If you want to buy an unlocked cell phone, buy it at home. If you buy one in B.A. They charge US$100 to unlock it.
I know because I fucked up.
P.S. Buy the same sim card for the same operating system. Movistar phone uses a Movistar sim. Other sims will work, but the internet does not work completely.
I have a Personal Sim Card to sell for 35p. It has 30p credit on the phone.
PM me or meet me at l'Alliance or Exedra, between 9-12pm.
The old guy with the short grey beard and a dark green cap on backwards.
I leave on the 11th.
I don't know about calling from Argentina but from USA to Argentina you can call for 1 cent / minute.
10 $ phone card will give you over 16 hours of talk time. And that is insane:)
[url]http://pinphonecard.pushline.com/p/?id_from_country=182&idcountry=15&Submit2=SEARCH[/url]
From Argentina to USA for 10$ you can get nearly 7 hours of talking.
/I didn't tried yet/
[url]http://pinphonecard.pushline.com/p/?id_from_country=15&idcountry=182&Submit2=SEARCH[/url]
I recharged my SIM card with credit at the CTI main store on Florida last Tuesday. It took a while for the credit to come through (a few hours instead of normal 5 to 10 minutes) When it finally did, the recording said it is good until Sunday Nov. 25th! That's exactly 180 days instead of the normal 2 months.
After losing 50 pesos during my first half hour in B. A. this trip trying to use phone cards with the locked phone in my rental apartment, I said screw this, I'm going to get an Argentinian phone number for my cell. Since I have an unlocked multiband phone, and had done the same in both BKK and Sao Paolo, I had a pretty good idea what to do. My roaming signal was CTI, so I figured I might as well go with that company. Last trip to B. A. I just used the roaming and was unpleasantly surprised when the bill for a few hundred dollars arrived at the end of the month.
Since I made the wise choice of getting out of Recoleta this trip and staying downtown, I went to the CTI store on Paraguay and Florida. Got there early in the morning when they opened, but their computer wasn't working. The girl said come back later. Went back at 10 and everything OK. First think you do is wait in the Information Desk line. Tell the girl you want a chip. She asks for some kind of ID. Passport not needed. Then prints out a ticket and tells you to sit until your number is called. Sat for about 5 minutes and was then attended to. First thing, the girl tried my phone out with her chip to make sure it was unlocked. Passing this test she asked my for 10 pesos and had me sign a bunch of documents. Then she gave me my number and chip. Told me if I wanted to purchase some minutes I could go upstairs to the third floor. Went upstairs, and since I knew I was going to be making international as well as local mongering calls, I bought 50 pesos worth of minutes and they gave me an extra 30 as a gift. Turns out that it takes around an hour for the chip to begin funcioning and to be able to add minutes so I just left the money with the guy on the third floor. Tried the phone in an hour. Dialed *555 and was told that I had 80 pesos credit. Easy and cheap. The bad news is that the credit only works for 60 days unlike in Peru. So I will lose anything I don't use. Not the end of the world. Also, as has been mentioned in previous posts, the chip will be cancelled after 6 months if one hasn't purchased more minutes. Since I plan to be back before the end of this time, no big deal. Even if I wasn't, the 3 and a half dollars that the chip costs is nothing. However since I'm not a big fan of lines and paperwork, I'd want to avoid having to get new chips every trip.
David33,
Here is my latest experience on CTI credit.
[url]http://www.argentinaprivate.com/forum/showpost.php?p=371930&postcount=133[/url]
When you return after two months, try using the phone before topping it off with more credit. I was pleasantly surprised earlier this year that the credit was still good after more than a two month absent.
I'm just going by what the *555 recording says when I call to check how many pesos I've got left. At any rate, I'm going to try to use them all up before I leave.
I posted my detailed experiences with CTI sim cards or chips a few years back. Knowing more about Argentina today than years ago, my next chip would be Personel or Movistar--cheaper per minute and better local bs as service.
