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chavycha
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Posts: 373
Registered: 1-20-2014
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www.mexicosimcard.com worked great for us.
order, receive, and swap the sim card into your phone. have service anywhere in mexico there's telcel coverage.
no subscription to a US provider's plan required, and since your US sim is out of your phone, no way you can get dinged for roaming data.
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rts551
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6699
Registered: 9-5-2003
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http://www.cellularmaps.com/mx_net_compare.shtml
This should give you good information on cell coverage of various types.
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Whale-ista
Super Nomad
Posts: 2009
Registered: 2-18-2013
Location: San Diego
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Mood: Sunny with chance of whales
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| Quote: | Originally posted by rts551
T-Mobile only works where there is Movistar coverage. For example. no longer works in Punta Abreojos or La Bocana...but is fine in Vizcaino.
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That's news to me- I've used my TMobile with TelCel in some areas, or at least TelCel displays on the phone. It seems to work with both TelCel and
MoviStar coverage areas, but...I'm only down there a few times/month.
\"Probably the airplanes will bring week-enders from Los Angeles before long, and the beautiful poor bedraggled old town will bloom with a
Floridian ugliness.\" (John Steinbeck, 1940, discussing the future of La Paz, BCS, Mexico)
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dasubergeek
Senior Nomad
Posts: 694
Registered: 8-17-2013
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You can't swap another SIM, whether American or Mexican, into your AT&T iPhone until AT&T unlocks your iPhone; you'll need to have finished
your contract with them (and be on month-to-month) in order for them to do that.
I have a cheap smartphone I bought at Sanborns in Tijuana. It cost about $90, it's a Samsung, runs Android, and it allows me to FB and tweet and all
that happy horsecrap. I originally started with the cheap 301-peso throwaway Nokia dumbphone that was mentioned upthread, and just had the SIM moved
into the smartphone when I bought it. No contract, no nothing.
The easiest way to put money on your prepaid account is to go into any 7-Eleven, Oxxo, or grocery store; just tell them you want a 'recarga', how much
you want (50 pesos, 100, etc.), and then they'll ask for your number. It recharges instantly. If you want data, you just send a text to 5050 with what
you want and it deducts from your account.
I use my Telcel all over. The only place I've ever had a problem has been in the Sierra Norte between Orizaba and Oaxaca.
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rts551
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6699
Registered: 9-5-2003
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Whale-ista
| Quote: | Originally posted by rts551
T-Mobile only works where there is Movistar coverage. For example. no longer works in Punta Abreojos or La Bocana...but is fine in Vizcaino.
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That's news to me- I've used my TMobile with TelCel in some areas, or at least TelCel displays on the phone. It seems to work with both TelCel and
MoviStar coverage areas, but...I'm only down there a few times/month. |
Apparently up until a year ago, T-mobile had roaming arrangments with both. Now only Movistar. We bought the pay as you go Tecel phones (very cheap
anyway) because our T-Mobile quit working. After explaining where it worked and where it did not, some smart technician (in Mexico) gave us the
answer. yes it does work where the coverage is the same...only quits when Movistar coverage stops....as can be seen in the maps.
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phoenix2121
Junior Nomad
Posts: 85
Registered: 8-16-2008
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| Quote: | Originally posted by chavycha
www.mexicosimcard.com worked great for us.
order, receive, and swap the sim card into your phone. have service anywhere in mexico there's telcel coverage.
no subscription to a US provider's plan required, and since your US sim is out of your phone, no way you can get dinged for roaming data.
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How does this work? Do you pay for pre-paid minutes/data on the new sim?
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn\'t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines.
Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
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pacsur
Nomad
Posts: 191
Registered: 8-28-2003
Location: San Jose del Cabo,BCS
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I had the reverse problem when I visited the states, I have found for anywhere between $60-80 bucks you can buy a factory unlocked iPhone 3GS on eBay.
Its a great smartphone, you can use magic jack with wifi or if jailbroken you can use it with data. They might be a few years old with some wear, but
you can pop in a gsm sim worldwide and it will work. I use prepaid tmobile when I go to the San Diego and it's working by the time I leave the
terminal.
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DaGreen
Junior Nomad
Posts: 29
Registered: 9-25-2003
Location: La Ventana
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I bought my throw away cell phone at the OXXO for $300 pesos and just add minutes as needed.
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elgatoloco
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4328
Registered: 11-19-2002
Location: Yes
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I use AT&T iPhone in Baja when traveling for the day or a week. Keeps me in touch with the home office. They think I'm still stateside. Living in
baja is a different matter. $30.00 gets you 120mb data and any overage they automatically charge another $30.00 for 120 more. $60.00 gets 300mb. That
charge is for a month. You can go to AT&T .com and estimate your usage. An email with no attachment is 20kb. When I am somewhere with wi-fi I get
email for nada. Last year I went down and forgot to restart plan and they did it for me retro after I racked up a whopper of a bill. Next week I am
going down and plan to add ipad to my plan too.
