it does not.
| Quote: | Originally posted by mojo_norte
So does your Sim card expire if you don't use it or add time for 6 months? |
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No one really knows. There is no official statement from telcel. I have read people's sims have been cancelled after 6 months of non use and others
have not. I put $20 pesos on the sim via the iPhone app or website every six months too make sure. Small price to pay for not having to go back into
the telcel store.
I think Carlos slim needs the money anyway. Lol 
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