Traveling in Mexico. Need inexpensive phone plan to call U.S.A.

All Telcel plans include calls to Canada, USA, and Mexico are at local rates. Of course, with a smartphone there is WhatsApp, Hangouts, Facebook Messenger, and Skype.

Thanks for the information.  I don't want a smartphone.    Can I purchase this plan in the US or do I have to wait until I get to Mexico?

With an unlocked GSM phone, stop by a Telcel office and pick up a SIM card for around 100 pesos. With their Amigo plan, you buy time as you need it from 50 to 500 pesos a shot. Tell them you will be making calls to the US for they have some add-ons that can save you a few pesos on these calls.

What is an GSM phone?   Sorry for my ignorance!   Do I need to buy one?    The only phone I own is a small dinky one that can text and talk.   No camera, no data.   (yes, my daughter thinks I'm a real square!)

GSM phones are what Telcel and phone companies in the US offer without being too complicated. I don't know if your phone is compatible. Does your telephone have a SIM chip? If you don't know, it might be best for you to go to your phone company's service office and ask them. Tell them what you wish to do, i.e., go to Mexico and be able to call the US. They might have a plan that includes travel to Mexico and low cost calls to the US. Ask them if the phone is unlocked in order for you to get a SIM from Telcel in Mexico. This way you'll  have a choice of either the US company you're with or the ability to get a Telcel chip in Mexico.

Thank you!   Yes, I think there is  SIM chip or card in it.   I will talk with my carrier.   You have been helpful.

Hi! You can buy a cheap phone for less than $20 and buy minute at telcell. I live here and that's what I do. It's pretty inexpensive. Have a wonderful trip.

hi i use a usa att 14.88 phone and calls from mex. to us and canada are 25 cents a minute i think free text i have used for 6 years now ..buy at wal mart 14.88 for phone with a camara cheap ...also i have  a unlocked phone / but cheap phone is all you need ...att pay as you go 25 cents per minute thats all the charge is

you can go into a phone store down there and make a really cheap call onsite with their phone.

bobbyr wrote:

hi i use a usa att 14.88 phone and calls from mex. to us and canada are 25 cents a minute i think free text i have used for 6 years now ..buy at wal mart 14.88 for phone with a camara cheap ...also i have  a unlocked phone / but cheap phone is all you need ...att pay as you go 25 cents per minute thats all the charge is

Somehow it strikes me that 25 cents a minute is very expensive. Hoping that it's a typo.

25 cents a minute is pretty expensive.  If you don't call much, no big deal.  If you'll use several hundred minutes, look at some of the other advice here.

If you have an unblocked phone with a Sim, a Mexican Sim costs about 4 bucks.  Unlimited calling to Mexican phones, US and Canada starts at about 6 bucks a month.  Unblocking a phone costs between around 6-12 bucks.

Having just bought a SIM, it's 100 pesos. 116 with IVA.

joaquinx wrote:

Having just bought a SIM, it's 100 pesos. 116 with IVA.

Two weeks ago in Zamora, Michoacan, a Movistar SIM cost 100 pesos AND came with a month's worth of unlimited calling and to any number in Mexico, US and Canada plus 300MB of data with Facebook, Twitter and one other social media unlimited.  Continuing that deal would be 100 pesos a month.  The SIM was essentially free.

I had a chance to try calling while in Texas.  I was able to call numbers in Mexico but mostly not in the US.  They must be still working out the bugs of this fairly new arrangement.

Different companies have different plans/prices.

Check out mexicosim.com on line http://www.mexicosimcard.com/?gclid=Cj0 … ub88P8HAQ. I have been using Vincent  who works out of Mexico city to obtain unblocked phones and sim cards. I also reload using his site. If I keep my minutes at around 200 I can call the U.S for nothing.  He is very reliable and honest.  I spend $19-$22  for 50-250 minutes.

Getting your phone unblocked if its digital, and most are now, can not be done. You will need to buy and unblocked phone . Blu produces a pretty advanced phone for a very reasonable price. Check on Amazon.

Thank you for this information.   I just found out that I can take my old T-Mobile phone and get unlimited call/text for a month for $25.    I may go with that.   Otherwise, I will use one of the plans that all of you have suggested.   Many thanks!   I will only be in Mexico for 8 days and am using it for emergency use mostly (receiving and calling capability).

Arlene

Hello Gudgrief:
My friend has an AT&T phone and they are telling her here that it will cost her $1 per minute to use in Mexico!   Insane.   Can't she just have them unblock her phone and she can go with a Mexican plan once we get there?

So the SIM is about $4 and she can get that with her unblocked AT&T phone once we are there ..yes?  Remember, we have to be able to RECEIVE as well as call the U.S.A.

Telcel Sim is 116 pesos including IVA tax.

Okay, so as long as they unblock her phone she's good to go.  Yes?   WHY on Earth would they quote her $1.00 per minute??

And how much will she pay PER CALL?

Calls to us and Canada are the same as calls in Mexico

rubytue60 wrote:

And how much will she pay PER CALL?

