pauldavidmena
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Mexican cell phone usage
Here in the U.S., my understanding is that a cell phone call costs the same regardless of where in the U.S. it originates from, and regardless of the
carrier. In Mexico, on the other hand, my understanding is that neither of these is true.
So here's my question: if I have a Telcel SIM card in my unlocked phone and it has a Mexico City phone number, will recipients in Todos Santos be
charged more because it's not a local call? And does this differ if their carrier is Telcel versus one of the competitors? I was able to buy my SIM
card online, avoiding the hassle of having to go to the Telcel office with my passport, but if having a Mexico City phone number negatively impacts
either me or the recipients of my calls, I might consider getting a local number instead.
Please feel free to correct me if either of my initial "understandings" turns out to be incorrect. 
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bajajudy
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We do "pay as you go" from Telcel and calls outside our area code cost more.
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pauldavidmena
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Thank you for the reply @bajajudy. Is this also true if you receive calls from outside your area code? And is the difference substantial - as in
enough so that someone might be inclined not to take my phone call if it is from a Mexico City number?
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monoloco
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| Quote: | Originally posted by pauldavidmena
Thank you for the reply @bajajudy. Is this also true if you receive calls from outside your area code? And is the difference substantial - as in
enough so that someone might be inclined not to take my phone call if it is from a Mexico City number? |
If
you have a Mexico City number, you will be paying long distance rates for every call you make that is not to a number in your Mexico City area code,
and anyone who calls you from outside that area code will incur long distance charges. If you are going to be in Todos Santos, you will need a number
in the La Paz 612 area code, very few people will return your calls if it is out of the 612 area.
"The future ain't what it used to be"
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pauldavidmena
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@monoloco - thank you for the reply. Sounds like a land line without the land line. 
If I can't get a 612 area code SIM card via mail, I'll pick one up when I'm next in Todos Santos in January.
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jbcoug
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pauldavidmena,
Love your avatar!
John
\"The average dog is a nicer person than the average person.\" Andy Rooney
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pauldavidmena
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@jbcoug - thanks! That's our dog Tito, half Australian Cattle Dog, half American Eskimo Dog, after about an hour of hearty exercise (read: running
like a maniac).
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dasubergeek
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Calls received on Mexican cell phones are always free regardless of where they originate. Mexico uses what's called a caller-pays system, where all
the costs associated with the call are paid by the caller.
As monoloco says, though, people hesitate to make long-distance return calls, especially from landlines (where the code to dial a long-distance cell
phone, 045, is different from the code to dial a local cell phone, 044). The only exception is that people in Tijuana are usually willing to call
LADAs (area codes) they recognise, like 665 (Tecate), 661 (Rosarito) and 646 (Ensenada).
You shouldn't have to get a new SIM to get a 612 number; just call customer service or take it to a centro de atención a clientes and have them change
the number for you. There may be a nominal fee.
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pauldavidmena
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@dasubergeek - thank you for the response. It's good to know about the caller-pays system, as I suspect that the majority of my phone usage will be
outgoing calls as opposed to incoming.
If it's true, however, that I can get a 612 number without getting a new SIM, I should definitely do that. This way I can keep the card and just keep
recharging it as needed. I'll try to follow up with Customer Service and will update this thread.
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durrelllrobert
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| Quote: | Originally posted by bajajudy
We do "pay as you go" from Telcel and calls outside our area code cost more. |
... and that includes calls to USA and Canada (in my case anyway).
Bob Durrell
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bajajudy
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FYI
We have a Telmex landline.
We have Infinitum internet with free calls to USA, Mexico and cell phones for 970mn/month.
[Edited on 9-27-2013 by bajajudy]
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pauldavidmena
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@bajajudy - good to know. Once we get to a point where we're spending more than a week at a time in Baja, we'll need the ability to make calls to the
U.S.
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pauldavidmena
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Since my Spanish isn't good enough to call Customer Service about changing the phone number on my SIM card, I sent an email instead, but haven't heard
back.
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dasubergeek
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| Quote: | Originally posted by pauldavidmena
Since my Spanish isn't good enough to call Customer Service about changing the phone number on my SIM card, I sent an email instead, but haven't heard
back. |
If you call from Tijuana, the first thing it says is "Gracias por llamar al centro de atención Telcel. For assistance in English, press 2." (or
whatever number). Speak briefly and don't use idiomatic English.
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