Cellphones: Calling-Using-Buying-Importing-Activating-Renting

There is another aspect as well. The company that you are locked on must have a contract agreement with the other company for exchasing SMS's.

Eg A couple of years back when I was in Brasil, using my Greek sim card, my phone was locking on Oi, a local company, and I could exchange SMS's with other users of my Greek company but not with users of Vodafone (another company in Greece) although I could talk to them. But not SMS's.

When I was locking on TIM I could do that because TIM had a contract with Vodafone. So if you can not get through with one try another if it is available.

FYI all companies in European Union must sell unlock cell phones with at least a two year guarantee.

As per suggestion here I plan to buy a v190 unlocked quad ban phone from ebay for about $15 usd. I plan to be in columbia, BA, Santiago and Rio. Is there a way I can buy one SIM card for all of this or do I need to buy one for each country?

Thanks

[QUOTE=Bartonsky]As per suggestion here I plan to buy a v190 unlocked quad ban phone from ebay for about $15 usd. I plan to be in columbia, BA, Santiago and Rio. Is there a way I can buy one SIM card for all of this or do I need to buy one for each country?

Thanks[/QUOTE]A SIM card from any particular country with international roaming probably will work for all those countries. But you'll be paying international roaming rate whenever you are out of that country, even if you are calling a local number. Also, people might hesitate to return your call, or even answer your call if they notice your foreign phone number.

I suggest just buy a local SIM card when you arrive to each country.

Thanks to Miami Bob's cell phone instructions ([url]http://www.argentinaprivate.com/forum/showpost.php?p=372852&postcount=51[/url]) up and running on Personal. Copy of the old passport and two hours later, the kid was good to go. Visited Personal agent in Palermo, Plaza Italia, painless. Everyone very accommodating, gave it my best dumb Gringo look and whalla: no Espanol. For me, it is an important deal. No more having to rely on a Landlord's phone. Had an old Razor and got the unlocking code from ATT. Thought that was going to be the most difficult hoop to jump through. However, another painless hoop. Thanks Mr. Bob.

[QUOTE=Chica Seeker]My spanish is limited and I prefer text messages with the chicas as well.

It gives me time to understand better what they are saying.[/QUOTE]My spanish is pretty good / fair Where can I get a cell phone for cheap? Rent one? Yeah like in the real world. Working girls love text messages too!

So what do you say once you get one of the girls on the phone?

"Hello 12 different names cause you use a million of them, I want to bang your ass come over?"

So you work out a price, is it rude to ask about price?

Thanks guys I'm off to BA in 26 days!

[QUOTE=Slamcity]My spanish is pretty good / fair Where can I get a cell phone for cheap? Rent one? Yeah like in the real world Working girls love text messages too!

So what do you say once you get one of the girls on the phone?

"Hello 12 different names cause you use a million of them, I want to bang your ass come over?"

So you work out a price, is it rude to ask about price?

Thanks guys I'm off to BA in 26 days![/QUOTE]Bring your own and buy a chip for it here. A chip is about U$5 and you buy cards from kioskos for various amounts of money and use them as you need them.

Argento

[QUOTE=Argento]Bring your own and buy a chip for it here. A chip is about U$5 and you buy cards from kioskos for various amounts of money and use them as you need them.

Argento[/QUOTE]Hmmm. I might be stupid about phones but I'm pretty sure than my Samsung phone does not work this way. Right? I'm pretty sure American phones can't do this.

Help please!

[QUOTE=Slamcity]Hmmm. I might be stupid about phones but I'm pretty sure than my Samsung phone does not work this way. Right? I'm pretty sure American phones can't do this.

Help please![/QUOTE]If you have unlocked tmobile / ATT should work (old cingular phones will not)

[QUOTE=Slamcity]Hmmm. I might be stupid about phones but I'm pretty sure than my Samsung phone does not work this way. Right? I'm pretty sure American phones can't do this.

Help please![/QUOTE]What you need is an "unlocked" GSM phone. GSM phone means it uses a SIM card. Unlocked means it can use a SIM card from another phone carrier other than the one initally issued the phone.

[QUOTE=Sportsman]What you need is a "unlocked" GSM phone. GSM phone means it uses a SIM card. Unlocked means it can use a SIM card from another phone carrier other than the one initally issued the phone.[/QUOTE]Just buy a throw away. 40 or 50 bucks and get yourself a phone, then you can text them two simple words, queres cojer? You will get some pussy quick.

Email sucks for chicas. Plus texting is easier than talking and everybody does it there. Except you have to learn a new spanish phrase "no tengo credito" when they don't feel like answering.

With a little care and savy you should get one of these cel's for us$20 to $25 including shipping. I own 3. This is a great model--long battery life--can set for both eng and spanish texting with good word completion software--and good recption. They have bluetooth. Good recption and sound quality. The v197 has been discontinued for 2+ years.

Buy from a reliable seller 99%+ revues and over 1000 sales. Then you can buy used in very good to like new condition dirt cheap.

Search for my posts below about how to buy a "chip" at the personal stores and load up on time CHEAP! The phone must be advertised as unlocked. It is irrelevant what carrier had it in the usa. Buying from the Personal store with a photo copy of your passport will permit you to reactivate the same number if you are out of the country 90 to 120 days and with luck even longer and retain the same number. Store all your phone numbers in the phone and not on the chip. Then if the chip is deactivated because you are out of the country too long, you will still have your friends' numbers stored!

If you buy a chip off the street it will be about the same price and registerred under someone else's name and you will not be able to re-activate it if it gets turned off.

Suerte,

Bob

Greetings,

I'll be making my first trip to BA in two weeks and I'm looking forward to sampling the local talent. First of all, I assume having a local phone and number is preferable to using my iPhone with roaming. I've gotten a very attractive rental quote from phonerental.com.ar - free rental for 7 days with reasonable per-minute charges. Is this a reputable firm?

[QUOTE=Va Steve]Greetings,

I'll be making my first trip to BA in two weeks and I'm looking forward to sampling the local talent. First of all, I assume having a local phone and number is preferable to using my iPhone with roaming. I've gotten a very attractive rental quote from phonerental. Com. Ar - free rental for 7 days with reasonable per-minute charges. Is this a reputable firm?[/QUOTE]Hi Steve,

Is there some reason why you wouldn't post exactly what the "reasonable per-minute charges" were that you were quoted?

Absent this info, it's impossible to give you any feedback other than the "Free rental / free delivery / free pickup / give us your credit card" cellphone rental companies are notoriously over-priced to the point of being predatory. Among other practices, they typically charge you per minute for both outgoing and incoming calls even though in Argentina incoming calls are actually paid by the caller and thus free to the cellphone user.

Another issue is the actual number of minutes for which you are charged. They log into the cellphone's account online with their service provider to ascertain the number of minutes you've used, but there always seems to be a discrepancy between this number and the number of minutes you are charged, or should I say the number of minutes that they charged on your credit card as per your signature on the rental agreement, fait accompli.

Who knows though, perhaps you found a great service.

Thanks,

Jackson

A cheap phone with pre-card is costing about 150-200 peso and eventhough I don't have experience with many of my friends buy chips and use them on there home phone.

That must work a lot better

Apologize for not posting the rates; just laziness! First week's rental is free; additional weeks are US$ 7; insurance is US$ 5.

These are the quoted rates in US dollars:

Local $ 0.29

National $ 0.58

Argentina - Mercosur $ 0.89

Argentina - U. S. $ 0.79 - Special Promotion.

Argentina - Europe $ 1.28

Incoming minute $ 0.29