As little as $5.71 for unlimited calls and text for a month with a Movistar SIM.
Telcel might be more. 
Of course she can receive calls if she lats everyone know what her Mexican number is and callers will have to pay whatever their phone companies charge.

Is using Skype out of the question?

joaquinx wrote:

Telcel Sim is 116 pesos including IVA tax.

Does that include any air time?

I bought one a few months ago but don't remember if air time was included.

No, we cannot use Skype.   We will not have internet access for the 8 days.   So it would just be talk and text to and from the U.S.A. for emergency purposes and to say hi to our kids.

I will tell my friend.   I am still perplexed as to why they would charge her $1. per minute.   I don't think she did her research correctly.     Thank you so much!

rubytue60 wrote:

No, we cannot use Skype.   We will not have internet access for the 8 days.   So it would just be talk and text to and from the U.S.A. for emergency purposes and to say hi to our kids.

I will tell my friend.   I am still perplexed as to why they would charge her $1. per minute.   I don't think she did her research correctly.     Thank you so much!

Without an international plan, T-Mobile charges about that for calls from the states to other countries.  They do it because they can.

Depending on where you are, you may be close to free Internet most of the time.

You don't need Internet for Skype. It works well on data.

joaquinx wrote:

You don't need Internet for Skype. It works well on data.

True, but it was not clear if they'd have data.
With the Movistar 100 peso/month deal the SIM is free because you get the 100 peso unlimited talk, text, Facebook, Whatsapp Twitter and 300MB additional data.  It expires and cancels at the end of the month unless you reload.

TMobile is just charging me $25 for a full month of unlimited talk/text.
It's AT&T that is gouging my friend.   That was our concern.   If we just text, maybe it won't cost $1 per min.

Whatsapp and Hangouts

They likely quoted her $1/minute because that is what they will charge for "roaming".
Anyone with any experience knows that when you go to a foreign country it's always best to simply just get a local SIM card to use on your phone (making sure that you phone is unlocked of course) rather than using your regular providers roaming.

Sparky McBiff wrote:

They likely quoted her $1/minute because that is what they will charge for "roaming".
Anyone with any experience knows that when you go to a foreign country it's always best to simply just get a local SIM card to use on your phone (making sure that you phone is unlocked of course) rather than using your regular providers roaming.

These days most US cell providers will unlock your phone free.
If not , there are many places in most towns in Mexico that will unlock you phone for from 100 to 250 pesos.  I've had it done on 3 different phones over the years with never a problem.

Say 250 pesos for unlocking and 100 pesos for a SIM and unlimited talk and text to the US.  That's about 20 bucks.  Will that be less than what you'd use at $1/min.  It's up to you.

Checking T-Mobile's website, even the most economical recent phones do have a SIM.  You can Google "SIM type Make and model of phone" and the results will contain links that indicate if the phone has a SIM.

If the phone is digital they can't unlock it.   i went through that trying to keep my phone when I first got here. It was one of several things I couldn't use here and needed to replace.

That's another topic I suspect. Things that don't do well here like items made of metals that rust. leather to some extent, because the maintenance is high...etc.

travellight wrote:

If the phone is digital they can't unlock it.   .

Is digital? All cell phones are digital. I believe you meant to use another word.

Yes, I should have been clearer

CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) or no sim card. The tech guy just referred to it as digital, which didn't make sense to me, but I'm no phone expert. Instead of a sim the information is programmed into the headset and they require other programs to unlock them.  They are becoming more popular for obvious reasons. And they are hard to unlock. The standard phone is a GSM those have sims. I had Sprint which was a carrier that uses CDMA.

Everything is always changing. My latest laptop has a accutype key board on all of their new models. I don't like it, but it's the new thing so...

I am moving to San Miguel de Allende next week. I was concerned about  about the phone. But AT&T recently has free calling and texting to the US from Mexico and 1 Gb for internet. I used it in November when I was there. They would not unlock my phone though for another few months.

My T-Mobile "Simple Choice" plan claims it works in Mexico and Canada with no additional costs (unlimited talk and text plus whatever gigs of data one's contract has).  That price is higher than what you mentioned, but you might was to ask them about that since that seems to be one of their selling points.

j masq wrote:

I am moving to San Miguel de Allende next week. I was concerned about  about the phone. But AT&T recently has free calling and texting to the US from Mexico and 1 Gb for internet. I used it in November when I was there. They would not unlock my phone though for another few months.

Since you're moving, there's a chance you can save some money depending on what you're paying T-mobile.

Getting your phone unblocked in Mexico is simple and cheap, $15 or so.

I have a T-Mobile SIM on pay as you go to use when I'm in the States.  $3.00/mo. to keep my number and 30 min, talk & text per month.

I have a Movistar SIM here in Mexico.  SIM was free with a 100 peso (<$6.00USD) per month plan that gives me unlimited talk and text to the US, Canada and Mexico.  I may not need the T-Mobile account anymore.  The plan is supposed to include unlimited talk and text from the US and Canada too.  I need to check that feature out next time I'm in the US in Apr.  Oh, and it includes 380MB of Internet.  Other amounts of Internet (Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp unlimited on all) are available at very reasonable prices.  Performance has been excellent here in Mexico.