# cell phones



## Hollypop1986 (Jul 27, 2013)

Does anyone know about using a US cell phone I'm Mexico? I have a Samsung Galaxy S3 that I bought less than a year ago, and I would like to use it over there if I can. It has a SIM card, could I take out the one that is in it, buy one in MX and then connect the phone? 

I know I could just buy another phone when I arrive, but it makes me sick to think I just wasted $500 on a phone I got to use 6 months, only to have to buy it again. :-/


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## ojosazules11 (Nov 3, 2013)

If your phone is "locked" by a specific US wireless carrier, you would have to have it unlocked for it to work with a SIM card from another carrier, including those in Mexico. I've been looking into this myself, to be able to use our iPhones in both Canada & Mexico by switching SIM cards. On the iUSAcell website (one of the Mexican cell carriers) it actually has contact info for where you can get your phone unlocked (these are contacts only, listed by state, not officially endorsed by iUSAcell.) A _caveat_ though - unlocking a locked phone this way voids the warranty, if your phone still has one. The other option is to request your US wireless carrier to unlock it for you. It might be more expensive, but safer. I don't know what the regulations are about unlocking phones in the US - in Canada it's hard and expensive to get it "officially" unlocked, although legislation to improve this is on the way.


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## grotton (Apr 20, 2012)

Since you paid $500.00 for your phone, I assume you purchased it unlocked. If that is the case, you can. We took our unlocked Iphones to a shop that reps Telcel and bought sim cards for around 200 pesos (16 bucks) and started up an amigo plan (pay as you go plan) that has worked fine for us. We purchase credits or saldo in 200 peso blocks because when you buy that amount you get some credits free.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

grotton said:


> Since you paid $500.00 for your phone, I assume you purchased it unlocked. If that is the case, you can. We took our unlocked Iphones to a shop that reps Telcel and bought sim cards for around 200 pesos (8 bucks) and started up an amigo plan (pay as you go plan) that has worked fine for us. We purchase credits or saldo in 200 peso blocks because when you buy that amount you get some credits free.


I use Telcel too. When you buy a minimum of 100 pesos of _tiempo aire_, you get a 20% bonus of extra time and sometimes more. Every now and then I get a message on my cell phone offering me a bonus of double time. And for Christmas I got one of 25%.


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## maesonna (Jun 10, 2008)

200 pesos is around 15 US dollars, not 8, but in my area, SIM cards sell for around 100 pesos at phone stores on the street, and even less at a Telcel service centre: less than 60 pesos.


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## Hollypop1986 (Jul 27, 2013)

Hmmm... My phone is not unlocked unfortunately. I have a prepaid no contract plan with Metropcs and you have to buy the phone at full price. I did a little research and it looks like my particular model is CDMA whereas the vast majority of Mexico uses GSM networks, so even if I got it unlocked and bought a Telcel sim card it doesn't look like I will be able to do anything with it because the frequencies aren't compatible. Major bummer. :-/


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## joaquinx (Jul 3, 2010)

Sell it on ebay.


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## Hollypop1986 (Jul 27, 2013)

Thanks, yeah, I'm selling everything else I own too, I see eBay in my very near future, haha.... Another question, as I was browsing the forum over the last few days I remember seeing some mention of a cell phone service that you can get and they mail you the phone before you head to MX so you already have it when you arrive... Any thoughts on this service? Does anyone know what it is called? Since my husband will be deported soon, I thought if I could already have a phone on hand to send with him, then it would make his trip south a lot smoother.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

Hollypop1986 said:


> Thanks, yeah, I'm selling everything else I own too, I see eBay in my very near future, haha.... Another question, as I was browsing the forum over the last few days I remember seeing some mention of a cell phone service that you can get and they mail you the phone before you head to MX so you already have it when you arrive... Any thoughts on this service? Does anyone know what it is called? Since my husband will be deported soon, I thought if I could already have a phone on hand to send with him, then it would make his trip south a lot smoother.


I would be careful with that. Also what is the cost? It is so easy to get a phone once he gets here, that the added convenience of already having one is not worth much risk or extra expense. Stalls selling phones are on every corner of every major city. You can buy a basic phone for a few hundred pesos, and it will probably come with a 100 pesos of airtime. It is activated immediately. The whole transaction might take 10 minutes.