I was staying in Recoleta and arriving on a Saturday morning.
I walked on Callao past Santa Fe one block and by Marcelo T, there is a main Personel store which is open part of the day on Saturday--closes at 2pm. They took very good care of me.
Cheap and can add up to 99 pesos of time by computer.
I started in spanish--I am self-sufficient in spanish, but clearly not fluent. When I had some problems with questions about international calling, uses phone cards with the cel phone etc.; an english speaking customer service rep was brought down who had worked for motorola. This guy spoke fluent english. He actually taught me how to use some of the features on my motorola razr that I had never bothered to learn how to use.
The personel service in bs as is much better than cti--few dropped calls; fewer times without service; clearer conections and cheaper per minutes on average.
I would rate the service more or less the same as movistar. I has used one of jackson's movistar rental phones last xmas after my ex-novia decided that I owned her money and kept my older cel.
For the people in centeral, there is a large personel re-seller.
On Florida east of Corrientes [a block or two towards Plaza San Martin] which is open long hours and sells chips and larger phone cards. They take international credit cards.
Personal's own centers do not take international credit cards.
Personel and Movistar both have large offices on Corrientes near Florida which sell sim cards.
Bob
Last week I was able to get a CTI fixed monthly plan without the DNI. In the past I would use the CTI centers to buy a 100 pesos worth of minutes (160 minutes) or in a bind I would buy the 20 peso cards at most kioskos. Everytime I tried to buy a monthly plan they would tell me I needed the dreaded DNI. Well, last week I went to the CTI center on Avenida Cabildo 2537 with copies of my passport, escrittura (if you don't own an apartment, a copy of your apartment rental agreement is sufficient) and one utility bill (not required). I took a number and within five minutes I was speaking to a CTI representative. I told her I have every intention of living here and I would like to have a monthly plan. Ten minutes later I had a 330 minute monthly plan for 89 pesos per month.
I asked the representative what would others who don't have the DNI need to do to get a plan. She basically said, "que hacen lo que usted hizo" (that they do what you did)
If you would like a fixed monthly plan because you spend a lot of time here or are actually living here, just go to any of the CTI centers like the one mentioned above or to the cti center on Paraguay why Florida with a copy of your passport information and a rental agreement and you can purchase a monthly plan without the DNI.
Other facts to consider before buying any plan from CTI. You can choose from plans that cost about 30 pesos to about 200 pesos per month. It takes about 5 days for the plan to kick-in on your cell phone. The reason for the 5 day delay is because you have five days to accept or reject the plan. The contract period is for 2 years and you can change to a different plan within the 2 year period as long as it's a plan that has more minutes. CTI requires that you pay for two months in advance or if you use your credit card to pay for the monthly bill the two months in advance is not required. Since I pay all my local bills on the internet using my local Argentina bank account I chose to pay the two months in advance. Consequently my first two monthly bills will be $0 pesos. Finally, if you buy a cell phone plan you can choose to buy a cell phone at a reduced rate and pay for it in three installments.
L
Reading about your CTI without DNI post, it sounds good. It looks like they keep loosening up the requirements for foreigners.
But interestingly, it looks like you have done something else without the DNI. Could you tell us about the local Argentine bank account wtihout a DNI? All the banks I've looked at say they require it, as do other posts here.
Thanks.
[QUOTE=Lexton]Reading about your CTI without DNI post, it sounds good. It looks like they keep loosening up the requirements for foreigners.
But interestingly, it looks like you have done something else without the DNI. Could you tell us about the local Argentine bank account wtihout a DNI? All the banks I've looked at say they require it, as do other posts here.
Thanks.[/QUOTE]Lexton, I only know of two ways to get a local bank account without the DNI.
