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

[QUOTE=SunSeeker;422778]Any recommendations for a pre paid sim chip? Each company thinks theirs is the best so I'd Like to hear from an actual user. Best signal and coverage most important. Phone is a Galaxy S 2, unlocked. Arriving in BA 6 June.[/QUOTE]I use Personal and it's good enough for me.

Moviestar is supposed to be better and seems to have the most users which in the end you actually save money when you call other movistar clients just like I do when I call other Personal clients.

Claro seems to be the worst.

Since you will be using a pre-paid card it's pretty much pointless since a monthly plan is the way to go with any of them.

ALL of them will double and triple your credit during certain days of the week.

Down here with the girls it's all about texting.

Thanks,

TL.

P. S. A nice phone can get you killed! Even a shit phone! The national sports down here are Home Invasion followed by cell phone robbery!

[QUOTE=TejanoLibre; 422779]I use Personal and it's good enough for me. Moviestar is supposed to be better and seems to have the most users which in the end you actually save money when you call other movistar clients just like I do when I call other Personal clients. Claro seems to be the worst.

Since you will be using a pre-paid card it's pretty much pointless since a monthly plan is the way to go with any of them.

ALL of them will double and triple your credit during certain days of the week.

Down here with the girls it's all about texting.

Thanks,

TL.

P. S. A nice phone can get you killed! Even a shit phone! The national sports down here are Home Invasion followed by cell phone robbery![/QUOTE]Thanks TL. I didn't see anything good on the Claro website and Movistar seemed to have the best reviews but they were all 2 years old that I found online. I use TIM prepaid here in Rio so I thought prepaid would be the same in BA. Is there anything special needed to get a monthly package? DNI or anything like that? I'll be using it mostly for texting and contacting the chicas hehehe. I'll have to look at the Movistar and Personal packages I guess.

Here in Rio the phone doesn't get displayed outdoors either! LOL Hopefully 24 hour security at the apartment building will help.

If you are going to be doing a lot of texting, Personal sells 100 texts for 15p. Either from existing credit or by buying a card. I find this much cheaper because on a prepay plan they charge as much as 80c per text.

Thanks for the info guys. After comparing the 2 I'll probably get Movistar prepago. I'm not a "chatty kathy" on the phone, usually make my call or text, say what I want to say and it's over. Too bad the minutes expire every 30 days. I'm used to putting 100 reals on my phone and they are good for months LOL.

My thanks to everyone for their input. I got my Movistar chip last night and am just waiting for the SMS text telling me I can use it. I didn't need any kind of I'd or anything to buy the chip. $20 pesos.

[QUOTE=SunSeeker;423050]My thanks to everyone for their input. I got my Movistar chip last night and am just waiting for the SMS text telling me I can use it. I didn't need any kind of I'd or anything to buy the chip. $20 pesos.[/QUOTE]Hmmm. Got a 11 prefix not 15. 10 digits total still. Any ideas why? Movistar chip pregpago.

[QUOTE=SunSeeker;423059]Hmmm. Got a 11 prefix not 15. 10 digits total still. Any ideas why? Movistar chip pregpago.[/QUOTE]I had he same thing. I think for people to call you they still need to dial 15 and the last 8 numbers. Here is the number in an ad for one of my favorites. 15-4173-5545.

From any country (54-911-4173-5545). Try calling yourself from the hotel phone and see which one works.

[QUOTE=Big Boss Man; 423060]I had he same thing. I think for people to call you they still need to dial 15 and the last 8 numbers. Here is the number in an ad for one of my favorites. 15-4173-5545.

From any country (54-911-4173-5545). Try calling yourself from the hotel phone and see which one works.[/QUOTE]You could be right. I have just seen a FL with the 11 posted. No other phone here so I will find out what happens tomorrow when I call up a chica. I've read cell to cell you only need to dial the 10 digits.

[QUOTE=Big Boss Man; 423060]I had he same thing. I think for people to call you they still need to dial 15 and the last 8 numbers. Here is the number in an ad for one of my favorites. 15-4173-5545.

From any country (54-911-4173-5545). Try calling yourself from the hotel phone and see which one works.[/QUOTE]It depends where you are dialing from. For example from a land line in the city of BsAs you dial 15 then the number if you are calling from the province its 011 15. From the provincia its 11 plus the number. Then if the cel phone is from out in the boonies they have the local area code then the 11 plus the number. Phone service here is a disaster. Telefonica took over 8 or more small companys and put them under one switch board, some areas still have 5 digits, other 8 and others 10 or 12. It all depends where you are. They never consolidated all areas under the same format.

