Mobile phone plans in Brazil

As an American, I like Vivo Live as the plan includes the ability to receive SMS from any country in the Americas, which is important to access any sensitive websites like my bank and various government sites.  This is not a prepaid plan so I do have to pay every month but the cost is reasonable (for an American) and allows me to use the plan while outside of Brasil. 

Thank you @Cheryl for the reminder to look at phone plans.  I started a thread a while back on the matter as I will have to choose a permanent phone plan next month.

https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.p … 82#5942982

The main concern here is whether someone can actually have a mobile subscription in Brazil.  I do not have first hand experience, but if you want to pay for a subscription, then it is advisable to have a bank account in Brazil. I think that a tourist cannot open a bank account.  You have to be a permanent resident in order to open a bank account.

If you cannot open a bank account, temporary e-sims for stays in Brazil are also very affordable.

Apart from that small distinction of whether you can get a permanent mobile number or use temporary e-sims, there are many choices as described in the above thread.

Hope that the information in the thread help expats looking for detailed information.

@4alexnyc Thanks for the information. Its good to know there is a carrier that works with SMS from another country 

The main concern here is whether someone can actually have a mobile subscription in Brazil.  I do not have first hand experience, but if you want to pay for a subscription, then it is advisable to have a bank account in Brazil. I think that a tourist cannot open a bank account.  You have to be a permanent resident in order to open a bank account.

If you cannot open a bank account, temporary e-sims for stays in Brazil are also very affordable.
   

    -@Pablo888

Especially if you walk to the nearest "communidade" and ask around.

Dupe

Hi Cheryl,

In Brasil, we have prepaied plans from all operators.

You can buy a sim card in many places, like pharmacies, gas stations, etc.

At this places, you can buy credits for your plan too.

Before use it, you have to do a registration. By the phone, it's simple.

I think you will need a CPF to do that.

The best way to make international calls or msgs, is using the whatsapp.

I hope I helped.

Best regards.

@Cheryl ... good topic!

I use Vivo in Brazil, costs about R$75/month. BUT...... I cannot freely access voice mails left behind (have to dial separate #, and pay to access recording), it does not have caller ID to see who is calling, so I keep getting "gulp", telemarketing calls. I can block who is calling, but they just switch to new numbers.

Cannot call USA using Vivo.......for which I have Verizon for about US$90/month with my US phone #. I can call into my voice mail # for pennies using Skype ... where I can pick up messages, get envelope details about the caller, store it for later etc. BUT if some one wants to call my US# or I want to call USA directly to talk, I have to switch my sim card.... (so I use Skype for that).

And every time I switch my sim card, I get charged US$10 for 24 hrs. I need to switch sims at least once a month or so when using US sites and accounts that send out a verification code to allow access to their sites.... usually US government sites, US banks, financial orgs etc. When traveling ex-Brazil, have to switch sim cards. Checked about using Google, but they only allow use for limited time (months) when ex-US.

SO..... love to hear about better suggestions!

Here’s the road I’ve traveled so far when it comes to phones and connectivity. This has been a process, not an event. I’m the type that thinks long and hard before I make changes.

First of all in anticipation of moving to Brazil on a more permanent basis I started cutting the big US Carrier cord by porting my wife’s phone from AT&T to TELLO. Tello has a couple of good features and is dirt cheap. The first feature which is must for us is “wifi calling”. If anyone in the USA wants to text or call us it comes right to us as if we were in the USA no problem. Two step verification codes, relatives calling etc.. It’s seemless. Also it works both ways. If we need to call someone in the USA, it’s business as usual. Just dial them up, just like your were there. You just have to have a wifi connection.

Secondly, TELLO has international roaming. It’s not dirt cheap, but cheap enough for low usage types or visitors to Brazil. The charge 2 cents per megabyte. They use the Claro network, and it’s been mostly reliable when we use it while walking or driving around.

The next step in this adventure was adding a dedicated Brazilian line phone to the mix. An old unlocked Samsung A13 I loaded up with a VIVO sim and went for a cheap CONTROLE plan. 6GB data for 45 Reals/month. This serves a few purposes. A dedicated Brazil number, for those annoying Brazilian companies that only let you sign up for their services with a BRAZILIAN phone number. Also a dedicated additional Whatsapp account so you can use it with all the dang Brazilian companies that only communicate with Whatsapp.  Lastly, I use it as a wifi Hotspot when the fixed Internet goes down, usually a few times a week.

After my test with my wife’s phone and TELLO, my next step was to port my phone from AT&T to Tello. I was satisfied Tello was a stable solution. I did the port in to Tello, all is good. So, how much was my AT&T plan? It was 120 DOLLARS for 600 MB of data shared on two lines. With TELLO I pay TWELVE dollars for 2GB of data on two lines.

So, my next plan is to upgrade my VIVO account to POST account with 3 lines. Then add a second line to mine and my wife’s phone (both are dual sim phones). Total for 3 lines and 103GB. Cost USD 58/month.

I know this sounds like a commercial for Tello but, just so you know, if you are in Brazil and have a phone that’s eSIM compatible you can order an eSIM and have it delivered to your phone in Brazil as long as you have a good Wi-Fi connection. Do yourself the usual innerscreen search if you have more interest..

@bepmoht Great information!

I have the TIM Black plan. Serves a few things, free hbo max free deezer etc. and I get unlimited north american roaming with no penalties.

110$ Reais a month but worth it at the end of the day!

@bruno_ctba

Hello im planning on visiting Brazil for the first time in about a month to look for a home. My question is I have Verizon International plan and Whatsapp will that work?

Best Regards, Joe

@Boondog

It should. If Verizon supports Wi-fi calling enable it to make and receive USA calls. Enable roaming as well to connect to  Braziilan cellular providers. Good luck..

My question is I have Verizon International plan and Whatsapp will that work?
Best Regards, Joe
   

    -@Boondog

@boondog, your verizon international plan should work but it could be expensive.  I know that many carriers such as AT&T have international plan - and the last time I used that it was around $10/day for unlimited calls and data.

Please let us know how your Verizon international plan works for you in terms of experience and cost.

An alternative would be to use a local brazil e-sim and use a VOIP phone (free google voice) - and forward your cell phone to the google voice.  This would be cheaper if you only expect few calls from the US - but it will not be as convenient as roaming.

Good luck.

I have T Mobile and it has free text and roaming with wificalling. i able to call the US on wifi without any charges. Here in Brazil most people and busness use whatapp for there numbers. The only negative is if you get a new phone you will have to go back to the US to get a new sim. i pay $70 a month it worked great but Brazilian Mobile providers don’t have wificalling available.

We decided to go with TIM Black.

85 gigs of data and free everything EXCEPT international calls outside of South America are 5 centavos a minute. None of the nonsense from the other carriers like splitting data between internet and social media apps, etc, that I never use.

R$119 a month for 12 months in Rio de Janeiro. 1/3 the price of a similar cell plan in Canada.