The first way of getting one I encountered recently by accident. While my apartment was being built I went to the different banks to inquire about apartment insurance (seguro de hogar) and every bank told me they couldn't sell me apartment insurance unless I had a bank account. O course I couldn't open up a bank account unless I had the DNI (I believe Joseph Heller wrote his masterpiece Catch 22 after visiting Argentina) However, the rep from Banco Galicia told me they would open up a bank account for me if I purchased the insurance and had the monthly premiums deducted from my new bank account. Since I already had a bank account I didn't take them up on it immediately because the next day I was able to purchase insurance from HSBC without having a bank account with them.
I think Galicia bank will open a bank account for you if one buys either apartment insurance or car insurance, or maybe even life insurance.
The other way of opening up a bank account is to target banks like Citibank, Banco Frances, etc. Walk in with your passport, rental agreement or escrittura if you own property, and a copy of the "Certificado de Antecedents Penelas" (this is just a criminal background check issued by "The Ministerio De Justicia why Derechos Humanos") showing you don't have a criminal history in Argentina.
Go to the bank with the above information and tell them you want to open a bank account. They will tell you that without the DNI you cannot open one up. This is when you need to use your spanish language skills (I'm fluent) Tell them you already knew that, however you also know that the banks are allowed to open up bank accounts if one is trying to establish residency (blame immigration for the slow process. Inefficient managers of banks like to think they are progressive and not as backwards as those lazy porteños who work in immigration) I told the bank rep that no law actually existed that specifically stated I couldn't open up a bank account. I did let him know that many banking regulations existed regarding the opening of bank accounts because of money laundering, corruption, etc. I asked him to please speak to his manager. To make a long story short, the rep did speak with his manager and after much discussion they told me I had to come back the next day. When I went back the next day, they told me that they would open up a bank account with all privileges that all Argentine citizens have; high fees, low interest rates, and no transferring of dollars into my account from overseas banks for the first 6 months. By the way, I recenlty got them to give me a large safety deposit box that comes with a ridiculous 500 pesos per year fee. Suerte.
Well, these reports became a lot clearer when I found out what a SIM card is. Doh!
I'm coming down w / ball & chain and her brother. Just want us to be able to contact each other while we are in BsAs. So from other posts it sounds like I can get 3 phones for about $60 USD total and each will have perhaps 10 pesos of credit. Is that about right? Any other related immediate expenses?
We are staying at Av. Cordoba why Av. Leandro. None of us minds walking. So where is a low time waster establishment we should purchase from? (I count the walk as orientation and useful.
How time consuming should it be to get it set up?
Will 10p give me about 10 minutes of talk time?
(Been all over this site. Great information. Thanks. Hope I will have some breakaway time and be able to submit a report.
[QUOTE=RichiBoone]Well, these reports became a lot clearer when I found out what a SIM card is. Doh!
I'm coming down w / ball & chain and her brother. Just want us to be able to contact each other while we are in BsAs. So from other posts it sounds like I can get 3 phones for about $60 USD total and each will have perhaps 10 pesos of credit. Is that about right? Any other related immediate expenses?
We are staying at Av. Cordoba why Av. Leandro. None of us minds walking. So where is a low time waster establishment we should purchase from? (I count the walk as orientation and useful.
How time consuming should it be to get it set up?
Will 10p give me about 10 minutes of talk time?
(Been all over this site. Great information. Thanks. Hope I will have some breakaway time and be able to submit a report.[/QUOTE]Set up will be done within a few hours.
Make sure all three phones are of the same company so the per minute charges are cheaper. It is more expensive if you call a number that belongs to another company.
Ten minutes of airtime is about right.
El Greco
I am flying in to EZE and then transferring to ARP then flying out, then back again. Can I get a sim at either airport and are they going to be more expensive at the airport or the regular charges they have for the company?
Thread Starter.
Great info in this thread about purchasing cheap phones (AR$100 or so) or getting a unlocked GSM phone and buying a local SIM card.
How about the option of renting a cell-phone?
[url]http://www.tangol.com/eng/cell_phone_rental.asp[/url]
Seems to offer a free cell phone and calling rates are around AR$1.25/ minute for local calls, and AR$2.95/ minute for US calls.