If you want a plain vanilla cell phone that is unlocked and accepts SIM cards all over the world, try Amazon. Com. The phone is branded "Blu" and costs less than $35. 00 with shipping. I have used it in the Philippines. Singapore, Thailand, and now Argentina. When I get home, I just put it in a drawer until my next trip, or I give it away when I keave. Here in Argentina, I just went to a Locutorio, and they did everything with Moviestar. I bought 60 minutes and got 30 minutes free. The SIM only cost 20 pesos and the air time was one peso per minute (60 pesos) with 30 free minutes. I am not very talky so I will probably leave Argentina with some unused minutes. I have not tried the phone outside of Buenos Aires, so I do not know if it works well in the boonies. BTW, this phone makes a great Chica gift.

Tres

[QUOTE=Gandolf50;423069]It depends where you are dialing from. For example from a land line in the city of BsAs you dial 15 then the number if you are calling from the province its 011 15. From the provincia its 11 plus the number. Then if the cel phone is from out in the boonies they have the local area code then the 11 plus the number. Phone service here is a disaster. Telefonica took over 8 or more small companys and put them under one switch board, some areas still have 5 digits, other 8 and others 10 or 12. It all depends where you are. They never consolidated all areas under the same format.[/QUOTE]Damn they like to make it difficult! LOL. Can't believe you got to change 15 to 11, add a 9, etc. Reminds me of the prize winning questions from years gone by. I'm in Palermo Botanico so pretty much all my calls / texts will be in Buenos Aires.

I checked out Amazon. Under unlocked BLU phones they have 4 $30 choices w / dual sim quad band. I'm spending 3 weeks in So America (2 wks in Buenos Aires and remaining time in Lima + Mendoza). Which phone do you recommend? BLU Q53 Samba Jr, BLU T130 Deejay Lite, BLU Q61 Lindy, or BLU Q41 Charleston? Will I need to buy 3 different Sim cards in all 3 cities? Is there one Sim card good for both Peru and Argentina? Is there anything else I need to know? Where in Recoleta do you buy your Sim cards? Thanks Mountaineer.

[QUOTE=Tres3; 423070]If you want a plain vanilla cell phone that is unlocked and accepts SIM cards all over the world, try Amazon. Com. The phone is branded "Blu" and costs less than $35. 00 with shipping. I have used it in the Philippines. Singapore, Thailand, and now Argentina. When I get home, I just put it in a drawer until my next trip, or I give it away when I keave. Here in Argentina, I just went to a Locutorio, and they did everything with Moviestar. I bought 60 minutes and got 30 minutes free. The SIM only cost 20 pesos and the air time was one peso per minute (60 pesos) with 30 free minutes. I am not very talky so I will probably leave Argentina with some unused minutes. I have not tried the phone outside of Buenos Aires, so I do not know if it works well in the boonies. BTW, this phone makes a great Chica gift.

Tres[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Mountaineer;424449]I checked out Amazon. Under unlocked BLU phones they have 4 $30 choices w / dual sim quad band. I'm spending 3 weeks in So America (2 wks in Buenos Aires and remaining time in Lima + Mendoza). Which phone do you recommend? BLU Q53 Samba Jr, BLU T130 Deejay Lite, BLU Q61 Lindy, or BLU Q41 Charleston? Will I need to buy 3 different Sim cards in all 3 cities? Is there one Sim card good for both Peru and Argentina? Is there anything else I need to know? Where in Recoleta do you buy your Sim cards? Thanks Mountaineer.[/QUOTE]Hi Mountaineer, I can help out with some of your questions and someone else can answer the phone specific q's.

The sim chips are specific to each service provider so you will need to buy different chips for Argentina and Peru. You can get the chips at pretty much any of the stores for Movistar, Personal, or Claro. I know there is a Movistar kiosk in the Recoleta mall that had them. I got mine (movistar) near my apt in Palermo for 20 pesos. They activated it for me on the spot and 24 hours later I could use it. After I bought minutes of course. I don't make a lot of calls and I still spend more than 100 pesos each month. Calls and texts ain't cheap!

You can buy a cheap phone with the sim for less than U$S20 here. Nothing to pack, nothing to screw with at aduana, nothing to order. Then throw it away or give it to some hooker when you go.

[QUOTE=Mountaineer;424449]I checked out Amazon. Under unlocked BLU phones they have 4 $30 choices w / dual sim quad band. I'm spending 3 weeks in So America (2 wks in Buenos Aires and remaining time in Lima + Mendoza). Which phone do you recommend? BLU Q53 Samba Jr, BLU T130 Deejay Lite, BLU Q61 Lindy, or BLU Q41 Charleston? Will I need to buy 3 different Sim cards in all 3 cities? Is there one Sim card good for both Peru and Argentina? Is there anything else I need to know? Where in Recoleta do you buy your Sim cards? Thanks Mountaineer.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=SunSeeker;423071]Damn they like to make it difficult! LOL. Can't believe you got to change 15 to 11, add a 9, etc. Reminds me of the prize winning questions from years gone by. I'm in Palermo Botanico so pretty much all my calls / texts will be in Buenos Aires.[/QUOTE]Didn't they also add a new code for some mobiles in BA?