For me it's a necessity and a bargain at any price. 
MAGA
Making Attorneys Get Attorneys
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wiltonh
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Posts: 300
Registered: 2-2-2007
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We have AT&T iPhones that are unlocked. We purchased a Telcel Sim with a pay as you go Amigo plan. If you put 200 pesos on the phone per month,
calls to the US and Canada are about 16 to 17 cents per minute. If you put on less than 200 pesos per month it is way more expensive.
If you plan to visit a big city the 3G data is quite fast. In rural ares it is very slow. Telcel has a nice way of doing data. You just put money
on your account and it can be used for voice or data.
You text a code to 5050 that says how much data you want to purchase. Here is a copy of the chart that lists the costs. They have 3 sets of plans.
High, Medium and low. All prices in the chart are listed in pesos.
Add data by sending the appropriate key by Text to 5050.
High Usage
-------------------------
Validity MB / GB Price Key
1 hr. 100 MB$ 12.00 alto1h
1 day 150 MB$ 49.00 HIGH1
2 days 300 MB$ 79.00 alto2
7 days 1 GB$ 169.00 alto7
15 days 1.5 GB$ 249.00 alto15
30 days 3 GB$ 399.00 alto30
Medium Usage Plan
-----------------------------
Validity MB / GB Price Key
1 hr. 30 MB $9.00 medio1h
1 day 50 MB $29.00 East1
2 days 100 MB $59.00 medium2
7 days 400 MB $99.00 medio7
15 days 1 GB $229.00 medio15
30 days 2 GB $339.00 medio30
Low Usage Plan
______________
Validity MB/GB Price Key
1 Hr 10MB $5.00 bajo1h
1Day 30MB $19.00 low1
2Days 50MB $39.00 low.2
7Days 200MB $59.00 bajo7
15Days 600MB $199.00 bajo15
30Days 1GB $299.00 bajo30
I used an app called Data Man on my phone to monitor my data usage. You put in the start and end date and how much data you have purchased. It gives
you a display that shows how much you have used and predicts whether you are going to run out before the time runs out. Going over is expensive.
When I am not using data, I shut off Cell Data or put it in airplane mode so it cannot connect.
We currently use T-Mobile in the States but the place where we camp is right on the edge of the MovieStar area. There is one hill in the camp and if
you stand near the top, T-Mobile will work. Telcel works most everywhere.
I normally put on 200 pesos every month and if I do not use it up with voice, the remainder can be used for data.
Every time you put money on your phone, Telcel gives you some amount of Regolo minutes. These can be used for local calls only.
If you want to know how much money is left in your account, you can enter *133# and it will give you your Amigo amount and then your Regolo amount.
If you are going to be out of Mexico for more than 3 month and you want to keep you phone number, you need to put $10 on the account every 3 months.
This can be done on the Telcel web site by giving them your credit card information. If that bothers you, there is a company called PinZoo that will
let you add money to your account. You need a credit card with them also.
Wilton
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JZ
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9537
Registered: 10-3-2003
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Can't belief all the people still using iPhones. From a technology standpoint they are 2 years behind Samsung and also have those tiny screens and
the terrible keyboard.
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Udo
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6337
Registered: 4-26-2008
Location: Black Hills, SD/Ensenada/San Felipe
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Mood: TEQUILA!
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I'll try that when I go to the Ensenada beer fest this weekend.
BUT...
The sim card from the inexpensive phone is about 30% larger than the standard sized sim card that get used in the smart phones. Hopefully they'll let
me open the box to try the sim card.
| Quote: | Originally posted by dasubergeek
I have a cheap smartphone I bought at Sanborns in Tijuana. It cost about $90, it's a Samsung, runs Android, and it allows me to FB and tweet and all
that happy horsecrap. I originally started with the cheap 301-peso throwaway Nokia dumbphone that was mentioned upthread, and just had the SIM moved
into the smartphone when I bought it. No contract, no nothing.
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Udo
Youth is wasted on the young!
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wiltonh
Nomad
Posts: 300
Registered: 2-2-2007
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| Quote: | Originally posted by JZ
Can't belief all the people still using iPhones. From a technology standpoint they are 2 years behind Samsung and also have those tiny screens and
the terrible keyboard. |
Samsung uses Android on their smart phones and for my use it has several bugs that make it much more difficult for me in Mexico on slow data
connections. I have both Apple and Android devices and use them every day.
The networking on Android has issues. I have security cameras at my home in the states. I connect to them through a VPN. The built in Android VPN
does not allow you to store your credentials so you have to go look them up and enter them every time. Much easier to us an Apple phone for that.
The second issue relates to how Wifi is handled. The camp Wifi where we stay, stores username, password and Mac address so that only one machine can
log onto an account at a time. If the Android device is turned on but not connected to the network, it gives its mac address to the Wifi server.