For someone making just 5-10 calls, this seems like the most convenient and reasonably cheap option - is that correct? For example, 10 local calls of 3 minutes each would be under US$15 total.
Detailed rates from that web site:
Ø Airtime minute: AR$ 1,00 (plus national and international communication)
Ø Insurance (optative): AR$ 15,00
National and international Communications per minute:
Locals AR$ 0,25
Nacionales AR$ 0,65
Argentina - Mercosur AR$ 1,75
Argentina - U. S AR$ 1,95
Argentina - Europa AR$ 2,99
Argentina - Israel AR$ 2,20
Incoming calls AR$ 1,00
Tax is not Included.
You can easily pick up an unlocked world compatible (quad band GSM) phone on ebay for a very little. If you travel a lot, this is a very sensible thing to do.
Motorola is the biggest manufacturer of quad band phones, by far. Some others like Siemens, Samsung, and Nokia make some, but the vast majority of their phones are not Quad band, and the Nokia quad bands are quite expensive, so you would need to really do some research as to which model is compatible with the destinations you want it to be. For that reason only, I recommend sticking with a Motorola GSM phone, since most of their current and recent models are world-compatible, widely available, and cheap.
The cheapest world quad-band Moto GSM phones available is the V180, one of which can be picked up, already unlocked, from reputable sellers on ebay for under $30 including shipping. A V188 is basically the same but also has a camera. But these phones are on the crappy side. The first phone I ever did this with was a V180 I bought for $28, but after about 3-4 months of use over a year of ownership, the voice transmission degraded to the degree that many folks I called on their cellphones could not make out my speech. It still worked fine for texting, though, or when calling land lines.
I personally recommend spending a bit more for a much better V190 or V195. I now use a V190 that I picked up in true mint condition with all the accessories, for $42. The similar V195 adds bluetooth and can be gotten unlocked in mint condition for under $60. These phones are much better constructed and have better sound quality than the low-end V180.
If you want a more trendy, feature-laden phone with a camera, an unlocked RAZR V3 can be gotten for $80-100 in true mint or new condition.
All of these world phones will take a SIM card from anywhere in the world - and you can buy pre-paid time cards as well, for cheap. You can also use them in the U. S. On T-Mobile or AT&T pay as you go plans. You can get a T-mobile SIM with 150 minutes pre-loaded, for under $10 on ebay (the retail value is $30) I use this $42 V190 as my anonymous hobbying phone in the U. S. As well as whenever I travel around the world.
I would also add that if you only travel within the U.S. and Argentina, then pretty much any unlocked GSM phone bought in the U.S. will work in Argentina as well, as Argentina chose to use the U.S. frequency bands. But Brazil, Venezuela, Uruguay and Costa Rica, as well as most of Europe and Asia, use the other 2 frequency bands. The following map will clarify this:
[url]http://www.worldtimezone.com/gsm.html[/url]
[QUOTE=Member #2041]I now use a V190 that I picked up in true mint condition with all the accessories, for $42.
All of these world phones will take a SIM card from anywhere in the world - and you can buy pre-paid time cards as well, for cheap.[/QUOTE]Great info! I presume the Motorola V220 is also as good or better than V190 (assuming that the higher number means newer / better features? One vendor on ebay is offering it for $41, which looks like a good deal. V190 seems to go for $40 to $50.
[QUOTE=Salving123]Great info! I presume the Motorola V220 is also as good or better than V190 (assuming that the higher number means newer / better features? One vendor on ebay is offering it for $41, which looks like a good deal. V190 seems to go for $40 to $50. [/QUOTE]Actually, the V220 is an older phone than the V190 and V195. The V220 was Moto's basic camera phone from the generation between the V180/ V188 and the V190/ V195.
FYI, the V180 and V188 came out in 2002, The V220 came out in 2004, the V190 and V195 came out in 2006.