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## Lorij (Jul 8, 2012)

It depends on which carrier you have. When I had Verizon my phone would not work farther south than DF. However I switched to ATT and I have the new Nokia Windows phone with a SIM I have a ATT Plan from the US with international. It works with Telcel. When I am in Oaxaca it works with Telcel, and I did not have to activate it with Telcel, it is still my ATT sim that I bought in Alabama. ATT can set this up with a sim that can be used internationally. I would call and ask them!! However I do not pay for data, I only use wifi when I am there. When I fly back to the US, (which is where I am now for the holidays) it immediately starts back working under ATT. Hope this helps!!


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

Lorij said:


> It depends on which carrier you have. When I had Verizon my phone would not work farther south than DF. However I switched to ATT and I have the new Nokia Windows phone with a SIM I have a ATT Plan from the US with international. It works with Telcel. When I am in Oaxaca it works with Telcel, and I did not have to activate it with Telcel, it is still my ATT sim that I bought in Alabama. ATT can set this up with a sim that can be used internationally. I would call and ask them!! However I do not pay for data, I only use wifi when I am there. When I fly back to the US, (which is where I am now for the holidays) it immediately starts back working under ATT. Hope this helps!!


How much do you pay for minutes and messages when in Mexico?


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## geoffbob (Oct 24, 2010)

*Mexico Sim*



Hollypop1986 said:


> Thanks, yeah, I'm selling everything else I own too, I see eBay in my very near future, haha.... Another question, as I was browsing the forum over the last few days I remember seeing some mention of a cell phone service that you can get and they mail you the phone before you head to MX so you already have it when you arrive... Any thoughts on this service? Does anyone know what it is called? Since my husband will be deported soon, I thought if I could already have a phone on hand to send with him, then it would make his trip south a lot smoother.


I wanted to land in Mexico with minutes already on my phone. I had previously bought and had been happily using my GSM compatible phone in the States and then on line, purchased a Mexican Sim card for it including a starter package of Telcel minutes from Mexico SIM Card - Keep in touch with your relatives and business while traveling to Mexico via its owner Vince Bilodeau who is based in Mexico City. He mailed me the Sim. When I landed I used a paper clip to open the tray, popped out the T-Mobile Sim, inserted the Telcel Sim and made a call from the airport in D.F. It worked instantly. Since I already owned a GSM phone I had no need to buy one here. Arriving on unfamiliar turf injects a dose of uncertainty into the proceedings so I didn't mind paying a little more for my first packet of minutes because I'd have one less thing to worry about.

My frustrations began after I realized that the protocols and dialing codes appeared to me at least, to be Byzantine. I stopped into a full fledged Telcel store on Paseo de la Reforma to inquire about things but the knowledgeable clerk didn't want to bother if I wasn't there to make a substantial purchase. Phone company web sites, just like in the States, confuse me. I understand the part about how the experience is going to be so wonderful and all the smiling and happy faces of the whole family each with their own family plan phone and everything.

But what would make me smile and be happy is if someone here could refer me to an up to date resource link that would help me to attain what is called "convergance". Can I get a witness up in here?


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

geoffbob;2692913… said:


> My frustrations began after I realized that the protocols and dialing codes appeared to me at least, to be Byzantine. I stopped into a full fledged Telcel store on Paseo de la Reforma to inquire about things but the knowledgeable clerk didn't want to bother if I wasn't there to make a substantial purchase. Phone company web sites, just like in the States, confuse me. I understand the part about how the experience is going to be so wonderful and all the smiling and happy faces of the whole family each with their own family plan phone and everything.
> 
> But what would make me smile and be happy is if someone here could refer me to an up to date resource link that would help me to attain what is called "convergance". Can I get a witness up in here?


The codes are really weird. We can thank Carlos Slim and Salinas for that. They have no incentive to be customer friendly. Maybe the changes Peña Nieto is attempting will change that.

In the meantime you can find a key to the codes here:
Business South of the Border: Telephone dialing instructions - Mexico


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## joaquinx (Jul 3, 2010)

TundraGreen said:


> The codes are really weird. We can thank Carlos Slim and Salinas for that. They have no incentive to be customer friendly. Maybe the changes Peña Nieto is attempting will change that.
> 
> In the meantime you can find a key to the codes here:
> Business South of the Border: Telephone dialing instructions - Mexico


That site is over five years old and has at least one mistake in it. Cell to cell long distance via Telcel is a 10 digit number without the 045 prefix.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

joaquinx said:


> That site is over five years old and has at least one mistake in it. Cell to cell long distance via Telcel is a 10 digit number without the 045 prefix.


