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How to Live, Work and Retire Abroad! Forums #AskCartess Cell Phone Service Reply To: Cell Phone Service

  • Cartess

    Administrator
    April 25, 2023 at 2:39 am

    You can sign-up for the plans here in Mexico. The plan I have is with Tel-Cel (they’re the largest cell phone service provider in Mexico). Plan costs about $10/mo and includes unlimited call/text within Mexico and to the US (you can even use the phone service in the US).

    Typically, you get about 3.5 gigs of data each month with this $10/mo plan, but you get unlimited data when using apps like Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp (so those videos and stuff you watch on Facebook or send through WhatsApp wont count against your 3 gig data), that’s how it last so long. You can pay more for more data if you find yourself going over the 3.5 gigs.

    Other providers like AT&T have service plans here where you can get plans for like $89 for the year (depending on the promo at the time). I found i had better coverage with TelCel versus AT&T (I had both services for a year).

    Make sure your phone is unlocked and when you arrive, go by a SIM card (like $2-$4 bucks) and choose the data plan you wish to use. If your phone is locked, buy an unlocked one from the States and bring with you. Cell phones can be a lil more pricey here.

    Stay away from the phones on local small networks in the US like Xfinity, MetroPCS, Cricket and those other budget friendly service providers. I’ve met many people who had issues with getting their phones to work.

    Also, another thing you can do… If you need to keep your existing cell phone number (you most likely will because your bank send codes to your phone so you can login to your bank account). You can sign-up with a Google Voice plan for like $6.95/month. Pay a one-time porting fee of like $20 bucks and you can port your existing cell number to the Google Voice plan.

    You can download the Google Voice app to your iphone/android and when someone calls the number, your phone rings. You also receive text messages too. I use this and I only pay $6.95/mo. for my US number versus the $90/mo I was paying to try and keep my number. This works like a champ.

    Make sure your bank will forward text messages to Google Voice. I’ve heard some banks are more strict and require an actual cell number. It worked with mine so I ditched my US cell provider and went with Google Voice.

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