I don't know whether it's as good or better than the V190 and V195, because it is an earlier model. It would be safe to presume that it's at least as good or better than the V180 and V188, but the V190 and V195 phones are widely regarded to be significantly improved over Moto's earlier generations of clamshell models. The various user reviews of the V190 and V195 are much better, in terms of build quality and signal / sound quality than the older models. But I can't speak to the V220 specifically, as I have never had one. I can only say for sure that the V190 is noticeably better than the V180 in terms of build quality and signal / sound quality, from personal experience. I still own both. But I only use the V190 (I only keep the V180 as an emergency backup)
Also, if you're buying a Moto V180, V188, or V220, off ebay, make sure it's a Quad-band phone. They also sold some versions that were just 2 or 3 bands and won't work as world phones. All of the V190 and V195 phones were quad-band world phones.
[QUOTE=Member #2041]I would also add that if you only travel within the U. S. And Argentina, then pretty much any unlocked GSM phone bought in the U. S. Will work in Argentina as well, as Argentina chose to use the U. S. Frequency bands.[/QUOTE]Do you know if the 850mhz band is necessary for decent coverage in Buenos Aires? I have an old unlocked "world phone" (V300 tri-band 900/1800/1900) which I used to use with T-Mobile US and now use when in SE Asia. I'm looking at finally getting to Argentina in March, and would like to get a SIM card if the coverage there will be decent.
[QUOTE=Ed Handy]Do you know if the 850mhz band is necessary for decent coverage in Buenos Aires? I have an old unlocked "world phone" (V300 tri-band 900/1800/1900) which I used to use with T-Mobile US and now use when in SE Asia. I'm looking at finally getting to Argentina in March, and would like to get a SIM card if the coverage there will be decent.[/QUOTE]Hard to say for sure without actually hearing from someone knowledgeable who's in BA. The largest carrier is CTI Movil, and they use both 850 and 1900 frequency bands, and their coverage map implies that Buenos Aires is covered by both, but more broadly covered by 850. I was almost in the same situation as you, as my older V180 was a 900/1800/1900 tri-band phone. But now I've got a V190 that's a Quad. FYI, here's a website with more detailed info, but what they currently say is what I have just summarized. The answer just from info on this website is inconclusive.
[url]http://www.gsmworld.com/roaming/gsminfo/cou_ar.shtml[/url]
It would be useful for someone in Buenos Aires to weigh in as to whether any of the other networks besides CTI Movil are sufficiently broad in their coverage to be useful, because those networks use only the 1900 bands. I would say, bring it and try it. Worst case, you'll have wasted $5-10 on a SIM card.
[QUOTE=Member #2041]It would be useful for someone in Buenos Aires to weigh in as to whether any of the other networks besides CTI Movil are sufficiently broad in their coverage to be useful, because those networks use only the 1900 bands. I would say, bring it and try it. Worst case, you'll have wasted $5-10 on a SIM card.[/QUOTE]Gotcha, thanks - much obliged.
Mongers-
First of all, CTI is by far the WORST mobile phone company Argentina, and is significantly smaller than both Movistar (telefonica) and Personal (telecom) Movistar and Personal are in many ways the Verizon and AT & T of Argentina, both decendents of "Ma Bell" in their own way. For the best rates and service, Movistar is the cream of the crop in my 2+ years living in Buenos Aires full time. Movistar also has a CDMA network for those who own nice USA-Verizon compatible phones and want to get them hooked up in Argentina. However, Movistar will not hook up your CDMA phone unless you have a Customs Declaration for that phone from when you brought it into the country.
Suerte,
Dirk Diggler
Thanks for the local input, Dirk.
If one were to arrive in Buenos Aires with an unlocked GSM World phone, what locally available network would you recommend for the most economical means of getting a SIM card and 100-200 minutes of time? Any suggestions about where to get SIM cards and pre-paid time would be well appreciated.
They sell Sim Cards near the Retiro train station for about 5p.
I do not know about what number you will have and how to activate it.