Good catch. I never noticed that. Cell to cell is easy. It is always just the 10 digit number. Local, long distance, whatever are all the same.

Here is another link to dialing instructions. It is aimed at Baja, but the instructions hold throughout Mexico.

Calling to and from Mexico - How to Dial


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

On a related note, one of the quirks of the Mexico phone system is the area code system. Some places have a 3 digit area code followed by a 7 digit phone number. Others have a 2 digit area code followed by an 8 digit telephone number. e.g. Guadalajara is 33-xxxx-yyyy. Some listings indicate it is only the three largest cities, Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey that have the two digit area codes. Other listings extend it to other cities. In any event, the effect of the system is that the area code + phone number is always 10 digits.

Another quirk to note is that when calling phones in Mexico from other countries, there is a difference between landlines and cell phones. 

For landlines, dial:
Intl access code (011 in US, usually 00 in other countries), then 52-area code-phone number

For cell phones, dial:
Intl access code (011 in US, usually 00 in other countries), then 52-1-area code-phone number


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## Lorij (Jul 8, 2012)

Tundra Green I pay $70 USD a month for my plan and i get unlimited texting and 1000 minutes to use for international calling but I do not pay for data usage when im in Oaxaca, I only use the internet when there is wifi available!


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## geoffbob (Oct 24, 2010)

Yesterday I started using Skype from my smart phone in Mexico to anybody's phone in dozens of countries. I get 1000 minutes for less than USD $20.00. That's a savings of $600.00 per year over the big boy U.S. carriers, and it would probably come out to be much more than that in my case because the Skype minutes don't reset to zero at the end of the billing cycle. Those same thousand minutes stay there until you use them up even if it's six months later. Of course I now live in Mexico full time so the idea of keeping my subscription to a service NOB is not compelling what with a price difference like that. It's not the same calculation for someone here less than full time. Plus I need a Wi-Fi connection to make the calls so I can't just phone home spur of the moment rounding a corner on my3g or 4g connection. Still, I have my Telcel minutes for stuff like calls within Mexico and they charge only a couple of minutes for a text.

As has been mentioned before here on the "boards", the idea that there is one solution that's best for everybody just won't hold water. The genuinely helpful knowledge to be gained here can be applied to one's particular situation in the most advantageous way. Lawdy I've learned a lot here.


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## joaquinx (Jul 3, 2010)

I believe that Telcel is blocking VOIP such as Skype.


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## geoffbob (Oct 24, 2010)

I talked to several friends and relatives last night to my heart's content using the Skype but I'm not sure if the carrier is Telcel. I'm getting the signal provided as part of my lease and it comes through the wall dividing my apartment from the land lady's and she's NOB at the moment. My phone does have the Telcel chip though.


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## joaquinx (Jul 3, 2010)

geoffbob said:


> I talked to several friends and relatives last night to my heart's content using the Skype but I'm not sure if the carrier is Telcel. I'm getting the signal provided as part of my lease and it comes through the wall dividing my apartment from the land lady's and she's NOB at the moment. My phone does have the Telcel chip though.


What is really special are the video calls. If your contacts have Skype on a PC or a phone, you can do a video call.


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## geoffbob (Oct 24, 2010)

As I settle in a little I will definitely pursue the video call angle because I seem to remember that it is completely free. The only reason I am holding off at the moment is that my brother has what we think is Alzheimer's. He can't remember any instructions or make sure he is on line at a certain time to complete the video connection at his end. This first direct calling step on my part is tailor made perfect for him because all he has to do is pick up the phone and talk to me .


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## Hollypop1986 (Jul 27, 2013)

Oh no... Does that mean that you cannot use Skype on a phone that has Telcel service? 

This is not good news as I was totally planning on Skyping with my husband daily! I have been trying to find a gsm unlocked phone to send with him when they deport him next week, that he could put a Telcel SIM in upon arrival, and then skype with me!


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## joaquinx (Jul 3, 2010)

Hollypop1986 said:


> Oh no... Does that mean that you cannot use Skype on a phone that has Telcel service?
> 
> This is not good news as I was totally planning on Skyping with my husband daily! I have been trying to find a gsm unlocked phone to send with him when they deport him next week, that he could put a Telcel SIM in upon arrival, and then skype with me!