This locks out all other devices. A strange problem but it makes my Apple devices work much better than my Android devices in Mexico.
Wilton
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JZ
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9537
Registered: 10-3-2003
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Sounds like a corner case. Overall iPhones are complete garbage compared to Androids.
Apple laptops and tablets are market leading and I have both. But the iPhone is just getting chit kicked to the curb by Android and Samsung. The
iPhone is living off its reputation from circa 2008.
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chavycha
Nomad
Posts: 373
Registered: 1-20-2014
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Correct. They charge a slight markup over what they cost in Mexico, but the card gets shipped to your US address so you have it before you leave.
They will make sure you have the right chip size for your phone, too.
You'll need an unlocked phone which works on GSM to use either TelCel or Movistar SIM cards. The phone must be unlocked, no matter what vendor you
purchase the SIM card from.
We used my Verizon Razr Maxx HD (unlocked by default; most Verizon phones aren't), and my girlfriend's cheapo Pantech AT&T GoPhone. We had to
search a bit online to find an unlock code for the Pantech but it was free and works great here.
| Quote: | Originally posted by phoenix2121
| Quote: | Originally posted by chavycha
www.mexicosimcard.com worked great for us.
order, receive, and swap the sim card into your phone. have service anywhere in mexico there's telcel coverage.
no subscription to a US provider's plan required, and since your US sim is out of your phone, no way you can get dinged for roaming data.
|
How does this work? Do you pay for pre-paid minutes/data on the new sim? |
[Edited on 3-20-2014 by chavycha]
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phoenix2121
Junior Nomad
Posts: 85
Registered: 8-16-2008
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| Quote: | Originally posted by wiltonh
If you put 200 pesos on the phone per month, calls to the US and Canada are about 16 to 17 cents per minute.
Wilton |
This sounds like a great idea. Out of curiosity, do you know what calls run within Mexico? Mexico to Mexico calls...
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn\'t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines.
Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
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phoenix2121
Junior Nomad
Posts: 85
Registered: 8-16-2008
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| Quote: | Originally posted by JZ
Sounds like a corner case. Overall iPhones are complete garbage compared to Androids.
Apple laptops and tablets are market leading and I have both. But the iPhone is just getting chit kicked to the curb by Android and Samsung. The
iPhone is living off its reputation from circa 2008. |
I can't speak from others, but the part that Android owners hate (the closed ecosystem) is actually the biggest perk for me. In general I hate that
Android devices are typically all on different versions of the OS (some providers are slower to update than others), as well as the open marketplace
leading to some pretty shoddy apps and performance issues.
It's give an take. There certainly isn't a perfect option, and I have a Galaxy S4 for work that I think is a pretty solid phone. I just prefer the
iPhone for ease of use, polish, and the well designed UI/UX that it offers.
Even the better Android phones (or the new Windows phones - which are far better than Android IMO) lack the overall polish of an iPhone. They just
feel better and more intuitive to the user.
Just my 2 centavos (or is it 24 centavos w/ exchange rate?)...
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn\'t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines.
Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
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CortezBlue
Super Nomad
Posts: 2213
Registered: 11-14-2006
Location: Fenix/San Phelipe
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| Quote: | Originally posted by phoenix2121
What are some good options for cell service in the TJ to Rosarito corridor?
Preferably something that allows us to call the US, but if there are other options that work better, I'm all ears. We'll consider pre-paid, plans,
anything... just looking for some good options. |
I am in the same mode. We currently have ATT with the Viva Mexico plan, but my bills are WAY to expensive. I am seriously looking into Tmobile. It
appears they provide a $.20 per min rate to dial in and out of Mexico and they provide free texting and some slow data speeds free.
“Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.”
- Albert Einstein
Follow Cortez Blue
www.cortezblue.com
We put the FUNK in disFUNKtion |
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Udo
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6337
Registered: 4-26-2008
Location: Black Hills, SD/Ensenada/San Felipe
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Mood: TEQUILA!
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I am not too positive, but from my usage of my cheepo phone, seems to be about 2-3 pesos per minute. To call the US is more, and to roam from the US
to Mexico is even more yet, but I have not kept track of that, because most of the time I use a Magic Jack.
| Quote: | Originally posted by phoenix2121
| Quote: | Originally posted by wiltonh
If you put 200 pesos on the phone per month, calls to the US and Canada are about 16 to 17 cents per minute.
Wilton |
This sounds like a great idea. Out of curiosity, do you know what calls run within Mexico? Mexico to Mexico calls... |
Udo
Youth is wasted on the young!
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Nye
Newbie
Posts: 24
Registered: 2-17-2014
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UDO u crack me up, like u know the answers 2 everything-and your"youth is wasted on the young"sounds like someone who wished they did things
different,Ive read tour postings and sir you give bad advice so plz just think b4 you post. Just saying the true bro n u kno it take care.
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