I have also seen them being sold on Corrienties.
[QUOTE=WorldTravel69]They sell Sim Cards near the Retiro train station for about 5p.
I do not know about what number you will have and how to activate it.
I have also seen them being sold on Corrienties.[/QUOTE]A new SIM card comes with it's own number. When you buy a new SIM card, you now have a brand new local phone number with the local service that supplied that SIM card. Either the card that you bought is automatically activated when it's installed into the phone, or the place from which you buy it activates it when they sell it to you. You then also need to buy time for your number. This is either done by purchasing refill cards and calling the number on the refill card and entering it's PIN, or calling the pre-programmed customer service line from the phone containing your new SIM card and buying time with a credit card.
I forgot to mention that the Sim Cards being sold are from guys standing on the street. Not in an Office.
[QUOTE=Member #2041]A new SIM card comes with it's own number. When you buy a new SIM card, you now have a brand new local phone number with the local service that supplied that SIM card. Either the card that you bought is automatically activated when it's installed into the phone, or the place from which you buy it activates it when they sell it to you. You then also need to buy time for your number. This is either done by purchasing refill cards and calling the number on the refill card and entering it's PIN, or calling the pre-programmed customer service line from the phone containing your new SIM card and buying time with a credit card.[/QUOTE]
Based on Miami Bob's post a while back ([url]http://www.argentinaprivate.com/forum/showpost.php?p=372852&postcount=51[/url]) I went to the Personal office on Callao between Santa Fe and Marcelo T. De Alvear. (Thanks for that post Miami Bob, it was a big help! The first time I went their system was down and so they could not do anything. But they found someone who talked a bit of English and she said that when I came back I would need my passport. I asked if I really needed my passport or just its number and she said that they would need my passport. That would seem to be right because when I went back and they were setting me up they did copy the first two pages of it.
They probably asked if my cellphone was unlocked but I did not understand. Maybe I could have saved some time if I had been prepared to explain in Spanish that it was not locked. They had a guy whose English is excellent explain the very basics to me. (Probably the same guy who helped Miami Bob. But he seemed rushed and did not go beyond the basics.
Total cost for the SIM card was 7 pesos!
They said that it might take 2-3 hours before the phone would work. But it was more like maybe 20 hours.
I bought a card to charge the thing up (and be careful here, there's a card specifically for charging up a cell phone; you can't use a card intended for land lines to charge up your cellphone) But when I dialed *151 (that's the number you call to activate it and to charge it) there seemed to be a menu of things you can do and I did not understand which menu item was for charging the thing up. I needed the help of a local to enter my card number - and even he needed two tries!
The real fun started when I tried to call the cellphone from the landline in my room to make sure it worked. The landline kept telling me I had entered a wrong number. But I certainly hadn't. Well, my number, according to Personal, and who should know better, is 11-xxxx-xxxx. But dialed from a land line this produces an error message. For some reason from a landline you have to dial 15-xxxx-xxxx. From another cell phone you can dial the 11- number. I don't know if you can also dial the number with the 15-prefix from another cell.
This also probably explains why I haven't been able to call a hot girl who gave me her cellphone number as 11-xxxx-xxxx.
A question for Miami Bob, you said in your report that Personal cell phones can be charged from a computer. Can you explain a bit more about that? Did you mean by using a credit card or by using one of the cards you by at a kisoco?
Well, that's all I can think of. I hope maybe there is some info here that will be helpful to someone someday.
Bob
[QUOTE=AllIWantisLove]The real fun started when I tried to call the cellphone from the landline in my room to make sure it worked. The landline kept telling me I had entered a wrong number. But I certainly hadn't. Well, my number, according to Personal, and who should know better, is 11-xxxx-xxxx. But dialed from a land line this produces an error message. For some reason from a landline you have to dial 15-xxxx-xxxx. From another cell phone you can dial the 11- number. I don't know if you can also dial the number with the 15-prefix from another cell.