Skype works with WiFi on a Telcel phone, but not with a connection via Telcel. A connection such as a regular cellphone call.


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## dallasteacher (Dec 29, 2013)

Hollypop1986 said:


> Oh no... Does that mean that you cannot use Skype on a phone that has Telcel service?
> 
> This is not good news as I was totally planning on Skyping with my husband daily! I have been trying to find a gsm unlocked phone to send with him when they deport him next week, that he could put a Telcel SIM in upon arrival, and then skype with me!


Does he have a laptop? You could always Skype using a laptop. We use to Skype with my in-laws using our laptops. This past summer we took my father in-law an unlocked iPhone, and now we use face time.


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## geoffbob (Oct 24, 2010)

I interpret Hollypop's main concern as having to do with calls between Mejico lindo and USA but Joaquinx's doubts set me to thinking about the possibility that although Telcel didn't block my Skype call when used to call the States, that it might block Skype calls within Mexico. To test this out I just made a Skype local call within D.F. on my Telcel chip powered smart phone and it worked flawlessly. There are so many wrinkles to this stuff but I do enjoy trying to figure it out and test the limits. Remember, to use services like Skype, Tango, and Apples version it is necessary to be connected to an internet signal whether via smart phone, (not just a cell phone) that has a Wi-Fi capacitive touch button OR a computer connected to the Ethernet (yellow cable) I think Hollypop has an excellent prospects for staying in touch with her hubby!


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## joaquinx (Jul 3, 2010)

geoffbob said:


> Joaquinx's doubts set me to thinking about the possibility that although Telcel didn't block my Skype call when used to call the States, that it might block Skype calls within Mexico. To test this out I just made a Skype local call within D.F. on my Telcel chip powered smart phone and it worked flawlessly. There are so many wrinkles to this stuff but I do enjoy trying to figure it out and test the limits.


geoffbob, did you use WiFi or without WiFi? I said that calling on Skype *Without* WiFi was blocked by Telcel.


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## geoffbob (Oct 24, 2010)

Joaquin,
Yes I used WiFi on each occasion. I did see the astute distinction you made but I've grown so used to clever or maybe "cute" extra charges pretexts and excuses for blocking stuff I would like to do. For example, imagine my chagrin at learning that with Telcel your minutes will expire in two months unless you use them or "re-up" with more minutes even if you don't need them. I feel that I'm being relentlessly gamed by my providers. They don't want people to understand how to achieve the highest and best use of their resources. 

So if Telcel will block its signal from using Skype would it be likely that others do it too or even that all of them would even in the States? I had AT&T and T-Mobile back home and they wouldn't (or couldn't ?) support this internet type of call over their 3G or 4G connections. So maybe Telcel (previously noted transgression notwithstanding) isn't alone in this or at fault. I'll give 'em the benefit of the doubt pending further inquiries and/or enlightenment here but I wasn't questioning your post. It's just that you made me curious.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

geoffbob said:


> Joaquin,
> Yes I used WiFi on each occasion. I did see the astute distinction you made but I've grown so used to clever or maybe "cute" extra charges pretexts and excuses for blocking stuff I would like to do. For example, imagine my chagrin at learning that with Telcel your minutes will expire in two months unless you use them or "re-up" with more minutes even if you don't need them. I feel that I'm being relentlessly gamed by my providers. They don't want people to understand how to achieve the highest and best use of their resources.
> 
> So if Telcel will block its signal from using Skype would it be likely that others do it too or even that all of them would even in the States? I had AT&T and T-Mobile back home and they wouldn't (or couldn't ?) support this internet type of call over their 3G or 4G connections. So maybe Telcel (previously noted transgression notwithstanding) isn't alone in this or at fault. I'll give 'em the benefit of the doubt pending further inquiries and/or enlightenment here but I wasn't questioning your post. It's just that you made me curious.


All of the phone companies, both US and Mexico, put time limits on pre-paid minutes. With Telcel, the length of time depends on the quantity you buy. US phone companies seem to like three months. After three months you have to buy more minutes even if you haven't used up the ones you have. I have a US cell phone that I use once a year for about a week. I have to remember to add time to it every three months.


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## Helloitsme (Dec 31, 2013)

Just stop in a oxxo if you don't know what oxxo is its like 7-11 and buy another phone. They have cell phones that cost 250 pesos (That's like 21 U.S bucks) and comes with a chip with 50 pesos air libre ( minutes).


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