Bob[/QUOTE]All the telephones of rental apartments are blocked for calling cell phones.
From unblocked landline telephones you have to dial 15 first.
Most of them provide free local landline calls only.
El Greco
[QUOTE=El Greco]All the telephones of rental apartments are blocked for calling cell phones.
From unblocked landline telephones you have to dial 15 first.
Most of them provide free local landline calls only.
El Greco[/QUOTE][blue]El Greco,
With all due respect, the telephone lines in my apartments [u]ARE NOT[/u] blocked to call cellphones.
What I find interesting is that the guys who rent my apartments are heavy cell phone callers, and yet these extra charges only average perhaps 20-30 pesos a month, and have never exceeded 40 pesos. From my experience, the practice inconveniencing your customers by blocking calls to cellphones to save a few pesos is just another manifestation of the Argentine business mentality, which I like to summarize as follows:
"[b]In Argentina, the customer is a big pussy waiting to get fucked.[/b]"
[size=-2](This quote was inspired in part by the famous line from the movie [I]Scarface[/i].)[/size]
Thanks,
Jackson[/blue]
It is a digital charge up. If you go to a kiosk, they can charge any amount to your cell phone. You pay them in cash and they charge your phone digitally on the internet (all they need is your cell phone number) I am assuming you could do this yourself using a credit card, but I am not sure.
Regards,
BM. [QUOTE=AllIWantisLove]A question for Miami Bob, you said in your report that Personal cell phones can be charged from a computer. Can you explain a bit more about that? Did you mean by using a credit card or by using one of the cards you by at a kisoco?[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=El Greco]All the telephones of rental apartments are blocked for calling cell phones.
From unblocked landline telephones you have to dial 15 first.
Most of them provide free local landline calls only.
El Greco[/QUOTE]They have told me that I cannot use the landline phone in my apartment for cell or international calls (maybe any kind of long distance calls). But (for anyone thinking about renting an apartment who might be concerned about this), that just means that you have to use a calling card (and dial 24 additional digits!). At least that is the case with the land line in the apartment I am in.
Bob
[QUOTE=Jackson][blue]El Greco,
With all due respect, the telephone lines in my apartments [u]ARE NOT[/u] blocked to call cellphones.
What I find interesting is that the guys who rent my apartments are heavy cell phone callers, and yet these extra charges only average perhaps 20-30 pesos a month, and have never exceeded 40 pesos. From my experience, the practice inconveniencing your customers by blocking calls to cellphones to save a few pesos is just another manifestation of the Argentine business mentality, which I like to summarize as follows:
"[b]In Argentina, the customer is a big pussy waiting to get fucked.[/b]"
[size=-2](This quote was inspired in part by the famous line from the movie [I]Scarface[/i].[/size]
Thanks,
Jackson[/blue][/QUOTE]Jackson,
Your apartment is unique with regard to services and location.
My apologies I did't exclude it in the first place.
El Greco
[QUOTE=AllIWantisLove]They have told me that I cannot use the landline phone in my apartment for cell or international calls (maybe any kind of long distance calls) But (for anyone thinking about renting an apartment who might be concerned about this) that just means that you have to use a calling card (and dial 24 additional digits! At least that is the case with the land line in the apartment I am in.
Bob[/QUOTE]You can also use Skype or get yourself a Vonage account as alternatives.
Might be more expensive though.
El Greco
Bob--on the street it is almost impossible to buy a card for more than 20 pesos. The blocks of over 50 pesos yield a lower rate per minute. At the personel office, one can buy up to 99 pesos at one time via computer, not by buying a card. They only take cash or an argentine issued credit card. They will not accept a foriegn credit card.
I have only been able to but a 50 or 100 peso cards at a personel independent agent on Florida between Cordoba and Corrientes. This location will also accept international credit cards. Personel itself does not sell the larger cards.
A kiosko owner who knows you as a regular customer, will obtain 50 pesos cards for you, if you politely ask. Most don't carry them because of lower demand. I use my cel with enogh volumn that the differnece in price per minute, is worth the effort to buy the larger cards or loading up 99 pesos at the persinel store.
Bob
The best deal you can get is getting yourself one of the (free!) "recarga facil" cards at any Pago Facil place. These are credit card sized cards with a barcode and a number at the front.
Once you have one, you have to register your cell phone number with the company (also free;)) and then you are ready to go.
Every time you use this card to re-charge the minutes on your phone, you get 20% extra. That makes a big difference.:)
The other nice thing about the cards is that you can re-charge the minutes at every Pago Facil. I normally use Farmacity outlets for this.
As far as I know it is possible to use these cards for every cell phone company.
Another benefit of this card is that you can leave the card behind in Argentina while you are outside of the country. A friend can then keep the line active by just putting $10 every month on the phone. This is great for the frequent visitors.
PS You can use Personal "Lite" phones in the USA to send/receive messages and to make calls if you want. Makes it easy to make arrangements before you come over... :D
My cell phone is displaying ¨divert on¨ when I try to make a call, and the calls are not getting through. Can anyone, I hope, tell me what this means?
Thanks,
Bob
[QUOTE=AllIWantisLove]My cell phone is displaying ¨divert on¨ when I try to make a call, and the calls are not getting through. Can anyone, I hope, tell me what this means?
Thanks, Bob[/QUOTE]It appears you activated your divert call feature. See which one of the following codes you need to type in to undo the divert call feature. You might want to look at your manual. I think you might want to try the "Deactivate unconditionally divert all calls" code below. Also, here is a site that might be of help. Suerte.
[url]http://www.wynasia.com/gsm_standard_codes.htm[/url]
De-register all call diversions ##002#©
Set all configured call diversions to number and activate.
**004*number#©
De-register all configured call diversions (no answer, not reachable,
Busy) ##004#©
Unconditionally divert all calls to number and activate **21*number#©
Activate unconditionally divert all calls *21#©
De-register unconditionally divert all calls ##21#©
Deactivate unconditionally divert all calls #21#©
Check status of unconditionally divert all calls *#21#©
Divert on no answer to number and activate **61*number#©
Activate divert on no answer *61#©
De-register divert on no answer ##61#©
Deactivate divert on no answer #61#©
Check status of divert on no answer *#61#©
Divert on not reachable to number and activate **62*number#©
Activate divert on not reachable *62#©
De-register divert on not reachable ##62#©
Deactivate divert on not reachable #62#©
Check status of divert on not reachable *#62#©
Divert on busy to number and activate / td> **67*number#©<
Activate divert on busy *67#©
De-register divert on busy ##67#©
Deactivate divert on busy #67#©
Check status of divert on busy *#67#©
Change number of seconds of ringing for the given service before.
Diverting a call (such as on no answer) Seconds must be a value from.
5 to 30. De-registering the same divert will also delete this change!
**service*number**seconds#© (Service numbers, see below)
© = <send>
Brought in two quad band cellphones from the US. One is unlocked which worked perfectly, inserted my local SIM in the slot and I was able to use it immediately.
The other one is locked which obviously I had to have unlocked. An Argie friend accompanied me to Ave. Corrientes from the corner of Pasteur to Azcuenaga which according to him is the center of cellphone "unlockers", if there is such a word. He suggested that he do it for me because I might be charged the foreigner's price. After about 15 minutes he was out of store with an unlocked phone. Cost of unlocking the phone is 50 pesos including a SIM card.
I walked by Maipu y Florida this afternoon and noticed the CTI store is now called Claro. I went inside and asked if anything else has changed besides the company name. I was told the company name change took place on MAR 25th but everything else remains the same, phone number, PIN, airtime credit, rate. Etc. But to check the balance of your airtime, go to [url]www.claroargentina.com[/url] instead. The old CTI site still works for now. On my cell phone, the carrier still says CTI Movil.